Manufacturing A to Z
Television shows and movies may be Southern California’s most famous products, but the region churns out massive amounts of extruded, fabricated, formed, poured, sewn, smelted and stamped goods every day. ¶ Some are futuristic, such as the “bionic eye” crafted by Second Sight Medical Products Inc. Others are basic, including the cardboard boxes turned out by Empire Container Corp. and the wooden or steel ones by ABC Caskets. ¶ Despite competition from China and other countries that often can produce goods more cheaply, local companies are fighting back using technology, proximity or unique service. In fact, Southern California remains the nation’s top manufacturing center. Here is a sampling of the region’s manufacturing might:
A - Automobile wheels
Wheels have been produced locally since cars first rolled, and the automobile customization craze traces its roots to post-World War II Southern California. Pimping one’s ride has become so common that what once was reality television fodder now seems like cinema verite. One of those pursuing the art is D’Vinci Wheels of South Gate, which produces the oversized wheels and glittering rims beloved by the hip-hop and rap crowds. Costing $15,000 or more for a set of four, that’s some serious car bling.
B - Boxes
Cardboard containers are big here, partly because of the region’s key position in the international trade stream, which means there are lots of goods that need boxing. Among the area’s packaging producers, Empire Container Corp. of Carson has been at it longer than most -- more than half a century. Its 50-plus employees crank out hundreds of thousands of boxes and other cardboard packaging a year.C - Coffins
There’s been a big die-off among small casket makers in recent years because of consolidation by big national brands and the increasing popularity of metal caskets, which require special equipment to manufacture. But ABC Caskets still makes a decent living at the business. The company, owned by Joey and Isabelle Conzevoy, has survived by selling customized models directly to the public from an East Los Angeles factory and showroom.
D - Denim
Does anyone call them “jeans” anymore? Tons of denim -- from the high to the low end -- are sewn locally by True Religion Apparel Inc., 7 for All Mankind, Citizens of Humanity, Monarch Collection and others. Such outfits are bucking the garment industry’s never-ending search for cheaper foreign production. They have to because styles change so quickly among the truly trendy that the wait for overseas shipments can be too long.
E - Electric guitars
The distinctive instruments created by RKS Guitars of Oxnard show up not just on stages around the world but also in the pages of design publications. Cheap imports and big names such as Fender and Gibson dominate the market for electric guitars. “It’s a challenge, but we’re still making them,” said Ravi K. Sawhney, a prominent product designer who launched the guitar business as an offshoot with two partners, rocker Dave Mason and software entrepreneur Dale Jensen.
F - Floor coverings
At the City of Commerce factory of Rodeo Carpet Mills, wool and silk are turned into expensive carpets for homes, offices, hotels, boats and jets. The company’s 30 employees have filled custom orders to cushion the feet of high rollers in Las Vegas and highflying celebrity pilots. “We’re like Burger King: We make it to order,” quipped owner Carmen Saenz Murray.
G - Guard booths
The buildings put together by B.I.G. Enterprises Inc. of South El Monte range from simple kiosks to elaborate structures with bomb-resistant armor, bulletproof glass and machine-gun ports. The company’s designs have been known to survive storms that swept away lesser efforts. An unstable world feeds the company’s growth strategy.
H - Hot dogs
“Have a Hoffy” is a slogan familiar to generations, and Square-H Brands Inc. pops out about 250,000 of the franks each week at its Vernon facility. In addition, the company manufactures ready-to-eat processed meats and ready-to-cook marinated items such as sausages, bacon, ham, cured meats and luncheon meats. Square-H’s latest offering is a beef hot dog with only 45 calories and two grams of fat.
I - Integrated circuits
A combination of the aerospace industry’s legacy, research activity at local universities and general entrepreneurial fervor have helped create a wealth of companies that make integrated circuits and other technological necessities. Among them are Jazz Semiconductor Inc., a chip foundry in Newport Beach, and Netlist Inc. of Irvine, which builds memory chips. But the environment is tough. “California as a whole hasn’t attracted new semiconductor manufacturers,” said John Greenagel, spokesman for the Semiconductor Industry Assn.
J - Jewelry
Competition from low-cost producers in China has tarnished prospects for companies that mass produce jewelry in the U.S. But hundreds of small shops that do custom and specialty work continue to ply their trade in downtown Los Angeles, said Peklar Pilavjian, part owner of St. Vincent Jewelry Center. “They’ll always be around” because of the individual service they offer, he said. Other clusters can be found in Glendale, Burbank and the San Fernando Valley.
K - Kibble
Although Vernon-based Kal Kan Foods Inc., a division of Mars Inc., casts an Irish-wolfhound-size shadow in the pet food industry, there is room for some other local companies, including Natural Balance Pet Foods of Pacoima and the City of Industry’s Nutro Products Inc. (which agreed in May to be acquired by Mars). Then there are All American Pet Co. of Encino, which specializes in breakfast food for dogs; Grandma Lucy’s of Irvine, which makes freeze-dried dog treats; and Honest Kitchen of San Diego, which focuses on dehydrated raw dog food.
