Why Work in Manufacturing?
Working for a manufacturing company is where it’s at! Most people don’t realize it though. People outside of it see manufacturing through the lens of the industrial revolution as they were taught in high school. However, manufacturing employment is much more dynamic than that! It is a sometimes misunderstood and underrated field but a great career home for those who enjoy a challenging and dynamic work life.
Manufacturing is a Career
I think it’s unfortunate that so many people consider employment in manufacturing as a job. It is not. Employment in a manufacturing company is a career. I started my manufacturing career as a machine operator, put myself through college and eventually worked my way up to a Director of Manufacturing for a medical supply manufacturing company. Meanwhile, many of my manufacturing colleagues were choosing other interesting manufacturing paths to advance their careers.
Early in our careers, we all worked on the production floor as operators, mechanics, or front-line supervisors but through personal development and opportunities, each of us advanced in different ways. I myself took hold of continuous improvement opportunities in the areas of lean and six-sigma to navigate into plant management, Operational Excellence leadership, new product development and then back into operation leadership at higher levels.
My friends worked their way up from the shop floor through logistics, planning, R&D, marketing, sales, human resources, IT, engineering and of course operational leadership. Some of them don’t have college degrees but they were still afforded opportunities to advance all the way up to director levels.
There are so many sweet dynamics contained within a manufacturing business that by working at a plant, you are provided with so much more than just a job. It is a career. If you want it, it’s there for you.
Manufacturing Offers Endless Opportunities to Learn
I personally brainstormed a list of “facets of manufacturing” and identified over 200 areas available to explore within a manufacturing company. If you're someone who enjoys endless learning opportunities, manufacturing is the place for you.
Here are just a few examples:
Measurable Results
Manufacturing speaks the language of metrics. If you are someone who appreciates charting your progress and being measured on your performance, then manufacturing is for you. Me? I love it! Having access to my daily performance in very quantifiable ways creates a sense of accomplishment. Seeing favorable trending data over a period of a month or a quarter and knowing that I am able to influence results in the areas of safety, quality, service, productivity, cost and profit is a great feeling. It's what keeps me engaged in my continuous improvement efforts.
Manufacturing is Dynamic
Most people think of manufacturing jobs as routine and boring. While there are jobs like that in manufacturing, standing on a conveyor all day long is actually a pretty rare position in a plant. Most positions in a factory provide an interesting and dynamic working day. Most employees are interfacing with many other employees, developing ideas and problem solving. Even assembly line roles offer rotational assignments to prevent boredom. And again, the beauty of manufacturing is that if you don’t like your current role, a new role is just a job posting away!
Long Lasting Friendships
A manufacturing environment is so dynamic that employees share many interactive moments together. While not every moment is euphoric, you do experience many struggles and many victories together and at some point your work team starts to feel like a friend group.
Thrive Beyond the Trenches
When you are working in manufacturing, it can sometimes feel like a grind. Manufacturing is tough. It takes resilience to even survive. But for those who are resilient and ambitious, who like a fast-moving, challenging and rewarding career, they do more than just survive - they THRIVE!
Take your Manufacturing career to the next level with a training course in "Concepts in Manufacturing Leadership!"
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