Machine Manufacturing

Target Industry: Machinery Manufacturing

The Lake Martin Area is primed and ready to support the machinery manufacturing industry. Based on Next Move Group’s research into the region’s industry supply chain, workforce, location advantages, and workforce training options, companies in this sector could have opportunities in the Lake Martin Region.

Opportunity – Machinery Manufacturing

We have identified the following sampling of sub-industries as having opportunities in the Lake Martin Area:

Small Arms, Ordnance, and Ordnance Accessories Manufacturing:
2.4 times the US average of workers employed in the region for this sector
Packaging Machinery Manufacturing:
82% growth in the Lake Martin region in the last 5 years
Construction Machinery Manufacturing:
19% growth in the Lake Martin region in the last 5 years
Air and Gas Compressor Manufacturing:
8% growth in the Lake Martin region in the last 5 years
Other Engine Equipment Manufacturing:
6 times the US average of workers employed in the region for this sector

With three colleges within a two-hour drive of the Lake Martin area that offer specialized engineering and machinery-based training programs, the region is home to multiple methods of producing a highly trained workforce. Some of the industry-specific programs that are offered in the region include:

Engineering (materials and mechanical)
Computer-Controlled Machine Tool Operators, Metal and Plastic
Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tender, Metal and Plastic
Production
Quality assurance, inspection, and testing

Sampling of Machinery and Support Companies in the Lake Martin Area

Machinery & Support Companies

A&E Metal Roofing	Metal roofing manufacturer
Madix, Inc.	Store fixture manufacturer
Wingfield Engineering	Controls and fabrication manufacturer
Robinson Iron	Architectural metalwork manufacturer
Korens, Inc.	EGR coolers/automotive manufacturer
Henderson & Coker	Construction services
SL Alabama	Automotive lighting products manufacturer
Sejin America, Inc.	Injection molding automotive parts manufacturer

Critical Mass of Machinery Manufacturing in the Lake Martin Area

Based on a workforce analysis conducted by Next Move Group, the Lake Martin area has seen considerable growth in the following machinery manufacturing-related industries:

Packaging Machinery Manufacturing:
82% growth in the Lake Martin area in the last 5 years

All Other Miscellaneous General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing:
32% growth in the Lake Martin area in the last 5 years

Small Arms, Ordnance, and Ordnance Accessories Manufacturing:
23% growth in the Lake Martin area in the last 5 years

Construction Machinery Manufacturing:
19% growth in the Lake Martin area in the last 5 years

All Other Miscellaneous Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing:
6% growth in the Lake Martin area in the last 5 years

Air and Gas Compressor Manufacturing:
8% growth in the Lake Martin area in the last 5 years

Bolt, Nut, Screw, Rivet, and Washer Manufacturing:
7% growth in the Lake Martin area in the last 5 years

Other Engine Equipment Manufacturing:
5% growth in the Lake Martin area in the last 5 years

Ornamental and Architectural Metal Work Manufacturing:
4% growth in the Lake Martin area in the last 5 years

Proximity to Major Markets

The Lake Martin area is within proximity to multiple major markets, including:

Atlanta, GA
Miami and Tampa, FL
New Orleans, LA
Austin, Houston, and Dallas, TX
Chicago, IL
St. Louis, MO
Charlotte, NC
Detroit, MI
Washington D.C.

When It Comes to Activities at Lake Martin, There’s More Than Just Boating!

Wages

The table below outlines the average salary range for the targeted subindustries, showing that the region and its residents can highly benefit from increasing opportunities in these areas.

Subindustries	Wages
Small Arms, Ordnance, and Ordnance Accessories Manufacturing	$54,194
Rolled Steel Shape Manufacturing	$52,533
Prefabricated Metal Building and Component Manufacturing	$52,151
Other Industrial Machinery Manufacturing	$50,673
Packaging Machinery Manufacturing	$49,513
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing	$47,286
Metal Coating, Engraving (except Jewelry and Silverware), and Allied Services to Manufacturers	$46,029
All Other Miscellaneous Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing	$44,693
Fabricated Structural Metal Manufacturing	$43,301
All Other Miscellaneous General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing	$41,547

Labor Availability

In the region surrounding and including the Lake Martin area, manufacturing is the largest sector, employing 34,532 workers. Additionally, the sector has the second largest concentration in the area in comparison to the national average, with an average salary of $52,973.

