More than 200,000 votes were cast over four rounds of public voting to determine this year’s “Coolest Thing Made in California.” The Top Four products included Siemen’s Amtrak Airo Trainset, made in Sacramento; Phillips 66’s Sustainable Aviation Fuel, made in Rodeo; and Saildrone’s Voyager, made in Alameda.

Held during Manufacturing Month in October, the contest celebrates California’s world-class manufacturing sector and its vital role in driving innovation and economic growth across the state. 

A global leader in aerospace and defense 

California is home to one-third of the nation’s space technology companies and employs more aerospace engineers and defense personnel than any other state. Global security and aerospace leader Lockheed Martin supports thousands of highly-skilled jobs across multiple facilities dedicated to advanced research, design, manufacturing, and flight testing – including its renowned Skunk Works site in Palmdale, where the X-59 is being developed. 

For more than a decade, Lockheed Martin Skunk Works and NASA have collaborated to solve one of the most persistent challenges of supersonic flight – the sonic boom. Skunk Works is leading the design, build, and flight testing of the X-59 quiet supersonic technology aircraft, which will be used to collect community responses to its low-noise sonic “thump”. The findings will provide NASA with the critical data required to help approve new rules that will allow quiet commercial supersonic flight over land. This milestone could unlock a new global market for aircraft manufacturers and enable passengers to travel anywhere in the world in half the time it takes today. 

California’s manufacturing strength 

As underscored in the California Jobs First Blueprint, California’s manufacturing sector spans several industry verticals, including aerospace & defense, clean tech, high-tech, life sciences, and working lands & water. Home to more than 45,000 manufacturing establishments employing over 1.24 million Californians, the Golden State drives more innovation than anywhere else in the country. 

California also continues to supply the world with a diverse array of manufactured goods — from high-tech devices and aerospace components to pharmaceuticals, semiconductors and industrial chemicals. In 2024, the state exported $155.2 billion worth of manufactured goods, underscoring its role as a global leader in trade.