ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Nearly 700 companies are currently registered to host events for Manufacturing Day this year, including RB Tool & Mfg. Co. in Ohio, Mastercam CNC Software Inc. in Connecticut, and SNX Technologies Inc. in Minnesota.

These AWFS member companies are opening their doors to students, teachers, and the general public to help showcase manufacturing and to introduce people to industry sectors and career opportunities.

Companies are being encouraged to get involved in Manufacturing Day. They can host an “open house”; offer tours of the facility; deliver a presentation about the company or industry segment; invite vendors to “exhibit,” or any combination of these activities.

In 2016, more than 2,800 Manufacturing Day events took place nationwide, representing all sectors of the manufacturing industry from food preparation to aerospace to machining, cabinetmaking, and furniture manufacturing. Nearly 600,000 participants attended events nationwide, including over 267,000 students.

According to the Manufacturing Day website, 64 percent of event attendees are now “more motivated to pursue careers in manufacturing” as a result of their exposure at Manufacturing Day events.

In 2016, AWFS co-hosted an event at Architectural Woodworking Company (AWC) a high-end commercial millwork shop in Los Angeles. Saúl Martín, AWC’s VP of manufacturing, organized the event, which included guided tours of the 60,000 square foot facility, a Power Point presentation about careers in wood products manufacturing, and a mini “expo” with several of AWC’s vendors and AWFS member companies, including Kemp Hardware, Hafele, Colonial Saw, Salice, Royal Plywood, OneSource Distributors, Sherwin Williams, among others.

Over 150 area local students, teachers, and school administrators attended the event and networked with the vendors and other industry professionals.

“This was a tangible, visible way that we could showcase our company and our role in manufacturing”, said Martín, “We were excited to connect directly with students and teachers to show them that viable opportunities exist in architectural woodworking and wood products manufacturing.”

Since the 2016 event, Martín has helped launch the Society of Wood Manufacturers (SWM), a Southern California-focused AWFS chapter which supports local school programs and connects schools with industry partners. “I look forward to working with other Southern California companies by sharing my experience and, with SWM, help them host their own successful MFG Day event this year.”

Here is a small sampling of wood products manufacturing-related events taking place across the country on Friday, October 6:

Armstrong Flooring (West Plains, Missouri)
Artone LLC (Jamestown, New York)
C.F. Martin & Co. (Nazareth, Pennsylvania)
Hansen & Company Woodworks (Saint Joseph, Minnesota)
Kellex (Valdese, North Carolina)
Maple Landmark Woodcraft (Middlebury, Vermont)
Mastercam/CNC Software Inc. (Tolland, Connecticut)
RB Tool & Mfg Co. (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Reborn Cabinets Inc. (Anaheim, California)
SNX Technologies, Inc. (Sauk Rapids, Minnesota)
Woodside Industries (Cavalier, North Dakota)
 
For more information, or to register your company to host an event or find and attend an event, go to MfgDay.com. Host listings show the company name and logo, event description and a map pinpointing the event location. In addition to resources for hosts, the site includes a searchable database of events to attend.

Manufacturing Day addresses common misperceptions about manufacturing by giving manufacturers an opportunity to open their doors and show, in a coordinated effort, what modern manufacturing is – and what it isn’t.

Created by founding partner Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, International (FMA) in 2012, Manufacturing Day has enjoyed support from many organizations that have played a vital role in growing this national celebration of all things manufacturing.  Manufacturing Day is now produced annually by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) with key contributions and support from the Manufacturing Institute.

Manufacturing Day sponsors provide resources to support manufacturers who are participating in the program. The event is a grassroots effort by U.S. manufacturers to improve public perception of manufacturing in America by coordinating awareness-raising activities at a variety of locations across the country on October 6, 2017.

Events can be listed for free on http://MFGDay.com and when companies register to host an event, they gain access to numerous event planning resources such as a host toolkit, plant tour guide, social media playbook and more.For more information, see http://www.awfs.org/