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Manufacturing Day, and the month-long celebration of the industry it kicks off, will be very different this year��now that we can’t tour factories, technical schools and more��in person. But manufacturers can still do their part to show parents, teachers��and��students��what careers in today’s advanced manufacturing really look like—via virtual programming.

In advance��of��this year’s ,��Oct.��2, The Manufacturing Institute—the workforce and education partner of the 51�Թ���—held a webinar to help manufacturers plan virtual events. Below is a quick��recap.

�³󲹳���should manufacturers do?��Don’t worry, many MFG Day hosts are still figuring this out. First, you can reach out to local associations and regional groups to see if there is an existing event that you can co-host��or��participate in.��Second, you can��consider partnering with other manufacturers in your area or industry to produce a virtual event.

If you choose to host your own virtual MFG Day event, here are a few suggestions that will make it a hit, courtesy of Manufacturing Institute Senior Director of Youth Engagement Julia Asoni and��51�Թ�����Assistant��Vice President of Advocacy��Michael O’Brien:

• Provide��a welcome message from senior leadership.
• Offer an overview of the importance of manufacturing to the economy in your community.
• Lay out what your company does��and give participants a sense��of its career offerings.
• Film a video tour of your facility to��show viewers��the technology and tools you use every day.
• Record interviews with employees or a conversation with a panel to allow young people to hear directly from the��people��who work at your business.
• Create a survey to track how the event changes your audience’s perceptions of manufacturing—for example, asking participants about their interest in a manufacturing career both before and after your presentation.

Examples from the field:��During the webinar, a��range of manufacturers��and partners��presented their plans for MFG Day:

• Allegion��will feature a full virtual experience planned through Microsoft Teams.��It��will provide a mixture of live and pre-recorded content,��and will localize every event to ensure it’s most relevant to local students, said Allegion Reputation Management Leader Whitney Moorman.
• Boeing��collaborated with external partners like high schools,��colleges��and community organizations to create an effective virtual��program, said��Boeing Senior Workforce Specialist Justin��McCaffree.��Its event will��include videos of employees��explaining their jobs and performing specific tasks, virtual tours of��the company’s��facilities,��and videos from manufacturing interns and students. It will��also offer��students the opportunity to do��virtual informational interviews��with Boeing employees.
• Graco��is postponing its regular MFG Day programming to spring 2021 in hopes of providing an in-person experience that will involve hands-on learning—including stations that allow participants to control robots, build keychains with lasers and learn about quality control, said Graco Corporate Communications Team Leader Charlotte Boyd. It may also attempt to do virtual events this year that could include sending kits to students and information to parents.
• ABB��is��working with��Edge��Factor, which develops content for educators,��to create��a five-day virtual program that��showcases��science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics,��according to ABB Vice President for Marketing Communications Tracy Long.��This will��include on-demand content about each of those five disciplines as well as��about��“soft skills” like teamwork.
• NWIRC��developed a monthlong program geared toward 6th–12th��grade students in northwest Pennsylvania. It includes��a digital activity packet��and the opportunity��to win prizes from NWIRC for��worksheets and articles, said NWIRC��Marketing Communications Specialist Laurie Knoll.
• Click Bond��is in the early stages of developing content for a virtual experience. It is��planning an��interactive website that includes career testimonials, virtual maps and how-to videos about machines and technology, according to Click Bond Corporate Communications Manager Danielle Costella.

You can��see��a recording of the webinar��.

As you probably saw last week, the Trump administration announced a deal with Abbott Laboratories to produce more than 150 million rapid COVID-19 tests, per��. Abbott’s rapid tests cost about $5 to make and take just a few minutes to deliver results without lab equipment. Such antigen tests are not quite as accurate as molecular tests (which are conducted in a lab), and the FDA says that doctors might find it advisable to confirm a positive result with a molecular test.

