I believe manufacturing needs to be promoted in a positive light.

 

Having personally been involved in the manufacturing sector for over 30 years and growing up with a father who spent his entire career in manufacturing, manufacturing is in my blood. It’s something I understand. I believe manufacturing needs to be promoted in a positive light. It’s going through a revolutionary period, transforming processes with digitization, Industry 4.0 and robotics.

 

It’s a global issue, not a trend. Essential to our everyday lives, it’s still seen as an “uncool” industry and profession. I now see myself as an Innovator of Content. How so? Through the Industry Today platform I have created the opportunity to curate content that highlights specific changes in the industry and to share my perspective on the issues at hand. It’s vital that the advantages of manufacturing, with so many exciting opportunities, are communicated to inspire the next generation to enter a profession that leads to rewarding careers.

 

2 interesting facts: Manufacturing is an essential component of gross domestic product. In 2018, it was $2.33 trillion. That drove 11.6 percent of U.S. economic output, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Manufactured goods comprise half of U.S. exports. As the manufacturing skills gap continues to widen, Deloitte finds that 2.4 million jobs will likely go unfilled over the next decade, jeopardizing $454 billion of economic output in 2028, or more than $2.5 trillion over the next decade, according to the new 2018 Skills Gap Study, just released.

 

Five out of ten open positions for skilled workers in the U.S. manufacturing industry remain unoccupied today due to this skills shortage. Of the top reasons these positions go unfilled, the negative perception of the manufacturing industry tops the list, according to 45 percent of respondents.Susan PoetonInnovator of content