Plastics & Rubber Manufacturing

A Growth Driver for High-Tech Manufacturing Sectors

Why Georgia for Plastics and Rubber

Close proximity to aerospace, auto, healthcare and other demand industries
Abundant workforce and competitive wages
Renowned workforce training program
Excellent accessibility to market
Business-friendly environment

Utility Plastics to Invest $20 Million in New Valdosta Facility

“We are excited to announce Valdosta as the future home of our manufacturing facility, corporate offices, and world headquarters. This move will bring competitive wages and comprehensive benefits to employees in the local community."

Chris Corbett, CEO, Utility Plastics

Source: “Utility Plastics to Invest $20 Million in New Valdosta Facility, Creating Over 60 Jobs,” Valdosta-Lowndes County Economic Development, 5.30.2024

Danimer Plastics Success Story

517

Plastic & Rubber Manufacturing Locations

Georgia Department of Labor 2024.1Q

11th

State in # of Professionals in Industry

Lightcast 2024.3Q

$3.1B

Plastics & Rubber Manufacturing GRP

Lightcast 2024.3Q

Industry Snapshot

Plastics manufacturing accounts for approximately 74% of the industry while rubber manufacturing accounts for nearly 26%.

Plastics: Packaging materials, film and sheet manufacturing, foam products, plastic bottles and all other plastics product manufacturing
Rubber: Tire manufacturing and retreading, rubber hoses and belting manufacturing and all other rubber product manufacturing

Additionally, the varied composition of the state's plastics and rubber manufacturing industry gives existing and potential facilities ample room to grow.

Top Employers

From custom injection molded products to automobile tires, Georgia's plastics and rubber products manufacturers supply a variety of industries, such as automotive and aerospace.

Tires & Retreading: Toyo Tire & Rubber (2,000), Kumho Tire USA (654)
Foam Products: Dart Container Corp. (918), WinCup (353)
Plastic Packaging (Film & Sheet): Pactiv (1,252), Printpack (765), Berry Global (701)
Plastic Bottles: CKS Packaging Inc. (455), ALPLA (350)
All Other Plastics Products: Mauser Packaging Solutions (1,000), Decostar Industries (800), Synesqo (692)
All Other Rubber Products: M+A Matting (700), Freudenberg-NOK (680), Mohawk Industries (570)

26,780

Industry Jobs

Lightcast 2024.3Q

14%

Anticipated Growth 2024 - 2034

Lightcast 2024.3Q

$18.46

Median Hourly Earnings

Lightcast 2024.3Q

Quality Talent for Less

Georgia is known for its high-quality affordable workforce. Wage rates in the state typically fall below the national average, particularly in manufacturing occupations. The state’s plastics and rubber manufacturing wages are no exception.

Projected growth of 14% in plastics and rubber manufacturing industry workers over the next decade compared to 4% nationally
Median hourly earnings of $18.46 compared to $19.17 nationally (based on top 10 plastics and rubber manufacturing industry staffing pattern occupations)

89k

Industry-Relevant Grads (2019 - 2023)

IPEDS Completion Data, Lightcast 2024.3Q

#1

Leading Workforce Training Program

Area Development, 2024

22

Technical Colleges

TCSG, 2024

The People and Support Needed to Succeed

Georgia's high concentration of degree-seeking students and top-tier colleges and universities make the state one of the country’s richest in top-level talent. These institutions also offer companies access to cutting-edge research and development partnerships.

Since 2012, there has been a 10% increase in the number of graduates skilled in supporting Georgia's plastics and rubber manufacturing operations
Georgia Tech ranks 2nd for engineering R&D funding nationally and has benefited from a 79% uptick in R&D funding since 2012