By Lorie Hailey
With a strong machine tool history and its geographic advantage, Northern Kentucky has become a hub for modern advanced manufacturing facilities that serve many industries.
Boone, Campbell and Kenton counties are home to well over 200 manufacturers, and even more in the counties adjacent to the tri-county region, according to 2019 data from the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development.
Of the three counties, Boone is the manufacturing hub. Nearly 15% of jobs in Boone County – 13,363 – are at a manufacturing facility, according to KCED data. In Campbell County, 6.75% is manufacturing; it’s 8.1% in Kenton County. Since 2016, two new manufacturing locations have opened in Boone County and 13 have expanded, investing more than $196 million and creating 621 new jobs.
Kenton County has had one new manufacturing plant and 16 expansions since 2016, an investment of $116.3 million that created 534 new jobs. Campbell County has had two manufacturing expansions, an investment of $1.2 million and an additional 13 jobs.
Mubea is the area’s largest manufacturer, employing more than 1,300, producing heavy-duty products for lightweight construction. The next largest is Robert Bosch Automotive Steering, which makes steering gears for the car and light truck market; and assembles steering columns, hydraulic steering gears, electric steering gears, and power steering pumps for the auto industry. It has about 1,200 workers.
Northern Kentucky has a proven advantage in automotive manufacturing and a strong core of a strong core of supporting industries including metal fabrication; chemicals, plastics, and composites manufacturing; and distribution and logistics.
“Because of Northern Kentucky’s geographic location and transportation advantages, these machine tool manufacturers strategically serve many automotive and aerospace companies in the Midwest and Southeast and even overseas customers,” said Lee Crume, president and CEO of Northern Kentucky Tri-ED.
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More than 40 automotive companies are already located in Northern Kentucky, including major employers like Bosch, Mubea, Balluff, Meritor Heavy Vehicle Systems and Celanese.
Since January 2018, there have been 34 major manufacturing announcements in the tri-county region, a reported capital investment of more than $191 million – an additional 1,405 jobs. Some of the largest of those announcements included Jabil Inc.’s December 2018 investment of $13.5 million at its Florence facility, where it manufactures racks and servers for data centers, creating 253 new jobs. Meyer Tool announced an investment of $16 million in March of 2019, creating 100 new jobs at its precision aircraft parts facility in Erlanger.
Optical products distributor ABB Optical Group announced a $15 million plan in June 2019 to open a manufacturing facility in Erlanger, creating 200 news jobs.
Many powerhouse American and international manufacturers have chosen to locate in Northern Kentucky, and many more have logistics and distribution centers there, including Perfetti Van Melle, Mazak Corp., Safran Landing Systems, L’Oreal USA, Tyson/Hillshire Foods, The Schwan Food Co., Evenflo Feeding, Architectural Aluminum Products, Road ID, Amazon, Bosch, Citi, DHL, Mubea, Cabot Corp., Indy Honeycomb and WILD Flavors.
Other interesting items “made” in Northern Kentucky include: Schwan’s frozen pizzas; hair and skin care products by L’Oreal; Airheads candy; bourbon products; playing cards; Lit’l Smokies (cocktail weenies); airplane parts; menu boards; chocolate and specialty candies; AR-15 rifles; and more.
Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development
Old Capitol Annex
300 West Broadway
Frankfort, KY 40601
(800) 626-2930
Kentucky encourages growth of new and existing companies of all sizes, and ensures entrepreneurs and small businesses succeed. Kentucky fosters growth through services designed to spur investment and create jobs. Explore the many advantages of the commonwealth and you’ll find Kentucky will go the extra mile to exceed your needs.
Here is a sampling of manufacturers in the tri-county area:
A.O. Smith Co.
Water heaters, boilers and storage tanks
Florence
Active Radiator
Truck and industrial radiators
Dayton
ALM Media
Magazine & book publisher
Erlanger
Anderson Manufacturing
AR-15 rifles
Hebron
Aquionics Inc.
UV, water, air and surface purification systems
Erlanger
AquiSense Technologies
LED devices
Erlanger
ATech Training Inc.
Automotive technology training devices
Walton
Balluff
Industrial networking, object detection
Florence
Beckman Coulter
Diagnostic tests/equipment
Florence
Beverly International Nutrition
Sports nutrition manufacturer
Cold Spring
Blue Grass Quality Meats
Deli meats
Erlanger
Bonfiglioli USA
Speed changer, industrial high-speed drive & gear manufacturing, USA headquarters
Hebron
Boone County Distilling Co.
Bourbon, rye, and other whiskey specialties
Independence
Braxton Brewing
Craft beer
Covington
Carl Zeiss Vision Inc.
Optical lab
Hebron
Clarion Corp. of America
Car audio, multimedia, information products
Walton
Club Chef
Processors of fresh cut produce
Covington
Crescent Paper Tube Co.
