October 7 is Manufacturing Day, an annual celebration of the North American manufacturing industry and the accomplishments of the people who work within it.
We partner with thousands of manufacturers to help them reach their business goals, and we spoke with a few of them to find out why a career in manufacturing is cause for celebration:
Alan Jesiolowski is a moldmaker at The Rodon Group, a high volume, custom plastic injection molder. He’s worked at The Rodon Group for 24 years and has been in the industry for 35 years.
Matthew LaBar is the owner of Scalar Manufacturing, a circuit board manufacturing engineering firm and a manufacturer's representative to electronic manufacturers. He has worked in the industry for eight years.
Carl J. Stelly is the Business Development Manager at Precision Cutting Specialties, a manufacturer of precision parts. Carl has worked in manufacturing for more than 36 years.
Here’s what they had to say about the field, the trends shaping the industry, and the advice they would give to young and aspiring manufacturing professionals.
Why do you love working in manufacturing?
Alan Jesiolowski – The Rodon Group
“When I work in manufacturing, I have the ability to take my skill and my knowledge and put it together. A lot of times, when you have the skill and the knowledge, you don’t always have the ability to do this. Through the company I work for, The Rodon Group, I get to work with incredible machinery, tooling and people … and I’m able to make things that I just couldn’t make anywhere else.”
Matthew LaBar – Scalar Manufacturing
“I think that manufacturing creates a top-to-bottom [inclusive] industry. You don't have to be super educated to break into the industry, but if you do have an advanced education, you can make a huge impact on the field. In my field of manufacturing, printed circuit boards, we have a role for a Ph.D in Chemical Engineering, and we have a role for someone who never really pursued a clear career path, but is willing to work hard and learn about new processes. I don't think any other industry really offers that top-to-bottom opportunity.”
Carl Stelly – Precision Cutting Specialties
“It’s a dynamic industry to work in. You experience the process of product realization. We support inventors/engineers in creating prototypes and assisting through the production process. We also assist customers designing parts for manufacturability, which creates a cost effective solution to utilize current manufacturing equipment and methods. Every product that we use in our daily lives is touched in some form or fashion by machine tool technology, it is very rewarding and exciting to be part of product realization that improves the lives of our employees and community.”
How has the manufacturing industry changed over the years?
Alan Jesiolowski – The Rodon Group
“I remember at one time (the work) was labor intensive. It was a lot of manual machines. That has changed significantly over the years. Going from what there was 35 years ago when you had to punch in everything and you had to be a computer genius in a way of programming these machines, now the new software is so user-friendly that you can do a lot more. But that doesn’t mean we’re not highly skilled even though you can do things more easily. You still need years of experience to be very efficient.”
Carl Stelly – Precision Cutting Specialties
“Thirty years ago, technology was a digital read out on a machine ... Today it is more intuitive and visual for the next generation. Machine tools today are designed to capture the ‘gaming experience’ so prevalent to our younger workforce. I see this as a major step forward to engage and encourage the next generation to embrace technology and create the next Industrial Revolution.”
What advice would you give to someone interested in working in the industry?
Alan Jesiolowski – The Rodon Group
“Manufacturing has a lot of opportunity. What you have to do is find a company that’s willing to invest in their people and in their machinery. I am fortunate to work at a company that does that. They invest in bright people who can grow with the company.”
Matthew LaBar – Scalar Manufacturing
“I would say expose yourself to as much as you can, because there is so much to manufacturing. Big companies operate their way, small companies operate a different way, and then there's tons of variation between similar companies. See what it’s like in the big and small companies and across different products."
At THOMASNET.com, we are proud supporters of North American manufacturing and are committed to helping the industry grow by connecting buyers with suppliers through our supplier discovery platform.
Happy Manufacturing Day from the THOMASNET.com team!
Did you find this useful?
