South Carolina

EXPANDING YOUR BUSINESS IN SOUTH CAROLINA

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Region: Southeast

Capital City: Columbia

State Governor: Henry McMaster

Principal Cities: Aiken, Columbia, Charleston, Greenville, Spartanburg, Rock Hill

Why locate your Business in South Carolina

Globally competitive business structure

Unparalleled infrastructure & accessibility

Progressive & competitive business environment

Reliable, affordable & environmentally friendly energy

Low tax rates and competitive customized incentives

Strong & dependable workforce

R&D and Innovation

Unsurpassed quality of life

Doing Business in South Carolina as a foreign Corporation

  • SC ranked in the top one in the nation for attracting jobs through foreign direct investment as a percentage of total employment[1].
  • 8.35% of the workforce is employed by international companies[2].
  • South Carolina is home to more than 1,200 international firms (number if CRM is 1,265)[3].
  • Access to international markets through the Port of Charleston, one of the busiest container ports along the Southeast and Gulf coasts and is recognized as one of the nation’s most efficient and productive ports[4.5]. Port of Charleston ranked the top eighth by TEU[6].
  • ReadySC, an internationally recognized program that provides customized recruiting and training solutions to companies bringing new jobs to the state[7].
  • SourceSC, a comprehensive directory of industry suppliers and vendors within S.C. Source more than 8,800 companies (total is 8,888) in South Carolina to find manufacturers, suppliers, vendors, distributors and others to do business with[8].

European Corporations that started their Business in South Carolina

Aerospace & Defense Sector

  • Schaeffler Group USA, Inc.
  • Eaton Corporation
  • Siemens Industry, Inc.
  • GKN Aerospace South Carolina, Inc.
  • Rolls Royce
  • BAE Systems
  • SAFRAN

Automotive

  • BMW Manufacturing Co.
  • ZF Transmissions Gray Court
  • Michelin North America, Inc.
  • Continental Tire the Americas
  • Robert Bosch
  • DAA Draxlmaier Automotive of America
  • Gestamp South Carolina
  • Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp.
  • Volvo Car USA
  • Daimler AG
  • Benteler Automotive
Life Sciences
  • Capsugel Mfg Technologies
  • Perrigo Company of South Carolina
  • Medtronic plc
  • DSM Nutritional Products
  • WeylChem US, Inc.
  • Avara – GlaxoSmithKline
  • Constantia Blythewood
  • Fresenius Medical Care North America
  • Solvay USA Inc.
  • BeliMed, Inc.
Composites & Advanced Materials
  • Fehrer Automotive North America
  • Röchling Automotive Duncan
  • Solvay Composite Materials
  • Inergy Automotive Systems
  • CeramTec North America Corporation
  • Plastic Omnium Auto Exteriors
  • SAATI Americas Corp.
  • Agru America, Inc.
  • CHOMARAT North America
  • Bostik, Inc.

Starting an LLC in South Carolina

Always at the top of Business rankings

It's who we are in South Carolina

State Demographics - South Carolina’s Economy

5.2 % million
Population
Located within 1000
miles of 66% of the U.S.’ Population
Top 3
for attracting jobs through FDI on a per capita basis
# 1
Home to Charleston

voted one of the Top Cities to Visit in the World

# 1
Top Exporter of Passenger Vehicles in the U.S.
# 1
undergraduate international business program

ranked by U.S. News & World

# 1
Top Exporter of Tires in the U.S.
Top 5
Relocation Destination states in 2021

South Carolina Business Incentives

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Success Stories of South Carolina’s International Corporations

Volvo

“Our South Carolina team has done a remarkable job producing the award-winning S60 and readying the plant for the next generation of electrified Volvo cars,” said Javier Varela, Senior Vice President Industrial Operations & Quality, Volvo Car Group. “Now, with the contract to produce the fully electric Polestar 3, we continue to expand our manufacturing operations for electrified vehicles.”

Polestar

“Polestar 3 will be built in America, for our American customers” says Thomas Ingenlath, Polestar’s Chief Executive Officer. “I remember the great response when I first shared Polestar’s vision here in the USA and I am proud that our first SUV will be manufactured in South Carolina. From now on, the USA is no longer an export market but a home market.

Mercedes-Benz

We are investing around half a billion dollars to create a top-notch Mercedes-Benz van plant here in South Carolina. This plant is key to our future growth in the very dynamic North American van market. Charleston is an excellent location for our new plant. The region has very highly-skilled workers, a dense network of reliable suppliers, and an outstanding logistics infrastructure that includes good transport connections to the nearby harbor. Just as important is the very good cooperation and support we’ve experienced at the local, municipal, and state levels." –Head of Mercedes-Benz Vans Volker Mornhinweg

BMW

“For nearly three decades, BMW has called South Carolina its second home. This expansion in our logistics operation represents our continued commitment to this state, and it will prepare Plant Spartanburg for the future. The new warehouse will allow us to consolidate our logistics processes as well as implement efficiency measures for a more sustainable logistics operation.” -BMW Manufacturing Co. President and CEO Robert Engelhorn

Bosch Rexroth

“We are very excited to see this continued investment in our business here in Greenville County, especially the investments linked to local R&D activities.” -Bosch Rexroth Technical Plant Manager Mike McCormick

Belimed Life Science, Inc.

“As a manufacturer of products used in the manufacturing process of life-saving vaccines and drug therapies, Belimed Life Science is excited to open our first U.S. site in Charleston, South Carolina. As the pharmaceutical and biotech industries continue to innovate for the benefit of all of us, the need for our products and services will continue to increase requiring future growth of Belimed Life Science. What better place to begin than here in Charleston.” -Belimed Life Science, Inc. President Ken Blankenship

Evolt

“Evolt remains at the forefront of the body composition technology space and continues to revolutionize the health and wellness industry across the United States and the other 25 countries we supply. As body scanners drive member engagement and pivot the self-care movement through the power of data and health metrics, consumers are leaning further into personalized solutions. We have already partnered with one of the largest fitness brands in the world – Anytime Fitness – and are currently rolling out to their network across the U.S. and worldwide. Our plan for the next five years is to continue our penetration into other verticals including pharmacies, supplement retail stores, corporate wellness programs and the body contouring industry.” -Evolt CEO Ed Zouroudis

Contact Information for your Business in South Carolina

Sérgio Domingues
Managing Director
FDI in Georgia USA - CASE

Almeida Palais
Brienner Straße 14
80333 München Germany

Sources

[1] Global Business Alliance: https://globalbusiness.org/state/south-carolina/

[2] Number of employees in international companies retrieved from CRM of SC Department of Commerce and total number of employees retrieved from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

[3] Retrieved from CRM of SC Department of Commerce.

[4] Container News: https://container-news.com/top-10-the-busiest-container-ports-in-the-united-states/

[5] Marine Insight: https://www.marineinsight.com/know-more/top-10-largest-and-busiest-container-ports-in-the-united-states/

[6] United States Department of Transportation: https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/65990

[7] ReadySC official website: https://www.readysc.org/about.html

[8] SourceSC directory: https://scbizdev.sccommerce.com/sc-industry-directory/results