Aug 11 2010
Following the recent announcement that global auto maker BMW will build a joint venture carbon composite manufacturing plant in central Washington with SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers that will create carbon-fiber reinforced plastics for BMW's upcoming Megacity vehicle, a nationally known site selection firm is indicating that Quincy, Washington is very well positioned to attract carbon composite manufacturers.
Earlier this year, The Boyd Company completed a national site selection study which compared the cost of operating a high technology manufacturing facility in 45 small market cities in all regions of the U.S. The study ranked Quincy, Washington as the lowest cost in the Western Region, or "Best in the West" based on costs for labor, power, land, construction, and taxes.
Quincy, Washington is already home to several large-scale facilities of a number of major companies including Microsoft, Yahoo, Intuit, ConAgra Foods (Lamb Weston), Columbia Colstor, National Frozen Foods, Quincy Foods, etc.
According to Jack Boyd, who heads the Princeton (NJ)-based site selection firm The Boyd Company, with Quincy's combination of abundant, low-cost and green, renewable hydroelectric power, ample supply of skilled labor (over 100,000 people within a 30 mile radius of Quincy), close proximity to an interstate freeway (I-90), convenient transportation linkages to ocean ports (i.e. Port of Seattle and Port of Tacoma) and Midwest markets (i.e. Chicago), immediate and direct access to intermodal rail on the BNSF mainline, and upcoming inclusion in the "Service Area" of Foreign Trade Zone #203, Quincy should be considered a top location in North America for carbon composite manufacturing companies.
In particular, the Port of Quincy has a state-of-the-art intermodal terminal and rail cargo handling facility on the BNSF mainline. The intermodal terminal includes over 10,000 feet of track and a new container maintenance and cleaning facility, with over 1 million square feet of warehousing in close proximity to provide shippers and manufacturers with distribution, cross-dock and storage capacity in and out of the Washington State.
Additionally, the Port of Quincy and the City of Quincy were included in a recent "Alternative Site Framework" (ASF) application to the U.S. Foreign Trade Zone Board by Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) #203 and the Port and City are in the process of being approved by the U.S. Foreign Trade Zone Board for inclusion in the "Service Area" of FTZ #203, which means that the Foreign Trade Zone Board will be able to serve sites located in the Quincy, Washington area, upon request and based on a business' trade related needs.