The first Friday in October is National Manufacturing Day. This day recognizes the importance of manufacturing to the global economy and spotlights career opportunities in modern manufacturing for students.
Take a minute to enjoy this photo album from the event featuring SAS CEO Jim Goodnight, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, manufacturing leaders and the many children, high school and college students who enjoyed the large tractors and trucks!
“There is great potential for growth and progress, especially when you bring analytics knowledge and tech experience to this critical sector. A sector that is not only critical at a global level but also right here in North Carolina.”
– SAS CEO Jim Goodnight
- Dr. Goodnight provides opening remarks to kick off MFG Day 2022.
- NC Governor Roy Cooper speaks about the importance of the manufacturing industry and the progress the state is making in this critical sector.
- A panel featuring SAS’ Jason Mann (2nd from right) and industry experts from Johnson Controls, Deere and Company and Mack Trucks speak on opportunities and misconceptions in the industry.
Take you for a ride on my big green tractor
John Deere had an exhibit in the Manufacturing and Technology in Action segment of the event highlighting “Maximizing Value with Analytics,” in which they showed their fully autonomous self-driving tractor, which was a huge hit with attendees and children.
- GIANT fun! Some of the children from SAS Daycare were invited to explore the tractor exhibit and were in awe of the machinery.
- All aboard! Kids got to take turns getting inside the driver’s seat of the autonomous tractor.
- Strike a pose! Tractors and manufacturing can be fun for all ages.
Life is a highway
Mack Trucks presented on “IoT-Enabled Predictive Maintenance” by highlighting their 100%-electric refuse truck. Attendees were able to take a peek at the future of trucking.
- Behind the wheel! Kids and participants were eager to explore the exhibit from Mack Trucks.
- Mack Trucks showed out in their 100%-electric refuse truck that demonstrates the future of trucking.
- Dreams become a reality. Kids were able to see a dream come true with this innovation for a sustainable future.
What we’ve been able to do working with Mack Trucks is leverage that massive amount of data in the truck – hundreds of sensors constantly generating data, providing insight into the status and state of a vehicle. But the critical part is then transmitting that back to a hub where you have an entire team of people that are evaluating that information.
– Jason Mann, VP, Internet of Things, SAS
Manufacturing for all
A key distinguisher of this event was the involvement of students and children. More than 50 students attended the event to learn about career opportunities in the industry. According to a study by the Manufacturing Institute and Deloitte, manufacturers in the US need to fill 4 million jobs by 2030. More than half of those jobs could be left unfilled because of two issues: a skills gap and misconceptions about modern manufacturing.
- Several students attended MFG Day, including students from NC State.
- Marwin Rahal, a junior at Apex Friendship High School, attended the event and aspires for a career in mechanical engineering one day.
- Some of the SAS team in partnership with the National Association of Manufacturing and the Manufacturing Institute made this event possible.