L - Lights
In 2004, Litepanels Inc. of North Hollywood began producing panels of tiny LED lights, which are portable and provide soft, balanced lighting that is particularly useful in low-light situations. The next year, the product won an Emmy for “Outstanding Achievement in Engineering Development.” The company sells thousands of units a year to the film and video business, Chief Executive Rudy Pohlert said, illuminating famous faces including Katie Couric, Bruce Willis and Kiefer Sutherland.
M - Mannequins
Patina-V’s nearly 65,000-square-foot manufacturing plant in the City of Industry might be a good place to shoot a science-fiction movie. The factory is crammed full of human replicas lacking bad hair days. Some of the mannequins are highly stylized and others are more realistic, in a no-body-fat kind of way. Patina-V bills itself as one of the world’s largest manufacturers of mannequins. It also produces other store display items.
N - Novena candles
Bright Glow Candle Co. in Pomona turns out 80,000 prayer candles a day featuring labels that show a variety of Roman Catholic saints and other religious figures. The items are carried in Latino markets and large supermarket and drugstore chains. The company also does special orders and has launched a line of decorative, scented candles.
O - Optical equipment
Somewhere in Southern California, a blind man has thrown away his cane because of an invention by USC’s Doheny Eye Institute in conjunction with Sylmar-based Second Sight Medical Products Inc. The man and five other people were each fitted with an artificial retina -- nicknamed the “bionic eye” -- that combines a tiny camera mounted on eyeglasses with a hair-thick electronic strip implanted at the back of the eye, said Brian Mech, a partner in Second Sight, which employs 80 people to produce the retinal prosthesis. P - Plates
Small pottery companies and even smaller studios are sprinkled around the Southland. One of the most unusual is Bauer Pottery Co. of Los Angeles. The historic company, out of business for decades, was resurrected eight years ago by entrepreneur Janek Boniecki, who was an avid collector of the vividly colored pieces. The Glendale company produces updated versions of the once-popular Bauer line at its factory in San Bernardino County.
Q - Queen-size mattresses
At Vivetique Sleep Systems in Arcadia, workers build and stitch mattresses by hand. The company rejects the polyurethane foam that is common in mattresses, instead using natural fabrics and stuffings in its products, which include pillows, comforters and other sleep products. The company went natural to stand out in a highly competitive mattress industry dominated by much larger companies.
R - Ramen
In the world of ramen, Japanese manufacturers Maruchan and Nissin are the big noodles. But Union Foods Newcorp. of Irvine has been stirring things up. In 2005, a team of investors bought the money-losing operation from Korean owners. Since then, the company has been helped by ramen’s increasing popularity in the U.S. and by new products.
S - Soap
Soap was once a big business in Southern California, but most of those companies went down the drain or sold their brands to others. Shugar Soapworks Inc., a private-label bar soap maker, hit a slippery patch two years ago when its best customer switched to a lower-cost Chinese manufacturer. Cost cutting and mechanical innovation helped keep the South Los Angeles factory open. And last year, Shugar added a house brand of floral-scented soaps.
T- Transmission cables
Using high-tech composites like those found in high-end bicycle frames and tennis rackets, Composite Technology Corp. of Irvine is producing electricity transmission cables that may help prevent blackouts. The cables, fashioned from fibers of carbon and glass sheathed in aluminum, don’t stretch and sag the way conventional wires do. Wires that droop onto trees and other objects commonly trigger electrical outages, such as the one that swept Northeast states in 2003. Such high-tech cables also carry electricity more efficiently. U - Umbrellas
Southern California’s many pools and patios have provided a growing market for the patio umbrellas and bases made by Patio Outlet of Orange. The company’s factory also turns out cast iron aluminum furniture for hotels, restaurants and high-end homes.
V - Vitamins
In the vitamin and food supplement industry, lots of small and mid-size companies vie for a piece of consumers’ daily health rituals. Most are unfamiliar names, including NHK Laboratories of Santa Fe Springs, which employs 95 people at its two plants. But because NHK makes dietary supplements on a contract basis, another company’s name appears on the package.
W - Weights
Iron Grip Barbell Co. of Santa Ana has built a business out of a simple idea: Put grips in a round weightlifting plate so sweaty hands don’t drop it. The company’s weights have been widely copied, despite litigation. But that hasn’t tripped up Iron Grip, which has become established in the fitness industry.
X - X-ray apparatus
Ray-Bar Engineering Corp. is a custom maker of X-ray equipment and for more than 60 years has been a leading designer and manufacturer of radiation protection materials. The Azusa company says it has “perhaps the largest inventory of shielding materials in the U.S.”
Y - Yogurt
Pinkberry launched the latest bonanza in frozen yogurt -- the tart kind -- and imitators have multiplied like active cultures in a petri dish (though authorities won’t let Pinkberry call itself “yogurt” because the dessert is mixed in stores, not at a manufacturing plant as required by state regulations). There’s Red Mango and Berri Good and a bunch of others. These fro-yo skirmishes must seem quaint to General Mills Inc. subsidiary Yoplait, which has churned out countless cups from its longtime facility in Carson.
Z - Zamboni
In nearly 60 years of operation, Frank J. Zamboni & Co. has built more than 8,500 of its iconic Zamboni ice-resurfacing machines at factories in Paramount and Canada. Each machine is custom built and costs $10,000 to $150,000. Zamboni jokes are free.
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