Celebrating industrial strength manufacturing
Governor Bruce Rauner proclaimed October Illinois Manufacturing Month to celebrate the strength of manufacturing throughout the state. Illinois has long been thought of as a manufacturing hub with its richness of infrastructure, resources and work ethic.
According to the National Association of Manufacturers, nearly 9 percent of all nonfarm workers in the United States work in manufacturing. Illinois is no exception with 9.7 percent of its workforce in some sort of manufacturing role; in raw numbers that's represents 572,000 Illinoisans contributing to a strong manufacturing economy.
As of year-end 2014, manufacturing contributed 13.4 percent to total gross state product; that equates to $99.67 billion in manufacturing output. That was generated from 12,592 manufacturing companies, many in our backyard. Over a third of the state's manufacturing companies are located in DuPage and Kane counties.
The Top Ten List of products driving manufacturing in our state include: machinery; chemicals; food, beverage and tobacco; petroleum and coal; fabricated metal; computer and electronic; plastics and rubber; miscellaneous manufacturing; motor vehicles and parts; and, electrical equipment and appliances. All of these manufacturing sectors contribute greatly to the Illinois economy.
This diverse group of products adds to the appeal of manufacturing in Illinois, but many of these companies share the same roadblocks to success. Namely, the biggest challenge manufacturing faces is securing a workforce for current and future growth opportunities.
The National Association of Manufacturers has coined the first Friday of October Manufacturing Day. This national effort connects high school students (and their parents) to local manufacturers so they can learn about manufacturing careers, the education required for a career in manufacturing and the wage potential. This endeavor has been going on for years and gains more traction every year.
Similar local programs have been addressing this issue since the mid-2000s. Since 2008, various companies and school districts have offered local students the opportunity to learn more about manufacturing and companies looking to enhance or expand their workforce with skilled employees.
Most recently, on Oct. 7, 11 local companies opened their doors for more than 250 high school students interested in manufacturing. The companies included B-O-F Corporation, Aurora; Diamond Envelope, Aurora; Dukane Precast, Aurora; Freudenberg Household Products, Aurora; Olcott Plastics, St. Charles; Pentair, North Aurora; Pioneer Services, Addison; Smith & Richardson, Geneva; Tox Pressotechnik, Warrenville; Unilock, Aurora; and, Wise Plastics, St. Charles.
These companies offered local high school students tours of their facility, information about the jobs they need to fill now and in the future, and information on the education required after graduating high school. The students represented the following schools: Batavia High School, Kaneland High School, Metea Valley High School, Oswego East High School, Oswego High School, Sandwich High School, Technology Center of DuPage and Waubonsie Valley High School. The following organizations partnered to arrange this type of experience: FlexiCorps Staffing, Indian Prairie School District 204, Junior Achievement, Kelmscott Communications, VALEES, Valley Industrial Association and Waubonsee Community College.
What does a career in manufacturing have to offer?
For one thing, a competitive salary; as of 2014, the average annual compensation for a manufacturing job was $81,048 (wages plus benefits) while the average for a service sector job, like food service or retail, averaged $54,425 (wages plus benefits). The technological aptitude and problem solving skills required in a manufacturing setting typically demand a higher wage.
Between now and 2022, the need for skilled manufacturing labor will continue to be a challenge. As productivity increases and technology advances, the talent and skill set required of the future manufacturing workforce will continue to evolve as well. Additionally, every year between now and 2022, 26,000 current manufacturing employees will retire - every year. They will need to be replaced. And that does not account for jobs that haven't even been developed yet.
If you would like to learn more about manufacturing in our area, please visit Valley Industrial Association at www.ValleyIndustrialAssociation.org.
• Cynthia L. Tomei is president of the Valley Industrial Association. CindyTomei@VIAassn.org