Last year’s MFG Day event was a resounding success, with nearly 2,800 events held across the country. In California, which boasts the nation’s largest manufacturing sector, over 250 sites registered as event hosts and more than 330 manufacturers and support organizations—including schools, stakeholders, and other organizations—participated in or sponsored events throughout the month of October.
Deloitte, an MFG Day sponsor since 2015, has been tracking reception toward the event, and the results are very encouraging. Focusing on students who have engaged in MFG Day, the numbers are overwhelmingly positive:
MFG Day also has those in the industry excited for the future. “We need to get kids excited about manufacturing,” says Gary Johnson, Vice President of Ace Clearwater Enterprises, headquartered in Torrance, California. “That's really what National Manufacturing Day is all about, to fertilize their curiosity.”
Max Lizarrago, an Industrial Design and Engineering Professor with Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, California, also likes seeing what’s going on in the industry in order to help his students. “I get all my students jobs,” says Lizarrago. “In order to get them jobs, I need to know what's out there.”
Most MFG Day events are plant tours in which manufacturers open up their doors to an eager audience. However, those located within an industrial park and near other manufacturers may work together to offer a “mini expo” of the manufacturing community. Even if you’re not in the industry, you can still get involved. Many technical colleges hold educational fairs for their students and invite local manufacturers to set up booths or speak about their operations.
Manufacturing Day will be officially observed on Friday, October 4, but manufacturers can celebrate throughout the month based on their schedules. You can view events here, or register your own event. Your participation may consist of a tour of your manufacturing facility, office, innovation center, or other sites; holding a creative activity at a manufacturing or manufacturing-supporting site (e.g., design office, software company, etc.); attending a school event about manufacturing; taking part in a manufacturing-related jobs fair, manufacturing-related career day event, or manufacturing product expo.
Think Manufacturing Day should be more than just a one-day affair? We do too. Check out our story How to Make Manufacturing Day a Year-Round Event.