By Robbie Clark
Lexington and Central Kentucky’s close proximity to a majority of the nation’s population makes the region an attractive manufacturing hub, and many companies have taken advantage of the area’s advantageous location.
But the educated workforce here also is a powerful attraction to potential new manufacturers, especially those in advanced manufacturing.
More than 40 percent of the population 25 years or older in Lexington has at least a bachelor’s degree – a statistic that ranks the city as the 13th most highly educated in the nation. Furthermore, 17 percent of the population has an advanced degree.
This educated population makes Lexington and Central Kentucky fertile ground for advanced manufacturing.
From Market Review Central Kentucky 2016-17
TMMK celebrates 30 years
King of manufacturing in Central Kentucky, if not the entire state, is Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky – Toyota’s largest manufacturing facility outside of Japan. Located in Scott County, TMMK has recently celebrated a number of milestones: in 2014, the company marked 10 million cars having rolled off its lines; in 2015 TMMK began production of the Lexus ES sedan; and the facility celebrated the 30th anniversary of its groundbreaking in 2016.
Annual production can top 55,000 vehicles and more than 600,000 engines.
The Toyota manufacturing plant is an economic juggernaut, directly employing nearly 8,000 and investing more than $6 billion into the site. Indirectly, TMMK helps fosters a number of regional businesses, such as nearby Webasto Roof Systems, which has a vehicle sunroof and components production facility in Lexington. Webasto has about 1,100 employees. Statewide, Toyota utilizes over 100 suppliers, and a recent study completed by the Center for Automotive Research indicates that every Toyota job in Kentucky creates nearly three more across the commonwealth.
Link-Belt, Georgia Pacific, Jif … the list goes on
Lockheed Martin, the Maryland-based global security company, employees about 1,100 workers at its Bluegrass Station facility in Fayette County. In Lexington, the Lockheed Martin facility handles contracts for U.S. Special Forces Command, including aviation and small arms repair and manufacturing.
Trane Lexington, which manufactures residential, commercial and industrial air heating and cooling parts and systems, employs about 1,000 workers at its facility.
Lexington-based Big Ass Solutions, which produces low-energy, high-volume industrial ceiling fans – employs nearly 700 workers at its plant and research headquarters.
At its 500,000-s.f. Lexington facility, Link-Belt is a world leader in crane manufacturing. Its annual CraneFest event draws attendance from around the world.
France-based Schneider Electric, which manufactures a variety of energy machinery, employs about 500 workers at its Lexington facility.
Georgia Pacific produces a variety of paper and plastic products in Lexington and employs about 250 workers.
Iconic packed lunch brand Jif Peanut Butter is manufactured by J.M. Smucker in Lexington and is the largest peanut butter production facility in the world, requiring 188 billion peanuts annually and employing about 250 workers.
On the horizon, a new advanced manufacturing food production company broke ground in summer 2016 on a new facility in Woodford County. More Than a Bakery, the oldest family-owned cookie and cracker bakery in the country, began construction of a $57 million, 250,000-s.f. plant on 100 acres of land in Versailles, where it is moving its headquarters from Indiana. The company will employee over 300 workers.
Though they may not be considered a part of advanced manufacturing, a number of other iconic brands come out of the Bluegrass, including Ale-8-One ginger soft drink, which is made in Winchester.
Bourbon is one of the most recognizable products globally made in the Bluegrass.
3M
Post-it products, Scotch Tape
Cynthiana – mmm.com
Ale-8-One Bottling Co.
Soft drinks
Winchester – ale-8-one.com
Alltech Inc.
Natural animal feed additives
Nicholasville – alltech.com
Alltech’s Lexington Brewing and Distilling Co.
Beer
kentuckyale.com
ASC
Convertible tops
ascglobal.com
Audio Authority
Media switches
audioauthority.com
Barrel House Distillery
Moonshine, rum, vodka
barrelhousedistillery.com
Big Ass Solutions
Industrial ceiling fans
bigassfans.com
Buffalo Trace Distillery
Bourbon
Frankfort – buffalotrace.com
Bulleit Distilling Co.
Bourbon
Lawrenceburg – bulleitbourbon.com
Carhartt Inc.
Work clothing
Irvine – carhartt.com
Caterpillar Inc.
