FDI Industry Spotlight
Manufacturing
Traditional refineries, metal fabricators, timber and food processors are joined by next generation aerospace, photonics, outdoor gear manufacturers and craft brewers in Montana. Montana’s manufacturers are agile, innovative, and supported by local technical talent. Petroleum and coal continue to be the largest manufacturing sectors in the state, followed by food and beverage manufacturing, and wood manufacturing, tapping into Montana’s vast natural resources. Long a source of best-in-class agricultural commodities, Montana is now seen as an ideal location for select food processing operations for pulse crops, beef and organic crops. Additionally, Montana’s annual hemp production represents an interesting area of manufacturing growth as this versatile crop has numerous industrial and consumer markets.
Montana’s northwestern location, bordering three Canadian provinces and within striking distance of the West Coast, makes the state a highly desirable location for manufacturers looking to serve the Canadian marketplace or West Coast locations, while benefiting from lower costs on real estate, energy, labor and more. Montana’s railroad system includes approximately 3,376 miles of track owned by Class I, Class II and Class III railroads, allowing for economical transport of hard goods entering and leaving the state. Roadways in Montana are some of the least crowded in the nation enabling the efficient movement of billions of dollars of goods across our scenic state. Southwestern Montana is home to the Port of Montana, a full-service transload warehouse and storage facility as well as the only Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) General Purpose Warehouse within a five-state radius in the Rocky Mountain region.