Manufacturing Base
Wichita metro area is highly industrialized and home to roughly 730 manufacturing firms. Manufacturing accounts for approximately 18.3% of employment – over double the national percentage (9.0%.) According to Industry Week magazine (April 2001), Wichita ranks #1 in manufacturing among metro areas with populations under one million, and 13th overall among the top manufacturing cities in the United States.

Competitive Advantages
Products which flow from Wichita manufacturers may generally be characterized as high-tech and high value-added. Those products include transportation equipment (primarily aircraft), industrial-commercial machinery, computer equipment, fabricated metal products, instrumentation and controls, photographic equipment, plastic and composite products (an offshoot of aviation industry research & development), chemicals, petroleum refining equipment and electronic equipment.

National Center for Aviation Training is a $50 million (230,000 square foot) world-class aviation and advanced general manufacturing training center being developed on the grounds of Jabara Airport in northeast Wichita. NCAT development is overseen by Sedgwick County Technical Education & Training Authority (SCTETA) in order to assure a steady supply of qualified workers for the regional aerospace and advanced manufacturing industries. NCAT facilities will allow realistic hands-on training on the latest manufacturing equipment. NCAT will have capacity to provide technical training for at least 1,500 students in both day and night classes. Groundbreaking occurred in March 2008, and classes at the site are slated to begin in August 2010. All NCAT programs will be active by January 2011. Between NCAT's aviation building and advanced manufacturing building, an entire business jet could be made from design to finish. NCAT will be the centerpiece and headquarters of Wichita Area Technical College.

Mid-America Manufacturing Technology Center offers local manufacturers high quality, low-cost, state-of-the-art engineering assistance. Operating since 1991, MAMTC is a not-for-profit organization that helps manufacturers increase sales, productivity and quality while reducing costs. MAMTC provides hands-on consulting services to small and medium-sized manufacturers to help them become more competitive. The focus is on day-to-day production and business issues. MAMTC helps manufacturers implement quality improvement programs, troubleshoot equipment and product problems, locate hard-to-find vendors, economically reduce pollutants and implement cost accounting systems. Other services include technical seminars, product testing, company assessments, industry networks and equipment/software demonstrations. About 80 experienced Field Engineers provide technical assistance. Together, they have capabilities in hundreds of manufacturing, engineering, operations, management and marketing areas.

Sedgwick County Foreign Trade Zone benefits import/export manufacturing, assembly and distribution operations. The FTZ is a general-purpose zone where foreign and domestic goods are not within U.S. Customs territory. Users are thereby exempt from paying duty or federal excise tax while goods remain in the zone or are exported. If final product is imported into the U.S., import tax or duty is due only at the time of transfer.

Wichita Technology Corporation fosters creation and growth of technology-based businesses. WTC seed capital fund provides early stage financing for new technologies with promising commercial potential.