COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES

The scale of industrial success in Baytown and Chambers County is monumental, with operations including:

• ExxonMobil Baytown Complex, one of the world’s largest and most technologically advanced petroleum and petrochemical operations (which also includes one of ExxonMobil’s largest global technology centers);

• Covestro polyurethane and polycarbonate raw materials manufacturing facility, the company’s largest in North America;

• Chevron Phillips’ Cedar Bayou plant, the company’s largest facility in North America;

• SAMSON Controls, the German-based manufacturer of parts for process automation, which recently embarked on a major expansion of its Baytown facilities, making the company’s largest U.S. investment to date;

• JSW-USA, which operates the widest steel mill in North America; 

• Sumika Semiconductor Materials Texas is constructing a factory in Baytown that will manufacture ultra-high purity isopropyl alcohol used in advanced logic and memory chip production;

• Tinci Materials has begun construction on their first U.S. based electrolyte plant that will supply the electronic vehicle battery industry;

• John Cockerill Hydrogen's new gigafactory is expected to produce 1GW per year of electrolyzers providing a domestic supply chain, local customer support and green hydrogen production equipment.

This cluster of “biggest and best” has also resulted in a robust concentration of skilled craft, technical and engineering talent. In 2023, manufacturing employment in Baytown-Chambers County exceeded 10,000, with a resulting occupational quotient above 2. 

And while innovation comes more readily through an experienced workforce, products also move with ease thanks to multimodal options like the Port of Houston, plus Foreign Trade Zone advantages and an economic development team ready to help with export services. Altogether, assets like these make Baytown the strategic choice for advanced and value-added manufacturing in heavy equipment, consumer products and construction materials.

Baytown has long been an essential hub in the nation’s energy supply chain as home to operations such as the ExxonMobil Baytown Complex. Situated on 3,400 acres along the Houston Ship Channel, the Complex is one of the world’s largest integrated and most technologically advanced petroleum and petrochemical single-location operations. And now Baytown is powerfully positioned to produce and promote next-generation energy and a sustainable future.
 
In 2022, ExxonMobil Baytown opened one of North America’s largest advanced recycling plants, using proprietary technology to break down plastics for reuse; in 2023 the Baytown Energy Center, which provides steam and electricity to the adjacent Covestro plant and to the Texas grid, was selected by the Department of Energy to cost-share in the construction of a commercial-scale carbon capture and storage project. And as Houston emerges as the nation’s Hydrogen Hub, supported by $7 billion in federal investment, Baytown is already taking a lead role, with the initiation of ExxonMobil’s hydrogen production plant, which will be one of the world’s largest carbon capture and storage projects, producing up to one billion cubic feet per day of “blue hydrogen.” The advent of blue hydrogen promises to usher in a new era of innovation for Baytown industry as well as cleaner, more cost-efficient energy for local operations.
 
These critical activities have drawn a skilled and experienced workforce to the area; Baytown-Chambers County's current petrochemical occupational location quotient of 5.5 allows employers to recruit top teams quickly. To workforce advantages, employers can add transportation options including Port of Houston, the nation’s dominant port for petrochemicals and plastic; plus a robust pipeline infrastructure and a pro-business community eager to embrace the new opportunities.

Workforce, transit, infrastructure and business climate: Baytown puts together all the right condititions for companies seeking a more powerful energy future and sustainable success.

A central Gulf Coast location on I-10 promises shipping ease and speed thanks to logistical options including: A highway network allowing access to heavy haul corridors; intermodal Class I rail connections reaching domestic markets as well as Mexican gateways like Laredo and Eagle Pass; and Port of Houston, one of the nation’s fastest growing ports, ranked the nation’s #3 in loaded container exports. While leading companies like IKEA, Home Depot, Wal-Mart and Floor and Décor Outlets of America have opened distribution and fulfillment centers here, Baytown’s experience in technology and innovation makes it a strategic choice for 3PL logistics centers, which rely on the state-of-the-art technologies and leading edge practices to promote the highest efficiencies.

Transportation enterprise moves rapidly here through workforce, as well as through infrastructure.  An abundance of experienced labor includes the surplus of more than 10,000 resident workers reflected in the area's occupational location quotient well above 2.5.

As home to the premier facilities of some of the world’s largest companies and corporations, including Fortune 500 leaders, Baytown-West Chambers is also home to an abundance of existing administrative talent and expertise, as well as essential amenities such as the Hyatt Regency Baytown, an ideal venue for corporate functions. Located just across from the historic Fred Hartman Bridge, the seven-story Hyatt Regency is an immersive environment offering expansive window views of the Houston Ship Channel, along with thousands of square feet of meeting and event space, ballroom and waterfront terrace. Top corporate talent feels at home every day in Baytown, enjoying the benefits of affordable housing, superb schools and a wealth of appealing outdoor recreation including an innovative new golf course—with all the attractions of Houston nearby.