Georgia, Michigan, Arizona Top 2017 Aerospace Manufacturing Attractiveness Rankings

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)-- PricewaterhouseCoopers (Pwc) (London, England) recently released its "2017 Aerospace Manufacturing Attractiveness Rankings," a forecasting report for aerospace companies to use when planning future business expansions. PwC uses several factors in determining the rankings, including infrastructure, operating costs and industry size. Not surprisingly, the top-ranking states on the report are moving forward on multimillion-dollar aerospace developments. Industrial Info is tracking more than 80 active aerospace projects worth approximately $3.8 billion.

Georgia ranked No. 1 this year, moving up two positions since last year. The state currently hosts more than 500 aerospace-related companies and is close to several space-launch facilities. Georgia currently is working to start its own space launch facility, Spaceport Camden. Originally a NASA test-fire site, Camden County is working to construct and operate a commercial space launch site consisting of a vertical launch site, a landing zone and ancillary buildings that will perform up to 12 vertical launches and 12 landings per year. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

The state in second place for aerospace manufacturing attractiveness is now Michigan, which in the 2016 report was in eighth place. Such a large transition in ranking can be attributed to companies like Williams International (Commerce Township, Michigan), a manufacturer of small gas turbine engines for the aviation and military industries. Williams announced plans to relocate from Commerce Township to consolidate operations in Pontiac, Michigan. The $344.5 million initial investment will be completed in multiple phases and includes redeveloping a former film production studio into offices and manufacturing space, and constructing a new 800,000- to 1 million-square-foot manufacturing facility on an additional 120 acres purchased nearby. For more information, see Industrial Info's project reports Phase I and Phase II of the project.

Arizona has dropped two spots, moving from No. 1 in 2016 to third place this year. However, the state still boasts more than 1,200 aerospace companies and has numerous growth opportunities in the works. In November 2016, Raytheon Company (NYSE:RTN) (Waltham, Massachusetts) began a $400 million investment for its missile systems business headquarters in Tucson that is anticipated to add nearly 2,000 jobs over a five-year period. Raytheon is underway with construction of new buildings on its campus, such as an advanced test facility and central utility plant, and performing numerous modernization updates to existing facilities. The expansion project also will include constructing more production and lab space. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

Rounding out the top 10 on PwC's report were North Carolina, Virginia, Ohio, Florida, Colorado, Texas and New York, respectively.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn. For more information on our coverage, send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.com or visit us online at http://www.industrialinfo.com.