Savannah Chamber

22 1,000 contract and direct employees. Overall, this will inhibit further growth in 2016 manufacturing employment, which had hit a fifteen-year high-water mark of 17,000 workers in 2015. JCB celebrated its 15 th year anniversary of its North American manufacturing headquarters in Savannah in 2015. During the first half of 2015, a new production line of backhoe loaders added roughly 50 jobs to the 600-plus JCB workforce already in place. The success of JCB in developing products to meet the needs of the Department of Defense ($206 million initial and $50 million subsequent contract) led the company to move its global Government and Defense division to Savannah in 2015 (and some 50 jobs with it). Roughly half of JCB's production is shipped to foreign destinations through the Port of Savannah. Bryan County's Caesarstone Technologies USA launched operations in mid-2015 and employs about 170 people in its first phase. The project has garnered accolades as "Deal of the Year" in 2014 and a "Regional Development Partnership Award" from CSX Transportation. The Development Authority of Bryan County was further recognized by CSX with a Partnershipping Award for development of the commerce park housing Caesarstone. A second expansionary phase for Caesastone expected in the near-term is projected to push employment to 320 workers and increase total investment at the facility to $220 million. The Effingham County Industrial Development Authority announced four projects in 2015, representing $82 million in direct capital investment and the potential to create over 150 jobs over the next several years. DRT America, a French-based company, plans a $43 million facility to begin construction in 2016 and open in 2017. Other projects include companies in solar energy, cold storage, and metal fabrication. Georgia Transformers, formerly known as EFACEC, produced 35 power transformers (costing from one to three million dollars) in 2014 and matched the number for 2015. That year, Governor Nathan Deal presented the Savannah Machinery Works facility with the 2015 Georgia Manufacturer of the Year award for medium-sized businesses. Currently, the company has 6 major contracts in place and is on track to add 150 to 200 workers starting in the second half of 2016 and eventually reaching full capacity and 500 workers by 2018. In 2015, Liberty County completed a $9.7 million dollar natural gas pipeline servicing the Midway Industrial Park and Tradeport East Business Center. The project provides a substantial increase in capacity to meet the energy needs of existing and future employers in the area. In retail, Kroger has a $26 million investment planned that will triple the size of existing operations and double current employment. Overall, 2015 was a year of relative strength for the region's manufacturing sector. Over 700 jobs were added to manufacturing payrolls, a gain of 4.3%. Employment growth is expected to be more restrained in 2016, as the job-growth momentum developed by other manufacturers needs to be sustained to counter-balance Gulfstream's announcement. The Ports The Georgia Ports Authority experienced a year of record growth across the board in FY2015: the Port of Savannah moved more than 32 million tons (8.2% of all U.S. containerized cargo), 3.7 million twenty-foot equivalent cargo units (TEUs), and 714,000 vehicular units. TEU growth was about 17% on an annual basis (fiscal year). Although growth declined in the third quarter of 2015, this is attributed to the easing of labor strife at west coast ports, a stronger dollar, and moderating economic growth overseas. Nonetheless, third quarter data remain on-trend and therefore, more likely to be sustainable in 2016 and into the longer-term. In data through September, over-the-year growth is 7.4%. By deepening the Savannah River channel to 47 feet, the port be able to more efficiently serve the larger vessels expected to call in greater numbers after the expansion of the Panama Canal is completed. Deeper water will allow the larger Post-Panamax vessels to operate more efficiently and experience fewer delays, thereby reducing transportation costs by 20% or more. The nation's economy is expected to recoup construction cost in four years, according to the Army Corps' economic impact assessment. According to the Georgia Ports Authority, the 21,000 businesses that rely on the Port of Savannah are projected to save $174 million a year through increases transportation efficiency. It is finally happening! Dredging of the harbor's outer channel, located 17 miles from Ft. Pulaski, began in September of 2015 and is expected to be completed by July 2018. Currently, there are 40 workers living on the dredge and operating the equipment 24 hours a day. Additionally, several harbor deepening mitigation projects commenced in 2015. Recovery operations for the confederate ironclad, CSS Georgia, are yielding exceptional artifacts, including a 9,000 pound Dahlgren rifled cannon, leg-irons, and unexploded munitions, among other things. The effort is expected to cost from nine to fourteen million dollars. Additionally, a $100 million contract was awarded to install oxygen bubblers in the Savannah River to maintain ecosystem-healthy oxygen

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