Boasting a number of top-tier medical institutions, San Diego is a hub for healthtech manufacturing. The region plays a crucial role in designing and developing a range of life-saving medical devices, such as automated CPR equipment. Furthermore, the region’s connection to the tech industry establishes it as a manufacturing hub for the tech and defense sectors. Firms like General Atomics and Qualcomm diversify the region's manufacturing landscape by producing everything from the most advanced semiconductors to autonomous aircrafts. Below are some of the regions most important manufacturing companies to know.
Top Manufacturing Companies in San Diego
- Qualcomm
- ASML
- Northrop Grumman
- Solar Turbines
- Stryker
Top Manufacturing Companies in San Diego
Industry: Aerospace and Defense
What it does: Northrop Grumman is a major defense contractor known for its sophisticated autonomous systems and other electronic warfare technologies. The company has a large manufacturing and engineering presence in San Diego and contributes to various flagship programs and projects within the company.
Industry: Renewable Energy and Industrial Manufacturing
What it does: Solar Turbines is a subsidiary of Caterpillar that designs and manufactures industrial gas turbines used for electric power generation, gas compression and pumping. The company is headquartered in downtown San Diego and operates a manufacturing facility in nearby Kearny Mesa. According to the company, its Kearny Mesa facility focuses on producing gas turbines and energy storage units.
Industry: Medical Equipment
What it does: Stryker manufactures a variety of medical equipment used for patient transport, surgical procedures and at-home care. Its product lineup includes everything from hospital beds to precision surgical tools and CPR machines. While Stryker operates dedicated manufacturing facilities outside of its headquarters, its San Diego operations contribute to the overall device innovation and development process.
Industry: Biotechnology and Genomics
What it does: Illumina is a leader in DNA sequencing and array-based technologies. While heavily research-focused, the company maintains manufacturing operations in San Diego to produce the specialized instruments and chemical compounds labs use to map genomes, track pathogens and advance personalized medicine.
Industry: Semiconductors and AI Infrastructure
What it does: Qualcomm is a global hardware company best known for designing and manufacturing semiconductors. Headquartered in San Diego, the company produces smartphone semiconductors and AI chips that train large language models. While external foundries manufacture the majority of Qualcomm’s chips, its headquarters serves as a prototyping lab for developing new products.
Industry: Shipbuilding and Defense
What it does: General Dynamics NASSCO is a shipyard that designs and builds large-scale vessels. Located on the San Diego Bay since 1960, the company specializes in constructing auxiliary and support ships for the U.S. Navy, as well as commercial oil tankers and dry cargo carriers.
Industry: Medical Devices
What it does: ResMed manufactures cloud-connected medical devices and digital health technologies to treat sleep apnea and other chronic respiratory diseases. Its San Diego-based production focuses on high-precision ventilators and CPAP masks that improve patient outcomes worldwide.
Industry: Renewable Energy
What it does: Flux Power designs and manufactures advanced lithium-ion battery packs for industrial and commercial sectors. Operating out of its facility in Vista, the company focuses on electrifying machinery such as forklifts, airport ground support equipment and pallet jacks.
Industry: Aerospace and Defense
What it does: General Atomics is a defense contractor that specializes in manufacturing pilotless aircraft systems along with energy solutions such as nuclear fuel cycle technologies. The company frequently partners with the U.S. government and plays a vital role in modern reconnaissance and energy research. General Atomics operates multiple facilities in the San Diego area specializing in nuclear fusion and aeronautical manufacturing.
Industry: Semiconductor Equipment
What it does: ASML is a critical player in the global supply chain industry. The Dutch-based company manufactures the lithography machines that print circuitry onto silicon wafers. Its San Diego location serves as a research and manufacturing hub for novel lithography systems that utilize deep ultraviolet (DUV) and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light sources.
