Circle this date on your calendar: Friday, October 5th.

10/5/12 is “Manufacturing Day,” and it is NOT just a ceremonial designation.

A large group of manufacturers and associations around the country have banded together to ‘rally the manufacturing community.’

Their two key goals:
-demonstrate to the public manufacturing’s critical importance to a strong and thriving economy, and
-to show off the many rewarding, lucrative and often overlooked career opportunities manufacturing has to offer.

You can read all about Manufacturing Day by clicking here.

And click here to find out what's happening and who's participating closer to home

A Mix of Optimism and Pessimism

A new survey of over 900 manufacturers and distributors is showing the conflicting rrealities of the current business climate.

The Optimism: 83% are feeling positive about their own business and the direction they’re headed. (However, only 39% feel they are ‘thriving.’).

The Pessimism: growing doubts about the economy, both domestic and global, and potential business tax increases.

But the real upside is that these ‘realities’ are pushing more companies to be leaner and more efficient.

You can read a complete article on the report (from fabricator.com) here.

*survey conducted by Chicago-based assurance, tax and consulting firm, McGladrey LLP.

Like Something from Outer Space

Every so often we present an off-beat story related to our industry. This one just might beat them all!

A Sacramento-based welder and sheet metal fabricator built it just to walk around at Burning Man in Black Rock Playa. (Burning Man is another story altogether!) It’s not from some movie set, and wasn’t built to be in one, either (tho it might just start getting offers).

His ‘mutant beast’ walking pod was built entirely of surplus materials, using his welding skills and CNC plasma table. It’s an example of what good metal forming skills (and a sky-high imagination) can create!

Click here to read all about it!

....and, just in case you’re curious, and just have to know more, here’s what “Burning Man” is all about. (This is in no way an endorsement) http://www.burningman.com/

My Name is Jenny and I’m a Welder

Staggering numbers: currently, the national average age of a welder is 54 and in two years, 250,000 positions will be opening.

We’ve passed along some interesting welding-related articles, but here’s a first-person account of an art teacher who becomes a welder giving detail of both the challenges and attractions to this vital trade.

Check out “My Name is Jenny, and I’m a Welder” from the Manitowoc Herald Times.

…and here’s an update….right now, an estimated 8,900 industrial projects in North America are looking for welders. Read “Welders: Manufacturing’s hottest commodity.”

Tweeted by Vicki Bell @fabcomlady

Motivated Workers Wanted

The leader of the state’s manufacturing association recently told a gathering in La Crosse that the secondary education system does not steer students toward manufacturing careers.

“We need to be more vocal. We’re more of a behind the scenes industry,” says LaMoine Dohms, plant manager at Wissota Tool in Chippewa Falls. This means reaching out to parents, and middle and high school students to get them to consider going to technical colleges to learn manufacturing skills.

In Northwest Wisconsin, Chippewa Valley Technical College is trying to turn that perception around through the Gold Collar Career program to attract a new generation of trained workers to manufacturing.

Read more about it in “Workers in Demand for Manufacturing Jobs” from The Chippewa Herald.

WMEP Announces Election of New Board Members, Board Leadership

Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership (WMEP) today announced the election of two new members to its board of directors, and the election of current members to board leadership positions.

"The WMEP is happy to welcome Joseph Weitzer, PhD, Waukesha County Technical College, and Ross Winklbauer, United Steelworkers, to our board of directors. They bring perspectives and experiences that will help the WMEP in its mission to support Wisconsin's small and medium manufacturers and elevate Wisconsin's manufacturing environment to be the best in the world," said Buckley Brinkman, CEO of the WMEP. 

Read the full article here

June Data Points

From MSCI’s Forward Magazine, here’s an updated look at some of the nation's economic indicators. Click here for the full chart.