Accessing the Globe
DieselMist Holdings, a London-based business conglomerate, holds the patent on a technology that could significantly reduce carbon emissions and potentially save billions of dollars in fuel costs. Any industry sector that uses diesel engines could benefit from the resulting equipment that allows diesel fuel to be mixed with cleaner, cheaper propane.
 DieselMist’s demo truck is powered by dual fuels. ? [Photo: DieselMist Corp.] |
“We had a number of markets to choose from,” says Darryl Keys, president and CEO of DieselMist Corporation, the firm’s wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary, “but we decided to focus on heavy trucks.” And given that the U.S. dominates the world’s heavy truck sector, he adds, DieselMist needed to establish a presence in the U.S.
Florida and California were the leading contenders; both already had infrastructure in place to encourage energy-efficient technologies and both had governors eager to stimulate the growth of “green” businesses. Ultimately, however, a prime location, previously established ties with Britain (Enterprise Florida maintains a London office) and the enthusiasm of economic development officials tipped the scale in Florida’s favor.
Says Keys, “We were amazed and impressed by the speed of their reaction and the level of professionalism they demonstrated. The data and information they sent us was staggering and so helpful.”
DieselMist decided to site its new North American headquarters in Charlotte County, where plenty of affordable land was available and transportation connections were well established. From Port Charlotte, the firm contracts with trucking companies nationwide to install equipment on their vehicles that will allow them to burn energy-efficient fuel that is 70% diesel and 30% liquid propane, plus a GPS system to track fuel consumption. The equipment and installation are free; customers pay half of the fuel savings that result ?— an estimated $4,000 per vehicle, per year — back to DieselMist.
Funding in the form of a Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund and a Road Fund grant helped launch DieselMist in Florida; plans call for steady growth from a staff of just four today to upwards of 60 within five years. And although Diesel
Mist is looking to eventually open offices in California and the Northeast, Keys says the headquarters will remain in Florida.
“The enthusiasm of the people here to help has been wonderful. They’ve gone out of their way to make sure we’re looked after. We simply couldn’t be in a better place than this.”
The Right Place to Be
Brazil-based Embraer, the world’s 4th largest aircraft manufacturer, considered five sites in three states before finally choosing Melbourne, Florida, as the right location for its first U.S. manufacturing and sales facility. Key factors in that decision included the availability of skilled labor, land at an airport, room for expansion and close proximity to a seaport.
“We selected Melbourne as the location that best satisfies our operational requirements,” says Gary Spulak, president, Embraer North America. Having access to skilled workers was especially important, he adds, “because our strategy is to hire locally from the Brevard County workforce.” The facility could mean some 200 new high-tech jobs for the area.
Embraer broke ground on its new 150,000-square-foot facility at Melbourne International Airport in December 2008 and expects to deliver its first Phenom 100 jet from Melbourne in late 2011.
? FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT
Florida ranks 5th in the nation in terms of foreign direct investment (FDI) employment, and 1st in the Southeast U.S. with a total of 273,100 jobs supported by the estimated 2,500 foreign-affiliated companies that operate across the state and across industries. Companies from the European Union account for 67% of all FDI employment in Florida, followed by companies from Asian/Pacific countries (12%) and Canada and Latin American/Caribbean countries (9% each).
The total value of holdings by all foreign-affiliated companies in Florida grew by 5.3% to a total of $39.3 billion in 2006 (most recent data), putting Florida 1st in the Southeast and 9th in the nation.
More than 80 foreign and domestic banks active in international trade and finance have offices in Florida, including six of the 10 largest banks in the world. New York is the only state with a larger international banking presence.