Here are some more updates on the deployment of rapid tests, which is an important development in the COVID-19 response effort:

• The Trump administration offered more details about the shipments this week, announcing that these rapid tests would start making their way to states in mid-September, according to . Most of these tests are intended to go to first responders and to help schools and daycare facilities reopen.
• The investment has also come with an employment bump, as Abbott Labs brings on new workers to help produce the test, the����reports. Around 2,000 employees are needed to help meet demand, and no previous experience is required for jobs that will pay $15 an hour for the day shift and $18 an hour for nights, along with a $2,500 retention bonus.
• ��reports that another rapid test maker is seeking emergency FDA approval. Roche Holding AG will launch a rapid test in September in Europe and is hoping to get emergency authorization to roll it out in the United States, too.

Fittingly, The Manufacturing Institute’s FAME program has its name in the papers. This week, highlights this career-focused initiative that gives people the tools they need to succeed in the manufacturing sector.

How it works:��—founded by Toyota and now overseen by The Manufacturing Institute—is the nation’s premier manufacturing education program for training students seeking careers in manufacturing and upskilling incumbents and veterans.

FAME students earn a two-year associate’s degree while working in their sponsor’s manufacturing facility as advanced manufacturing technicians.

Core concepts: The program doesn’t just teach manufacturing-specific skills, it also helps students learn and apply behaviors that will help them make progress in any industry, including:

• Safety culture
• Professional behaviors
• Communication skills
• Problem solving
• Visual workplace organization

The results: “First launched at a single Toyota factory in 2010, it has already grown to involve more than 350 manufacturers in 13 states, from large refrigerator makers to smaller plastics plants. Of the roughly 850 students who have graduated so far, 85 percent have been hired by their sponsoring employers with starting salaries at $50,000 or more.”

The grads:��FAME’s graduates have nothing but praise for the program, crediting it with starting them on an excellent career path. Check out our recent profiles of graduates��Brittanee Sayer��and��Chaise Blissett.

What do you do when a pandemic shuts down your customers?��That was the problem faced by��A-dec, a manufacturer of dental equipment and supplies based in Oregon, when��dentists nationwide closed their doors��back in March.��

In A-���’s��case, they developed products to help their core customers come back safely.����

The problem:��Dentists and hygienists��are��at particular��risk of��contracting COVID-19 while treating patients, because their jobs require proximity to��their patients’��open mouths.������

• Dentists also use loupes with lights and magnifiers to see inside patients’ mouths—but wearing medical masks and traditional face shields makes it difficult to wear lighted loupes as well.����
• Meanwhile,��traditional face shields are open at the bottom—and because dentists work on patients who��recline��right below them, those shields provide limited protection.��

The��solution:��A-���’s��engineers got to work designing and producing a unique face shield for dentists��that��fits��around the collarbone��and opens��upwards, providing a barrier between dentists and patient. The��shield��also��leaves��additional space around��dentists’��eyes��so they can use lighted loupes.����

The��process:��The same��pandemic that made this work necessary also made it difficult.��A-dec had to overcome a series of complications:

• Research and development:��COVID-19��made the company’s��customer��focus groups��impossible��to do in person,��so it��designed and conducted remote focus group sessions.��
• Sourcing of materials.��Shortages and supply chain disruptions��also caused problems, with some commodities becoming unavailable at the last minute.��That meant A-dec faced delays and had to find alternate sources of materials at times.����
• Product construction.��Like many other manufacturers,��A-dec��had to figure out how to keep��remote workers and on-site, socially distancing workers in sync with each other—all while��creating a new product��in record time.

By��working around these setbacks and��streamlining��its processes, A-dec was able to go from the initial idea to the beginning of production in just two months—an extraordinary achievement.

The last word:��According to��A-dec��Vice President��of��Manufacturing��Wesley Snyder, the company benefited from��its��familiarity with medical regulations—but that doesn’t mean non-medical manufacturers can’t make a difference. “Everything is made by somebody, and the manufacturing industry is uniquely positioned to make tangible contributions to society in a crisis like this,” he said.��“So find those new points of need, and align��them��with your capabilities.”��

Hospitals, businesses, schools and��individuals��will continue to need��protective gear—but how much and��for��how long? The 51�Թ��� has been working with the federal government to help manufacturers meet this urgent need,��acting as��a��go-between to get millions of masks, gloves and more where they��have to��go.��The 51�Թ��� and The Manufacturing Institute’s Center for Manufacturing Research have an estimate of how many disposable face coverings America’s workforce needs every month.

