Manufacturing and distribution continues to be a healthy, growing industry in San Diego. In fact, manufacturing accounts for about one-fourth of the region's economy and about 12 percent of the total private sector employment. There are more than 9,500 manufacturers in the county. Though manufacturing is San Diego's largest single contributor to the gross regional product, 85 percent of all manufacturers are small businesses and each employs less than 50 people. Electronics and electrical machinery remain the largest manufacturing products in San Diego. Today, San Diego's manufacturing industry reflects the specialization of the high-tech and biotech industries as more companies move into the manufacturing of components of a larger product or into sub-unit assembly. Enmeshed in the international globalization o~ manufacturing processes, nearly 40 percent of the county's manufacturing companies use foreign made components in their production, and 55 percent export to other countries. International trade accounts for more than one-third of San Diego's manufacturing dollars. |
