Advanced Manufacturing

Automotive

Automakers have good reason to operate in Louisiana; the state has a tradition of quality manufacturing, a large-skilled manufacturing workforce, unparalleled logistics and a wealth of competitive state and federal incentives.

Expanding and relocating businesses may also be eligible for LED Faststart™, called the nation's best workforce solutions program by Business Facilities, which offers customized workforce recruitment, screening and training - all at no cost.

Composites

Producing one-third of the composites manufactured in the U.S., Louisiana is a leader not only in the production of advanced materials, but also in innovation. The National Center for Advanced Manufacturing, or NCAM, located in New Orleans at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility, supports NASA's research and technology development and builds the technology base for manufacturing next generation launch vehicle systems.

NCAM, under the auspices of the UNO College of Engineering, leads a consortium of seven universities that conduct research focused on using composite and metallic materials in the production of aerospace structures. Additional research centers providing innovation partnerships and growth opportunities include: Louisiana Center for Manufacturing Sciences located in Shreveport, La., Center for Lean Excellence located in New Orleans and Manufacturing Extension Partnership in Louisiana located in Lafayette, La.

Durable Goods

Louisiana's durable goods industry is supported by a skilled workforce, the availability of resources and a first-class multimodal distribution system reaching across the country and around the world.

Louisiana's goods-producing sector is made up of 20,955 firms employing 315,700, or 16.6% of Louisiana's work force. And Louisiana has the fourth-highest concentration of goods-producing occupations in the South. Business Facilities magazine's 2008 "Rankings Report" placed the state first in "Manufacturing Momentum" in the U.S., based primarily on the increase in the value added to Louisiana's manufacturing shipments. Hundreds of advanced manufacturing projects, including Nucor Corp. and Blade Dynamics, have been announced in Louisiana in the past decade.

Business Facilities magazine's 2008 "Rankings Report" placed the state first in "Manufacturing Momentum" in the U.S., based primarily on the increase in the value added to Louisiana's manufacturing shipments.

Shipbuilding

With the nation's highest concentration of ship and boat building operations, more than 200 years in the industry, an established workforce and strategic transportation system, Louisiana dominates the shipbuilding industry. The Louisiana port system, including both deep-water and shallow-draft ports, is one of the largest port systems in the world, transporting millions of tons of cargo in and out of the country. About 2,300 miles of navigable inland waterways connect each of Louisiana's six deep-water ports to the state's network of eight coastal ports and 13 inland ports.

Louisiana companies can take advantage of an experienced and skilled workforce, who have received training from nationally and internationally recognized institutions. For instance, graduates from UNO's School of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, the top shipbuilding school in the nation, can earn a Bachelor of Science in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, Master of Science in Engineering, and a Ph.D. in Engineering and Applied Science; and the Maritime, Fire and Industrial Training Facility at Delgado Community College delivers high-quality Maritime and Industrial Fire Fighting, Radar, Safety and U.S. Coast Guard-approved training.

Such programs and training create an environment that fosters success for Louisiana companies like Bollinger Shipyards, Northrop Grumman Corp., Conrad Industries, Candies Shipbuilders LLC, Swift Ships, North American Shipbuilding, Thomas-Sea Builders LLC, Trinity Marine and Trinity Yachts.