An open letter to manufacturing leaders
Dear manufacturers-
My name is Ben Brugler. I grew up near Warren, Ohio surrounded by manufacturing facilities. My grandpa, dad and uncle all worked at a steel company in Warren so grabbing a hard hat and safety goggles and walking the plant floor with them was a normal way of life. My grandpa was the president. I would always sneak up the back way to his office, plop down and ask him a bunch of annoying questions. His desk didn’t have a computer, and he was never too busy to pretend like my questions mattered or were good.
I don’t remember much about the plant itself (although I do remember there being a big scale I loved jumping on) but the people my family worked with are permanently locked into my brain. I remember their names, the homemade goods they’d send home with my dad, the golf they played, their slow pitch softball team and the good-natured ribbing I’d hear that my dad would never repeat at the dinner table. I still remember my dad’s number and his work extension. And a company pen, passed out at the World of Concrete show, still sits on my desk. (I think the 13-year-old me thought it was a lot cooler.)
My family had skills I don’t – engineering, technical, data, CAD, to name a few. So, I had to find different ways to use my skills in the world of manufacturing. Those skills led me to this career where I have been fortunate to spend the bulk of the last 25 years learning about…well, too many things to list here. But they are all amazing. Fly under the radar in terms of overall importance. Are beautifully designed and manufactured. And have a very human component behind them.
That’s what I really want to talk about here. The people who literally make your plants go. The world is preparing for a storm you won’t see reported on The Weather Channel. It’s a tsunami. A silver tsunami. And it’s coming for us all.
Ok Boomers.
More than 11,000 Americans turn 65 every day*. Those are Baby Boomers. And they are going to leave your companies in droves over the next few years. Despite that, only 9% of companies are prepared to attract the next generation of workers. Which brings me to my point: I want the next generation of workers to love manufacturing as much as I do.
*source: Inc. magazine
I still love putting on safety equipment to tour a facility. Ask someone a lot of questions. And meet some of the most interesting folks you may ever come across. So how do we bottle that up to help you protect your workforce, your reputation and avoid the challenges that 91% of companies aren’t ready to face?
As with almost everything today, by simplifying the steps you can be taking. Let’s apply a basic “Start, Stop, Continue” model to what I think is working v. what may not be helping you at all.
Start, Stop, Continue: To stand out
Three ‘Starts’:
Choosing people over products. Some companies are doing this. Some of our clients are quite good at it. When you have a chance to profile your company, show the people potential employees get to work with – not the equipment they’ll operate.
Telling the whole story. You are living in a job environment where more people are choosing blue collar jobs over white because of AI fears. You have a competitive advantage that you may not have had in years past – so let’s tell potential employees the whole story. As in, joining your company isn’t a job…it’s a career. Beg, borrow and steal from companies that recruit in white collar circles and apply that technique to what you’re offering people. You don’t want employees for this quarter. You want the next generation of leaders.
Opening your doors. Want to attract more people? Start showing your story. Partner with trade schools, tech programs, associations to have potential employees come into your facility. See a day in the life. Learn about what’s made. Don’t let your business be seen as a ‘building’. Open the doors and let the next generation in.
Two ‘Stops’:
Being safe. Ok, that got your attention – I don’t mean abandon your safety goals. I mean stop being safe when it comes to talking about your company, the equipment and the products. Too many companies are relying on stock imagery instead of working with a professional creative who can showcase the technology, power and potential future employees could have the chance to operate. (See the example below of a dramatic shoot we did with a client.)
Photo courtesy of Akhia, taken and shared with permission from Metallus
Saying you’re not sexy. Do you know how I talk about your line of work? I say ‘I get to learn and write about the most interesting things you’ve never heard of.’ Too often this industry is labeled as ‘dirty’…’not sexy’….’someone has to do it.’ Well I don’t believe that. And honestly, neither do you. Let’s tell people what we really think – that this is some of the most important work you can do.
One ‘Continue’:
Solving problems. I’m willing to bet if someone just said ‘you made stuff’ you’d be offended. You don’t. I know that. You know that. You solve problems. Continue that approach. Continue being proud of how what you do makes other companies work. This plays well into the before-mentioned ‘complete’ story we want to tell. It’s not a job…it’s a profession.
Capture their passion
I hear the world is a scary place these days. AI may take our jobs. But...we don’t have enough workers. The thing is, people still want to work with people. Whether they’re running machines, an assembly line or AI agents.
So why not start small? Start today? Or just start, period? Pick one piece of equipment to get IG ready. Profile an employee and their story from working on the loading dock to now managing the whole plant. The hardest part about getting started…is getting started.
Bottom line: You know your company’s legacy is built on the people who came before – and those who will come after. Make sure you’re in a position to share your passion with the people who want to be a part of it. They’re out there. And I’m willing to bet they’ll end up loving manufacturing as much as I do.
Thanks for letting me share. Here to help if needed,
Ben