ThomasNet is an Official Supporter of National Manufacturing Day

I am excited to see the manufacturing industry be celebrated today with the first annual Manufacturing Day.  It’s a long time coming and should be the first of many!  http://www.mfgday.com/

There’s no denying that I have developed a genuine appreciation for the manufacturing industry in my career with ThomasNet.  Look around you and try to find one thing that was not manufactured!  The clothes you’re wearing, the computer screen you’re reading, the car you’re driving, the screws that hold the refrigerator together….Now think about the amount of effort, skill, and hard work went into making that object.

Manufacturing is not just the sexy robotic arms we see in the car commercials.  In fact, it’s rare that I ever see one of those arms at work in my travels visiting with hundreds of manufacturers every year.  The typical facility tour literally begins in the drawing room where skilled engineers contemplate how best to solve the problems and needs posed by the customer, which ultimately comes down to “How can we make this better?”. 

Next is a walk through the materials and supply room where thousands of dollars of materials must be bought ahead of time….hopefully at the right price.  Not to mention the huge capital costs of machinery required to manufacture the materials.  You think the people on Wall Street have it hard?  All they have to do is buy low and sell high.  Manufacturers buy materials and pay the freight to have them shipped, which is a net loss every time.  It’s not until they put blood, sweat, hard work, and ingenuity into those materials before they can turn a profit. 

I have yet to visit a shop floor and not be amazed at what goes on.  Every single action taken by every worker must be completed to perfection.  Efficiency, hard work, and determination are required and it makes me think twice about saying my desk job is “hard”.  There’s not a person on that floor that’s not “skilled” and almost every one of them is literally connected to every one of us.

My hat goes off to the American Manufacturer.  Thank you for being the backbone of America and keep up the great work.