Manufacturing Month Wrap-Up 2016
Where has the time gone? It seems like summer was just yesterday, and the students were headed back to class. It has been a whirlwind couple of months since the summer interns returned to school, and we have settled back into life without some very promising young adults and future manufacturing all stars. However, that does not mean we let up on our efforts to make a difference. I’ll do my best to summarize the events without getting too long winded.
IMTS 2016, held September 12th-18th at McCormick Place in Chicago, was a gem of a trade show. Mark Beilman, Director of Education & Training, helped take students and educators from five area high schools to the show over three days, filling a 55-passenger coach bus each day and logging 14-15 hour days. Gateway Technical College also hosted two coaches of their own for their students and educators. While these were very long days for all involved, the reward was seeing the wide eyes of the participants, as they walked into and about the massive display of advanced manufacturing equipment and tooling. This show only occurs every other year so for those that missed it, start planning for Sept. 2018.
On October 2nd, the Elkhorn Area School District hosted their Open House to showcase the $20+ million renovations and upgrades. Specifically, I was interested in seeing what they had done with the high school’s Tech Ed wing, and I must say I was blown away. The commitment from the community, school leadership and staff is amazing. In my opinion, this is the first big step forward in the manufacturing renaissance within the local school district. The staff and students are pumped up about the investments in the technical fields, and we are excited to help show them an alternative, and rewarding, career path. This could also be a perfect lead into the Gateway Technical College manufacturing program right here on the Elkhorn campus.
The seventh annual BizTimes Next Generation Manufacturing Summit was held at the Quad Graphics headquarters on October 6th. I was honored to be included on the panel that shared insight into the future of Wisconsin manufacturers, including both the threats and the opportunities that we all need to recognize and address. Given the very competitive environment for skilled trades, it was important to network with other manufacturers in hopes that, together, we can solve the skills gap we are faced with today.
Precision Plus held its own Open House on Saturday, October 8th, hosting over 70 members of the community in celebration of Manufacturing Day and Manufacturing Month. Inviting the community into our manufacturing facility was an opportunity to educate the public that the antiquated stereotype of our industry being dark, dirty, and dangerous is not valid. Our guests toured ten different clean and brightly-lit work stations where our expert team members demonstrated the skills required and the satisfaction they get from making really cool stuff. Next year, we may offer a virtual tour for those who cannot make it here themselves.
Five Precision Plus team members, myself included, attended the Henning Industrial Software User Conference October 9th – 12th. We had the opportunity to learn how we can better utilize our software tools so that we may serve our customers and partners more effectively. This was a beneficial networking event where fellow manufacturers can share best practices.
Returning from the software conference on a west coast “red-eye” flight left very little time for rest before hosting 20 technical college educators from around the state to review the state of CNC machining, and what the future technology and skills requirements will be. Held October 13th, this was the first time the annual Wisconsin Technical College CNC State Meeting was held inside a manufacturing facility where attendees could tour, see, and speak directly with manufacturing professionals about their journey. The afternoon session moved to the Gateway Technical College, Elkhorn Campus where they toured the RPM Manufacturing Center and continued the discussion about how we, tech schools and manufacturers, can attract the best and brightest of the next generation. We must change the perception that technical education and working in a trade are second-tier choices. If that didn’t keep us busy enough, it was day two of our ISO audit, in addition to hosting one of our top customers/partners for a tour and business development discussions.
The Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) Scholarship Luncheon was held October 17th. I joined our four scholarship award recipients for lunch and presentations at MSOE. Amanda Mudlaff (2nd year), Brittany Campbell (3rd year), Carson Filko (3rd year) and Justin Pawlowski (2nd year) are great students and a pleasure to have working with us in the summer. Supporting them in their education and career exploration is important to us, and we look forward to helping them discover their passion and pursue their dreams, whether it be with Precision Plus or somewhere else.
The PMPA Annual meeting was held in hurricane-ravaged Hilton Head Island on October 21-25th. The conference kicked off with the preview of our trade association’s first video promoting manufacturing careers to students, educators, and parents. This video features our team making a critical component for a professional camera head used to capture very small, high speed objects like baseballs, golf balls, and such over long distances. The video was shot at Precision Plus over two days, using 4k technology, featuring our team and technology. The public release will happen in the next few weeks and is currently on hold while Major League Baseball works out the legal matters of the licensing agreement for their footage. Stay tuned for the public release, and we hope you all can help us push this message out to every school, student, educator, and parent. As for the conference and its speakers, it was good to hear from ITR Economics co-founder Brian Beaulieu, with an engaging insight to his economic projection for the next few years. I would love to share with all of you some of his material in my next note.
As we wrap up October, I can honestly say that I am happy to get back to the business of running a business. The very busy schedule of September and October tested my stamina but never my resolve to make a difference. Every engagement was meaningful, rewarding and, I hope, valuable to all that participated.
I could not be as engaged in these outside activities without a great team and family to help serve our partners and support each other. I am very grateful for them, and I look forward to returning to drive our business to even greater successes.
Now for the elephant in the room, known as the upcoming election. There are definitely tough choices all around, and all I can say is get out and vote. Many have gone before us to give us this right to elect our representatives, so let us not waste their sacrifices. I do wish we could get back to the principles of honest, and even spirited, debate of the issues, not the people. The personal attacks against one another are divisive, counter-productive, and have driven good people out of politics. Many that are well qualified to serve no longer wish to engage in this current state of chaos. Please let us find a way back to respectful debate of the issues at hand. We have much to address, and need to do so now, before it gets worse.
Regards,
MIKE
Michael J. Reader, President
Precision Plus, Inc.
ReaderM@preplus.com
