September 30, 2013 SAN DIEGO BUSINESS JOURNAL Page 5 www.sdbj.com
that assess cell phones and other wireless devices and provide immediate cash rebates.
“At any one time, we may have 30 to
By promoting the manufacturing
sector as a viable career path, industry officials hope to persuade younger
Timmons said.
Last year, the fi rst time the industry conducted the promotional date, some
240 events, mainly tours of plants,
35 projects going on,” Law said.
D&K Engineering, founded in 1999, people to consider this fi eld. Today, many higher-skilled jobs in this sector were held in 37 states with more than
7,000 people participating, the national
■ By MIKE ALLEN has been fast growing in recent years, as go unfi lled because there aren’t enough workers with the right skills, they said.
association said.
The manufacturing still occurring in
San Diego tends to be niche-oriented evidenced by annual sales rate increases greater than 30 percent in the past fi ve
In San Diego, the day will start with a breakfast and panel discussion at San A key reason behind National and fairly complex operations that often entail providing parts to make larger years. The company’s revenue hit $63.7 million last year, up from $37 million
Manufacturing Day — also on Oct.
4 — is to showcase job opportunities,
Diego City College, 1551 C St., featuring speakers from several manufacturers. The products.
in 2011, according to data provided to panel discussion begins at 8:30 a.m.
Jay Timmons , president of the National
Association of Manufacturers , said in a Having the community understand and appreciate the local manufacturing the San Diego Business Journal for its
Fastest Growing Private Companies List.
The day will also include tours of four local plants: D&K in Rancho Bernardo, statement.
scene is the goal behind San Diego
Manufacturing Day, which happens Oct.
D&K Engineering’s work force grew from about 60 in 2006 to about
“This day is an engaging way to attract young people and get them excited
Quality Controlled Manufacturing Inc.
in
Santee, Taylor Guitars in El Cajon and
4 and features public tours of several 235 today; it also opened a plant in Tower Paddle Boards in Miramar.
about pursuing a career in a technologydriven, innovative environment that local manufacturing plants.
“The mission behind the day is to let
Singapore in 2008 that has about 150 employees, Law said.
For information and to register to attend the tours, visit www.mfgday.com.
will also provide a good-paying job,” people know about the importance of manufacturing to the nation’s economy and address some misconceptions many people have about this sector,” said Michele Nash-Hoff retaining domestic manufacturing.
A big misconception about the industry is it’s made up of big factories with folks working on assembly lines,
Nash-Hoff said. Except for the time during World War II when the region was pumping out B-24s, the area really hasn’t had much of that, she said.
Instead, the prevailing model here consists of smaller companies that make components and parts for other manufacturers.
“There are an enormous number of small manufacturing companies in San
Diego,” Nash-Hoff said, adding that those businesses average fewer than 50 workers.
San Diego was home to 2,846 m a nu f a c t u r i n g bu s i n e s s e s t h at employed about 91,600 workers in 2010, according to a recent report from the
U.S. Census Bureau. The most recent state employment department report estimated the manufacturing work force here at 91,500.
It’s a far cry from where the region was in the early 1990s before massive defense cuts closed dozens of large aerospace plants and resulted in thousands of workers being laid off, Nash-Hoff said.
“We lost about 17,000 jobs in 1992 when General Dynamics shut down three of its divisions here,” she said.
As late as 2000, the area still had about
130,000 employees in manufacturing, according to a report last year by several regional economic development organizations.
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While local manufacturing has shrunk in terms of workers, it’s expanded in terms of technology, said Diane Law vice president of marketing for D&K
Engineering , a Rancho Bernardo-based contract manufacturer.
“It’s not what it used to be in your grandfather’s time,” Law said. “It’s very technical, and you need to be skilled when you’re doing this stuff.”
D&K Engineering works on a wide variety of projects that may entail designing, making or studying the feasibility of products, Law said. Some of the higher-profi le clients it has done work for include Hewlett-Packard Co.
Cymer , Delta Design Illumina and
Halliburton . It also works for Outerwall , the Washington state-based company that acquired ecoATM , a local startup that developed automated machines
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