Paper tubes, paperboard products, cores, caps
Florence
DURO Bag a Novolex Brand
Paper bags for fast food
Walton
Emerson’s Bakery
Baked goods
Florence
Ethos Labs
Drug tests
Newport
Evenflo Feeding
Infant equipment, baby care and juvenile products
West Chester
Fabritec International
Professional dry cleaning detergents, wet cleaning soaps and spotting chemicals
Florence
Flint Group
Printing inks
Erlanger
Fortress Interlocks
Safety access and control systems
Erlanger
Fuji Autotech USA
Automative seat components
Walton
GES
Trade show exhibits and store fixtures
Hebron
Givaudan Flavors
Fragrance and flavor
Florence
Glier’s Meats
German breakfast sausage
Covington
GorillaMaker
3D Printing
Florence
Graham Packaging
Plastic bottles
Florence
Grandpa Brands Co.
Personal care products
Erlanger
Greif
Rigid industrial packaging, steel drums
Florence
Griffin Industries
Animal rendering services
Cold Spring
Hahn Automation
Industrial equipment and technology
Hebron
Halperns’ Steak & Seafood
High quality portion control beef products
Walton
HDT Global
Military air conditioning, heaters, decontamination units
Florence
Hennegan Co.
Offset printing
Florence
Hydra-Tone Chemicals
Specialty chemicals, detergents, lubricants
Hebron
International Mold Steel
Steel for plastic & rubber molds
Florence
International Paper
Printing plant, packaging materials
Walton
Iofina Chemical
Select halogen specialty chemicals, iodine
Covington
Jack’s Glass
Home and auto glass solutions
Elsmere
Jewel-Craft
Jewelry
Erlanger
J-Fab LLC
Florence
Johnson Controls – Power Solutions
Lead acid batteries
Florence
Kellogg Snacks
Keebler products
Florence
Kona Ice
Premium tropical shaved ice
Florence
Lingo Manufacturing Co.
Custom permanent point-of-purchase displays
Florence
Linkology
Security systems for parking garages
Newport
L’Oreal USA-Florence Manufacturing
Hair care products
Florence
LSI
Menu boards
Florence
Lyons Magnus
Flavorings and juices
Walton
Mazak Corp.
CNC turning centers, vertical machining centers, horizontal machining centers, Multi-Tasking machines, 5-axis machines
Florence
Meggitt Polymers & Composites
Composite engine and aerostructure components
Erlanger
Meyer Tool
Precision aircraft parts
Erlanger
Mila International
Surgical devices for pets
Florence
Mubea
Lightweight construction specialist providing heavy duty spring components and related products
Florence
Mubea Precision Springs
Transmission springs and hose clamps
Florence
National Band & Tag Co.
Poultry leg and wing bands, bands used for wildlife,
ID tags
Newport
New Riff Distilling
Craft distillery
Newport
Newly Weds Foods
Cracker and bread crumbs, batter mixes
Erlanger
Nor-Com Inc.
Communications systems and A/V integrator
Hebron
North American Stainless L.P.
Steel
Ghent
Novolex
Paper products
Florence
Pepsico
Snacks, foods and beverages
Erlanger
Perfetti van Melle
Airheads candy
Erlanger
P L Marketing
Kroger corporate branding products
Newport
PG LifeLink
Isolated power system design and manufacturer
Erlanger
Purestream Inc.
Sewage treatment equipment
Walton
R & R Design & Manufacturing
Conveyor & automation systems
Florence
Road ID
Road ID Bracelets
Fort Mitchell
Robert Bosch Automotive
Steering columns
Florence
Ronan Engineering Co.
Measuring equipment, radiation gauges and measuring instruments
Florence
Safran Landing Systems
Carbon brakes for airplanes
Walton
Schwan’s Global Supply Chain
Frozen pizzas
Florence
Sherwood Midwest
Bedding, mattresses
Walton
Skilcraft
Surgical products, surgical device production, contract medical device manufacturing
Burlington
SpecTape Inc.
Pressure-sensitive tape
Erlanger
Sterling Ventures
Limestone mine, crushed stone
Verona
Stewart Iron Works
Ornamental iron fencing and gates
Erlanger
Studio Vertu
Italian marble products
Newport
TeeSpring
Custom tee shirts
Hebron
Total Display Solutions
Re-manufactures LCD panels for computer video displays and television LCD panes
Erlanger
Toyota Boshoku America
Automotive interior systems
Erlanger
Tressa
Professional hair products
Erlanger
Trophy Awards Manufacturing
Awards, crystal awards, acrylic awards, trophies, plaques, corporate awards, gifts, promotional items
Wilder
Tyson/Hillshire Brands
Meat, primarily cocktail weenies
Alexandria
United Dairy Farmers
Ice cream
US Playing Card Co.
Playing cards
Erlanger
ViaCord
Umbilical cord preservation
Hebron
The Waddington Group
High-quality plastic, disposable cups, plates, cutlery, serving ware
Covington
White Castle Distributing
Burger processing
Covington
Wild Flavors
Flavor technology
Erlanger
Wolf Steel USA
High-end fireplaces, grills, HVAC
Crittenden
Zenith Motors
Electric shuttle and cargo vans
Wilder
ZF Boge Elastmetall
Transmissions, steering systems, axles
Hebron
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