California manufacturing generates more than $394 billion annually and employs more than 1.3 million people with over 30,000 firms. Our manufacturers are the most significant contributor to the United States manufacturing industry, making up 11% of the manufacturing jobs in the nation and accounting for 14.5% of the national manufacturing GDP.

​California can strengthen its leadership in innovation and manufacturing by investing in a manufacturing tax credit.

AB 52 (Grayson) transforms the current incentive landscape, making manufacturing investment in California far more competitive and bringing us in line with 38 other states that already cover the taxes on qualified manufacturing purchases.

Let’s end the trend of “Invent Here, Build There.”

​WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: From building a sustainable lithium production campus to constructing California’s first steel mill in over 50 years, the state is investing $120 million in innovative businesses and creating thousands of new jobs.

SACRAMENTO – As part of the California Jobs First initiative, Governor Gavin Newsom today announced that the state has awarded $120 million in tax credits to eight innovative companies. It will generate more than 2,100 full-time jobs with an average annual salary of over $100,000 and bring in an estimated $15.5 billion in private investment over the next five years.

WHAT GOVERNOR NEWSOM SAID: “California’s economy is the fifth largest in the world and we’re supporting workers and businesses as they reach success. This funding will help businesses create good-paying jobs — from steel manufacturing in Kern County to sustainable lithium production in Imperial Valley — and support the state’s economic dominance for years to come.”

The funding, from the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development’s (GO-Biz) California Competes program, is going to companies expanding their operations in California and supporting the type of cutting-edge industries that are the hallmark of the Golden State.

“California Competes continues to be a critical program within the California Jobs First portfolio that attracts and retains businesses, who in turn create family-supporting jobs and economic opportunity for workers across our state,” said Dee Dee Myers, Senior Advisor to Governor Newsom and Director of GO-Biz. “We’re excited to build on the success of this program, investing in companies that are building the industries of today and tomorrow.”

Deloitte Chief Futurist Mike Bechtel provides perspective on the current excitement around generative AI within the context of Tech Trends’ macro technology forces.


Last year, our team of futurists and researchers decided to use generative artificial intelligence (AI) to create the cover and chapter art in Tech Trends 2023. The result was nothing short of spectacular. Yet our exacting design standards required significant human collaboration and intervention in the generation process. On the heels of that successful experiment and the subsequent launch of ChatGPT and ensuing generative AI mania, we decided to explore the use of AI-generated text to help write the introduction of this year’s Tech Trends. As with last year’s artwork, substantial human intervention was required, supporting our point that in the era of artificially intelligent machines, humans are more important than ever.​

​Based on a survey of purchasing managers, the California Composite Index, measuring overall manufacturing activity in the state, increased from 53.7 in the fourth quarter of 2023 to 55.0 in the first quarter of 2024, indicating that the manufacturing sector is expected to grow at a higher rate in the first quarter of 2024.

“Purchasing managers are upbeat about 2024. They see supply chain improvement, moderating raw materials price increases, and positive impact from expected lower interest rates. At the same time, they are concerned about this election year, see shortages of some raw materials, and fret over California’s minimum wage increases,” said Dr. Raymond Sfeir, director of the purchasing managers’ survey. 

​Production and new orders are expected to grow at a higher rate in the first quarter, while commodity prices are expected to rise at practically the same rate as at the end of 2023. The inventory of purchased materials is expected to decrease. The non-durable goods industries are expected to underperform the other manufacturing industries, while the durable goods industries other than high-tech will recuperate from the zero growth in the fourth quarter of 2023.

Independent sponsors, who typically raise money for each deal rather than investing out of a fund, say they are finding plenty of opportunities and taking on larger deals, even with a broader market slowdown.
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“Our market here is pretty much on fire,” Russ Spieler, co-founder and managing partner of investment and advisory firm Enceladus Partners, said at a webinar hosted by Expert Webcast.

Los Angeles Business Journal

​California leads the nation in terms of manufacturing jobs and gross domestic product, according to a study released this month by California Manufacturing Technology Consulting.

Commissioned by the Torrance trade industry group, the study was conducted by Beacon Economics, an independent research and consulting firm located on Fairfax Avenue near the Farmers Market in Los Angeles.

While the study points to high housing and other costs as a serious problem in attracting and retaining workers, it also shines a light on remarkable productivity gains that the state’s manufacturing sector has achieved.

The state’s manufacturing output has exceeded the national rate by 83% since the late 1990s.

California’s share of manufacturing jobs in the United States has ticked up slightly since 2000, currently standing at 11%. That is the highest percentage of manufacturing jobs in the country.The report also found that 25% of state manufacturing jobs are in four subsectors – electronic instruments, semiconductors and electrical components, computer and peripheral equipment and aerospace manufacturing.
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FORBES: 
Dave Evans. Co-Founder of Fictiv. Stanford MechE. Ford Alum.

​It’s an understatement to say our world has faced (and continues to face) significant challenges recently, and I’ve been thinking a lot about those challenges and what they may mean for the future of the manufacturing industry. Here are my three key predictions about supply chain disruptions, outsourced manufacturing, and digital manufacturing in 2023: 

1. Agile Supply Chains FTW: Firstly, supply chain disruptions aren’t going anywhere.

2. Outsourcing On the Rise: Secondly, more companies will turn to outsourced manufacturing.

3. The Future of Manufacturing is Digital: 2023 will be a digital manufacturing tipping point.

Don’t Just Get Ready, Stay Ready
​This year my motto is: Don’t just get ready, stay ready. If you haven’t started planning for next year, now’s the time — then you’ll be ready to tackle 12 months of come-what-may. 

​S manufacturing may be poised for an overhaul and a rebound, with a potentially significant impact on the nation’s overall economy. In the United States, manufacturing accounts for $2.3 trillion in GDP, employs 12 million people, and supports hundreds of local economies. Although that represents just 11 percent of US GDP and 8 percent of direct employment, the sector makes a disproportionate economic contribution, including 20 percent of the nation’s capital investment, 35 percent of productivity growth, 60 percent of exports, and 70 percent of business R&D spending

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Despite California’s famously high cost of living, the state remains the largest contributor to the U.S. manufacturing industry in terms of both employment and output. A comprehensive new analysis examines the manufacturing industry in California and reveals some surprising findings that contradict the popular perception that the industry and its workers have been priced out of the state.

​The report, produced by Beacon Economics LLC and commissioned by California Manufacturing Technology Consulting (CMTC), found that the state’s manufacturing output has exceeded the national rate by 83% since the late 1990s. And contrary to widespread belief, California’s share of manufacturing jobs in the United States has ticked up slightly since 2000, currently standing at 11%.