Today is MFG DAY!

In 2012 when Manufacturing Day began, the movement put forth the ambitious goal of improving the public’s perception of manufacturing with the goal of inspiring more people to pursue manufacturing careers. MFG DAY sought to correct the idea that manufacturing involved repetitive, unskilled tasks that happened in dark, dirty factories — a ridiculous idea to anyone who has actually worked in manufacturing — and show people what manufacturing really looks like.

The thought behind MFG DAY was therefore: Bring the public to real manufacturing environments and let them see for themselves. What better way to overcome any lingering negative stereotypes than to expose them for the misrepresentations that they are?

Sixty-four percent of surveyed MFG DAY 2016 student event attendees — up from 62 percent in 2015 — said that they “were more motivated to pursue a career in manufacturing.” Based on the 267,000 student attendance figure, that’s potentially 171,000 new members of a next-generation manufacturing workforce.

Congrats, all! 10/1/2018