The
Advanced Manufacturing Cluster in Columbus, Indiana Columbus,
located within southeastern Indiana, is a leading
region in advanced manufacturing. Over 600 regional
manufacturers take advantage of the high-quality of life, talent
and workforce development systems, regional assets, and low-cost
of doing business that the region affords. Within
Columbus alone there are more than 15,000 skilled people employed
in the advanced manufacturing cluster representing more than $1.1
billion of annual employment earnings.
Specific Advanced Manufacturing
Clusters within Columbus include:
What makes Columbus a hotspot
for advanced manufacturers? Consider a few of
these facts:
(Magnify
Graphic)
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Columbus is the headquarters
of Cummins Inc.
The company, a global power leader, is a corporation of complementary business units that design, manufacture, distribute and service engines and related technologies, including fuel systems, controls, air handling, filtration, emission solutions and electrical power generation systems. Headquartered in Columbus, Indiana (USA), Cummins serves customers in more than 160 countries through its network of 550 company-owned and independent distributor facilities and more than 5,000 dealer locations. Cummins reported net income of $715 million on sales of $11.4 billion in 2006.
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Columbus has founded two
manufacturing -based Fortune 500 companies within its short
history--Cummins, Inc being one and ArvinMeritor, Inc. making
it a regional hotspot of manufacturing, management, and
engineering talent.
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Honda Motor Company selected
the regional area for its new Honda Civic plant which will
employ over 2,000 associates when fully-operational.
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The ten regional counties
surrounding Columbus have collectively developed a true
regional learning system to support the workforce and
educational needs of the advanced manufacturing industry
cluster. 
Recent investments in the system include:
-
$16 million by Columbus
community for learning system program improvements
(including $5.85 million grant from Lilly Endowment)
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$25 million for Columbus
Learning Center (plus 20-year annual operating budget for
facility)
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$2.5 million for
workforce development managed by Region 9 (advanced
manufacturing, embedded systems, supervision, and nursing)
-
$2 million for Dream It
Do It state-wide initiative (a portion of which will flow
through Region 9)
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$2 million annually for
bachelors and masters degrees programs (MBA and
Engineering)
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The region was the first
Indiana to put into place the National Manufacturers
Association's Dream It Do It Advanced Manufacturing
Attraction
and Awareness Program. The initiative is an
comprehensive approach for developing a qualified pipeline of
talent to fuel the industry's future growth.
Regional
Advanced Manufacturing Assets
Cost of Living Surveys
Costs of Doing
Business for Advanced Manufacturers
| Total
State Business Taxes (per $100 of payroll) |
| Indiana |
($172,133) |
| Illinois |
($274,802) |
| Kentucky |
($243,409) |
| Michigan |
($302,811) |
| Ohio |
($257,124) |
| Pennsylvania |
($309,418) |
| Tennessee |
($250,874) |
| Texas |
($308,238) |
Source: U.S. Department of
Labor
| Worker's
Compensation Rate by State |
| Indiana |
($1.88) |
| Tennessee |
($4.27) |
| Kentucky |
($4.05) |
| Michigan |
($4.28) |
| Ohio |
($4.00) |
| Pennsylvania |
($4.24) |
| Illinois |
($3.65) |
| Texas |
($5.57) |
Source: Actuarial &
Technical Solutions
| Industrial
Electricity Costs (cents/kWh) |
| Indiana |
($.040 |
| Illinois |
($.049) |
| Kentucky |
($.032) |
| Michigan |
($.047) |
| Pennsylvania |
($.058) |
| Ohio |
($.047) |
| Tennessee |
($.043) |
| Texas |
($.053) |
Source: CCH, Inc.
|
ADVANCED MANUFACTURING