Major manufacturing projects are cropping up around where they have the labor pool to do so, Newmark Group found. Different stages of manufacturing operations — research and development, pilot plant and mass production — require different types of labor, and must be located accordingly.
R&D facilities tend to be smaller and located near specific talent such as universities, but at the mass production level, they need a deep labor pool and access to an abundant power supply. Locations with affordable land, lower construction costs, favorable tax structures and financial incentives are most attractive for these types of manufacturing facility projects, the report found.