As part of��a recent Department��of Defense��seminar,��Herb Grant, the director of the 51�Թ���’s Creators Respond effort,��outlined how manufacturers can��get involved.��Here is a brief recap of the event.

How much?��Here’s what we know:

• As of July 9, the DoD had��already procured nearly 3 million gowns, nearly 140 million medical gloves, nearly 18 million surgical masks��and more than 5 million N95 respirators��(according to the��DoD’s��Joint Acquisition Task Force).
• The 51�Թ��� has estimated the demand for facial coverings��approaches��1.7 billion pieces per month—and that’s just for industries that don’t typically use PPE. Meeting that demand will require manufacturers to add capacity by investing in new or retooling existing production lines.

The DoD says that��information helped clarify��that��the total demand is not fully understood, but it is far greater than previously thought.

How long? According to Grant,��the��deputy��director of the��White House Supply Chain Task Force��expects��the��demand��for PPE to continue beyond next year,��and��perhaps even��through 2023.

How can manufacturers get involved? There are��three��major ways in which manufacturers can help, said Grant.

1. Increase your capacity to produce PPE:��Manufacturers��should evaluate whether they can��shift capacity or invest in new capacity—which may involve��talking to Creators Respond about��how the government can support those investments.
2. Sell PPE to the government:��Manufacturers can��find out��how their production lines up with the government’s needs and��consider participating in various��federal��programs.
3. Sell PPE to��the��industry:��As the 1.7 billion��per��month demand��estimate shows,��industries across the country��need the PPE that manufacturers are producing—and will keep needing more.

How to sell to the government:��There are��three��things��manufacturers��need to do before selling products to the government, Grant advises.

1. Get��a DUNS number: A Data Universal Numbering System number is a unique ID that is required to register with the federal government for contracts or grants (you can obtain one ).
2. Register with SAM:��The System for Award Management consolidates the capabilities of existing federal procurement systems—and you can register at��.
3. Check for contracting opportunities:��The webinar��covered��a range of sites that offer contracting opportunities, including:
   1. ;��
   2. ; and��
   3. .��

The last word:��“The bottom line is the manufacturing industry, which has been on the front lines, will continue to lead our country through recovery and renewal,” said Grant.

Check out a��full��recording of the event��.

As an engineering student at the University of Louisville, Chaise Blissett didn’t like the idea of a career where he would be sitting at a desk all day. He’s always been a hands-on learner and grew up working on trucks and tinkering with small engines. When a friend told him about his experience in the (FAME) AMT program, Blissett knew it was the right program for him.

What is AMT? The Advanced Manufacturing Technician (AMT) training program was developed by Toyota and is now overseen nationally by The Manufacturing Institute. It is a FAME maintenance training program and trains students of all ages and backgrounds, from recent high school graduates to experienced manufacturing employees looking to advance their careers. Students earn a two-year associate degree while working in their sponsor’s manufacturing facility as an Advanced Manufacturing Technician (AMT).

What FAME AMT offers: Blissett showed up “eager and ready to learn,” and he’s thankful for all the support he received in the program—from his employer, from his teammates and from his mentors. Beyond the network he built, program highlights included:

• On-the-job training: FAME AMT blends classroom studies with work experience. For a hands-on learner like Blissett, the FAME AMT program was a more effective learning environment than school alone would have been.
• A technical degree: The associate degree and FAME certificate that Blisset earned set him apart from other job applicants and accelerated his career path.
• Professional competencies: Beyond the technical skills, FAME AMT also teaches students the soft skills they need for working in a professional environment — the kinds of things “you don’t learn in college,” Blissett said. Students dress professionally for class and give regular presentations at both work and school. They also get regular practice working in teams, learning how to “work with all kinds of people in all kinds of different circumstances.”

