Grow your Business in Buffalo Niagara.

Microart, a company out of Markham, Ontario, manufactures circuit boards used in the aerospace, medical device and electronics industries. The company has a growth mindset, which has allowed the Canadian headquarters to grow to 279 employees and helped drive the need for a U.S. expansion. Acquiring a U.S. company was Microart’s preferred way to start their U.S. operations and they identified a company in Buffalo that was well suited to their operations and needs.

New Flyer is the largest manufacturer of heavy-duty transit buses in North America with 3,800 employees and thirteen facilities across the U.S. and Canada. As part of the capital plan to upgrade public transportation in the New York City area, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) awarded New Flyer a contract to refresh the entire system’s bus fleet. The contract required a portion of the final product be manufactured in New York State.

Instead of contracting the work, New Flyer decided to establish a manufacturing facility in the State to build transmission and axle sub-assemblies. These high-value parts would then be shipped to St. Cloud, MN for final assembly. To minimize costs associated with shipping parts to the Midwest, the New Flyer facilities team wanted an assembly plant as far west in NYS as possible. By locating in the most southwestern area of the state, the company determined it can save at least $250 per truckload in shipping costs to Minnesota.

Kemper System, a German-based manufacturer of Kemperol, a liquid resin based waterproofing and surfacing system, sought to establish a North American-based production headquarters to increase its competitiveness in the U.S. market. Location, specifically market access, was crucial in their site location decision as Kemper desired to significantly shorten the eight-week lead time to ship product from Europe to the United States. The company also wanted to be close to their large customer base in the U.S. Northeast.

Kemper required a move-in ready site and a competitive incentive package as they were also considering Florida and North Carolina. Furthermore, the availability and cost of the local workforce was a key factor in the decision-making process. The company requested detailed labor statistics to familiarize itself with the availability and cost of labor in Buffalo Niagara.

Viatran is a subsidiary of a publicly-traded, out-of state parent company, operating as a separate division in the Buffalo Niagara region. Viatran manufactures pressure sensors and transmitters, servicing a wide variety of industries. Viatran manufactures new products and repairs legacy product in a rapid response environment based on lean manufacturing and advanced electronic commerce capabilities. The company’s lease was coming due and at the same time the division was poised for a significant expansion, making their previous facility inadequate for the growing demand. The local leadership team was tasked with conducting a global search for the most appropriate venue to expand their operations, including other corporate facilities with capacity in Massachusetts, Texas, and Malaysia..

The COVID-19 pandemic held a magnifying glass to many problems that already existed within our society and economy, one of those being the dependence on far away supply chains of personal protective equipment (PPE). This equipment – gowns, masks, face shields, etc. – has helped protect our frontline workers throughout the pandemic. As the globe braces for a potential second wave and attempts to safeguard against future crises, the community and local government has placed its attention on the revitalization of domestic manufacturing and supply of PPE.

View PPE Incentives blog