National Association of Manufacturers assumes coordination duties of National Manufacturing Day

One of the largest manufacturing trade associations in America has agreed to take over day-to-day coordination of National Manufacturing Day.

In a recent press release, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, International (FMA) announced NAM will assume day-to-day coordination of the Manufacturing Day brand and will lead the production of all Manufacturing Day events.

With more than 2,700 events held and more than 400,000 participants in 2016, Manufacturing Day — held the first Friday of October — celebrates modern manufacturing as manufacturers across the country open their doors to students, parents and teachers with the goal of strengthening the public perception of modern manufacturing.

U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, R-Rogers, and U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark, were among those who attended an event at Northwest Technical Institute in Springdale on Oct. 6.

“By introducing young people to fulfilling, technology-driven jobs with above-average salaries, we can motivate students to pursue manufacturing careers,” the organizations said in a joint statement, adding that NAM “has the partnerships, resources and vision to lead the initiative forward.”

The National Association of Manufacturers is the nation’s largest manufacturing association, representing small, medium-sized and large manufacturers in every industrial sector across all 50 states.

“The NAM is excited to continue to strengthen our relationships with manufacturers across the country and deepen the impact of Manufacturing Day,” said NAM Senior Vice President of External Relations Ned Monroe. “Manufacturing benefits us all, whether it’s by creating jobs or developing products that improve our lives. Manufacturing Day helps cultivate growth and innovation in our sector by educating and inspiring the next generation of manufacturers. Manufacturing Day is one critical part in solving our skills gap issue.”

“The FMA is proud of its role as the founder of Manufacturing Day and will continue to endorse and promote the event to its members,” FMA President and CEO Ed Youdell said. “It is our belief that for Manufacturing Day to reach the highest level of success, singular focus is now necessary to grow this even more across the United States. We are confident that the NAM has the organization, resources and passion to achieve this growth. We are excited to continue our partnership with the NAM as we begin the next phase of this five-year-old program.”

The NAM will continue to work with fellow co-producers of Manufacturing Day, including the FMA, The Manufacturing Institute, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.