Manufacturing Day is October 6: “Turn Up the Experience!”

I was recently reminded that October is just around the corner—and that means that Manufacturing Day, which is always the first Friday in October, is almost here. What will you do to help promote moldmaking as a career?

To help whet your appetite for getting something going at your facilities, MMT readers, the co-producers of Manufacturing Day 2017 have announced a new nationwide drawing to award free tour headset rental packages to three manufacturers who have registered to host facility tours on October 6, 2017. The TURN UP THE EXPERIENCE! drawing, sponsored by TourGuide Solutions, a Manufacturing Day event partner, highlights the value wireless tour audio systems add to manufacturing facility tours. Participants should click here to register their Manufacturing Day event and be entered for a chance to win free tour headset rental packages. Winners will be selected on September 18, 2017. There is no cost to enter the drawing.

We all know that hosting a tour through a moldmaking facility can be fraught with a lot of background noises. It can’t be avoided when customer deadlines are looming, right? Wrong! Using headsets as part of your guided tour will ensure your guests hear every valuable piece of information you share while your shop keeps working. So why not register for the drawing? A side benefit is that your event will be listed on the Manufacturing Day website’s calendar. You can also access the website page (here) for great resources that will help you plan, promote and even post-promote your event.

In the meantime, I found these fun (and motivating) statistics that were collected from a survey conducted by Deloitte about Manufacturing Day 2016:

Of participating students, 88 percent said the activities and tours were interesting and engaging; 80 percent felt they were more aware of manufacturing jobs in their communities; 84 percent were more convinced that manufacturing provides careers that are interesting and rewarding; and 64 percent were more motivated to pursue a career in manufacturing.
Of the companies that hosted Manufacturing Day events, 89 percent said they found value in participating in Manufacturing Day and 86 percent said they were likely to host another such event.
Of the educators who participated last year, 90 percent said they activities and tours were interesting and engaging and that they were more convinced that manufacturing careers can be interesting and rewarding. Additionally, 88 percent said they were more aware of manufacturing jobs in their respective communities.

Even if your company cannot host an event on October 6, it can join many other companies that will host events throughout the month of October. The important thing is to reach out and become a conduit of information between our industry and your local schools. Invite the students and all those who directly influence their career choices: educators and parents. Have fun with it!