North Carolina

Canada a key customer for NC life science, tech and aerospace exports

In 2020, Canadians bought $751 million worth of pharmaceuticals in 2020, including large shares of North Carolina’s exports of several key vaccines and insulin products. The Tar Heel state’s fast-growing biotech sector has more than 66,000 employees and 700 companies, including multinationals Bayer, Biogen, GSK, Merck, Novartis and Novo Nordisk. Canada is also an important market for technology services, including software (worth $168 million in 2020).

Canada is both a customer and supplier to the state’s large machinery, aerospace and automotive manufacturing sectors. North Carolina is home to many of the top automotive parts suppliers – including Canadian-based ones – and a cluster of multinational industrial manufacturers such as GE (jet engines and components) and Siemens (generators and steam turbines).

Canada, meanwhile, is a key source of various inputs for the state’s manufacturing sectors, including plastics, turbo-propellers, sulfur and textile fabrics.

Canadian-owned companies employed 21,900 people in the state in 2018. Among the major employers are lumber producer Canfor (Graham, NC), paper maker Domtar (Raleigh, Plymouth and Greenville, NC), Gildan Yarns (Eden, Mocksville, Clarkton and Salisbury, NC), Linamar and engineering company Stantec.

Influential free trade supporters

“[USMCA] is going to be a great opportunity for workers in N.C. and across the country, especially our farmers and small businesses.”

Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), January 16, 2020

“Considering Mexico and Canada are our two largest international trading partners, it is imperative for the United States to have free and fair trade with both of them. This agreement achieves exactly that.”

Congressman Greg Murphy (R-NC-3), December 19, 2019

“USMCA is critical to the continued success of the manufacturing industry and the jobs it supports in North Carolina.”

Gary J. Salamido, President and CEO of North Carolina Chamber of Commerce, May 16, 2019

Spotlight on Canadian business

Bringing Canadian engineering expertise to the Tar Heel state

Stantec, an Edmonton-based global engineering company, has four offices in North Carolina that do engineering and planning projects across the U.S. Southeast. From its offices in Charlotte, Raleigh, Winston-Salem and Asheville, Stantec is building and rejuvenating the state’s infrastructure. In addition to traditional engineering work, the company specializes in environmental, storm water management, urban design and traffic management.

Four auto parts plants across North Carolina

Linamar, the Guelph-based auto parts supplier, operates four plants in the Tar Heel state. The newest is a 410,000 sq ft aluminum and magnesium die casting plant, built with joint venture partner Georg Fischer of Switzerland. The $200 million factory, located in Mills River, NC, employs 300 workers and produces various die castings for powertrain, driveline and structural components used by car makers across North America. Linamar joined forces with Blue Ridge Community College to create the Southeastern Advanced Molding Technology Education Centre – a program designed to train workers for the new plant.