CTE: MFG DAY
2023 By Phil Sasso
Introducing Students to
Manufacturing
34 Winter 2024 I Springs
Manufacturing Day (MFG DAY) is held annually on the first Friday in October. It is intended to shift perceptions and inspire the next generation of workers to consider U.S. manufacturing careers. As springmakers scramble to fill jobs, initiatives like MFG DAY can help create a pool of potential young workers to become the workforce of tomorrow. “MFG Day is an initiative of the Manufacturing Institute (MI),” according to the mfgday.com website. “The MI builds, diversifies and strengthens the modern manufacturing workforce, with the goal of furthering individual opportunity, community prosperity and a more competitive manufacturing industry.” Ace Wire Spring & Form Co., Inc. of McKees Rock, Pennsylvania, held its MFG Day events Oct. 17–18, 2023. Approximately 30 students from Rosedale Technical Institute and 15 students from City Charter High School participated in tours and presentations about modern manufacturing. Each school attended one day of the two-day event. Ace first became involved in Manufacturing Day in 2016. As a family-owned small business, Ace wanted students to see firsthand the advantages of working in a small, family-oriented manufacturing company. During the events, Ace gave students a tour of its factory during a typical workday while employees made springs and wireforms. Students got to watch the process and see what each different machine does. At the end of their visit, the company gave each attendee a goody bag of miscellaneous parts, some of which they watched being made. “After they took the tour, the kids were in amazement. They were just mesmerized by it,” said Ace CEO Linda Froehlich. “We had a group of young city kids come. They enjoyed the tour, but when they came into the conference room, their first question was, ‘How much will I make?’ I was surprised by their questions.”