MANUFACTURING'S NEW LOOK

The industry’s reputation doesn’t match reality, but the future is bright

- DAMIEN MARTIN

Dark, dirty, dangerous. That's still what most people think manufacturing is. That's in many ways because the industry hasn't done a good enough job of marketing itself, says Karla Trotman. She's the CEO of Electro Soft and author of "Dark, Dirty, Dangerous: Building the Vibrant Future of Manufacturing," and has made it her mission to change the narrative around the industry to highlight its innovative aspects and economic importance.

SPREADING THE WORD

People "think about sparks flying, there's soot all over your face. That's how it's been sensationalized since the Industrial Revolution," Trotman said.

But when you consider that manufacturing is the act of taking something from its original state and making it into something else, the definition expands.

"The work that we do in hardware technologies, we're in a quiet atmosphere. I think the loudest thing is the compressed air that we're blowing across circuit boards. People wear electrostatic discharge jackets, and they listen to their music, and they are quietly figuring out how to put together complicated electronic assemblies."

Preaching the gospel of manufacturing in schools can help change the stigma. Online marketing that shows what the real processes are and showcases first-person accounts from manufacturing workers has put the industry in a new light. That's a new direction for manufacturing, which has traditionally been very insular and reticent to talk about itself.

Trotman said interest has been building among young people interested in a manufacturing career out of high school.