By Greg Canfield, Secretary, Alabama Department of Commerce

It’s no secret that Alabama has been a prime U.S. destination for foreign direct investment for many years.

This really began in 1993, when Mercedes-Benz selected Alabama for its first U.S. auto assembly plant. The decision, which climaxed an intense nationwide competition for a coveted industrial prize, stood as a compelling seal of approval from a gold-plated global brand.

Since then, Mercedes’ success in Alabama has served to lay a foundation for future foreign investment across the state. Mercedes found what it needed in Alabama and so have other global companies. They’ve all discovered they can assemble a high-performing workforce, build world-class products, and thrive in Alabama.

By Greg Canfield, Secretary, Alabama Department of Commerce

Thanks to a long manufacturing heritage, Alabama is known for making first-class products – high-quality steel and other metals, automobiles sold around the world, advanced aircraft and aerospace components, along with much more. 

But what about those revolutionary new technologies and processes that are beginning to shake up factory floors and other businesses? Alabama is ready for the challenge.

For manufacturers, in particular, the future is being shaped by disruptive technologies such as 3-D printing, or additive manufacturing, as the process is called in the industry.

By Greg Canfield, Secretary, Alabama Department of Commerce

In economic development, one indicator stands out. It’s simple: where are industry leaders investing their money in new facilities or expansions? In many cases, it’s Alabama.

Recent activity tells a powerful story. In recent months, corporate giants and innovative companies from around the world have selected Alabama as a strategic base in their unfolding growth plans. The roster of blue-chip companies making new investments is long, but here’s a short list: Honda, Walmart, Amazon, Boeing, Aerojet Rocketdyne, Blue Origin, and Toyota.

All of these industry leaders, and others, have picked Alabama after extensive site-selection searches.

By Greg Canfield, Secretary, Alabama Department of Commerce

Alabama is coming off a year for the record books, with pivotal developments setting the stage for long-term economic growth and fueling meaningful job-creation across the state.

Consider these facts:

• Alabama’s auto industry has been hitting impressive new milestones as key players – Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Hyundai and Toyota – increase output, jobs and investment in the state. 
• Airbus is producing A320 Family passenger jets at its new $600 million factory in Mobile, adding heft to Alabama’s status in aerospace.
• Technology giant Google is building an ultra-modern data center in Alabama after a worldwide search to identify the ideal site for the facility.
• Alabama registered a record level of new capital investment in 2015, with game-changing projects from companies such as Mercedes, GE Aviation and Polaris.

Alabama’s aerospace industry flew to the moon with the Saturn V rocket, the brainchild of a team at the Marshall Space Flight Center. Today, Alabama’s aerospace/aviation sector is gearing up for a new set of missions that will power it to new heights.

The new $600 million Airbus manufacturing center at Mobile Aeroplex, where the aviation giant is beginning to assemble its first U.S.-made passenger jets, represents a milestone. Mobile is becoming one of just three North American locations where large passenger jets are assembled, joining Boeing hubs in South Carolina and Washington.

Airbus has hired around 280 workers for its facility, with the number rising to 1,000 at full production. To help meet the demand for skilled workers, Alabama’s job-training agency, AIDT, opened a $7 million training center near the Airbus.