MANUFACTURING AND
MILLENNIALS
NOT YOUR GRANDFATHER’S INDUSTRY:
MANUFACTURING AND
Millennials
By Morgan Williams
Marketing Specialist, Westfalia Technologies, Inc.
A
ccording to a recent analysis of the US Census, the
millennial generation has officially overtaken baby
boomers as the largest generation of the American
population. As the workforce continues to evolve, we are
once again seeing a shift in the perception of manufacturing.
The once considered dark, dirty and dangerous industry is
undergoing a makeover as it tries to become more attractive
to the younger generation. But how can the public percep-
tion be altered to attract these new workers? And how can it
be done quickly to minimize the inevitable workforce gap as
the baby boomer generation is retiring?
Busting two primary myths of manufactur-
ing may help.
The first myth is that there aren’t many jobs in man-
ufacturing anymore. The American manufacturing
industry is turning up, showing signs of growth and an
increase in open jobs. In fact, this myth couldn’t be further
from the truth as the industry reported employing more
than 12 million people as of March 2017. Manufacturing
is not only one of the country’s largest job markets, many
of today’s factory jobs involve operating, maintaining, and
programming the machinery that has taken the place of
manual labor. These jobs are highly skilled and often require
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The Satellite Review
some type of education or technical degree. Millennials are
computer-savvy, multi-taskers, and willing to work together
on a team; key traits needed as the manufacturing industry
turns to automation.
Which leads to the second myth, robots and automation
are replacing human workers. There is a common
misconception that manufacturing jobs will be eliminated
due to the growing popularity of warehouse automation,
particularly automated storage and retrieval systems due to
their operational efficiencies. While it is true that some jobs
may be eliminated due to the nature of these systems, those
skilled workers are still needed in other capacities to help
their company. With the millennial workforce increasing,
and the high-tech functionality automation provides, there
are numerous opportunities for workforce growth, develop-
ment and education within the manufacturing industry.
By working together, we can begin to address the skilled
labor shortage, connect with future generations, manipulate
the public image of manufacturing, and ensure ongoing suc-
cess. In the end, the right automation technology paired with
the right workers will position companies for success and
uphold their staying power in a competitive marketplace.
www. WestfaliaUSA.com