Top players from the IT and communications segment have strong presence in Puerto Rico. Take for example Microsoft Corporation, which first established its presence on the island in 1990 and has continued to expand, making Puerto Rico the company's principal manufacturing center for all Office and Vista products intended for the U.S. market. Cisco, Oracle, Hewlett-Packard and numerous other software and hardware makers also have major operations in Puerto Rico.
Likewise, Infotech Aerospace Services (IAS) exemplifies Puerto Rico's growing value in avionics. The company began operations in Puerto Rico in 2003 and expanded into a 60,000-square-feet building in Isabela due to its "successful operations and explosive growth." Honeywell Aerospace, Lockheed Martin, Pratt & Whitney and Hamilton Sunstrand are just a few of the other companies developing and manufacturing avionics here.
Fueling Puerto Rico's growth in this sector:
- International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR) Compliance: As a U.S. jurisdiction, Puerto Rico complies with this regulation that states that defense and military-related technologies may only be accessed by U.S. citizens.
- Highly Educated Workforce: Puerto Rico is home to two of the top 35 largest engineering programs in the nation at the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico and the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez campus. More than 20,000 STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) degrees in science, engineering and technology are awarded each year by colleges on the island.
- Manufacturing Expertise: Although Puerto Rico boasts the lowest labor costs of any region under U.S. jurisdiction, the island's bilingual workforce is well known for its high productivity with significant expertise in process development, automation, quality control/assurance, warehousing and more.
