The manufacturing base in Grays Harbor County is dominated by lumber and wood processing plants. In 1996, the lumber industry accounted for half of all manufacturing employment in the county. Today 10 of the top 15 industrial companies in the county are wood-product related and sustained-yield forestry, reforestation, lumber, plywood, and paper remain the county's industrial base. Other significant industries include food processing and boat building.


WOOD PRODUCTS: Grays Harbor County first and second tier manufactures are centered on wood products.

• Weyerhaeuser Company is the county's largest wood products employer. Their companies and divisions include log sorting, dimensional lumber, and forest management. The company employs over 500 workers and contracts with companies that employ 100’s more.
• Simpson Door Company is a world class manufacturer of custom and standard wood doors. Their door plant in McCleary employs approximately 400, producing high quality doors.
• Grays Harbor Paper is a locally owned, specialty copy paper manufacturer with 225 employees at their Hoquiam facility.
• Hoquiam Plywood Company is a long-standing plywood manufacturer with 120 employees.
• Sierra Pacific Industries has built a new state-of-the-art sawmill just east of Aberdeen. The plant employs 210 workers.
• Mary's River Lumber is a dimensional lumber company with 115 employees.
• Tubafor Mill employs 110 people to turn hemlock and cedar into wood fencing for the home, garden and landscape industry.
• Over 80 other small to medium size companies that provide or process materials for the wood products industry.
• Murphy Veneer purchased Weyerhaeuser Veneer in 2006 and added production capacity employing 90 people.

FOOD PROCESSING: Grays Harbor County companies are committed to adding value to the products that are harvested in the county.

• Seafood is processed, frozen or canned for market by Ocean Gold, Washington Crab Producers, Quinault Pride Seafood Products and Westport Seafood Exchange. Together these companies employ over 1000 workers. Additionally, Ocean Protein began operations in 2005 producing fishmeal, fish oil and bone for a worldwide market.
• Sixty-five employees at Ocean Spray Cranberries process the county's large cranberry harvest, a producer of jelly, cranberry sauce and newly added Craisons production line.
• In addition, 30 employees of Pacific Coca-Cola and 35 employees of Harbor Pacific Bottling Company bottle soft drinks.
• A host of commercial fishermen and other small processors provide valuable services to the area.

SHIP BUILDING: Shipbuilding has been a tradition in Grays Harbor County since the early 1900's when tall-masted schooners were built along the banks of the county's rivers to ship lumber throughout the world. Today, Grays Harbor is a top producer of fiberglass hulled yachts and small craft.

• Westport Shipyard is a specialty manufacturer of 112, 130 foot, and 50 meter luxury yachts. The company currently employs over 800 workers (600 in Grays Harbor) and is expanding its manufacturing facilities.
• Two other manufacturers, Little Hoquiam Shipyard and Livingston Boats, also produce fiberglass craft.

OTHER MANUFACTURING: There are a number of other manufacturers in the county. For example:

• In 2007 Imperium Renewables constructed the largest Biodiesel Processing Plant on the west coast in Grays Harbor.
• Invenergy is completing a 650 Megawatt combined cycle gas turbine steam plant at the Satsop development site. It is due to go online approximately May 2008.
• Rohm and Haas employs 70 people in manufacturing sodium borohydride and potassium borohydride.
• Oval Strapping employs more than 40 workers manufacturing automated machines for strapping shipping boxes.
• Vaughan Company employs over 70 employees producing chopper pumps used in manufacturing and waste processes.
• A cluster of local metal machine shops exist that separately or in cooperation produce custom parts and repair industrial equipment.