On October 7, 2016, Formtek Group Inc. hosted over 200 students and 19 exhibitors for their annual Manufacturing Day. Nationally, the day is celebrated to bring light to the exciting diversity of the manufacturing industry and the many careers that can be found within it. It is meant to encourage young people to explore jobs in manufacturing, and inspire a passion for the field in the next generation. It is held annually on the first Friday in October. This was the companies 5th year participating in the celebration.
This year Formtek hosted 9 schools from surrounding Cuyahoga and Lake counties. For the day, we also had an onsite Formtek Snapchat filter available to students and participants who were documenting their time at Manufacturing Day through the app.
The event began at 10:00am with an introductory speech given by Judy Muehlbauer, HR Manager of the Formtek Group. Then the students were assigned to a member of the Formtek team for a tour of the shop and explanation of the jobs of our machines and workers. After the tour was over, the students were allowed to explore the exhibitor’s booths.
One of the most exciting of the exhibitors included Lakeland Community College and their Robots with the ability to throw a ball to students and receive it through sweeping it up off of the ground. Several students spent time interacting with the robot.
Sawyer, a product of the Proud Company of Pittsburgh, was among the exhibits that offered a hands-on experience in how manufacturing and technology are becoming one in the same through Industrial Automation and Robotics. Mark Proud, President of the Proud Company, was at the event, demonstrating how Sawyer can be programmed by anyone, even someone without previous knowledge of computer or machine programming.
3D printing was on display via the booth put on by EXCEL TECC’s Computer Aided Design and Drafting Engineering Technologies program. On display was a prosthetic hand, made by the program with 3-D printers. Students were able to try out copies of one that was donated to a local boy who now uses it functionally. This gave students a first-hand opportunity to see how manufacturing technology is truly changing lives.
The event was an awesome success due to our exhibitors and participants. Formtek Group is committed to the future of manufacturing. We believe that by investing in the education of the youth today, we will be able to secure a capable workforce for tomorrow. We look forward to hosting annual events for the many manufacturing days to come!