Editor's note: IndustryWeek recently teamed up with the Subortus Project on an essay contest for teens, run by teens. The theme was "How is manufacturing a part of your life?" We're pleased to announce the three winners and run their outstanding essays. Congratulations to Angelo Douglas, Arth Italiya and Sahkyas Paulino Santos!
When I was five years old, my dad introduced me to How It’s Made, a documentary television series that explored the fascinating world of how items are manufactured. From food and drinks to cars and computers, I gained an understanding of how items that we use in our daily lives are mass-produced.
I saw how manufacturing worked, but I didn’t understand the impact that manufacturing has on my daily life and why it was important. To find out, I read articles on the internet and learned that throughout history, manufacturing has improved quality of life, stimulated the growth of human populations and driven innovation through the efficient mass production of goods. But how is manufacturing a part of my life?
This summer, I am interning at SantopSeal, a leading manufacturer of rubber tubing, seals, gaskets and many other products. Why did I choose to intern in the rubber industry? Rubber products are everywhere. Car tires, door stoppers, shoe soles and many other products around us are all made from rubber. I have always been interested in how rubber is used for an enormous amount of applications, which is why I sought the opportunity to intern at a rubber manufacturing company.
Seeing manufacturing firsthand opened my eyes to the industrial side of America. I became familiar with both the manufacturing process of rubber products and the business flow from beginning to end.
First, a customer inquires about our services, and they tell us what product they need and how much of it in feet they want. Next, we create a quote based on their specific needs. If they accept the quote, the customer then sends us a purchase order, which is the confirmation that they would like to buy our product. We then buy all the necessary equipment and start production of the product that the customer would like. After we finish production of the product, we ship it and send an invoice to the customer. Once the customer pays, the order is finished.
The impact that this experience has had on me is that I have gained insight into how manufacturing companies in the rubber industry work. Additionally, valuable technical skills that I learned about were various manufacturing techniques, machinery and technologies used in rubber production. I saw manufacturing on a small scale, but what does manufacturing look like on a large scale?
Before the Industrial Revolution, steel was expensive because it was produced inefficiently. In 1855, Henry Bessemer introduced a solution to mass-producing cheap steel, which began the modern steel industry. Pittsburgh is known for its part in the production of steel. During the peak of steel production, Pittsburgh was producing more than half of the nation’s steel.
As a resident of Pittsburgh, I can always see the remains of the steel mills before the industry collapsed. Thousands of people were employed by this industry, and Pittsburgh’s economy grew as a result of its success. The factories that produced the steel were the backbone of Pittsburgh’s economy, and the railroads that transported the steel beams served as the economic arteries of Pittsburgh’s steel industry.
Today, manufacturing still plays a significant role in Pittsburgh’s economy, providing jobs and supporting industries such as glassware, food and electronics. Through my experience of interning at SantopSeal and learning about the history of manufacturing in Pittsburgh, I have been inspired to start my own manufacturing business in the future.
Manufacturing has always been a part of my life, but I want to make it a part of my career as well. As a future business leader, my main goals are profitability, growth, innovation, sustainability and social responsibility, all of which will be important in the following years.
I have learned that manufacturing is not only a part of our lives; it makes us who we are. For me, directly seeing manufacturing broadened my perspective and helped me realize that most items around us exist only because of mass production. Additionally, manufacturing reduces the cost of goods, which leads to economic growth. Without manufacturing, there would have been limited technological advancement and progress, the global economy would not have been as strong and our quality of life would not have been as great. But most importantly, we would not have been where we are today without manufacturing.
Main photo: Arth Italiya, 16, lives in Pittsburgh.
