What's in Store for Manufacturing Day, from New Jersey to North Dakota

The first Friday in October is Manufacturing Day, a grassroots celebration of the versatility and possibilities of careers in manufacturing. This year, the official date on the calendar is Oct. 4, but all month long, manufacturers and organizations will open their doors to school groups, families and the general public. Company leaders and line workers alike will show off the latest technology, answer lots of questions, talk about educational and career paths and have some fun activities planned.

The Manufacturing Institute’s website lists more than 600 Manufacturing Day events this year, all over the country. Let’s take a look at a few of them.

Brehmer Manufacturing in Lyons, Nebraska, will host not only area high schoolers on October 4, but other interested local residents, too. Visitors can tour the plant and learn about careers in welding, fabrication, and engineering, among others. They’ll also hear how the maker of fertilizer tenders and hog feeders, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, impacts the local economy and serves a broad market. Bonus: In honor of founder Red Brehmer, pancakes will be served throughout the day.

Southwest North Dakota Manufacturer’s Group will showcase the state’s “Big 5” manufacturing companies with hands on manufacturing activities for high school students at the Biesiot Activities Center on Oct. 2. “Who are the Big 5?” you ask. Why, Fisher Industries, Baker Boy, Steffes, TMI and KMM. Other local manufacturers and universities, colleges and trade schools will also be on hand to show how manufacturing careers can be multifaceted, challenging and rewarding.

DENSO Manufacturing in Athens, Tennessee, will host five local high schools on Oct. 4. Teens will embark on plant tours, learn about DENSO on a global, regional, and local level and interact with a state-of-the-art color sorting machine and DARCY the tic-tac-toe-playing robot.

The Raymond Corp. in Greene, New York, will host 10th, 11th and 12th graders for a robust slate of activities on Oct. 4. Students will tour the plant, talk with employees who work in manufacturing and have a chance to test their eye-hand coordination skills on forklift, welding and paint simulators.

General Carbide Corporation in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, takes a slightly different tack by hosting not students but local K-12 and post-secondary educators on tours of its manufacturing facilities. According to the event description, the intent is “to showcase real-world applications of the STEM concepts students learn in the classroom.”

Aquatherm Industries, Inc. in Lakewood, New Jersey, will be hosting students from Ocean County Vocational Technical School for a plant tour. Aquatherm happens to be the largest U.S. manufacturer of polymer solar thermal collectors, used primarily in swimming pool heating applications.

Maple Landmark in Middlebury, Vermont, will host public factory tours that highlight the intersection of traditional woodworking skills, emerging technologies and lean manufacturing.

At NextFlex in San Jose, California, the U.S. flexible hybrid electronics Innovation Institute, local high school students can talk with technologists, tour the facility and learn more about what the future holds for additive manufacturing, wearables and hybrid electronics.

Worthington Steel in Columbus, Ohio, will host a day of tours of its Columbus Steel facility and education about manufacturing’s impact. An employee panel will talk about their career journeys at Worthington Steel. The day ends at noon with boxed lunches.