Manufacturing Day addresses common misperceptions about manufacturing by giving manufacturers an opportunity to open their doors and show, in a coordinated effort, what manufacturing is — and what it isn’t.
On Friday October 5th, 2018, numerous Bay Area manufacturers welcomed the public into their facilities, to help raise community awareness of manufacturing in our region. This is part of the nation-wide event MFG Day, which takes place on the first Friday of October. The event is six years in the running, with 2,749 events taking place this year, mostly in the US but with several in Canada and Mexico too.
Earn & Learn East Bay and the Contra Costa County Office of Education coordinated a day-long event bringing together over 220 students from 8 high schools and 7 employers. In the morning, students visited one to two companies and then spent the afternoon at their feeder community college learning about related programs. Participating manufacturers: Benchmark, Bishop Wisecarver, Granberg, Lennar, Dow, Fresenius, and Quick Mount PV. Participating High Schools: Antioch, Monte Vista, Deer Valley, Mt. Diablo, Concord, John Swett, Ygnacio Valley, and Pittsburg.
Several other Bay Area manufacturers opened their doors to the public such as Scandic Springs, Urban Bloc, ALOM, and with AMBayArea member Manex Consulting: Fetch Robotics, Cobham Advanced Electronic Solutions, Evolve Manufacturing Technologies, Littlefuse, Vander-Bend Manufacturing, United Mechanical and Metal Fabricators, and Mizuho America.
Several manufacturers orchestrated their MFG Day event to take place on November 8th, working with Laney College and 200 students from the Oakland Unified School District
Manufacturers: AB&I Foundry, OCHO Candy, Everett Graphics, Creative Wood Products,
High Schools: Castlemont, Fremont, Dewey, Oakland, McClymonds, Lighthouse,
Students gained exposure to the art and science of manufacturing. They learned about the rapidly evolving world of manufacturing careers, where craft and technology continue to blend to add value to raw materials.