On October 7, 2016, manufacturers across the country opened their doors and hosted events in honor of Manufacturing Day.  Manufacturing Day is a celebration of modern manufacturing meant to inspire the next generation of manufacturers. The day is an opportunity for manufacturers to offer open houses, tours, and demonstrations and to make announcements of new technologies or manufacturing goals. Over 2600 events were held across the country, and brought together manufacturers, teachers, students, government officials, and citizens to celebrate manufacturing and learn about the future of the manufacturing sector.

At the Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO), every day is an opportunity to recognize manufacturing, but the week surrounding the official Manufacturing Day was filled with exciting events specifically focused on celebrating achievements and getting the next generation excited about manufacturing and technology. AMO’s Manufacturing Day celebrations included:

• AMO held an exhibit at the Department of Energy headquarters that showcased a cross-section of a wind turbine blade and 3D printed mold. It’s part of a joint partnership with the Wind Program to develop innovative new manufacturing methods for wind power components. The exhibit showed tangible evidence of cross-cutting research that applies advanced manufacturing technologies to the production of clean energy.
• AMO Director Mark Johnson traveled to Detroit, Michigan for a series of events with local students. He visited the Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow (LIFT) facility, Henry Ford Museum, and the Flash Bainite manufacturing facility. Throughout the day he talked to students interested in learning more about science, technology, and manufacturing. The hands-on demonstrations, tours, and panels were designed to educate students about manufacturing, get them excited about innovation and give them the opportunity to learn about manufacturing careers.
• AMO Deputy Director Rob Ivester and AMO Senior Advisor Anant Agarwal visited X-FAB, a silicon wafer manufacturer based in Lubbock, Texas. X-FAB partners with the Department of Energy and PowerAmerica, a Manufacturing USA innovation institute supported by AMO, to develop new power conversion technologies. They joined X-FAB in announcing the delivery of new equipment that will help convert the Lubbock facility into the world’s first foundry for silicon carbide (SiC) 6-inch wafers which will drive the efficient and effective use of power in technology.
• Representatives from AMO’s Better Buildings, Better Plants program toured the Volvo New River Valley plant, which is a Better Plants Challenge Partner. They joined a group of 250 students from Blacksburg High School for an up close look at how Volvo incorporates energy efficiency and environmental stewardship into their manufacturing operations. The New River Valley plant is certified to Superior Energy Performance (SEP), which includes conformance to the ISO 50001 Energy Management Standard.
• Students at the North Carolina State University and Syracuse University Industrial Assessment Centers (IAC), conducted an energy assessments. These assessments were some of the first of the 2016-2017 school year and provided students with hands-on experience in energy management in manufacturing. The valuable skills they learn through the IAC program will prepare them to enter the workforce as leaders in energy efficiency.

Innovation in manufacturing gives us a competitive edge in the global clean energy race and events like Manufacturing Day help to get students excited about pursuing careers in science and technology that will be required to continue to drive that innovation.

In a recent blog, AMO Director Mark Johnson explained why Manufacturing Day is important and why we need to make sure the next generation is excited about manufacturing innovation.

To learn more about other companies and organizations who participated in Manufacturing Day, you can visit the Manufacturing Day website or look for the #MFGDay16 hashtag on social media.

The White House also released a fact sheet detailing the resurgence of the American manufacturing sector.