What now: Blissett accepted a full-time technician role at Nucor Tubular Products, a manufacturer of carbon steel piping and tubing in Louisville, Kentucky. As he says, his journey has just begun—and he’s excited to see where the knowledge and skills he has acquired will take him.

Advice for FAME students: “The FAME program is what you make of it,” Blissett says.

• “Be driven, show eagerness to learn, and do your work to the best of your abilities. If you do these three things you will receive endless support in your goals.”
• “Be appreciative and show that you are hungry. Your mentors and professors are investing their time to mold you into the best possible student they can.”

The last word: “The opportunities presented to me during this program were once in a lifetime,” said Blissett. “I do not think I could have found a better fit for me.”

A��moose inside��a��factory would��usually be a��major��hazard—except when it’s on a��COVID-19��safety sign made by��LEM Products, Inc.��The��custom sign��and label��manufacturer��created a range of ingenious signs��for their own facilities��to keep their employees safe and healthy.��

It was at��LEM’s Montgomeryville,��Pennsylvania,��facility��that��51�Թ�����staff photographer��David Bohrer��snapped this��moose in action, along with��many other safety��measures. Here’s some of what he saw.����

Throughout the facility,��signs��remind employees to maintain social distance, sanitize surfaces and wash their hands frequently.��These decals show the appropriate distance:��six��feet of space.����

And��aside from the moose, there are more eye-catching��reminders��of what six feet looks��like:����

In��work��areas, signs��at a��six-foot��distance��ask:��“Can you ask your question from here?”��

Employees also wear masks while moving around the facility.��

In��the break room, dividers��create distance��between workers eating lunch.��And another animal friend��is here to help!��

Near high-touch points��such as light switches,��there’s a reminder��to��wash your��hands.����

Disinfecting products, such as Clorox wipes, are available throughout the facility to sanitize surfaces, too.����

With these precautions in place,��LEM’s employees can safely��produce��custom safety identifications, labels and tags��for its customers.��

CEO��Maureen O’Connor��emphasized that as a leading supplier of safety related signage, LEM Products takes��it as a duty to lead by example in all aspects of safety and hygiene.��“Our response to COVID-19��was emblematic of how we always approach safety issues,” O’Connor said. “We urge all who read this to do everything in your power to protect your employees and your company in combating C���ձ���-19.”��

What can manufacturers do to attract and retain talented veterans?��Samsung,��the��founding sponsor��of The Manufacturing Institute’s Heroes MAKE America��initiative, hosted a webinar��to answer that question—with��industry��leaders, government officials��and veterans themselves all weighing in.����

The background:��More than��200,000 men and women transition out of the military each year, and��The Manufacturing Institute has estimated��that��manufacturers will need to fill 4.6 million jobs by 2028. With their technical skills,��ability to lead and follow under pressure and experience working in teams,��veterans bring exceptional value to the manufacturing industry—even more so during these challenging times.��

The lineup:��Titled “Veteran Reskilling in Today’s Economy,” the��virtual��event��featured��the following��speakers:����

• Samsung Vice President of Strategic Communications��Megan Pollock��
• Manufacturing Institute Executive Director��Carolyn Lee��
• Assistant Secretary John Lowry, Colonel, USMC (Ret.), Department of Labor, Veterans’ Employment and Training Service������
• Manufacturing Institute Vice President of Military and Veterans Programs��Babs Chase��
• Koch Industries��Outreach Strategies Manager��John Buckley��
• Sherwin–Williams Production Supervisor��George Clay��
• SHRM Director of Veterans and Certifications��Affairs��Andrew Morton

Industry:��Pollock and Lee��discussed��the work that��Samsung and��the��Institute��have done to��connect veterans with new careers��through��Heroes MAKE America,��which��offers training programs at several U.S. military bases.��Here are some key quotes:������

