National Manufacturing Day events are scheduled in St. Joseph on Friday, Oct. 7. The day is set aside to recognize the contributions and advancements that are made possible through manufacturing companies throughout the United States. This year, cities around the nation, including St. Joseph, will host more than 800 events simultaneously to put a new spotlight on careers in the manufacturing sector.
St. Joseph is offering the most Manufacturing Day events in a regional hub for the state of Missouri and is second only to St. Louis in total number of events. More than 300 students will tour various facilities.
As part of the message to students and the community, professionals from Gray Manufacturing, Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc., and Altec Industries are offering personal insights to students considering careers in manufacturing. All three encourage students to take a new look at the variety and in-depth training offered by careers in manufacturing, reminding students that an attitude of learning can open many doors to success.
Kevin Smith, Senior Supervisor at Altec Industries says manufacturing jobs offer employees something different every day, whether it’s running a laser, building a truck from the wheels up or working with robots.
“There are a lot of great jobs out there that don’t require a degree,” Smith said, “but it takes hard work and dedication, not only to your job, but to what you want out of life. This is true no matter where you work. If you are looking for something different every day, manufacturing is your future.”
Mitch Sanders is a Manufacturing Engineer Intern at Gray Manufacturing. Sanders says his produces a wide variety of professional service equipment for the automotive, truck and service vehicle industries. Sanders said students interested in manufacturing work should take advantage of opportunities offered them in high school, such as taking tech classes as an elective.
“In high school, I chose to take a welding class at Hillyard Technical Center as an elective. The training I received there not only covered welding, but skills and processes associated with welding that I would likely run into in a job environment in the industry – such as blueprint reading, metallurgy, non-destructive testing, and many other topics. Today, my job involves designing tooling using 3D modeling software, or working on projects that involve changing our manufacturing processes to increase their efficiency. The beauty of our job is that we are not bound to a desk all day every day.
“As long as you strive to continue learning and expand on your skill set,” Sanders said, “even after you finish the training you receive, you will greatly increase your chance of having a successful career.”
Blake Parker, who works at Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, says a typical workday is made up of tasks including troubleshooting, process improvement and employee development. His advice for students is be patient, position themselves with people from whom they can learn and to embrace change.
“My job is exciting because of the variety of projects and responsibilities,” Parker said. “In any given day, I can spend time working in process improvement, attend meetings, troubleshoot a problem and meet with an employee to talk about development. I encourage students to take a look at all the options manufacturing offers, and to know that many of these positions are not at all ‘dirty,’ but involve a very specific skill set.”
The following manufacturers have scheduled tours or presentation events for Manufacturing Day on Friday, Oct. 7. All events are invitation only:
* Altec Industries – Facility tour and presentation
2106 S Riverside Rd
Saint Joseph, MO 64507
* Gray Manufacturing – Facility tour
3501 S Leonard Rd
Saint Joseph, MO 64503
* Herzog Contracting Corp. – Facility tour and presentation
4801 SE Riverside Terrace
Saint Joseph, MO 64507
* Bluetree Casework – Facility tour and presentation
2201 Messanie St
Saint Joseph, MO 64501
* Van-Am Tool & Engineering, LLC – Facility tour
5025 Easton Road
St. Joseph, Mo. 64507
* Nor-Am Cold Storage – Facility tour
2700 Stockyards Expressway
St. Joseph, Mo. 64501
* Snorkel – Facility tour and presentation
2009 Roseport Road
Elwood, Kan. 66024
(News Release)