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 1^st 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 Network^TM, 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.

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.