Industry presence is strong. Mississippi has nearly 200 automotive suppliers that employ approximately 26,000 workers. The TAP Alliance region is home to several automotive suppliers including Tiffin Motor Homes and Caterpillar.
OEM facilities and automotive suppliers are nearby. Mississippi is home to 3 automotive OEM facilities and suppliers: Nissan (Canton), Toyota (Blue Springs), and PACCAR (Columbus). The Toyota facility is 45 miles from the TAP Alliance region. The TAP Alliance is located within 300 miles of 10 automotive OEM facilities. The TAP Alliance is also located less than 30 minutes from the new NAVISTAR facility near Cherokee, Alabama.
Steel mills and fabricators are present in the TAP Region. 36 metal fabrication and steel facilities exist in the TAP region. Yellow Creek Port has an on-site steel processing facility. Severstal, a state-of-the art steel mill, is located in Columbus, about 85 miles from the TAP region. Another steel mill, Nucor Steel, is located in Decatur, Alabama, about 50 miles from the TAP region.
Transportation is quick and easy. Transportation of products is possible via 4-lane highways, ports, and rail lines. U.S Highway 72 runs east-west through the region and U.S Highway 45 runs north-south. Norfolk Southern, Kansas City Southern, Redmont Railway, Tishomingo Railway and Yellow Creek Port Short Line offer rail service in the region. Yellow Creek Port on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway provides water transportation.
Workforce is skilled in manufacturing. The region has a trained workforce that possesses skills desirable to automotive equipment manufacturers. Approximately 30% of workers in the TAP region are employed in the manufacturing sector. Manufacturing-specific workforce training is provided by the community college system and technical schools, all located within a few hours drive.
Nearby Customer Base
Automotive Assembly Plants and Suppliers
The TAP Alliance region is within 300 miles of 10 automotive OEM’s and automotive suppliers and within 500 miles of 28 automotive OEM and automotive supplier facilities. The closest plants are Toyota, Nissan, PACCAR, Volkswagen, Navistar, and General Motors (Saturn). The Navistar plant in Cherokee/Barton, Alabama is only 27 miles from the TAP region, accessible by US Highway 72. The Toyota plant in Blue Springs, Mississippi, is only 55 miles from the TAP region, accessible via four-lane US Highway 45. The PACCAR facility in Columbus is 100 miles from the TAP region, accessible via US Hwy 45 or MS-25. The Nissan plant in Smyrna, Tennessee (172 miles from TAP) and the General Motors Plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee (133 miles from TAP) are accessible via US 72, a divided four-lane highway and US Route 43, most of which is divided 4-lane.
View an interactive map of the state’s automotive industry.
Distance to Automotive Plants
| Auto Manufacturer | Location | Distance from Center of TAP Alliance |
|---|---|---|
| Navistar | Barton, AL | 27 miles |
| Toyota | Blue Springs, MS | 55 miles |
| Toyota Mazda | Huntsville, AL | 90 miles |
| Mercedes | Vance, AL | 164 miles |
| General Motors (Saturn) | Spring Hills, TN | 126 miles |
| Honda | Lincoln, AL | 193 miles |
| Nissan | Smyrna, TN | 165 miles |
| Volkswagen | Chattanooga, TN | 206 miles |
| Nissan | Canton, MS | 227 miles |
| Hyundai | Montgomery, AL | 240 miles |
| Kia | West Point, GA | 282 miles |
| Ford | Hapeville, GA | 303 miles |
| General Motors | Doraville, GA | 310 miles |
| BMW | Greer, SC | 453 miles |
| General Motors | Shreveport, LA | 455 miles |
| General Motors | Arlington, TX | 581 miles |
| General Motors | Oklahoma City, OK | 575 miles |
| Toyota | San Antonio, TX | 835 miles |
Existing Automotive Suppliers in Mississippi
There are 198 automotive suppliers in Mississippi. These include
- Faurecia
- Johnson Controls
- Tower Automotive
- Martinrea Fabco
- Lear
- Yorozu
- PK USA-Sentobia Plant
- Toyoda Gosei North American Group
- Vuteq USA Inc.
- Boshoku
- Toyota Auto Body
Transportation
US Highways and Interstates
US Highway 72 (east-west) and US Highway 45 (north-south) are four-lane highways running through the TAP Alliance region. Future Interstate 22 is accessible from Tupelo (50 miles) and connects I-240 and I-40 with I-65 and I-20. Interstates 55, 22, and 40 are accessible from Memphis, approximately 110 miles from the TAP region. Several state highways serve the TAP Alliance region.
View map of highways in North Mississippi (365 KB, PDF)
Ports
Water transportation is available via the Tennessee River and Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway (TTW). Yellow Creek Port on the TTW is near Iuka in Tishomingo County. This port is equipped with 200-ton capacity cranes, warehouse, as well as truck and rail facilities. It is a designated Foreign Trade Subzone and a federal HUBZone. Yellow Creek port has an onsite steel processing facility, which in 2012, will install the world’s largest stretcher-leveler. The port also has a cluster of steel processing facilities around it.
The Port of Itawamba also serves the TTW. Located 50 miles from the edge of the TAP Alliance, it has truck and rail facilities, warehouses, conveyor, 60-ton crane, and also provides cargo handling and logistical support.
View a map of ports along the Tenn-Tom Waterway in the TAP Alliance (1.2 MB, PDF)
Railroads
Rail lines serving the TAP Alliance region include Norfolk-Southern Railroad main line and 4 short lines: Kansas City Southern, Yellow Creek Port, Tishomingo Railroad, and Redmont.
View a map of rail lines serving the TAP Alliance region (1.8 MB, PDF).
