After decades of Silicon Valley companies
From Tesla's new cleantech battery Gigafactory in Nevada to Apple's plans for building some i-gadgets in Arizona, there's plenty of hype right now about a "re-shoring" of U.S. manufacturing after decades of Silicon Valley companies defaulting to cheaper overseas producers.
Though California's high costs and notorious red tape have created barriers for landing large-scale manufacturing projects, one Bay Area locale has managed to land several major high-tech manufacturing operations following economic turmoil in recent years: Fremont.
Electric car manufacturer Tesla Motors Inc. is by far Fremont's most famous tenant, but the city is also known for Toyota's New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. (NUMMI) plant, which was shuttered in 2009 and partially purchased by Tesla. That plant is possibly only eclipsed in notoriety by now-defunct solar provider Solyndra.
During the current Silicon Valley tech boom, Fremont has embarked on an aggressive business incentive and rebranding campaign, doling out an estimated $500 million worth of incentives for new and existing large-scale manufacturing facilities, according to a new city report. Some of the city's perks for manufacturers include no utility user tax, business license tax exemptions and an emphasis on quick permitting.