Aerospace*

Across our five counties, approximately 60 establishments in the Aerospace cluster employ nearly 1,400 workers.

* Includes manufacturers of aerospace equipment, related components, and supply chain. For a complete list of sectors, please review the Aerospace Target Industry Overview brochure.

Target Industry Workforce Metrics

Our five-county region draws workers from two labor sheds. York, Chester, and Lancaster County employers primarily source workers within the "Northern Labor Shed" while Fairfield and Richland County employers primarily source workers from the "Southern Labor Shed". Please see our 2018 Workforce Study to learn more about these geographies.

Jobs in Industry (2018)
$51.9K
Average Annual Earnings (I-77 Region, 2018)
Industry Job Growth (2010-2018)

* Labor sheds contain overlapping geographies and cannot be summed.

South Carolina and I-77 Region Advantages

  • Leading aerospace companies such as The Boeing Companies, Lockheed Martin, General Electric, Honeywell and 3D Systems are located in South Carolina
  • Average earnings in this cluster for the I-77 region and South Carolina are 40% and 16% below the US rate, respectively
  • 5,200 new jobs announced by aerospace firms from 2011-2018 in South Carolina
  • Chester & Fairfield Counties are among the top 5 South Carolina counties with the fastest growing Aerospace cluster
  • University of South Carolina’s primary campus in Richland county is the only institution in South Carolina offering an advanced degree in Aerospace Engineering
  • In 2018, twenty-eight institutions of higher education across South Carolina and nearby North Carolina counties awarded over 2,400 degrees in fields related to the fifteen occupations with highest projected demand in the Aerospace cluster

Aerospace Brochure

Aerospace Brochure
Click Here to Download the
Aerospace Brochure

Aerospace Component Manufacturers & Suppliers

Company Location
ATI Specialty MaterialsRichburg, SC
AccuTrex Products, Inc.Lancaster, SC
Thomas & BettsLancaster, SC
AMBAC International Corp.Elgin, SC
Dayton Rogers Manufacturing Co.Columbia, SC
Company Location
Technetics GroupColumbia, SC
Cytec IndustriesRock Hill, SC
Porvair Filtration GroupRock Hill, SC
Winbro Group TechnologiesRock Hill, SC

Recent Expansion or Relocation Announcements

Announced Company Sector County Pledged Investment Pledged Jobs
2017 China Hengshi Foundation Company Manufacturing - Fiberglass fabrics Richland $11,100,000 48
2017 Next Gen Alloys (ATI & GE Aviation JV) Materials R&D Chester $28,800,000 29

Skilled Talent
Research + Innovation + Workforce Training Resources

  • $4.5 million Advanced Composite Materials Research Center
  • South Carolina’s only master’s degree in aerospace engineering and engineering management, offering an undergraduate minor in aerospace engineering
  • Provides Total Workforce Development, conducting objective, verifiable and comprehensive analysis based on industry workforce requirements
  • Partners with organizations to promote STEM programs, curriculums, camps and activities
  • Focuses on developing new lightweight composite structures and advanced robotic technology for aircraft components
  • Only university center in the US with a production-level fiber placement machine
  • Conducts research targeting industry needs such as engineered materials, stir friction welding and processing, durability, fatigue analysis and health monitoring
  • Provides interactive learning experiences in aeronautics and space education, where students K-12 apply their math and science knowledge through simulations, scenarios, and activities that help develop practical skills in teamwork, problem solving and communications
  • Hosts immersive learning missions for students based on simulations used by NASA to prepare astronauts
  • Offers a flight training department with two aviation programs, each containing several training modules
  • Houses a portable e-Planetarium along with hands-on science explorations
  • Partners and collaborates with NASA, SC Aeronautics Commission, U.S. Air Force, University of South Carolina’s McNair Center and College of Engineering and Computing as well as College of Charleston’s Department of Physics and Astronomy
  • Collaborative effort to advance and market South Carolina’s aerospace industry cluster on the global stage
  • Partnership of the public, private, academic and nonprofit sectors connecting the industry’s assets and securing future growth
  • Work to manage, market and connect the aerospace cluster; grow the aerospace cluster; expand the talent pipeline to serve the aerospace sector; build a competitive infrastructure and business environment; and, enhance research and innovation
  • State-of-the-art, 111,000 square foot research laboratory facility that houses internationally recognized research programs in optoelectronics, chemistry and materials science
  • Internationally recognized for its work in advanced fibers, films, ceramics, plastics, optics, composites and nanomaterials
  • The National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense and NASA have all recognized the laboratory’s work and have offered funding to fuel future innovation

 

  • Premier 250-acre automotive research, innovation and educational technology campus with $250 million in total investments and 770 on-site jobs created
  • Focuses research on Advanced Powertrain Systems, Automotive Systems Integration, Human Factors/HMI, Manufacturing and Materials, Vehicle Performance, Vehicle to Vehicle Connectivity, Vehicle Infrastructure Integration and Vehicular Electronics, which can be applied to the aerospace industry

 

  • Comprehensive computational center dedicated to solving problems in the automotive, aerospace, and energy industries
  • Features world-class, massive high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructure, creative modeling techniques and experienced PhD & MS engineers,
  • Offers engineering simulation capabilities to assist aerospace companies with product development
Advanced Materials
Motor Vehicles
Corporate + Financial Services

Dig Deeper into the Numbers. Visit the Economic Data Center

©2024 South Carolina I-77 Alliance

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Contact Us

Christopher Finn
Interim President & CEO
(803) 789-3467
Chris.Finn@I77Alliance.com

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