Green Light in Dadeville: Sejin announces $15 million expansion, 36 new jobs

May 1, 2019

When Sejin was recruited to Dadeville in 2008, it started with 80 employees and the company originally estimated it would create 250 jobs and invest $20 million. Those numbers will grow to 600 jobs and $75 million by the time the new equipment is in place by Dec. 31, Kim said.

Sejin's original building, which has already been expaned twice, is 240,000 square feet and a newer building, which has been expanded once, is 100,000 square feet. its top three customers are, in order, Hyundai, Kia, Hyundai Mobis and Volkswagen, according to Kim.

Lake Martin Machine Gun expands to allow range memberships

As the calendar transitions into spring and summer, Lake Martin Machine Gun on Highway 229 in Eclectic is expanding to allow people to bring their own firearms.

At the 90-acre range, patrons can touch and shoot historic machine guns that would otherwise be unobtainable in a controlled environment under the direct supervision of trained professionals.

Daily and yearly memberships are available and active-duty law enforcement can shoot for free.

Before Lake Martin Machine Gun opened, people had to travel as far away as Knob Creek, Kentucky, to handle such unique guns.

The opportunity to shoot a machine gun is unique because in May 1986, President Reagan signed the Firearm Owners Protection Act, which among other things made the sale of fully automatic firearms manufactured before that year illegal. Owning the guns is still legal but it's exceptionally difficult and expensive.

Texas company will create jobs, expand Alabama plant with new $230K grant

The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is administering a $230,000 Community Development Block Grant to Madix, Inc. to develop a 140,000-square-foot warehouse and loading area at its facility in Eclectic Industrial Park.

The Elmore County commission is assisting Texas-based Madix with the project, which will also include $57,000 in local funding. ADECA said workers will decommission an old water line and install a new 13,000-foot long one a the plant.

Alabama Technology Network (ATN)

Offers primarily manufacturing workforce development courses.

AIDT

State-level workforce training program that provides free training for area businesses:

Pre-employment screening and training
Leadership development
Industrial safety program
Industrial maintenance technician assessment program

Ready to Work (RTW)

Operated by the Alabama Community College System in cooperation with AIDT, RTW provides a career pathway for individuals with limited educational and employment experience. Training mirrors the needs of Alabama’s industries and businesses and is free to participants.

Edward Bell Career Center

Provides the students in Tallapoosa County with training for high-skill, high-demand occupations that mirror local business and industry needs.

Auburn University

Auburn University is just 30 minutes from the Lake Martin area and is home to one of the nation’s top 20 engineering programs, by the number of program graduates. The University has been ranked #1 multiple times for being one of the best in terms of value and offerings. Some of the manufacturing-related programs, as part of both the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, include:

Materials engineering
Mechanical engineering

Central Alabama Community College (CACC)

Provides academic and technical degree programs for high-paying industries, including machinery manufacturing industry-specific workforce training programs such as:

Computer-Controlled Machine Tool Operators, Metal and Plastic
Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tender, Metal and Plastic

The College also offers three manufacturing focal areas that teaches students planning, managing, and performing the processing of materials into intermediate or final products, as well as related professional and technical support activities, such as production planning and control, maintenance, and manufacturing and process engineering:

Maintenance, installation, and repair
Production
Quality assurance, inspection, and testing

Troy University

Troy University is located 2 hours from the Lake Martin area. For 15 consecutive years, Troy University has been named to The Princeton Review’s “Best in the Southeast” list. The University has multiple locations throughout the state, programs for international students, and dual enrollment for high school students, and international support programs. Troy has programs that apply to the manufacturing sector:

Electronics Engineering Technology- exposes students to modern electronic circuits and devices
Occupational Education- allows students to transform their current skills and education into a specified career path- fully online program

Alabama State University

One of the nation’s oldest HBCUs, located in Montgomery, approximately 1.5 hours from the Lake Martin area. The University offers both in-person and online delivery formats for a variety of programs, ranging from business administration to technology engineering and mathematics.

