October has a special place in the hearts of Illinois Manufacturers. That’s because in Illinois, October is Manufacturing Month. And while the entire month is dedicated to manufacturing and its impact on the world around us, one day in particular stands out as a sort of open house, when manufacturers throw open their doors and invite people in to see what manufacturing means in the modern world. This year, October 1st is National Manufacturing Day (MFGDay).
This is an original article from NIST Manufacturing Innovation Blog.
While Fridays have always been a reason to celebrate, the first Friday of October is one that is near and dear to the MEP National NetworkTM, as this year, Friday, October 1, is Manufacturing Day (MFG Day)!
Organizing your MFG Day events may have changed quite a bit in the last 18 months. Prioritizing safety, venue capacity constraints, and reduced corporate travel have presented real challenges for organizing manufacturing expos, conferences, factory tours, and other in-person traditional events.
Originally written by Anthony Diaz, Strategic Partnerships Manager in the MEP.
Given the limitations with public gatherings and social distancing practices prompted by the current pandemic, it’s uncertain whether manufacturers will be hosting traditional on-site tours of their facilities on Manufacturing Day (MFG Day) this October. But as we have learned with so many other aspects of our lives, a virtual option awaits.
Facing the reality that the current workforce is dwindling down due to the silver tsunami sweeping the industry, manufacturers have a hard time finding quality replacement. The silver tsunami refers to the large number of baby boomers who are retiring from the workforce. For manufacturers, this is the majority of workers – they are not only losing employees, but also years of acquired knowledge and skills. It is time have to get creative about finding and developing talent while riding the tsunami wave. The problem is the disconnect between the industry and the general public. Unfortunately, the next generation of workers has misconceptions about manufacturing and trade jobs.
This is an original article from the MFG Day blog.
The 7th annual celebration of modern manufacturing is upon us - October 5, 2018! Over 100 event hosts have already registered in Illinois, and are finalizing presentations and preparing to host attendees. All of this activity is taking place behind the scenes, as we get ready for the Manufacturing Day events that will commence on October 5th, 2018, continuing throughout the month of October.
Your Day to Open Doors & Open Minds
A recent study by the Manufacturing Institute and Deloitte revealed that more than 8 out of 10 Americans acknowledge the importance of the manufacturing industry but less than one-third of those surveyed would encourage their children to pursue a manufacturing career due to concerns around job security and stability, weak career paths, and poor pay.
As anyone close to the modern manufacturing industry knows, these concerns couldn’t be further from reality!
