Cheaper, Easier Transport
Ohio’s central location keeps your business within reach of profitable markets and lowers your cost of doing business. But Ohio doesn’t rely on geography alone to drive business relocation and expansion. As a U.S. and international manufacturing leader, we’ve invested heavily in world-class systems for transportation, data and domestic and international export.
As a result, more than 1,000 internationally owned companies from more than 25 countries depend on Ohio’s easy market access and established supply chains, including Honda, Bridgestone, Hitachi, Mitsubishi, Chrysler, Rolls-Royce, Mettler-Toledo and Nestle. Ohio exports now exceed $40 billion a year and continue to grow.
Ohio’s commitment to market access across industries has resulted in four consecutive Governor’s Cup Awards, bestowed by Site Selection magazine. These awards and the state’s continued efforts to improve the strength of its logistics infrastructure demonstrate our success in welcoming new business.
We’re close to huge populations
and capacity.
Geographically, Ohio is within 600 miles of more than half the U.S. and Canadian populations and a day’s drive from more than 70 percent of North America’s manufacturing capacity, so your company gets easy, affordable access to supply chains and customers.
Ohio offers fast, versatile transportation.
Our world-class transportation system includes eight interstate highways, five international airports, and some of the world’s largest public and private airports dedicated solely to cargo shipment. We host the fourth-highest rail freight traffic in the U.S. and 25 ports and terminals on 700 miles of navigable waterways leading to the Gulf of Mexico and the Saint Lawrence Seaway.
We’re an unbeatable
warehousing option.
Ohio is a national leader in key logistics-related categories: It ranks third in the U.S. in manufacturing—leading all Midwest states—and is in the top five for warehousing and storage as well as value of goods shipped by any method and by truck alone.
Our export industry
just keeps growing.
As the only state in the nation to see an increase in exports every year since 1998, Ohio’s exports are the seventh largest in the United States. More than 11,000 Ohio-based companies sell their products internationally, aided by ten Foreign Trade Zones offering duty-free, quota-free secured sites that let them keep overhead costs in check.
Ohio connects you to information.
The state has made substantial public investments in broadband infrastructure, complementing already extensive private development. Many public and private research institutions have next-generation Internet connectivity, and broadband data access is extensively available throughout Ohio’s municipalities for consumer and business access, with municipal wireless expanding quickly.
We help small businesses
sell to a big world.
The Ohio Department of Development’s International Trade Assistance Center Program operates from the state’s six Small Business Development Centers and provides support for businesses new to the export market. The program offers free consulting services and fee-based training and market research.
More Information
Logistics is a $16 billion industry in Ohio.
Ohio companies are able to ship and receive finished goods, semi-finished products or resources without high transportation costs or expensive delays, through an extensive logistics management network. Ohio also has many companies dedicated to supply-chain management, sourcing and procurement, production planning and scheduling, packaging and assembly, customer service and international trade assistance. Logistics industry leaders based here include Exel, Pacer International and ABX Air.
Ohio helps your company transport goods and commodities with an end-to-end logistics management options that provide:
- Fleet and inventory management
- Logistics network design
- Supply/demand planning
- Warehousing
- Strategically placed Foreign Trade Zone sites