Two companies that manufacture parts for aerospace and military firms plan to establish operations in Cedar Park, bringing an anticipated total investment of more than $40 million and 240 jobs. Cedar Park City Council approved incentive agreements with Machine Sciences Corporation and Elite Metal Finishing Sept. 10.
About the companies
Machine Sciences Corporation is an Oregon-based company with existing operations in Florida that specializes in manufacturing “complex, high-precision components for space, aerospace and defense industries,” according to a news release. That includes parts for satellites, unmanned aerial vehicles and advanced defense systems, the release states.
Elite Metal Finishing provides services like chemical processing and plating, painting, non-destructive testing and parts marking for commercial, military and aerospace companies, according to the company’s website. Elite Metal Finishing has existing facilities in California and Florida.
The framework
Cedar Park City Council members approved an agreement under which the city will pay $1 million in incentive payments to Machine Sciences, provided the company meets certain milestones that include occupying a Cedar Park facility by the end of 2027, employing 70 full-time employees, and making a capital investment of almost $32 million by the end of 2034.
Under a separate agreement approved by council members at the same meeting, the city will pay about $750,000 to Elite Metal Finishing. In return, the company has agreed to occupy a Cedar Park facility by the end of 2027, employ at least 170 full-time employees and make a total capital investment of at least $10 million by the end of 2034.
Both companies will lease space at the Cedar Tech I development near the northern border of Cedar Park.
What they’re saying
“Our City Council has strong ties to the military, with members who are veterans, military family members, or both,” Mayor Jim Penniman-Morin said in a news release. “That connection brings a meaningful appreciation for the precision, reliability and expertise required throughout the defense supply chain.”
Efforts by city economic development staff to bring the two companies to Cedar Park are part of a broader effort to expand the aerospace and defense industries in the city, city leaders said.
“We are moving beyond recruiting individual companies and intentionally building the supply chain around them,” Chief Economic Development Officer Arthur Jackson said. “Bringing mission-critical finishing, coating, treatment and testing capabilities closer to our advanced manufacturers strengthens the companies already here and makes Cedar Park more competitive for the next manufacturer, integrator or defense contractor.”
City officials have made recent economic development agreements with a number of aerospace and defense companies, including a deal with Firefly to expand the company’s headquarters that was approved by council members in October 2025.
