Besides medical and health care business, Rochester is equally well known for its technology sector. IBM and Benchmark are located in Rochester and each add to the quality of life and provide numerous jobs. In fact, Rochester has one of the highest concentrations of high tech industries in the nation in comparison to population and land area.
IBM Rochester, located in the northwest corner of the city, was opened in 1958 and currently employs around 4,400 employees. This plant is one of IBM's most efficient and important, earning the Malcom Baldridge National Quality Award in 1990 and being the main site for production of the mid sized AS/400 and RS/6000 family of computers.
Besides producing mainframe servers, the IBM Rochester plant also is key in drive development and recently a part of the new approach IBM is taking with their Global Services division.
Benchmark is another business that makes Rochester a leader in technology. Starting in the early 1990's and originally named Pemstar, the organization is now part of Benchmark, a global leader in the design and manufacturing of electronics. The local operations manufacture printed circuit board assemblies and system integration products.
Other high tech industries calling Rochester home are J.D. Edwards, SPSS, Keane, and many others. Most of the high tech sector is located in the rapidly growing northwest corner of Rochester.
