AME is proud to serve professionals from nearly every sector including health care, the public sector, service industries, defense, and finance. It has become clear over time that the lean, continuous improvement mindset that started in manufacturing is applicable in any organization. Even with this welcome adoption of lean principles and people-centric leadership across industries, AME’s bread and butter has always been manufacturing companies looking to better serve their employees, customers and other stakeholders.
Whether you work in manufacturing or not, it’s important that we all take a moment to acknowledge and celebrate Manufacturing Day today. Each of our lives are touched by manufacturing. If you work in a hospital you rely on machines that were manufactured with the purpose of saving lives. If you work at a bank, manufacturers built your computers. If you work for the public sector you count on machines that pave roads or help keep the public safe. Manufactured goods allow military members to protect our families.
Today, we take a moment to reflect on the impact of manufacturing in each of our lives, and to support the future of manufacturing. The manufacturing world has shifted. Today factories are equipped with robots, cobots, 3D printers and other advanced technologies that are networked together through smart Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) systems.
There has been a corresponding shift in the workforce necessary to use these systems. New-collar jobs — those that require STEM and digital skills, but not necessarily a degree — have become increasingly important in the industry 4.0 era.
AME is proud to work with our members’ companies, government and non-governmental organizations, educational institutions and others to help bring about a manufacturing renaissance driven by people-centric leadership, enterprise excellence, and the workforce skills necessary to make 21st century manufacturing a reality. Published last year, AME’s A Manufacturing Marshall Plan lays out a pathway forward that:
- Advocates for reshoring, nearshoring and LeanShoring™
- Increases our focus on industry 4.0 innovations
- Enhances educational and training offerings to create a stronger workforce
On this Manufacturing Day, I encourage you to thank those in the manufacturing community for their contributions to your life. Think about how you can encourage the next generation of manufacturers to pursue the skills and careers necessary to create this most necessary renaissance. There’s no better time to join forces with AME or other organizations involved with Manufacturing Day to help promote these careers and skills.
As always, please stay safe and keep looking out for one another.
P.S. We’re less than three weeks away from the start of the AME Everywhere 2021 conference! On Monday, we’ll be announcing the last of our keynote speakers. I’m biting my tongue because I’d love to let the cat out of the bag right now! While you have to wait until Monday for this keynote announcement, don’t delay your registration any longer. Sign-up now to ensure you have the best access to live and on-demand content. Register now at ame.org/conference.
