San Diego Manufacturing Day kicks off Friday
SAN DIEGO (CNS) – City officials and business leaders will gather at the San Diego Central Library for a panel discussion about San Diego County’s manufacturing industry Friday as local manufacturing companies open their doors to allow the public to tour their facilities.
The San Diego region is home to more than 2,900 manufacturers. Around 8.7 percent of jobs in San Diego County are in manufacturing, but it accounts for nearly 12.2 percent of the region’s wages, according to the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation.
San Diego Manufacturing Day will get underway with a panel breakfast at San Diego Central Library featuring San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, Rep. Susan Davis, Rep. Scott Peters, and representatives from several manufacturing businesses including General Dynamics NASSCO and 3D Robotics.
Around 25 manufacturing businesses in San Diego County and northern Baja California will then offer tours of their operations, including Stone Brewing Company in Escondido, Taylor Guitars in El Cajon and TaylorMade Golf in Carlsbad. A complete list of manufacturers that can be toured is available at MFGday.com.
The San Diego Manufacturing Day events coincide with a national program called MFG DAY, which aims to address misperceptions about the manufacturing industry, according to organizers.
The manufacturing sector plays a key role in San Diego County’s economy and employs more than 94,000 local residents, according to a National University System Institute for Policy Research study released Thursday. Average annual wages in the industry are $75,800.
“Given its contribution of nearly $1 in $10 to the region’s gross domestic product and the dramatic growth of productivity since 2007, it isn’t surprising that the most common professions in this area demand high levels of education,” NUSIPR President Erik Bruvold said. “This isn’t your grandparents manufacturing sector but rather an assortment of industries which place a high premium on skills and sophisticated levels of training.”
The median age of manufacturing workers is 41, and 52 percent of workers in the most common occupations hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, according to the study. The local manufacturing industry is also diverse, with strengths in areas including unmanned aerial vehicles, shipbuilding, craft beer, electronic equipment and food processing.
