From whiskey brewers to manufacturing giants to the excellent healthcare industry, Greater Peoria has always found a way to stay true to what we do best: Makers! Our manufacturing industry, which spurred the growth of the global giant Caterpillar, is still at the core of everything we do. Our region boasts of a cluster of advanced manufacturers that supply essential components to global OEMs such as Caterpillar, Komatsu, and John Deere. Due to the customer base of our manufacturing ecosystem, security is critical in the process of the ecosystem. The Greater Peoria industrial community is a member of the Illinois Defense Network (IDN) and is an integral partner with the State of Illinois and the US Department of Defense (DoD), supported by the DoD sub-agency, Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation in the sustainability of advanced manufacturing and innovative solutions. We are also part of the national American Manufacturing Communities Consortium (AMCC), adding another layer of support and collaboration.
These partnerships and collaborations allow Greater Peoria to promote itself as the powerhouse we are. A variety of regional factors support how we contribute to the defense industry: a highly trained workforce; past contract performance and experience; technology; logistics expertise; a mature supply chain that feeds global OEMs; and an outstanding group of small and diverse businesses.
- The region has over 75 companies that are primary suppliers to the DoD and received $278,900,000 in contracts. The arena of advanced commercial manufacturing, engineering, and data solutions provides excellent past performance, quality products, and services with a skilled workforce that strengthens the DoD resilience.
- Peoria is home to the DoD 182nd Air Lift Wing of the Illinois National Guard, with an economic impact of payroll of $87,700,000 annually for 2,673 personnel (civilian, active and non-active).
The region’s high concentrations of manufacturing establishments and workforce led to Greater Peoria’s selection as a manufacturing hub by the DoD and the IDN. According to the “Securing Defense Critical Supply Chain and Action to Response Executive Order” (February 2022), Illinois and Greater Peoria are strong in four of the six priority areas for manufacturing sustainability and resilience: Foundries, Forging and Stamping, Microelectronics, and Storage Batteries.
DoD Priority Areas in Greater Peoria
The Greater Peoria industrial community Thinks It, Designs It, Makes It, and Ships It to anywhere. We have over 200 manufacturing supply chain companies that are stable, diverse, and have been in business for decades because of our main OEM drivers of Caterpillar, Komatsu, and John Deere. These companies provide the solutions the DoD seeks with innovative products and services. These solutions are autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence, tactical equipment, battery assembly, and cloud contents critical to future best practices of materials, engineering solutions, and advanced equipment.
Company Highlight: Enercon
Since 2009, Enercon is the driving force behind the Missile Defense Agency’s THAAD-PPU (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense – Prime Power Unit) for the ballistic missile defense system. We engineer, fabricate, and test the Prime Power Unit (PPU) which is deployed operationally in areas such as Japan, Israel, Turkey, and the Middle East. The Prime Power Unit provides 1.3 MW of critical primary and backup power and is currently the most advanced Tactical Electrical Power system (TEP) in existence.
Shaun Lott, Vice President of Global Sales – Enercon Engineering, Inc.
Enercon Prime Power Unit