US Highways

Tallapoosa County is approximately 6 miles from HWY 280, and 30 miles from HWY 231

Coosa County is approximately 14 miles from both HWY 231, and HWY 280

Interstates

Tallapoosa County is 26 miles from I-85, 53 miles from I-20

Coosa County is approximately 22 miles from I-65, 52 miles from I-85, and 45 miles from I-20

Rail

Norfolk Southern

One of the nation’s premier transportation companies

Operating in 22 states and the District of Columbia

Largest carrier of metals and automotive products in North America

Serving every major container port in the eastern US

Gas

City of Dadeville
Located within Tallapoosa County, just an hour northeast of Montgomery.

Water

Goodwater Water & Sewer Board

City of Dadeville
Located within Tallapoosa County, just an hour northeast of Montgomery

Power

Alabama Power
Owns or operates 77 electric generating units with total nameplate capacity of more than 12 million kilowatts, offering a variety of power options throughout the state.

Russell Former Screenprint Building
- 177,766 sq ft, 14.1 acres
- Industrial building
Kwang Sung America
- 40,000 sq ft, 7 acres
- Industrial building
Lake Martin Regional Industrial Park
- 327 acres
- Industrial site
295 Acres
- 2450 Hillabee Road
- Industrial site
William Thweatt Industrial Park
- 150 acres
- Industrial site
New Site Building
- 5.19 acres
- Industrial building

Opportunity Zone Tax Incentive

Provides an innovate approach to spur long-term private sector investment in low-income urban and rural communities. This incentive offers a frictionless way to reinvest capital gains into distressed communities through Opportunity Funds, in exchange for incentives that are tied to long-term holdings.

Tax Incentive Reform Act Ad Valorem Tax Abatement

Imposed for public school purposes and for capital improvements for public education for a period not to exceed ten years (applies to both real and personal property). Those who may be granted the exemption: the governing body of a municipality located with a municipality or the police jurisdiction, by the governing county located in the county, and by the governing body of a public industrial authority, located within the jurisdiction).

Current Use Exemption

For owners of farmland, pastureland or timberland that is producing agricultural products, livestock or wood products for sale to the general public. This exemption allows for property to be accessed at less than market value when used only for the purposes specified. Once the owner applies, reapplication does not have to take place for subsequent years. If the property changes hands, the new owner must file an application for current use.

Enterprise Zone Tax Program

Portions of both Tallapoosa and Coosa counties within the Lake Martin area are designated as Enterprise Zones. Incentives are available to new and expanding industries that are located in these areas, for up to $2,500 in tax credits for each new permanent employee, and for exemptions for income, sales and use, and business privilege tax liability.

Incumbent Worker Training Grant (IWTP)

The objective of this grant program is to provide training and skills upgrades to existing full-time, permanent employees, who have been with the company for a minimum of 6 months. Funding priority is given to industry sector businesses that are experiencing significant training shortages where training or retaining workers is necessary to respond to skilled labor shortages and demands. The maximum amount per project is $30,000, or a $60,000 lifetime maximum benefit.

Existing Industry Training Program (EITP)

The objective of this program is to train and upgrade skills of existing full-time employees. The college or ATN, the Alabama Community College System, and the Workforce Development Division of Commerce must review, rank, score, and submit recommendations on every company that applies. The maximum funding per company per project is $15,000 (alliances of multiple companies can qualify for more per training project), or a $60,000 10-year maximum benefit.

Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC)

The WOTC is a federal tax credit, available to companies that hire individuals from eligible target groups with significant barriers to employment. Individual employees can apply through the Alabama Department of Labor WOTC for a tax credit between $2,400- $9,600, depending on the target group and the number of hours worked in the first year of employment. These target groups include veterans, TANF recipients, food stamp recipients, designated community residents, vocational rehabilitation referrals, ex-felons, supplemental security income recipients, and long-term unemployment recipients

On the Job Training (OJT)

The purpose of this program is to provide employers with reimbursements for the costs associated with hiring and training WIOA eligible individuals. Employers, once they determine the length and method of training for employees, will enter into a Training Contract with the Local Career Center. Employers may receive 50-75% of trainee wages reimbursement through monthly invoices, and upon completion of employee training.

Machinery Manufacturing