By David M. Greenwald
Executive Editor
Davis, CA – Two years after the Vanguard reported that Schilling Robotics was on the move to West Sacramento, it appears that an opportunity at Mori Seiki has allowed the company founded in Davis to stay – as they have signed a lease on a larger facility in Davis.
Pac West Diversified, LP (PWD) today announced that TechnipFMC has signed a lease to accommodate expansion of its Schilling Robotics operations in Davis.
TechnipFMC’s lease is for a 71,000 square-foot building owned by PWD at 3805 Faraday Avenue in Davis that is expected to accommodate primarily mechanical, software and engineering employees. The building was formerly 
occupied by DMG Mori Seiki and was acquired by PWD in 2021. Full occupancy is expected this summer.
“This is a significant economic development win for the community of Davis,” Mayor of Davis Gloria Partida said. “Our engineering talent rivals other regions throughout the nation. We are glad to see this company stay in Davis instead of moving to another community.”
The Greater Sacramento Economic Council worked with the Shillings Robotics team and the City of Davis Economic Development team to expand in the Sacramento region.
“TechnipFMC’s new lease proves our market momentum and validates why companies decide to select the Greater Sacramento region over other locations,” Greater Sacramento Economic Council President & CEO Barry Broome said. “Offering readily available advanced manufacturing real estate space for companies is imperative as we look to continue to grow the economy in Greater Sacramento.”
Pac West Diversified, LP (PWD) is a privately held and locally controlled commercial real estate entity with assets throughout the western U.S. but predominately in Northern California. PWD is affiliated with the Buzz Oates group of companies, an organization with over 75 years of operating history and continued commitment to the Sacramento region.
“This lease demonstrates the strong and ongoing demand in Davis for space to accommodate cutting-edge tech companies, which keeps jobs and tax revenues in the community,” said Dan Ramos, project manager for the Davis Innovation & Sustainability Campus (DiSC) project.
The Vanguard will have more on this developing story.
This is good news. I think there are two factors at play. First with oil prices near all time highs Schilling is now moving forward with expansion plans that have been put off for over five years during the long secular bear market in oil. Second, I’m speculating the traffic between here and West Sac is so bad that they didn’t want to be driving back and forth over the causeway all the time.
A few people have asked how this happened. Last fall or so, DMG Mori put half their space on the market, it got snatched up almost immediately and that created the opportunity for Schilling to stay. I also understand that the space in front of DMG will get built out soon, and unless something changes with the Frontier site, that’s it for Second Street in terms of space.
A happy coincidence no doubt. A space was found when the oil market turned from bust to boom.