San Diego region celebrates all things #MadeinSD

On October 5, America celebrated Manufacturing Day. This national day of recognition was created in 2012 by the Fabricators and Manufacturers Association to change negative perceptions across the United States regarding the modern manufacturing industry. Through coordinated events, manufacturers connect with consumers, students, job seekers, and media to address growing concerns such as the skilled labor shortage and career opportunities for younger generations.

Here in San Diego, the manufacturing industry employs more than 113,000 people, accounting for 7.7 percent of employment in San Diego. This number is up 3.7 percent from last year, exceeding the national growth of 2.2 percent.* To celebrate this local impact, countywide events were held throughout the first week of October.

The details:

  • October 2: East County EDC hosted its third annual Manufacturing Expo at Allen Airways Flying Museum, where more than 500 people explored 59 manufacturing and resource booths. This was East County EDC’s best turnout yet.
  • October 3: Viasat, Open Source Maker Labs, Hunter Industries, Mira Costa College, and more joined forces at CSU San Marcos to welcome busloads of students and teachers to North County’s manufacturer’s showcase. This event highlighted the manufacturers in North County curating scientific and technological solutions to global challenges.
  • October 3: San Diego City College’s Center for Applied Competitive Technologies (CACT) hosted its Educational and Resource Expo. This downtown event featured a startup panel, job fair, tours, and a manufacturing expo. CACT provides training that help San Diegans get ahead in the manufacturing industry.
  • October 4: San Diego Regional EDC hosted a Manufacturing Day Reception in Liberty Station. Ten manufacturers from around the region showcased their work including Taylor Guitars, Chuao Chocolatiers, and Planck Aerosystems. We also heard from Congressman Scott Peters (52nd District) and Congresswoman Susan Davis (53rd District), who discussed trade opportunities for San Diego’s manufacturing industry. We are proud to host the only MFG Day event in the country that celebrates the opportunities afforded by binational manufacturing. For the past three years, Samsung has underwritten EDC’s MFG Day festivities along with sponsorship support from CMTC. We would also like to thank our other sponsors: Solar Turbines, San Diego County Water Authority, and San Diego City College. EDC also partnered with Junior Achievement to organize tours of manufacturing facilities for high schools from Vista all the way to Santee.

Sponsor shout outs:

Located in Chula Vista, Samsung is a digital leader in TV & audio, computing and appliances. Samsung has maintained the number one position in the global television market for 10 consecutive years. The SAMEX plant is the largest maquiladora in Tijuana, manufacturing approximately one million televisions and monitors every month. With the success of its electronics business, Samsung now ranks as a top 10 global brand.

California Manufacturing Technology Consulting (CMTC), is a private nonprofit corporation. In 2016, The U.S. Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology awarded CMTC a five-year agreement to be California’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership Center. This agreement makes CMTC the lead organization for delivering services to small and medium-sized manufacturers with support of partners throughout the state. CMTC helps enhance operational performance, new product development, market expansion, and technology adoption for manufacturers in both urban and rural centers.

We appreciate the support of our investors and partner organizations that help make events like Manufacturing Day possible. If you are interested in getting involved next year, please contact our Investor Relations Coordinator, Taylor Dunne, at td@sandiegobusiness.org.

Follow along with #MadeinSD all year long.

*Data sources: CA Employment Development Department, August 2018 (SD) and Bureau of Labor Statistics, September 2018 (U.S.)