Over 1,600 Manufacturers Hold Activities in Honor of Manufacturing Day

Each year, the first Friday in October marks Manufacturing Day, a quasi-holiday where manufacturers nationwide open their doors to host open houses, tours, workshops, and other events to educate the public on the current state of American manufacturing. Although the phrase “American manufacturing” may conjure up images of oversized equipment or Rust Belt decay, the industry is, by many accounts, thriving.  In dollar terms, U.S. manufacturing output is at record levels, worth more than $2 trillion, fueled by international demand for goods such as aircraft, electrical equipment, engines, metal products, and chemicals, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. And, for the first time in over a decade, both manufacturing output and employment are growing.

This year, more than 1,600 manufacturers nationwide held activities in honor of the third-annual Manufacturing Day, an event organized by the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), part of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology, along with private sector partners. “Manufacturing Day provides manufacturers with the opportunity to address the skilled labor shortage they face, connect with future generations, take charge of the public image of manufacturing, and ensure the ongoing prosperity of the whole industry,” said Jay Williams, the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development in a blog post. One of the highlights of this year’s Manufacturing Day was his announcement of a nearly $1.9 million EDA grant to Wichita State University in South Kansas to support advanced manufacturing, fueling the creation of 500 jobs and providing competitive advantage to the region’s transportation equipment manufacturing industry.

President Obama spent his Manufacturing Day in Princeton, Indiana, in the southwest corner of the state, speaking to a crowd at Millennium Steel about the important role manufacturing has played in the American recovery. Meanwhile, in Anderson, Indiana, about an hour outside of Indianapolis, plans for a Regional Technology Center in partnership with the Purdue College of Technology and the Flagship Enterprise Center were outlined, featuring classrooms for workforce training, manufacturing space with a 3D printing area, and private work areas for developing companies.  Top officials from the Commerce Department also took part in the Manufacturing Day festivities, speaking at events in Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Florida.

Government agencies also released data highlighting the manufacturing industry in honor of the holiday. The Census Bureau presented descriptions of its wide array of data products on the manufacturing sector of the economy and the 364 industries that comprise it, while the White House released a digital factsheet that details the central role manufacturing plays in the new American economy.

Manufacturing Day not only serves as a reminder of the legacy of American manufacturing, but also as a testament to the important role it still plays in the global economy. If the U.S. manufacturing sector were a country, it would be the 9^th largest in the world, according to the recently released White House factsheet. For the last two years, the United States ranks first in the world in inbound investment, and companies are once again seeing the value in manufacturing here. Although it may never be the sheer global force that it once was, American manufacturing, and the innovation that comes with it, is an essential component of both the national and global economy and is likely to play a critical role in future economic growth.