Mike LehmkuhlerLeader . Transportation Team . Business Development804-545-5722MLehmkuhler@YesVirginia.org
For more than 80 years, the automotive industry has
found Virginia to be a great place for business. In the past ten years, 124 Automotive Industry projects have announced over 9,400 new jobs and investments of $1.6 billion.
Recent major announcements include: Brewer Automotive Components, Goodyear Tire & Rubber, Gates Corp., Intermet, Wytheville Technologies, Usui International, and Volkswagen.
- Employs more than 22,000
- $2.4 billion industry
- Average wages are $24.65 for the industry as a whole, and $21.04 for the Automotive Parts sector
- Home to Volvo Truck North America's New River Valley Plant (Dublin, Virginia), the largest Volvo truck plant in the world
- Home to the headquarters of Volkswagen of America
- Consists of 177 establishments, 140 in the Automotive Parts sector
- Supported by 369 machine shops employing 4,600 people
- Central location on the Atlantic Coast provides interstate and rail access to the Northeast, Southeast, and Midwest
- Access to international markets provided by the Port of Hampton Roads and Washington-Dulles International Airport
In 2007, Virginia's Automotive Industry employed 22,018 people. The Automotive Industry accounts for 8% of Virginia's 286,579 manufacturing workers. The top three Automotive sectors by employment are Other Parts (4,700), Assembly (3,800), and Tires and Materials (3,600). These three sectors comprise 55% of all Automotive Industry employment in Virginia. Automotive is $2.4 billion industry in Virginia.
Virginia is home to 177 Automotive companies. The Automotive industry accounts for 3% of Virginia's total of 6,047 manufacturing establishments. The top three sectors for the Automotive Industry are Other Parts (37), Bodies and Trailers (31), and Engine Parts (27). These three sectors comprise 54% of Virginia's Automotive companies.
Virginia's Automotive companies are involved in Vehicle
Assembly, Bodies and Trailers, and Automotive Parts. Average hourly wages are
$24.65 for all Automotive workers, $21.04 for Automotive Parts workers, and $14.69
for Bodies and Trailers workers.
Major
Automotive Companies in Virginia |
Alcoa Wheels |
Continental |
Corning |
Dupont Automotive
Finishes |
Dynax America |
Federal Mogul |
General Motors Powertrain |
Goodyear Tire &
Rubber |
|
Hyosung America |
International Automotive
Components |
JTEKT |
Metalsa |
Narricot Industries
|
Schrader Bridgeport
|
Tenneco |
Timken |
TRW Automotive |
Utility Trailer |
Volvo Trucks North
America |
World Wide Automotive
|
Yokohama Tire |
The Commonwealth of Virginia offers companies a favorable
business environment characterized by a stable, competitive tax structure and
legislation that protects "at will" and "right-to-work" employment practices.
- Worker's compensation and
unemployment insurance payroll expenses are consistently among the lowest
in the nation
- 6% corporate income tax accounts
for less than 10% of total state tax revenues and has not changed in over
thirty years
- Manufacturers receive broad
sales tax exemptions for purchases of machinery, tools, replacement parts
and raw materials used in the production process, as well as all utilities
delivered through pipes, mains, and lines for all purposes
- Virginia does not tax accounts
receivable, inventory, computer software or other intangibles, and does
not levy a license tax on gross receipts
- The primary local taxes apply
to real estate and machinery and equipment
- There are no school taxes
in Virginia
- Virginia has extremely reliable
electric service at very competitive rates—average cost per unit of
electricity for the industrial sector is 4.63 cents in Virginia, compared
to 6.15 cents for the nation
- Unsurpassed quality of life—healthcare, educational
and recreational benefits for families rank among the finest available anywhere
in the United States
- Two of the nation's largest railroads, CSX Corporation
and Norfolk Southern Corporation, have extensive infrastructure throughout
the State
- Fourteen railroads operate on more than 3,400 miles
of railway in Virginia, of which more than 3,100 miles are Class I—one
of the strongest rail networks in the nation
- Six interstate highways and direct, double-stacked
rail connections provide quick access to Northeast, Southeast and Midwest
markets
- 14 commercial airports serve the Commonwealth, including
two of the nation's largest, Washington Dulles International and Ronald
Reagan Washington National
- The Port of Virginia is the second largest intermodal
facility on the East Coast and, due to natural harbor depth and Suez-class
cranes, the only East Coast location capable of handling post-Panamax vessels
as first port of call
- The Port of Virginia offers a schedule of approximately
3,000 sailings annually to more than 250 ports in 100 foreign countries
| Selected
Automotive Products Occupations |
Virginia
Employment |
Virginia
Mean Wage |
U.S.
Mean Wage |
| Computer-controlled machine tool operators, metal and plastic |
1,720 |
$16.29 |
$16.20 |
| Cutting, punching, and press machine
setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic |
4,360 |
$13.60 |
$13.72 |
| Electrical and electronic equipment assemblers |
4,350 |
$13.91 |
$13.75 |
| Engine and other machine assemblers |
1,000 |
$15.23 |
$15.99 |
| Heat treating equipment setters, operators,
and tenders, metal and plastic |
1,070 |
$15.05 |
$15.47 |
| Industrial machinery mechanics |
7,410 |
$21.05 |
$21.16 |
| Machinists |
6,820 |
$17.76 |
$17.49 |
| Molding, coremaking, and casting machine
setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic |
2,850 |
$13.27 |
$13.62 |
| Multiple machine tool setters, operators,
and tenders, metal and plastic |
560 |
$15.22 |
$15.52 |
| Painters, transportation equipment |
1,630 |
$19.87 |
$18.69 |
| Production workers, all other |
5890 |
$12.65 |
$14.18 |
| Team assemblers |
14,350 |
$12.45 |
$12.72 |
| Tool and die makers |
800 |
$21.12 |
$22.36 |
| Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers |
8,000 |
$17.32 |
$16.33 |
| Welding, soldering, and brazing machine
setters, operators, and tenders |
1,360 |
$16.65 |
$15.96 |
The
Virginia Community College System provides education and training programs for
Virginians and Virginia businesses. Degree programs include:
- CAD/CAM
- Engineering Technology
- Industrial Electronics
- Industrial Production
- Industrial Technology
- Mechanical Engineering Technologies
- Welding
- Old Dominion University's Langley Full Scale Tunnel
- Virginia Tech's Advanced Vehicle Dynamics Lab
- Virginia Tech's Smart Road test site
- The University of Virginia Automobile Safety Laboratory
- The University of Virginia Center for Transportation
- Virginia Institute for Performance Engineering and
Research (VIPER)
- Richmond International Raceway
- Virginia International Raceway
- Martinsville Speedway
- Virginia Motorsports Park
|
