Last Thursday, RTI International Metals Inc. (RTI) hosted an event celebrating its inaugural production of certified commercial aerospace titanium for Airbus.

The $135 million forging, grinding and hot rolling manufacturing facility was first announced in 2008. The plant is located at the Patriot Centre, an industrial park jointly developed by Henry County and the City of Martinsville.

While 25 jobs have been created to date, that number is expected to increase as the plant ramps up production. At full capacity the facility can produce 14 million pounds of product annually.

The inaugural production follows 10 months of certification testing to meet the high quality standards of Airbus. The titanium will be used in Airbus’ passenger jets, including the company’s A350 XWB aircraft. As RTI completes additional qualifications, it expects its titanium to be used in an extended number of Airbus programs.

According to RTI Vice Chairman, CEO and President Dawn Hickton, “RTI is the largest North American titanium supplier to Airbus and its parent company, EADS, and this new facility adds an additional link in RTI’s ability to meet their needs across the entire supply chain.”

This project exemplifies the strength of Virginia’s advanced manufacturing capabilities across the Commonwealth. The aerospace industry is taking note as well:  Business Facilities magazine ranked Virginia No. 7 as an Aerospace/Defense Industry Leader in its 2012 State Rankings Report.

More than 230 aerospace companies are located in Virginia and the Commonwealth has received more than $1.5 billion in capital investment for aerospace projects over the last ten years. To learn more, click here.

Governor McDonnell addresses company and local officials at the RTI International Metals event in Martinsville, Va.

Secretary Cheng visited Commonwealth Laminating & Coating’s (CLC) headquarters last week to announce the company’s second expansion in less than nine months.

The company plans to invest $5.45 million to establish a national distribution center in the same business park as its headquarters and manufacturing operation in Martinsville, Va. The project is expected to create 60 new jobs—welcome news as Henry County and Southern Virginia continue to make positive progress towards economic recovery.

This project is further testament to CLC’s success in Virginia, as just last November the company announced its plans to invest $16.5 million to expand its manufacturing facility, creating 40 new jobs. 

With eight locations across five countries, CLC certainly has its pick of locations. Choosing to invest further in Virginia is a compelling endorsement of the Commonwealth’s excellent business environment. In addition, the Henry County location is the company’ sole manufacturing facility, illustrating how Virginia’s manufacturing capabilities can compete on a global level.

Virginia has successfully competed against China, Arizona and North Carolina for CLC’s projects over the last year.

The success of CLC’s solar control window film and high-performance coatings business adds to Virginia’s reputation as a leading location for polymer and film manufacturing companies.

Home to more than 200 plastics companies, over the last decade Virginia has seen more than $1 billion invested by plastics firms in new and expanding facilities. 

Virginia offers the skilled workforce, competitive operating environment and world-class logistics network so important to plastics manufacturing companies. To learn why companies like DuPont, Honeywell, Phoenix Packaging, Rubbermaid, and O’Sullivan Films have all invested in Virginia, click here.

A rich tradition of cabinet and furniture makers in Southern Virginia attracted Laminate Technologies (LamTech) to the Martinsville Industrial Park in Henry County. Virginia competed successfully against North Carolina for the project, which will bring 30 new jobs and a $2 million investment to the already well-established wood product manufacturing industry in the Martinsville – Henry County region. 

The Henry County location is LamTech’s first operation in the Commonwealth, strategically positioning the company near many of its customers, already thriving in the region. Home to a number of successful furniture companies, the region has established itself as a hub of American furniture manufacturing. Some of these firms, such as Basset and Stanley, were founded in Martinsville and have had a manufacturing presence in Henry County for more than 80 years.  

Given the nature of wood product manufacturing, which demands the movement and storage of large pre-production and finished goods, Virginia’s world-class logistics and supply chain network provides a strategic advantage to furniture companies. With easy access to high quality lumber, the efficient East Coast transportation infrastructure and a workforce of skilled artisans, Henry County offers an ideal location for the manufacturing of hardwood and laminate furniture, cabinets and component products. 

To learn more about Virginia’s growing wood products industry and why LamTech is one of more than 1,100 wood products companies located in the Commonwealth click here. 

The Martinsville-Henry County community has reason to celebrate. Monogram Food Solutions, LLC, a meat manufacturer out of Memphis, announced it will purchase the meat snack business of American Foods Group, LLC (also known as Knauss Foods), including the Martinsville production facility. The company plans to invest $3 million to expand production capacity at the Patriot Centre Industrial Park facility. The company has committed to investing every dollar it can in the local economy. More importantly, Monogram Food Solutions has agreed to keep all of the current employees and add 120 new jobs. www.YesVirginia.org

This announcement is like a breath of fresh air for a region that has been wrestling with a double-digit unemployment rate that’s more than twice the national average. Monogram Food Solutions’ average annual salary of about $28,000 is right in line with the region’s prevailing average wage, and 120 new jobs will provide a welcome opportunity for some of the 800+ folks who have been laid off since January 2008. About 50 people have already been hired. Another 70 should be employed by the end of the year.

The job requirements? “Energetic, passionate people who are not afraid of hard work,” was what the company was looking for, according to Ches Jackson, President of Monogram Meat Snacks. They shouldn’t be too hard to find in Martinsville.