Tractor components
Danville – cat.com
Ceradyne
Ceramic inserts for bullet proof vests
ceradyne.com
Clark Material Handling Co.
Forklifts
clarkmhc.com
Corning Display Technologies
Glass processes & products technology
Harrodsburg – corning.com
Country Boy Brewing
Craft beer
countryboybrewing.com
Florida Tile Inc.
Porcelain & ceramic tile
Lawrenceburg – floridatile.com
Four Roses Distillery
Bourbon
Lawrenceburg – fourrosesbourbon.com
Denyo Manufacturing Corp.
High-output diesel generators
Danville – denyo.co.jp/english
GE Lighting LLC
Automotive headlights, specialty lamps
ge.com
Georgia-Pacific
Dixie Cup cups & plates
gp.com
Highbridge Spring Water
Bottled water
Wilmore – highbridgesprings.com
Hobart
Commercial dishwashing equipment
Danville – hobartcorp.com
International Paper
Corrugated boxes
internationalpaper.com
Jim Beam Brands
Bourbon
Frankfort – jimbeam.com
J.M. Smucker Co.
Jif peanut butter
jif.com
Johnson Controls Inc.
Automotive foam pads
jci.com
Kaba Mas LLC
High-security locking solutions
kaba-mas.com
Kinetic Technologies
Animal, human supplements
kinetictech.net
Laura’s Lean Beef
Natural beef products
laurasleanbeef.com
Lectrodryer
Liquid dryers
Richmond – lectrodryer.com
Link-Belt Construction Equipment Co.
Telescopic & lattice boom cranes
linkbelt.com
Lockheed Martin
Military operations logistics support
lockheedmartin.com
Lore Brewing Co.
Craft beer
Danville – lorebrew.com
Lucas Equine Equipment
Stall components, farm gates
Cynthiana – lucasequine.com
Mingua Beef Jerky
Paris – minguabeefjerky.com
Nacco Materials
Handling Group
Lift trucks
Berea – nmhg.com
Neogen Corp.
Food & animal safety products
neogen.com
Old Kentucky Candies
oldkycandy.com
Osram Sylvania
Fluorescent/tungsten halogen lamps
Versailles/Winchester – sylvania.com
Parker Seal
Engineered o-rings
parker.com
Pittsburgh Glass Works
Windshields
Berea – pgwglass.com
Q-Lighting Inc.
Commercial lighting solutions
q-lighting.com
Quillin Leather & Tack
Equine halters & equipment
Paris – quillin.com
Rebecca Ruth Candy Factory
Frankfort – rebeccaruth.com
Red Wing Shoe Co.
Work boots
Danville – redwingshoes.com
RockTenn
Paperboard folding boxes
Nicholasville – rocktenn.com
Rocky Top Log
Furniture & Railing
Log furniture & railing
Lancaster –rockytoplogfurniture.com
Rogers Windows
Windows
rogerswindows.com
Ruggles Sign Co.
Commercial signage
Versailles – rugglessign.com
Sargent & Greenleaf
Security locks
Nicholasville – sargentandgreenleaf.com
Schneider Electric
Square D electrical safety switches
squared.com
Sharp’s Candies
Lexington – sharpscandies.com
Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes Corp.
Automotive coatings/finishes
Richmond – sherwin-automotive.com
Tiffany & Co.
Luxury jewelry
tiffany.com
Tokico Inc.
Brake & suspension systems
Berea – tokicousa.com
Toyota Motor
Manufacturing Kentucky
Automobiles, engines
Georgetown – toyotageorgetown.com
Trane Commercial Systems
Air systems
trane.com
Trim Masters Inc.
Automotive interior trim
Nicholasville/Harrodsburg
Unicomp
Keyboards
pckeyboard.com
US IOL Inc.
Intraocular lenses
usiol.com
Vermont Castings Group
Fireplaces, wood-burning stoves
Paris – vermontcastings.com
Wausau Paper
Paper towels & tissues
Harrodsburg – wausaupaper.com
Webasto Roof Systems Inc.
Automotive sunroofs
webasto.com/us
Weisenberger Mills
Baking products
Midway – weisenberger.com
West Sixth Brewing Co.
Craft beer
westsixth.com
Wild Turkey Distillery
Bourbon
Lawrenceburg –
wildturkeybourbon.com
Woodford Reserve Distillery
Versailles – woodfordreserve.com l
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