State
Michigan: the heart of American automotive manufacturing, plus aerospace, defense, and medical device depth.
Ford, GM, Stellantis. Magna. Lear. The deepest automotive Tier 1 and Tier 2 supplier base in the country. Plus Grand Rapids medical device and aerospace clusters.
Michigan is the part of American manufacturing the rest of the country forgets about between auto-industry headlines. The Tier 1 and Tier 2 supplier base around Detroit is the deepest mixed-process labor pool anywhere, with operators who have shipped product through three OEM cycles and know what the next one will look like before the OEM does. Grand Rapids quietly runs the country's best medical-device and office-furniture clusters. Brass & Bench engagements in Michigan are usually about supply-chain repositioning, IATF 16949 readiness, or institutionalizing decades of operator know-how before the senior workforce retires.
Quick answer
Michigan hosts the deepest automotive manufacturing base in the United States, with Ford, GM, and Stellantis headquartered in the state, plus the largest concentration of automotive Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers in North America (Magna, Lear, Adient, BorgWarner, plus thousands of smaller suppliers). The Grand Rapids cluster is one of the largest medical device manufacturing concentrations in the U.S. (Stryker), and the state also hosts aerospace systems suppliers (GE Aviation Systems, Williams International) and a growing defense industrial base. Michigan's regulatory environment is more restrictive than the South for firearms but reasonable for general manufacturing. Brass & Bench engagements in Michigan typically center on automotive supplier consolidation analysis, ICE-to-EV transition operational rebuilds, medical device 21 CFR 820 conformance reviews, and Acquisition Readiness for owners considering a transaction or strategic sale.
By Mike Fox · Founding Partner. Business Development & Operations · Updated May 14, 2026State regulations
State regulations that affect manufacturers in Michigan.
Michigan has a moderate regulatory environment for firearms manufacturers. State preemption applies to most firearms regulation. Michigan enacted firearms reform legislation in 2023 (universal background checks, safe storage, red flag) that affected civilian sales but did not impose manufacturer-level production or design restrictions. Manufacturer operations remain workable, but the political environment has shifted away from firearms-favorable status held in prior decades.
Federal ATF, ITAR, and EAR requirements apply in full. Michigan does not impose state-level firearms manufacturing licensure beyond federal FFL requirements. The Michigan State Police administers the state's pistol licensing system, which is administrative rather than restrictive at the manufacturer level.
Incentives
State incentive programs for manufacturers.
- Michigan Strategic Fund / Strategic Outreach and Attraction Reserve (SOAR). Performance-based cash grants for major manufacturing projects
- Michigan Business Development Program (MBDP). Cash grants and loans for facility expansion and job creation
- Michigan Community Revitalization Program (MCRP). Brownfield redevelopment and historic preservation financing
- Going PRO Talent Fund. State-funded customized training grants for new and incumbent workers
- Research and Development Tax Credits. Through Michigan Strategic Fund discretionary programs
- Industrial Property Tax Abatement (PA 198). Local jurisdictions can offer property tax abatement for new manufacturing equipment
- Foreign Trade Zones. FTZ #43 (Battle Creek), FTZ #70 (Detroit), FTZ #210 (Sault Sainte Marie)
Major manufacturers operating in Michigan.
- Ford Motor Company (Dearborn HQ, multiple plants)
- General Motors (Detroit HQ, multiple plants)
- Stellantis (Auburn Hills, multiple plants)
- Magna International (Troy NA HQ)
- Lear Corporation (Southfield HQ)
- Adient (Plymouth HQ)
- Stryker Corporation (Kalamazoo medical device)
- Pridgeon & Clay (Grand Rapids precision metal)
- GE Aviation Systems (Grand Rapids)
Workforce
The labor reality.
BLS data places Michigan manufacturing employment near six hundred thousand workers, top five nationally. Manufacturing is roughly 14 percent of nonfarm employment, one of the highest concentrations in the country. Michigan's community college and trade school network runs strong programs in machining, welding, automotive systems, and electronics. The state's automotive workforce skews older, and the ICE-to-EV transition is creating both retirement pressure and new-skill demand simultaneously. Michigan remains the deepest skilled-trades labor pool for automotive manufacturing in North America.
OSHA + environmental
OSHA and environmental posture.
Michigan operates a state-plan OSHA program (MIOSHA) that covers all private sector employers. MIOSHA generally mirrors federal OSHA but has state-specific standards including more stringent recordkeeping audits and aggressive enforcement on heat illness, machine guarding, and amputation hazards. State environmental quality administered by EGLE (Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy). Air quality permits required for sources above federal Title V thresholds plus state permit-to-install requirements. PFAS contamination remediation has been a major state focus and affects manufacturers with historical site contamination.
International + FMS
Foreign Military Sales + export logistics.
Michigan-based defense and aerospace manufacturers carry FMS activity through prime contractors with Michigan operations (BAE Land & Armaments Sterling Heights, General Dynamics Land Systems Sterling Heights, both major U.S. Army ground combat vehicle programs). Tier 1 automotive suppliers in Michigan have substantial international commercial sales activity, particularly to Mexico, Canada, and European OEM customers. ITAR-registered freight forwarders and export compliance specialists are concentrated in Detroit and Grand Rapids. The Michigan Economic Development Corporation runs international trade offices providing market-entry support.
How we work in Michigan
Brass & Bench engagements in Michigan.
Michigan engagements typically route through Detroit Metropolitan (DTW) for southeastern Michigan and the Detroit metro automotive cluster, Gerald R. Ford International (GRR) for the Grand Rapids medical device and aerospace cluster, Bishop International (FNT) for Flint-area work, and Cherry Capital (TVC) for northern Michigan. Hotel base in Detroit metro is typically the Marriott Renaissance Center or Auburn Hills properties. The team has direct experience with automotive Tier 1 and Tier 2 supplier operations, medical device manufacturing, and aerospace systems.
The kind of work we do in Michigan falls into four patterns: operational rebuilds for automotive Tier 1 or Tier 2 suppliers running into program cost, platform consolidation, or ICE-to-EV transition pressure; medical device manufacturer operational rigor and 21 CFR 820 conformance reviews; Acquisition Readiness for automotive suppliers considering strategic sale; and Conformance Reality Checks ahead of OEM customer audits, IATF 16949 surveillance, or FDA audits.