Manufacturing is Misperceived, Despite Digital Revolution
05 Outubro 2016 - 10:00AM
Business Wire
Proto Labs survey shows more than two-thirds of
Americans do not see manufacturing as a high-tech career choice
While today’s “smart” factories are driving demand for digitally
skilled workers, a majority of Americans (71 percent) still do not
perceive manufacturing jobs as high-tech occupations. With
Manufacturing Day close at hand, those attitudes portend problems
for U.S. industrial companies, which will need workers to fill an
estimated 3.5 million manufacturing jobs during the next
decade.
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More than two-thirds of Americans don't
see manufacturing as a high-tech career choice. (Graphic: Business
Wire)
The national survey – conducted by ORC International on behalf
of Proto Labs, a digital manufacturer – reveals a lack of public
knowledge about how digital technologies have transformed
industrial production in the 21st century.
“Skilled workers in computer development and engineering are
breathing new life into a storied industry,” said Vicki Holt, CEO
of Proto Labs. “The same skills required of software developers at
places like Google, Facebook and Amazon are now being applied in
the manufacturing industry.”
Still, when asked to describe the daily routine of someone
employed in manufacturing today, 55 percent of survey respondents
cited dated images of workers among machines. While plant floor
roles remain an important part of the manufacturing ecosystem, the
industry has introduced additional roles that help power the
digital manufacturing revolution.
Only about 10 percent of respondents associate a software
developer in front of a computer screen with today’s manufacturing
jobs. These manufacturing workers are developing software that
expedites the front end of the manufacturing process — before a
machine even gets involved — and enables more efficient work on the
plant floor.
And those workers are well-paid for their skills, despite the
perception of a third of survey respondents (33 percent), who do
not believe manufacturing jobs are high-paying. In fact, software
developers in the digital manufacturing space often earn more than
$100,000 per year, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
The public’s misperceptions about U.S. manufacturing already are
negatively affecting the industry. Over the next decade, nearly 3.5
million manufacturing jobs will likely need to be filled because of
baby boomer retirements and U.S. economic expansion, according to
the Manufacturing Institute. But an estimated 2 million of those
jobs could go unfilled.
“The manufacturing industry must do better,” Holt said. “Highly
skilled, well-paid and technology-driven jobs are thriving in
manufacturing. We need to ensure that we have the talent needed to
reach our full growth potential.”
Holt pointed out that parents play an important role in
providing the skilled workers needed to sustain America’s
manufacturing sector.
“Digital manufacturing is creating a variety of new
technology-enabled manufacturing careers, as well as reinventing
many of the traditional manufacturing jobs that continue to be very
much relevant and needed,” Holt said. “Parents who recognize this
trend can help their children embrace math, engineering and the
sciences in school. Young people who are educated and skilled in
these areas can have promising, high-paying jobs in
manufacturing.”
About the surveyThe public-opinion online poll was
commissioned by Proto Labs and conducted by ORC International’s
CARAVAN® Geographic Omnibus in September 2016. It consisted of a
sample of 1,023 adults comprising 512 men and 511 women 18 years of
age and older. The margin of error is +/-3.1 percentage points for
the full sample.
About Proto LabsProto Labs is the world's fastest digital
manufacturing source for custom prototypes and low-volume
production parts. The technology-enabled company uses advanced 3D
printing, CNC machining and injection molding technologies to
produce parts within days. The result is an unprecedented
speed-to-market value for designers and engineers and an on-demand
resource throughout a product’s life cycle. Visit protolabs.com for
more information.
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Proto LabsSarah Ekenberg, 763-479-7560Public Relations
Managersarah.ekenberg@protolabs.comorMedia
Contact:PadillaCRT for Proto LabsTim Nelson,
612-455-1789tim.nelson@padillacrt.com
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