Students from the Nelsonville-based Tri-County Career Center engaged in interactive demonstrations and received hands-on experience with modern manufacturing techniques at Amanda Manufacturing in Logan as part of the national observance of Manufacturing Day 2018, held on Friday, Oct. 5.

“An event like this really lets us show off what’s possible for anyone who wants to make a career in manufacturing,” said Mike Hood, Amanda Manufacturing’s plant manager, who started with the company over 20 years ago. “We want more young people to see what goes on in this factory every day, not only in terms of the technology and capabilities that you might not expect from a modern manufacturing facility, but also the types of career opportunities that are open to people who are willing to work hard and learn this business.”  

The two-hour tours of Amanda’s facility were designed to bring modern-day manufacturing processes to life. This program was created to complement existing vocational curriculum, and to inspire students currently studying welding, computer programming, automotive mechanics, and over a dozen tech-education tracks offered at the Tri-County Career Center, through hands-on activities and presentations from experienced professionals. 

Amanda Manufacturing is one of Deshler Group’s eight diverse brands, united to create complete focused solutions for customer needs, from manufacturing and assembly to transportation and logistics. As part of the Deshler Group’s long-standing commitment to youth mentoring and STEM education, the global family of companies hosted and sponsored this event as part of the nationwide observance of Manufacturing Day 2018, both in Ohio and in Southeast Michigan.

“Addressing the workforce shortage in the manufacturing industry takes strong public and private partnerships that educate and inspire students to consider manufacturing as an exciting  and attainable career where there is growth potential .” said Robert Gruschow, president of Deshler Group. “The national Manufacturing Day campaign provides a remarkable platform through which we can engage students across our four sites in the innovative work we do.  We have a pipeline of 30 to 50 job vacancies at any given time and are thrilled to support a program today that yields remarkable results for the future of these students, our company and American Manufacturing.”

Due to its sustained demand for growth, Amanda Manufacturing has completed an extensive expansion of its factory floor, nearly doubling in size between 2014 and 2016. The company’s front office, housing management operations, workflow supervision and engineering teams, is projected to be fully completed by mid-2019.  Amanda Manufacturing was also named to the 2017 list of Columbus Business First’s “Fast 50”, recognizing the region’s fastest growing businesses.

“Although punching, stamping and bending metal may seem a little old school, the parts we ship out will show up on brand-new cars and trucks that drive off the lot every day,” added Hood. “This part of the supply chain will always need women and men who can pick up new skills and grow with the industry, and here at Amanda we’re always looking for people who are willing to put in the work to be a part of it.”

Manufacturing Day is a national celebration of modern manufacturing created to inspire and educate students, businesses, media, educators and politicians about career opportunities in manufacturing. The annual event provides students a positive understanding of the manufacturing industry, with the long-term goal of addressing the skilled labor shortages U.S. manufacturers face.