Labor Availability and Wages for Automotive Suppliers in the TAP Alliance Region
| Occupation | Current Jobs | Median Hourly Earning in TAP Region | Median Hourly Earning in Mississippi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accountants and auditors | 27 | $24 | $24 |
| Assemblers and fabricators | 25 | $11 | $11 |
| Coating, painting, and spraying machine operators, setters, and tenders | 44 | $16 | $16 |
| Computer-controlled machine tool operators, metal and plastic | 37 | $19 | $19 |
| Cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | 91 | $14 | $14 |
| Electricians | 37 | $21 | $21 |
| Engineering managers | 22 | $52 | $52 |
| Extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | 39 | $15 | $15 |
| General and operations managers | 137 | $36 | $36 |
| Grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | 20 | $19 | $19 |
| Helpers, production workers | 173 | $11 | $11 |
| Industrial engineers | 55 | $37 | $37 |
| Industrial machinery mechanics | 93 | $24 | $24 |
| Industrial production managers | 64 | $40 | $40 |
| Industrial truck and tractor operators | 67 | $13 | $13 |
| Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers | 155 | $14 | $14 |
| Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand | 188 | $10 | $10 |
| Machinists | 89 | $19 | $19 |
| Maintenance and repair workers, general | 117 | $14 | $14 |
| Management analysts | <10 | $30 | $30 |
| Managers, all other | <10 | $34 | $34 |
| Milling and planing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | <10 | $12 | $12 |
| Millwrights | 11 | $21 | $21 |
| Molding, coremaking, and casting machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | 32 | $11 | $11 |
| Packers and packagers, hand | 68 | $9 | $9 |
| Production, planning, and expediting clerks | 47 | $22 | $22 |
| Purchasing agents, except wholesale, retail, and farm products | 40 | $26 | $26 |
| Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products | 90 | $22 | $22 |
| Sheet metal workers | 28 | $17 | $17 |
| Shipping, receiving, and traffic clerks | 106 | $13 | $13 |
| Stock clerks and order fillers | 44 | $10 | $10 |
| Team assemblers | 588 | $14 | $14 |
| Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers | 204 | $20 | $20 |
| Welding, soldering, and brazing machine setters, operators, and tenders | 32 | $16 | $16 |
| Secretaries, except legal, medical, and executive | 72 | $14 | $14 |
| Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters | <10 | $19 | $19 |
Specialized Workforce
ABET-accredited undergraduate engineering degree programs and master’s and PhD options in similar areas are available at nearby universities.
| Degree Programs | Mississippi State University | University of Alabama at Huntsville | University of Mississippi | University of Memphis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aerospace engineering | X | X | ||
| Biological engineering | X | |||
| Biomedical engineering | X | |||
| Chemical engineering | X | X | X | |
| Civil engineering | X | X | X | X |
| Computer engineering | X | X | X | |
| Electrical engineering | X | X | X | X |
| Engineering technology | X | |||
| Geological engineering | X | |||
| Industrial engineering | X | X | ||
| Mechanical engineering | X | X | X | X |
| Optical engineering | X | |||
| Software engineering | X | |||
| Miles from TAP Region | 120 miles | 106 miles | 92 miles | 110 miles |
Research and Development
Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems (CAVS) – Mississippi State University
Ongoing research at Mississippi State University, approximately 85 miles from the TAP region, focuses on the development of new technology for the processing of materials, production of new designs, and increasing fuel efficiency/reduction of pollution for the automotive industry. Working directly with government agencies and the automotive industry, CAVS produces information and solutions that advance technology.
There are several research teams at the CAVS facility. The Automotive Electronics research team seeks to achieve higher fuel efficiency and reduce pollution using advanced controls and renewable energy.
CAVS Extension
Located in Canton, approximately 190 miles from the TAP region, CAVS Extension:
- Facilitates the transfer of the technology developed from research at the Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems to Mississippi’s automotive industry
- Offers workshops and training in best practices (ex: six sigma, lean manufacturing, metrology, welding for engineers)
- Provides access to advanced engineering tools and concepts
CAVS Extension has participated in 36 projects statewide, including ones for Nissan, Flexible Flyer, Eaton, Taylor Machine, Northrop Grumman, Hewlett Industries, Pioneer, Viking Range, and more. View a full list.
Mississippi Polymer Institute at University of Southern Mississippi
The Institute offers analysis and testing, innovation and commercialization, rapid prototyping, and workforce development to industry. Located in Hattiesburg, approximately 250 miles from the TAP Alliance region.
Workforce Training
Northeast Mississippi Community College
Division of Workforce Training and Economic Development
Offers customized job training to new and existing business and industry. Two training facilities are located within the TAP region, one in Corinth and the other in Booneville. Mobile training facilities may be available upon request for onsite training throughout the TAP region.
East Mississippi Community College
Center for Manufacturing Technology Excellence
Offers technical training relevant to Mississippi industries. 112 miles from the TAP region.
Workforce Services
Offers customized training to industry and core courses to individuals. The Manufacturing Academy course provides training in the essential skills defined by manufacturers in the area. These include quality tools, measuring instruments, problem-solving, applied math, critical thinking and more. Additional classes offered include
- Welding
- Truck Driving
- Avionics and cabling
- Construction
- Composite
- Electrical
- HVAC
- Machining
Tennessee Technology Center at Memphis
Workforce training through traditional and distance learning systems. 110 miles from the TAP region. Courses include
- Aircraft mechanics
- Avionics maintenance technology
- Drafting and CAD technology
- Machine tool technology
University of Mississippi
Center for Manufacturing Excellence
Provides manufacturing education through the mechanical engineering program, professional development courses, and is involved with industry-led research. 92 miles form the TAP region.