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With more than 118,000 employees,the region accounts for more thana quarter of the state’s employmentin this sector. Nearly 400 regionalmanufacturers are major employers,employing 113,000 people in the region.Manufacturing in Charlotte has grownand diversified through the decades.Once considered a leader in textiles, theCharlotte area now has numerous firmsspecializing in advanced manufacturingin addition to manufacturers in metals,machinery, chemicals, food andbeverages, plastics and electronics.Daimler Trucks North America,the region’s largest major employer inmanufacturing, purchased Freightlinerin 2008 and has significantly grownarea employment since. The leadingNorth American medium- and heavydutytruck manufacturer employs 6,400people in the region. With its NorthAmerican headquarters in Davidson,N.C., Ingersoll-Rand is the secondlargestmanufacturing company in theregion, employing 2,800 people.Manufacturing companies continue toinvest in the Charlotte area. In 2010, ABBInc., a Swedish/Swiss company knownworldwide for its power and automationtechnology, announced 100 jobs at a new,$90 million facility to manufacture highvoltagecables used to improve powertransmission efficiency. Also in 2010,Husqvarna, the world’s largest producer ofoutdoor power products, consolidated itsNorth American headquarters in Charlotte.Food and beverage manufacturing alsomakes up a large part of the region’smanufacturing: Snyders-Lance Inc.is headquartered in Charlotte andTyson Foods, Dole Food Company,Frito-Lay and Kellogg all havesignificant operations in the region.Foreign InvestmentApproximately 950 foreign-owned firmsoperate in the Charlotte region withlocations ranging from small sales officesto large manufacturing centers to regionalheadquarters. More than 150 of theseinternational firms are also major employers.Electrolux Group, a global leader inhousehold and professional appliances,consolidated its North American corporateheadquarters in Charlotte in 2009. TheStockholm-based company has sinceannounced two more expansions and nowemploys more than 900 people in Charlotte.Also headquartered in Charlotte isCompass Group North America, whoseparent company is United KingdombasedCompass Group PLC. In 2011, thecompany reiterated its commitment toCharlotte by announcing 200 more jobs.Currently, Compass Group has morethan 3,600 employees in the region.As one of the largest supermarket companiesin the U.S., Food Lion LLC operates 1,300supermarkets in the Southeast and mid-Atlantic states from its headquarters inSalisbury, N.C. The company, a subsidiaryof Brussels-based Delhaize Group, employsmore than 7,700 people in the region.Other significant foreign-owned firmsin the region include Clariant, GerdauCorporation and Balfour Beatty.Transportation, Logisticsand DistributionCharlotte’s central location on the East Coastand its transportation infrastructure havefed the growth of the area’s transportation,distribution and logistics industry.6Major Employers Directorycharlottechamber.com