The Countdown to Manufacturing Day

All over the country, manufacturing companies and other organizations are preparing to host an anticipated 400,000 people who want to experience American manufacturing up close and in person. On October 2, 2015, the fourth annual Manufacturing Day (MFG Day) will simultaneously increase public awareness about what and where manufacturing is, provide some with a pathway toward a new career, and demonstrate manufacturing’s value to the United States’ economy.

Manufacturing Day is a big, national to-do. And it should be. In 2014, manufacturing accounted for 12.3 percent of the Gross Domestic Product, supported 17.4 million jobs and contributed $2.1 trillion to the economy.

Manufacturing Day is also group effort. At its core is a team of co-producers made up of the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), the Fabricators and Manufacturers Association International, the National Association of Manufacturers, the Manufacturing Institute, guest producer Industrial Strength Marketing, media partners Science Channel and EdgeFactor, and movie partner American Made Movie. Together they are leading the charge to organize towns, cities and states to amplify the promise of Manufacturing Day’s mission. The goal is to challenge outdated perceptions and address workforce recruitment concerns by presenting manufacturing in a straight-forward (yet ultimately flattering) light. Manufacturers are prepping, primping, polishing and getting ready to show off what they have to offer. 

One important participant is the Chicago Metal Consortium, one of 24 organizations designated by the Department of Commerce to join the Investing in Manufacturing Community Partnership (IMCP) initiative, led by our colleagues at the Economic Development Administration. The consortium will lead Chicago Public High School students on a tour of the Freedman Seating Company, a family-owned-and-operated specialty manufacturer of seating systems for buses, trains and trucks. The consortium is also hosting students at its training facility where they can see robotic welding, computer numerical control (CNC) turning, and press brake operations in action. Learn more. 

The Iowa Center for Industrial Research and Service (CIRAS), the MEP affiliate in—you guessed it—Iowa, has been quietly organizing a statewide blowout. CIRAS is arranging a series of events that will result in every single one of Iowa’s 99 counties being involved in some kind of MFG Day event. Whether it be a tour, open house or event for manufacturers, the goal is to highlight that manufacturing not only matters but is thriving in every single Iowa county. To accomplish this lofty goal, CIRAS has partnered with Elevate Iowa (a consortium of community colleges), the Iowa Business and Industry Association and the Iowa Area Development Group. See the ever-increasing list of events in Iowa.

The Chicago Metro Metal Consortium is one of just twelve 'Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership' (IMCP) designated by the U.S. Department of Commerce.  With leadership from Cook County's Bureau of Economic Development, it is an unprecedented collaboration of more than 60 partners, including the seven counties of northeastern Illinois and the City of Chicago The Chicago Metro Metal Consortium is one of just twelve 'Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership' (IMCP) designated by the U.S. Department of Commerce.  With leadership from Cook County's Bureau of Economic Development, it is an unprecedented collaboration of more than 60 partners, including the seven counties of northeastern Illinois and the City of Chicago The Chicago Metro Metal Consortium is one of just twelve 'Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership' (IMCP) designated by the U.S. Department of Commerce.  With leadership from Cook County's Bureau of Economic Development, it is an unprecedented collaboration of more than 60 partners, including the seven counties of northeastern Illinois and the City of Chicago

The San Diego Economic Development Corporation continues to champion the MFG Day cause and is again one of the most visible and active counties in Calif. Its events this year will feature tours and open houses at 50 companies. Industry leaders from the following diverse regional companies have agreed to participate on this year's panel: BAE Ship Repair Inc., Hunter Industries, Plantronics and Thermo Fisher Scientific. The celebration will kick off with a breakfast event expected to attract more than 300 attendees.   

The planning is underway, the invitations sent, and MFG Day is coming...but it is a single point in time. It’s already helped educate hundreds of thousands that today’s manufacturing is cutting edge and happens all over the country. We have the data to show that this celebration improves participants’ views of manufacturing and even has helped some find new careers. I’m excited to see it grow each year, but I hope that, in all the hoopla, it won’t be lost that manufacturing is important not just on the first Friday of October, but on the other 364 days of the year as well. Join us on Oct. 2 and you’ll see why manufacturing is worth celebrating.