| Florida’s Leading Foreign Investors | ||||
| By Investment (in billions) | ? | By Employment (in jobs) | ||
| Germany |
$3.8 | United Kingdom |
45,200 | |
| Japan |
$3.79 | Netherlands |
24,000 | |
| United Kingdom |
$3.69 | Canada |
23,100 | |
| Canada |
$2.99 | Germany |
22,400 | |
| Australia | $2.77 | Japan | 21,200 | |
? TRADE
 Embraer expects to roll out the first Phenom 100 jet from its new Melbourne, Florida, factory in 2011. [Photo: Embraer] |
Florida remains the nation’s 3rd largest exporter of high-tech products in the U.S.; sales in 2008 equaled more than $14.6 billion, an increase of nearly $1.3 billion over 2007. From 2003 to 2008, the value of Florida’s high-tech exports increased by an astonishing 83%, while the U.S. growth rate for similar exports was only 28% over the same period. Industrial machinery, computers, television and sound equipment and medical or surgical instruments are among the state’s top exports. Leading destinations for Florida high-tech exports were Latin American countries: Brazil ($2.2 billion), Venezuela ($1.7 billion), Paraguay ($1.0 billion), Colombia ($832 million) and Argentina ($680 million).
FLORIDA’S TOP 5 Trading Partners (in billions) |
||
| 1 |
Brazil | $15.5 |
| 2 |
Japan | 7.7 |
| 3 |
Venezuela | 7.1 |
| 4 |
China | 6.5 |
| 5 | Colombia | 6.4 |
Another way to examine exports is to look at those that originate in Florida, such as goods grown, mined, manufactured, assembled or otherwise had value added in the state (regardless of where they exited the United States). In all, Florida-origin exports reached a record $54.3 billion in 2008 (up 21% over the previous year) and supported an estimated 597,000 jobs. The state’s origin-export growth significantly outperformed the U.S. rate of 12% and was higher than all of the top 25 major exporting states in the nation except oil-exporter Louisiana.
Japan and China are the top importers into the state, accounting for a combined total of nearly $13 billion of imports coming into Florida in 2008. Motor vehicles are the No. 1 import to Florida from the East.
| Foreign Trade Zones Much of the international commerce coming into and out of the U.S. travels through Foreign Trade Zones (FTZs), which allow tariff-free value to be added to foreign goods before they are shipped on to other countries. In Florida, international businesses have access to 20 FTZs, the 2nd largest network in the nation. |
||
| Brevard County/Port Canaveral #136 | Cape Canaveral | portcanaveral.org |
| Fort Lauderdale #241 | Fort Lauderdale | fortlauderdale.gov/fxe/foreign_trade.htm |
| Fort Myers #213 | Fort Myers | NA |
| Homestead #166 | Homestead | visioncouncil.com/ftz |
| Jacksonville #64 | Jacksonville | jaxport.com/sea/sea_foreign.cfm |
| Manatee County #169 | Palmetto | portmanatee.com |
| Miami #32 | Miami | miamizone.com |
| Miami (Wynwood) #180 | Miami | NA |
| Ocala #217 | Ocala | NA |
| Orlando #42 | Orlando | orlandoairports.net/cargo/ftz.htm |
| Pinellas County #193 | Clearwater | pced.org/ftz |
| Port Everglades/Broward County #25 | Fort Lauderdale | broward.org/port |
| Port of Palm Beach #135 | Riviera Beach | portofpalmbeach.com/ftz.htm |
| Port of Pensacola #249 | Pensacola | portofpensacola.com/live/?pid=2809 |
| Port Panama City #65 | Panama City | portpanamacityusa.com |
| Sebring #215 | Sebring | sebring-airport.com/foreigntradezone.html |
| Seminole County #250 | Sanford | businessinseminole.com/ecodev/ftz.asp |
| St. Lucie County #218 | Fort Pierce | stlucieco.gov/ed/foreign_trade.htm |
| Tampa #79 | Tampa | tampaftz.com |
| Volusia & Flagler County #198 | Daytona Beach | flydaytonafirst.com/ftzslide.jpg |
?
? STREAMLINING TRADE
»
Florida companies have the opportunity to become stronger competitors for foreign business prospects thanks to the new Global Trade Training Pilot Program launched in spring 2009. A combined effort of Workforce Florida, Enterprise Florida and six partner organizations from across the state, the training program will provide practical steps businesses can take to enter into global markets as well as timely information about international regulatory requirements and other relevant must-knows for selling products and services abroad. Export logistics, exporting for the marine industry and exporting to designated foreign markets are the focal points.
|
For additional information Florida's international advantages, visit - Data from Business Florida 2010. See the new special report