Here are the largest manufacturing companies in the Charlotte area
The five largest manufacturing firms in the Charlotte area employ more than 15,000 local employees in the 16 county Charlotte region. Charlotte Business Journal last published a manufacturing list in 2006. That List included companies such as Springs Global and Phillip Morris that have since closed their local manufacturing operations. Nineteen years later some of the same giants remain at the top of The List, and others are newcomers. The online version of this ranking expands beyond what appears in print; another 100 manufacturers are included in our digital rankings, in addition to the 25 featured in this week's print edition. The 2025 Lists mark a shift in our research methodology and philosophy, one that will emphasize more data and context for readers while better coordinating the resources available to us and our 46 sister publications under the American City Business Journals flag. We anticipate this effort will identify thousands of new local records — and cumulatively, tens of thousands of new businesses across ACBJ's footprint — this year alone. Information on The List was obtained through Charlotte Business Journal research or supplied by individual firms through questionnaires that CBJ could not independently verify. In case of ties, companies are ranked by total employment and then listed alphabetically if ties remain. Additionally, manufacturers that did not respond to employment surveys but were still included on this year's List are sorted by estimated total employment figures derived from CBJ archives; annual filings with the U.S. Department of Labor; and other firm-specific resources. Inclusion on this year's List required each listed but unranked company to have a minimum of 1,000 total employees, using the methodologies described above. For information about this and other Charlotte Business Journal Lists, please contact Research Director Amy Shapiro at ashapiro@bizjournals.com.
The five largest manufacturing firms in the Charlotte area employ more than 15,000 local employees in the 16 county Charlotte region. Charlotte Business Journal last published a manufacturing list in 2006. That List included companies such as Springs Global and Phillip Morris that have since closed their local manufacturing operations. Nineteen years later some of the same giants remain at the top of The List, and others are newcomers. The online version of this ranking expands beyond what appears in print; another 100 manufacturers are included in our digital rankings, in addition to the 25 featured in this week's print edition. The 2025 Lists mark a shift in our research methodology and philosophy, one that will emphasize more data and context for readers while better coordinating the resources available to us and our 46 sister publications under the American City Business Journals flag. We anticipate this effort will identify thousands of new local records — and cumulatively, tens of thousands of new businesses across ACBJ's footprint — this year alone. Information on The List was obtained through Charlotte Business Journal research or supplied by individual firms through questionnaires that CBJ could not independently verify. In case of ties, companies are ranked by total employment and then listed alphabetically if ties remain. Additionally, manufacturers that did not respond to employment surveys but were still included on this year's List are sorted by estimated total employment figures derived from CBJ archives; annual filings with the U.S. Department of Labor; and other firm-specific resources. Inclusion on this year's List required each listed but unranked company to have a minimum of 1,000 total employees, using the methodologies described above. For information about this and other Charlotte Business Journal Lists, please contact Research Director Amy Shapiro at ashapiro@bizjournals.com. 
