Archive for category: MFG Day

More MFG Day 2016 Events

MFG Day 2016 itself may have passed, but there are still monthly celebrations of the American manufacturing industry going on. Our customer, the Hardinge Group in Elmira NY, held an open house on October 12th.

^“We opened our doors today to participants of Manufacturing Day,” a representative said about the event on their Facebook page. “They got a sneak peek of our experience in Engineering, Automation, Robotics, and of course, our four heavy hitters – Turning, Milling, Grinding, and Workholding.”

The importance of MFG Day is to not only celebrate this industry but to pull the younger generation in to keep American manufacturing going. “We’ll be keeping an eye on these young stewards of the Manufacturing World,” Hardinge says.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, manufacturing was the industry with the highest employment in New York, where Hardinge is located, up until 1993. Manufacturing was also the dominating field providing the highest American employment rates from 1990 until the early 2000s. As of 2013, manufacturing was the provider of the most jobs only for seven States.

The Manufacturing Institute has said that 3.5 Million manufacturing job vacancies will need filling over the next decade due to previous workers retiring and a jobs surplus created due to business growth, but sadly, 2 Million jobs are expected to sit unfilled because of a serious skilled labor gap. With a lack of resources for school children these days who are interested in STEM careers (science, technology, engineering & math), it is crucial that current members of the manufacturing industry step in to fix this problem.

There are also current solutions happening right now to fill these jobs, such as the efforts of Workshops for Warriors to get military veterans into these jobs. There are also unconventional methods, such as Wisconsin’s Workshop for the Blind, or the Prison Industry Enhancement Certification Program to “place inmates in a realistic work environment…and enable them to acquire marketable skills to increase their potential for successful rehabilitation and meaningful employment upon release.”

It is definitely appreciated when companies like Hardinge open their doors for the future generation to learn more about this industry. We have also seen similar efforts from our customers at Amarillo Gear Company. We hope that these efforts will help to occupy that skills gap and keep manufacturing in America.

Read more of our MFG Day 2016 posts. Otherwise, tell us what you think via social media, or call (877) 611-5825 to share what is happening with your shop floor!

 

Happy MFG Day!

To celebrate this day, we share some insight below from a few of our customers and experts from this field. 

To review some quick facts as to why this industry matters to America:

1) Workers in a manufacturing-related job can make about $15,000 more per year than most other job fields.

2) For every dollar spent on this industry, the economy gains an 81 cent profit.

3) Organizations like Workshops for Warriors (WFW) are able to thrive while helping those who served our country get training and jobs in the manufacturing field. PTSD and other factors can make it difficult for veterans to return to the workforce, and WFW gives them a great venue to explore a new career.

“The pay is good, and for me, I get a lot of satisfaction knowing that I can turn a piece of raw material into a finished product,” says Ben Molinar, who is a Shop Operations Manager for GMI Group. “Also, knowing that the parts that I am making will go to a customer somewhere to be used in their operations is a pretty awesome feeling.”

“Something different every day, something exciting every day,” James Baker of Amarillo Gear says, of working as a machinist in the manufacturing field. “It was a blessing to be part of it, and it’s been 20 years into programming and 30 in the machinist field.”

“For me, it’s something I feel I’ll always do,” the CNC supervisor told us during this interview. “It would take a lot for me to want to leave this field.”

James encourages kids who enjoy working with math to pursue a job in manufacturing. “The machine shop is where you actually use math, trigonometry, algebra– it’s in the machine shop. I can program, understand and axis machines, and live tool equipment.”

Ben told us in his interview that there are other benefits to consider in this line of work. “I can go anywhere in the world and work. Because of my experience and background in machining, I have been able to work all around the globe.”

As a huge “PS” to this piece – we also have a 10% off promo for our entire store all this weekend as a “thank you” to shop floors everywhere (use the code “mfgday”).  Share with Shop Floor Automations what you are doing for MFG Day by using the hashtag #MFGDay16 on Twitter and including @SFA_inc in the conversation.

Shop Floor Automations, an official endorser of MFG Day, has been a leader in solutions towards manufacturing shop floor OEE and Continuous Improvement since 1998. Call us today for your shop floor needs at (877) 611-5825.

The manufacturing industry is a big boost to our economy.

The Manufacturing Institute reports that 47 percent of exports from the United States come from our manufacturing sector alone, which is a big deal.

The NTMA (National Tooling and Machining Association) states that for every dollar invested into American manufacturing, $1.81 is gained by the economy. It may seem small, but it’s still a profit – if a Million dollars were put into the manufacturing sector just this week, it would make back that Million, plus turn a profit of $810,000! You can see more facts about why this industry matters to our country by reading our the infographic in this post.

Shop Floor Automations cares a great deal about the manufacturing sector, as well. Our goal is to help our customers, who work on the shop floors and produce these goods, communicate better with their machines and get the most use out of them. We work with machinists, engineers, programmers – we speak to many different people in the manufacturing industry on a daily basis.

One such customer that we have helped is Ben Molinar, who is a Shop Operations Manager. Here is some of his story below:

What inspired you to get into manufacturing? “My reasons for getting into manufacturing are pretty simple. The pay is good, and for me, I get a lot of satisfaction knowing that I can turn a piece of raw material into a finished product. Also, knowing that the parts that I am making will go to a customer somewhere to be used in their operations is a pretty awesome feeling.”

It seems like you are very inspired by manufacturing! “Manufacturing is happening every day, all over the world. The technology is always changing, so there is always something to learn and ways to improve.”

If you could say anything else about manufacturing to try and convince the future generation about why it’s a great job field, what would you say? “I can go anywhere in the world and work. Because of my experience and background in machining, I have been able to work all around the globe.”

Ben Molinar is a Shop Operations Manager at GMI Group, formerly Gulf Manufacturing, which has locations in Texas and Louisiana.

Have a great story to tell about why you got into manufacturing or are you doing something special for MFG Day? Contact us on social media, or call (877) 611-5825 to talk about what is happening on your shop floor.