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Above: A look inside the Mercedes-Benz plant in Vance, Alabama (image courtesy of the Alabama Department of Commerce)
Looking to do business in Alabama? Having some insight into the state’s manufacturing climate can give you a big advantage when it comes to talking to Alabama manufacturers.
Today, we’re exploring the latest statistics on Alabama’s manufacturing sector and providing information on the ten largest manufacturing companies in the state.
With its competitive labor costs, abundance of project funding, and friendly business environment, Alabama is a huge draw for many companies. The state is home to a number of big names in the automotive and aerospace industries and has seen a remarkable amount of foreign investment over the past decade.
According to data collected by MNI, compiler of the industrial information that powers IndustrySelect, Alabama is currently home to 4,299 manufacturers employing 282,408. These include some leading companies in the transportation equipment, food processing and fabricated metal sectors.
Looking to reach decision makers in the industrial world? Get a live database of industrial contacts, built exactly for what you're selling IndustrySelect gives you live access to detailed information on 460,000 U.S. industrial companies and one million executives. Learn more.
According to MNI, Birmingham is Alabama’s largest city based on industrial employment, home to 25,112 workers. This is followed by Huntsville with 20,826 workers.
Read more: Top Manufacturing Cities in the U.S.
Other top cities in Alabama include
• Montgomery (15,391 jobs)
• Mobile (12,674 jobs)
• Decatur (10,332 jobs)
Jefferson County is Alabama’s largest in terms of industrial jobs, home to 46,006 workers. This is followed by Madison County (29,608), Mobile (25,962), Montgomery (18,030) and Tuscaloosa (17,445).
Taking a look at the state’s top industries, transportation equipment manufacturing ranks as the state’s largest industrial sector based on number of jobs, employing 47,116. Second-ranked food processing ranks second with 37,742 jobs, while third-ranked fabricated metal products accounts for 29,629. This is followed by industrial machinery with 22,988 jobs and lumber/wood, with 20,649.
Other facts to know about Alabama manufacturers, based on IndustrySelect’s advanced criteria available to subscribers, include ownership, distribution and other trends. Let’s take a look:
• 2% of Alabama manufacturers are women-owned
• 1% are minority-owned
• 11% are publicly-owned companies
• 10% import raw materials
• 20% distribute their products internationally.
Next, we’ll take a look at the state’s top companies.
| Company | Employees | City | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Honda Manufacturing of Alabama, LLC | 4,500 | Lincoln | AL |
| Austal USA | 4,000 | Mobile | AL |
| Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama, LLC | 3,000 | Montgomery | AL |
| Mercedes-Benz US International, Inc. | 3,000 | Vance | AL |
| Dynetics, Inc. | 2,500 | Huntsville | AL |
| The Boeing Co. | 2,500 | Huntsville | AL |
| Maples Industries, Inc. | 2,350 | Scottsboro | AL |
| Calderys | 2,300 | Jacksonville | AL |
| Buffalo Rock Co. | 2,200 | Birmingham | AL |
| Polaris Industries, Inc. | 1,700 | Madison | AL |
1. Honda Manufacturing of Alabama, LLC (Lincoln, AL)
With 4,500 employees at this facility, Honda Manufacturing of Alabama ranks as the state’s largest industrial company based on number of jobs. Here workers assemble Light-duty trucks and V-6 engines for minivans, SUVs and pickup trucks.
2. Austal USA (Mobile, AL)
Austal USA is a major shipbuilder in Mobile, with 4,000 employees assembling aluminum vessels for the defense and commercial markets. Austal is Alabama’s second-largest industrial employer based on number of employees.
3. Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama, LLC (Montgomery, AL)
Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama employs 3,000 at this Montgomery campus, assembling the Sonata and Elantra sedans and the Santa Fe SUV, making it the third-largest industrial employer in the state. The Alabama site is Hyundai’s first U.S. manufacturing plant and ranks as the state’s third-largest industrial employer (tied with Merceds-Benz below).
4. Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, Inc. (Vance, AL)
With 3,000 employees, Mercedes-Benz is a major Alabama employer. Established in 1993 in Vance, workers at this plant assemble the Benz GLE and GLS Class, the GLE Coupe and the GLS Maybach.
5. Dynetics, Inc. (Huntsville, AL)
Dynetics is a major aerospace company that develops spacecraft and missile propulsion systems, hardware, software development as well as mechanical and electrical fabrication. 2,500 workers
6. The Boeing Company (Huntsville, AL)
This Boeing location in Huntsville employs 2,500 and specializes in defense and space products.
7. Maples Industries, Inc. (Scottsboro, AL)
Alabama isn’t all about automotive and aeronautics but is also home to this major textile company. Maples Industries in Scottsboro makes bath mats, scatter rugs and other types of floor coverings and employs 2,350.
8. Calderys (Jacksonville, AL)
A subsidiary of Imerys, Calderys is a major refractory supplier, providing refractories globally, with 19 facilities in 16 countries. Their Alabama location employs and serves a wide range of industries, including petrochemicals, power generation, cement and incineration.
9. Buffalo Rock Co (Birmingham, AL)
Buffalo Rock Co is among the nation’s largest family-owned Pepsi-Cola bottlers. The company has a long history, starting in the late 1800s when Sidney W. Lee founded the Alabama Grocery Company. The company manufactures and sells nearly a billion containers of product annually.
10. Polaris Industries, Inc (Madison, AL)
Rounding out our top ten list is yet another transportation equipment company: Polaris Industries, Inc. in Madison. This facility produces all-terrain vehicles and motorcycles and is the state’s tenth latest manufacturer with 1,700 employees.
Interested in other states? Browse all of our state news here.
For those looking to do business with manufacturers, IndustrySelect’s database of 460,000 U.S. manufacturers is a top resource for both developing and researching sales leads in the manufacturing sector. An IndustrySelect subscription can put you on a first-name basis with Alabama’s 5,600 industrial companies and 18,500 executives. Subscribers can select up to 30 data points on any manufacturing company in the U.S. to help identify or pre-qualify leads. Company profiles also include the contact information for hard-to-find executive decision-makers. Try a free demo today!
Sources
https://www.hmmausa.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_U.S._International
https://www.buffalorock.com/about-us/
Note: This article was originally published in February of 2021. It is updated annually to reflect new trends and statistics in Alabama.