The Portland Development Commission honored Shimadzu this spring as a business award winner in its category for foreign direct investment. The company makes and distributes a variety of scientific instruments from its plant in Canby.
In this video, plant manager Joe Shaddix describes why the Japanese parent company placed its American plant in the Portland area: In a word, it's three hours closer to headquarters and it can import and export through the Port of Portland. Shaddix mentions the operation expects sales from the Oregon operation in the $70 million range this year.
The parent company, based in Kyoto, had revenues of more than $3 billion in its last fiscal year and employs more than 10,000 people around the world.