Clay County Aerospace/Aviation & Defense Company Prospect ...

Clay County Company Prospects: Aerospace/Aviation & Defense
Support activities for MRO: Clay has the workforce and sites needed for companies that are
seeking to supply or tap into proximity to the region’s larger-scale MRO activities (at Cecil and at
NAS Jax) but do not need long runways. These types of companies might include:
o Kitting and assembly services. 3
o Aircraft parts (manufacturing/reverse engineering).
o Other supporting activities/services for base facilities/operations, maintenance,
warehousing, distribution, etc.
Aerospace/Aviation & Defense Manufacturing:
As discussed previously, Clay County has some solid assets for attracting manufacturing operations, and
the overlapping assets/advantages for aerospace/defense make a focus on aerospace/aviation &
defense-related manufacturing a good opportunity to pursue. This segment could help Clay County
focus its small and fragmented manufacturing industry by building a more defined area of expertise in
manufacturing and by leveraging key competitive assets that support both A&D and manufacturing
activities. This segment may also offer an opportunity to attract more R&D-intensive activities to the
area.
A&D-related manufacturing includes a wide variety of activities related to the development, production,
assembly, and testing of aircrafts, guided missiles, and space vehicles – including their materials; parts
and engines; and measuring, testing, and navigational instruments. These activities are expected to
generate combined revenue of over $270 billion in the United States in 2011, and to grow at an average
annual rate of 2.4% between 2011 and 2016. 4
Based on analysis of Hoover’s database and other sources, there are at least 20-25 companies in the
Northeast Florida region that manufacture aircraft, engines, and parts, and another 12+ companies that
manufacture measuring/controlling instruments and other A&D-related products. Major companies in
the region include Unison Industries (gas turbine engine ignition systems, speed sensors, and other
electronic components), Carlisle Interconnect Technologies (headquarters and high-tech wire mfg.),
Goodrich (engineered polymer products), Kaman Aerospace (aerostructures), Lockheed Martin
(aeronautics), and Parker Hannifin/Stratoflex (aerospace hose and tube mfg.), while the remaining
companies in this segment are significantly smaller (ranging from 5-25 employees, with a wide variety of
products/activities). Firearms/ammunitions-related manufacturing is an additional small niche in the
region, with around 8 or so very small companies. Clay County specifically is home to around 4 A&Drelated
manufacturing companies: Aero-Hose (~11 employees, hose assemblies and related products
for aerospace/aviation), TCC Aviation (~4 employees, aircraft equipment parts/supplies), Raytheon (size
and activities at this location unknown), and Tactical Arms Manufacturer (