President’s Column—Celebrating Manufacturing: Great Jobs & Economic Prowess

Once a year, on the first Friday in October, companies and industries across the country showcase American manufacturing and our outstanding workers.

It’s Manufacturing Day.

The Vinyl Institute is an official endorser of Manufacturing Day because manufacturers across the vinyl value chain are exemplars of modern manufacturing: clean and high tech, fueled by well-paid workers making products with a material of choice that enhances the quality of life .

Indeed, today’s manufacturing is clean and safe. And it features CAD design and robotics and tech-monitored assembly lines building everything from vinyl record albums, to designer handbags, to luxury vinyl tiles to PVC pipes.

Modern manufacturing plants are created with the health and safety of team members in mind. The vinyl resin industry designed and implemented worker safety best practices and new technologies that continuously improve safety and health. As an example, we recognized nine PVC facilities in 2018 with no OSHA recordable incidents for five or more years.

These are great careers.

The average manufacturing worker in the United States earns about $85,000 a year, and hourly workers typically earn well above minimum wage. The vinyl industry alone employs 350,000 people in 3,000 production facilities across the United States—generating $54 billion in economic value.

And yet, despite all the reasons to work in manufacturing, many students and adults outside the sector don’t think of manufacturing when they’re plotting their futures or their careers. Manufacturing Day is an annual day to celebrate those who made this smart decision and are helping create great PVC products.

Attracting Tomorrow’s Workers

Manufacturing Day is also about inspiring the next generation of workers. It’s an opportunity for companies and plants to open their doors and show children, teenagers, and college students what manufacturing is all about. Thousands of facilities are hosting open houses with students, elected officials and the media, to showcase specific careers to help recruit new team members.

Of course, one day alone isn’t going to solve the skills gap or ensure a steady stream of tomorrow’s workers into our manufacturing industries. It’s going to take concerted action, one community at a time.

For example, a charitable foundation called Nuts, Bolts and Thingamajigs gives U.S. students ages 12–16 exposure to hands-on learning and the skills they need for high-tech manufacturing jobs. A partnership between community colleges, employer groups, and unions in New Jersey is training workers on  tool and die machines, and other heavy manufacturing equipment. Within the vinyl value chain, the Vinyl Siding Institute has a robust program to recruit new installers, including on-the-job training and apprentice programs.

I encourage all vinyl manufacturing facilities to recognize Manufacturing Day on Friday, October 4, 2019. Let’s honor, thank and celebrate our current workers., Let’s open our doors to students and potential employees. And let’s remember to celebrate and showcase vinyl manufacturing every day.