The Noble Cause of Manufacturing
Once only royalty enjoyed extraordinary conveniences. Today the extraordinary is the ordinary thanks to manufacturing.
BY RONALD BENNETT
Imagine you are king in the 16th century. You live in a cold stone palace with no central air or heat. There’s no running water or indoor plumbing. With no radio, television or newspapers to keep you informed, the world seems small and isolated.
Fast forward to the 21st century. We have comfortable, climate-controlled homes. We turn a faucet and water comes out. The world’s events are literally at our fingertips 24 hours a day. Thanks to technological advances, many of us now live better than the royalty of the past, even on modest incomes. The industry that makes this possible? Manufacturing.
Manufacturing is the life-sustaining force that touches every single thing around you—from the furnace in your home, to your laptop computer, to the pacemaker that may someday save your life. Manufacturers are central in creating a better, more convenient, cleaner and healthier life; but few of us focus on these profound positives, and that’s a mistake.
To reach and recruit the next generation of would be manufacturers, it is imperative that we—the old guard—talk about the benefits of a job in manufacturing, rather than just its features. When reaching out to young people, talk about manufacturing’s role in the stewardship of our planet through recycling and eco-friendly practices. Talk about how it helps people in need through bio-manufacturing and work in the health industry. Play up the myriad products that make people’s lives better and create a safer world.
To talk the talk, of course, we must walk the walk. Jump on the green bandwagon by using lean and sustainable practices to conserve nature’s precious resources. Open your minds—and the doors of your shop—to new technology, energy and water conservation, affordable health care and other modern elements. Not only will you attract the best and brightest of today’s generation, you’ll also be involved in work that is rewarding. And, you may even boost that bottom line.
If you are still skeptical about your role in creating a better world, here’s some food for thought: You may just stamp hinges in your factory, but somewhere down the supply chain, you’re contributing to an energy-efficient freezer. You may just solder circuits, but the pacemaker you helped create saves lives. You get the idea.
What does your manufacturing operation do to benefit mankind? If you can make that clear, you stand a good chance of attracting the talent you’ll need this century to have a sustainable business, maximize Minnesota’s competitiveness and maybe even change the world.
Ronald Bennett is Executive Director at Minnesota Center for Engineering & Manufacturing Excellence
For more information about the Minnesota Center for Engineering & Manufacturing Excellence, visit www.mnceme.org.