This profile covers only computer manufacturing. SIC Industry 3571 electronic computers 3572 computer storage devices 3575 computer terminals 3577 computer peripheral equipment 3672 printed circuit boards 3674 semiconductor manufacturing Computers range from the large mainframes, to palm-sized microcomputers. They can stand alone as a separate desktop unit, or be part of a large, interconnected network. Programmable computers also make up the processing portion of other equipment. Storage devices include disk drives, optical storage devices and magnetic storage devices.
Peripheral equipment is that which can be added to the computer.
Printers, scanners, and plotters are all examples of peripherals. The California computer manufacturing industry employs 254,300 people, composing 25 percent of the nation's total. The better known companies tend to be large, and can employ more than a thousand workers. But most manufacturers are the less well-known firms and suppliers employing fewer than 20 workers. Computer manufacturing firms are predominantly in the San Francisco Bay area and Southern California.