With so much ambient anxiety and volatility in the marketplace, more of us need to take more action to increase performance and profit levels in order to provide secure, safe and sustainable futures for us all. More companies around the world are inviting not only summer interns to work but also including externs (school teachers and school guidance counsellors) to get hands-on experience and exposure of modern manufacturing and facilities operations.

We have to break the SILOS (Self Interested Locations of Our Societies) in order to correct misperceptions and negative stigmas that are currently associated with manufacturing and maintenance jobs. To show that our jobs are no longer dark, dirty, dumb and dangerous, we have to allow more to see modern operations under the complexities of our machines, the sophistication of our processes and experience modern automation capabilities.

To help more US companies confront these issues, we are hosting National Manufacturing Day on October 5th, 2012. Companies around the country are hosting Open Houses and organizing plant tours for local shareholders, government leaders, education outlets, area media and students to visit and see the inner working of modern factories. I hope that other operations around the world will join this movement and help us not just boost a country performance, but advance the world future sustainment and performance levels, check out www.MFGDAY.com.

Quick Tips for Open House Hosts

1. Don’t assume that visitors know anything about manufacturing. When planning a good tour – especially when the intended audience members are primarily people with no manufacturing background – you have to start by creating a story of your company that anyone can understand
2. You can’t... and shouldn’t show everything. The quickest way to lose the interest of your visitors is to try to show every minute detail. What are the best places in the plant to give an overview of the production process and highlight the work of your people and machinery?
3. Create a display, offer hands-on experience. Of course you can’t allow visitors to get up close and personal with your machinery, but you could create a display that illustrates what a product looks like in various stages of completion, or where they could be allowed to pick up and hold something they have seen being made.
4. Clean up before the visitors arrive. No clutter, everything in its place, floors swept clean, and an easyto- follow path through the shop. Remember that part of the reason to invite visitors is to prove that manufacturing is a great place to work - first impressions count.
5. Student visitors? They are the workforce of the future. This is your opportunity to provide advice about the kinds of careers that your company offers, the type of training and educational coursework you seek when hiring employees.
6. Put up a welcome sign. This is important both literally and figuratively. Put a sign on the door, shake hands with visitors, thank them for coming, and demonstrate your enthusiasm for the opportunity you have to share your company’s information with them.
7. Issue invitations. Manufacturing Day is a national celebration of the 12 million talented men and women who work in the industry. Who could you invite to share this celebration with you: families of your employees, your elected officials (local, state, federal), potential customers. current customers, your business service providers, media ...

If more of us dispel negative images and stigmas of manufacturing and maintenance, the more resources, respect and capabilities will emerge. So it is of vital importance for us all to celebrate manufacturing and break down SILOS that inhibit performance.