Advanced Materials

Over 200 advanced materials businesses with nearly 7,000 employees operate in Solano, accounting for a Gross Regional Product of $2.23 billion. Products run the gamut, from petroleum to aerospace, to construction and home products. Advanced materials has a high location quotient in Solano. Schools with strong engineering and manufacturing programs support R&D and a well-prepared workforce.

Overview of Advanced Materials in Solano County

Advanced Materials
2016 Avg. Annual Wages 2016 Avg. Annual Empl 2016 # Businesses 2016 Location Quotient* Regional Gross Product (Output)
$148,338 $148,338 210 2.33 $2.23 Billion
* Location quotient (LQ) is a way of quantifying how concentrated a particular industry, cluster, occupation, or demographic group is in a region as compared to the nation. An LQ higher than 1.0 means the region has higher-than-average concentrations of those industry assets.
Source: Quarterly Census of Employment & Wages, Economic Forensics & Analytics, Bureau of Economic Analysis

Advanced Materials Representative Businesses

Manufacturing Businesses in Solano County
Company Product or Service
Dunlop Manufacturing, Inc. Granite Products Manufacturing
M & G DuraVent Pellet Stove Manufacturing
Meyer Cookware Cookware Manufacturing
Petrochem Insulation Insulation Manufacturing
UTC Aerospace Systems Aerospace Components Manufacturing
Valero Refining Company – California Petroleum Refinery

Operating Costs, Advanced Manufacturing

Estimated Operating Costs Comparison of Advanced Manufacturing
Metro Area Employee Payroll Fringe & Mandated Benefits Utilities Building/Lease Payments Property Tax Total
Solano $9,653,288 $2,740,757 $337,296 $454,000 $340,500 $13,525,841
San Jose $11,039,151 $3,115,106 $337,296 $828,000 $360,600 $15,680,153
San Francisco $11,103,583 $3,137,478 $337,296 $1,116,000 $356,400 $16,050,757
Source: Applied Economics, October 2016

Advanced Materials Assets, Resources and Industry Groups

These assets are most directly related to Advanced Manufacturing. The broader directory in Resources, highlights resources the benefit a broader spectrum of businesses, including manufacturers

Organizations

More details in Business & Industry Groups.

California Competes

5-year tax credit that businesses apply for in advance through a competitive application process. Learn more here.

Bay Area Center for International Trade Development

Bay Area CITD assists businesses in expanding globally and manages the one of the largest state-based export promotion efforts in the United States. Learn more here.

California International Business Association

International business directory for international trade opportunities with California. Learn more here.

California Manufacturers & Technology Association

Industry advocacy and information, including research and job boards; Membership-based. Learn more here.

Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz)

Assists small to medium size companies in developing markets abroad for their products and services. California’s Business Portal provides access to information on international trade and investment. GO-Biz also conducts several trade missions each year in support of California Business. Learn more here.

Solano Industry Groups

Contact Solano EDC about events and activities related to advanced manufacturing:

Education and Research

More details in Higher Education.

UC Berkeley Centers and Institutes

UC Berkeley’s engineering program ranks among the top 3 in the world. Over 30 centers and institutes are associated with Berkeley Engineering, including:

  • BID: Berkeley Institute of Design
  • Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation
  • Berkeley Nanosciences and Nanoengineering Institute
  • Berkeley Sensor & Actuator Center
  • CITRIS Invention Lab
  • Marvell Nanofabrication Laboratory
  • Learn more about UC Berkeley Centers and Institutes

UC Davis College of Engineering

Intelligent Manufacturing Systems (IMS) laboratory conducts research in conventional and nonconventional machining. Other research areas: materials research, robotics, and the Center for Nano-Micromanufacturing. Learn more here

Solano Community College

Solano College’s School of Applied Technology and Business prepares students for manufacturing through programs such welding, aeronautics, and alternative fuel technology. Associate degrees and certificates are available in most subjects. Learn more here.

Tax Credits, Financing & Incentives

More details in Incentives.

Recycling Market Development Zone

If your company manufactures with materials diverted from the waste stream, you may be eligible for low-interest loans, special grants and free marketing. Learn more here.

Manufacturing and Research & Development Equipment Exemption

Manufacturers and qualifying research and development firms may qualify for partial exemption of sales and use tax on purchases and leases of manufacturing and R & D equipment. Learn more here.

California Alternative Energy & Advanced Transportation Financing Authority

Manufacturers that promote alternative energy and advanced transportation may be eligible to receive a sales tax exclusion on equipment purchases and qualifying activities. Learn more here.

Research & Development Tax Credit

Business activities undertaken to discover technological information, and relying on "hard sciences" such as physics, chemistry, and biology may be eligible for significant tax credits. Learn more here.

Workforce of Advanced Materials

Here is a selection of wages related to Advanced Manufacturing. See a more comprehensive list in Labor Force.

Selected Wage Comparison by Occupation
OCCUPATIONS Solano Co Alameda Co Napa Co Sacramento Co San Francisco Co
Wages by Percentile 25% 75% 25% 75% 25% 75% 25% 75% 25% 75%
Production Occupations
First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers $24.14 $36.32 $21.72 $43.23 $26.06 $42.98 $20.64 $36.23 $23.72 $48.19
Team Assemblers $11.25 $19.53 $12.24 $25.88 $15.66 $32.92 $11.49 $17.18 $12.95 $20.68
Computer-Controlled Machine Tool Operators, Metal and Plastic $17.15 $25.69 $15.06 $26.99 n/a n/a $15.46 $22.77 $17.94 $26.58
Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic $12.98 $23.66 $12.72 $19.04 n/a n/a $13.09 $17.74 $11.59 $26.38
Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic $11.72 $18.24 $13.38 $19.65 n/a n/a $12.97 $18.75 $11.06 $14.77
Machinists $34.30 $46.22 $18.90 $33.47 $12.14 $28.75 $18.82 $31.74 $16.92 $39.24
Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers $15.75 $27.87 $17.51 $28.73 $20.18 $23.47 $16.43 $29.98 $21.42 $43.77
Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders $12.72 $19.18 $15.98 $32.50 n/a n/a $13.87 $22.03 $14.52 $26.85
All Other Production Operations Occupations $13.05 $26.50 $9.73 $17.20 n/a n/a $10.65 $18.75 $9.91 $23.68
Engineering Occupations
Industrial Engineers $36.58 $59.63 $36.84 $58.83 $35.38 $57.56 $34.62 $55.37 $41.59 $61.73
Mechanical Engineers $34.88 $54.00 $39.84 $59.62 $29.94 $49.81 $35.13 $55.78 $37.17 $63.73
Computer and Mathematical Occupations
Computer Programmers $40.21 $57.22 $32.35 $60.05 n/a n/a $34.56 $44.21 $40.07 $67.57
Source: State of California Employment Development Department, Labor Market Information Division
(www.labormarketinfo.edd.ca.gov/) Employment and Wages Occupations, 1st Quarter 2016 data, July 2016. 1Standard Occupational Code