Manufacturing has been a vibrant contributor to the State’s economy for close to 200 years. A dominant force in North America’s industrialization, New Jersey is the birthplace of the U.S. Industrial Revolution and where the steam locomotive was invented. Manufacturing is still alive and well here and on the forefront of innovation. Our State is home to sustainability pioneers Modern Meadow, manufacturer of biofabricated leather ZOA, and TerraCycle, global recycling leader behind Loop’s circular packaging.
Over 2,500 advanced manufacturers operate in New Jersey from large pharmaceutical companies to small machine shops. Those companies directly employ over 250,000 workers and contribute more than $50 billion to New Jersey’s GDP. Industry leaders such as Anheuser-Busch, Benjamin Moore, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Lockheed Martin already have manufacturing operations in New Jersey.
Chemical, pharmaceutical, petroleum and food manufacturing have been the State’s traditional strongholds. However, today, our companies make everything from defense components to life-saving drugs and everything in between. You name it, we make it here in New Jersey.
New Jersey offers manufacturers a competitive edge: access to one of the most concentrated and affluent consumer markets in the world.
In a single day’s drive, producers located here can reach 33% of the entire U.S. population. A distribution center in central New Jersey can serve more than 38 million consumers within a 2-hour drive. The same manufacturers are in close proximity to thousands of retailers and suppliers.
Situated in the middle of the U.S. Northeast Corridor, New Jersey manufacturers benefit from easy access to key markets, including New York City and Washington D.C.
Our State has unrivaled road and rail networks including direct access to highways I-95, I-80 and I-78 and the highest railroad density in the U.S. Newark, New York City and Philadelphia represent the #1 airport system in the United States with ~600 nonstop destinations.
New Jersey is home to the Port of New York and New Jersey, the 2nd busiest seaport for imports in North America and the largest maritime cargo center on the East Coast. New Jersey’s 5 Foreign Trade Zones (FTZs), including one of the largest contiguous FTZs in the U.S., help manufacturers control the costs of importing and exporting their goods.
There are many benefits of operating in New Jersey. We bring in paper from all over the world, so it’s important for us to be near the major ports. We also ship internationally, so we must be close to proficient transportation. We’re located less than an hour from airports and New York City."
Lisa Hirsh
President and CEO, Accurate Box Company
Smart manufacturing companies are attracted to New Jersey’s specialized talent pool. We are home to the highest concentration of scientists and engineers per square mile in the U.S and 42% of New Jersey’s population has earned a Bachelor’s degree or higher.
New Jersey’s largest advanced manufacturing cluster – chemicals – is ranked #5 in the U.S. Old Bridge Chemicals, North America’s largest copper and zinc compound manufacturer, saw the value of a New Jersey location for its workforce needs. The company doubled its capacity in Old Bridge, NJ, in 2018. New Jersey is also home to Ethicon Inc., the #3 company for surgical appliance and supplies manufacturing sales in the U.S.
Manufacturers not only choose New Jersey for their headquarters, but R&D and innovation centers as well. Gerresheimer AG, a German glass company, opened the Gx Glass Innovation and Technology Center next door to its tubular glass converting plant in Vineland, NJ in 2019.
New Jersey’s top utility companies are committed to infrastructure improvements that support the manufacturing industry. PSE&G, the State’s largest public utility, is investing between $14-17 billion over the next five years for gas and electric storage and efficiency, renewable energy development, vehicle electrification and clean power generation. New Jersey American Water, the State’s largest water utility, is piloting state-of-the-art technologies to ensure reliable, high-quality water service.
New Jersey also offers manufacturers a robust digital infrastructure with one of the most extensive broadband networks in the U.S. and speeds among the fastest in the nation.
Technology is disrupting traditional manufacturing, and New Jersey companies like Suuchi, Inc., based in Carlstadt, NJ, represent a new era for “Made in America” products. Suuchi, Inc. designs, manufactures and ships clothing for fashion brands and Fortune 500 companies utilizing the Suuchi GRID end-to-end digital platform that modernizes the supply chain.
To address the growing demand for high-tech labor, New Jersey’s community colleges and vo-tech schools are expanding curriculums, degree offerings and industry collaborations. The County College of Morris (CCM) combines student and workforce needs through its Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing program and welcomes industry partnerships at its new Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering Center (AMEC). New Jersey Community College Consortium (NJCC)’s Advanced Manufacturing Training Initiative consults with companies on workforce development and recruits, trains and certifies individuals to fill job openings at New Jersey manufacturers.
New Jersey encourages innovation and research in the manufacturing industry with several makerspaces across the State. Located in Newark, New Jersey Institute of Technology’s (NJIT) Makerspace is a prototyping and collaboration facility to test ideas and bring them to scale utilizing 3D-printing and robotics.
wdt_ID | Company |
---|---|
1 | Accurate Box |
2 | Alpha Industries (Sigma Plastics Group) |
3 | Anheuser-Busch |
4 | Bai Brands |
5 | Barrette Outdoor |
6 | BASF |
7 | Benjamin Moore |
8 | Bridor USA |
9 | Bristol Myers Squibb |
10 | Campbell Soup Company |
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Manufacturing companies may qualify for a number of attractive incentives and workforce development programs to help locate or expand their operations in New Jersey.
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