KCMA MEMBERS SUPPORT MFG DAY 2018


Earlier this month, the National Association of Manufacturers held its annual Manufacturing Day – a day created to address common misperceptions about manufacturing by giving manufacturers an opportunity to open their doors and show, in a coordinated effort, what manufacturing is — and what it isn’t.  The goal of Manufacturing Day was to address the growing skills gap – many manufacturers today face a skilled labor shortage as many baby boomers begin to retire.

Republic National Industries of Texas

On Monday, October 9 cabinet manufacturer and KCMA member Republic National Industries of Texas held an event for Manufacturing Day featuring four local public schools and one technical college in Marshall, Texas.  The event was attended by 122 students and 12 instructors and began with a discussion about career opportunities in the industry followed by a safety discussion about what to expect and watch for in the plant. Employees from each work area presented key information about their various responsibilities and answered students’ questions. 

The event was a great success and resulted in many students requesting applications for work-study.  The event also resulted in interest from local schools in internships for their respective engineering programs. “It was a lot of work, but we will definitely do it again.  We had requests from one superintendent, a principal and one teacher to please do this again. Some asked if they could bring students sooner than next year,” said Jeff Kroyer, SVP, Operations, Republic Elite.


Photo courtesy of Republic Elite
Stiles Machinery, Inc.

On Friday, October 5th, 2018, Stiles Machinery, Inc. opened its doors to students from three local area high schools in celebration of Manufacturing Day. With a shortage of skilled workers entering into careers in manufacturing, Stiles saw this as an important opportunity to engage with the future generation to dispel the stigma that is often attached to the woodworking industry.

The event, which was hosted at Stiles headquarters and HOMAG Machinery North America in Grand Rapids, MI, was a huge success, with nearly 100 students attending from local high schools including Forest Hills Northern, East Kentwood and Unity Alternative.

“Opening our doors to local students not only exposes Stiles to the next generation of potential manufacturing talent but also exposes the students to a world of opportunities that are made available through a career in our industry,” said Thomas Allott, Manager of Stiles Machinery, Inc.

Read more about the event here.

Photo courtesy of Stiles Machinery.

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KCMA is proud to represent companies that are dedicated to ending the skills shortage in the manufacturing industry.  Click here to read more about Manufacturing Day and click here to learn about how you can get involved in KCMA today.

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