Islip FTZ Authority

The Value of Increased Exports Through FTZs

According to the U.S. Foreign-Trade Zones Board's Annual Report to Congress, the value of exports from U.S. foreign trade zones (FTZs) increased by more than 15 percent last year. This increase brought FTZ exports to a record high of $79.5 billion in 2013, a solid improvement over 2012's $69.9 billion.

 

It should be noted that these export figures do not include indirect exports involving FTZ merchandise that undergoes further processing at non-FTZ sites within the United States prior to export. Should these numbers have been included, the FTZ experts at our Long Island warehouse space believe the export value would have increased even more significantly.

During the last year, there were 177 active FTZs. These zones had a total of 289 manufacturing/production operations within their borders. These numbers alone are evidence that the FTZ program has become an important part of the U.S. economy and our national goals of boosting exports.

These zones create well-paying and sustainable private-sector jobs for Americans. Roughly 390,000 people were employed by the 3,050 companies that used FTZs during 2013. This number increased by roughly 20,000 employees from 2012.

When you add the steadily increasing export revenue from FTZs to this data, it becomes clear that FTZs are an absolutely vital piece of America's economic success. From 2009 to 2013, exports from FTZs nearly tripled, going from $28.2 billion to the latest report's $79.5 billion. Thanks to the improving economy, exports are expected to blow past that mile marker when data from 2014 is compiled.

FTZs encourage and attract foreign investment and foster international commerce. The value of received merchandise by FTZs saw an increase of 14 percent in 2013. Of this merchandise, more than $571 billion was received by production operations and more than $264 billion was received by warehouse/distribution operations. These foreign-origin products were primarily used in the oil refining, automotive, electronics, pharmaceutical and machinery/equipment industries.

Using a foreign trade zone can be a great benefit to your organization if you engage in international commerce. At Foreign Trade Zone #52, we have more than 435,000 square feet of developed warehouse and office space available for purchase or lease on 52 acres of land with direct access to Long Island MacArthur Airport. We also have additional acreage available for development as needed. All of this space offers you the benefits of operating out of an FTZ with the convenience of being right beside New York's harbors, airports and bustling commerce arena.