• Pollock:��“Service men and women have an incredible skill set that’s really specifically designed for the advanced manufacturing field. Hiring managers don’t always understand that, and oftentimes, veterans are not set up for success as they move into the manufacturing field, even though they’ve got all the skills they need. So…it’s not about reskilling; it’s about an understanding of the great skill set veterans have and how we can utilize them.”����
• Lee:��“We are training people in multiple branches, in multiple locations, with multiple skill��sets, and helping the broader military community transition into the sector.”��

Government:��Secretary��Lowry,��whose office helps support job counseling, placement��and training services for eligible veterans,��spoke��about��the value of��the Heroes program, saying:��

• “I’ve been incredibly impressed with the outcomes of the program—95%��graduation rate, 85–90%��placement rate, and 25%��placed in supervisory roles, which I think��suggests some of the leadership traits people pick up in the military can be applied well in a manufacturing setting.”

Veterans:��Chase moderated a panel of veterans—Buckley, Clay and Morton—who spoke about the Heroes program,��the advantages of veterans��in the��workforce��and��the importance of��engagement efforts.��Here is some of what they had to say:����

• Buckley:��“The Heroes MAKE America program is very comprehensive, and it really does a great job of preparing our veterans.”����
• Clay:��“When we start looking at what veterans are bringing to organizations, it’s a lot more than the common soft skills that you look at.”��
• Morton:��“Talent mobility is probably more important than acquisition��and probably more important than workforce development,��because that truly allows the employee to grow and to stay with the organization.”��

��Check out a recording of the event��.����

With�� now open for the 2021 STEP Ahead Awards, it’s a perfect time to revisit the impressive stories about STEP winners that we’ve covered this year.��

A brief recap:��The Manufacturing Institute’s STEP Ahead Awards are designed to honor women who have demonstrated excellence and leadership in science, technology, engineering and production (STEP) careers.��The awards are part of the��STEP Women’s Initiative, which��aims to��shrink��the gender gap��in manufacturing, build��women’s��leadership skills and elevate��extraordinary women to serve as role models for current manufacturers and the workforce of the future.����

The nominations��process:��If you have a peer or colleague who deserves recognition for her leadership, you can����any��time before��October 2. Check out this handy nominations����for more information.��������

Since the awards began in 2012, The Manufacturing Institute has honored more than 1,000 extraordinary women across��the��manufacturing��industry. Here some of their stories:����

• Behlen��General Manager for Customer Fabrication��Heather��Macholan��(a 2013 STEP��honoree) is��working with��school labs��to��3-D print protective gear.��
• AAON��Community Relations Administrator��Stephanie Cameron��(a 2015 STEP��honoree)��is��working with her company to clean��medical facilities’ air��during COVID-19.��
• LAMATEK Vice President��Laura��Basara��(a��2017 STEP Ahead honoree)��has��helped her company��provide millions of pieces of foam for face shields.��
• Galley Support Innovations’��CEO��Gina Radke��(a 2019 STEP Ahead honoree)��wrote a book��to inspire other women to get involved in manufacturing leadership.��
• ID4A Technologies’��CEO and Founder��Rania��Hoteit��(a 2020 STEP Ahead Awards��honoree)��is��supporting��the manufacturing and distribution of critical medical devices and health care products.��
• Adafruit��Founder and��Owner (and 2019 STEP Ahead honoree)��Limor��Fried��is making electronic components for essential medical machines.��

President Trump’s plan to have businesses defer the employee’s share of payroll taxes is not going smoothly. The logistical difficulties are significant, and businesses have been expressing their frustration to the Treasury Department,����The Wall Street Journal (subscription).

The problem:��Employers are worried about the administrative burden. Plus, they’re concerned they may be liable for the taxes of employees who have changed jobs. And lastly, if Congress refuses to forgive the taxes, companies will be on the hook for a huge tax bill next year.

While companies await guidance on how to implement the President’s executive order, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said in an interview on Wednesday that he can’t force firms to stop withholding those taxes. Some tax experts say that companies will be disinclined to take the chance.

51�Թ��� involvement: In remarks yesterday to 51�Թ��� members, IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig urged companies to continue weighing in with policymakers.