Tag: manufacturing

Recruiting Millennials for Manufacturing Careers

By Mary Ann Pacelli, NIST MEP Workforce Development Manager

A key recruiting challenge for the prospective Millennial may be an outdated image of manufacturing careers from popular culture and possibly even their parents.  Manufacturing today is increasingly digital and innovative. Companies looking to recruit these younger workers must actively strive to prove that they value high technology and creativity as much as Millennials do. Using visuals along with real life stories and experiences to more accurately convey manufacturing careers via digital channels is an integral part of this process. Many manufacturing plants are now innovative, technologically savvy and dare I say, cool?

Manufacturers must also connect messages to the values, needs and goals of Millennials. When it comes to careers, the many Millennials are interested in three key areas:

  • Quality of life
  • Positive impact on society
  • Future growth, education, and financial worth

With these ideals in mind, companies can highlight how manufacturing careers pay well with advancement opportunities, offer a nice work-life balance, provide job security, and make a positive impact on local jobs and communities.

And of course, most Millennials thrive with technology.  Manufacturers need to look around the plant, make the move to update your processes and utilize new technology so you really are ‘cool’.  This generation will be able to help you improve and grow, if you have the right tools for them to capitalize on.

As an industry, manufacturers should embrace the communication tools that millennials heavily rely on such as social media, blogs, and digital platforms in general, to continuously demonstrate that manufacturing careers do actually connect with those three key areas.

We have to also focus on embracing diversity. Women and minority communities are underrepresented in manufacturing. For example, less than one-third of manufacturing workers are women.  There is untapped potential waiting to be included in the ‘New Manufacturing’.

Multiple Career Paths

A point that often gets lost in translation is the wide array of career opportunities in manufacturing. And just as important, there are career options for young adults at all educational levels. Some examples include:

Bachelor’s Degree

  • Biochemists
  • Human Resources
  • Industrial Engineers
  • Operations Managers
  • Computer Programming & IT
  • Production Managers
  • Mechanical Engineers
  • Researchers
  • Sales & Marketing

Associate’s Degree

  • Equipment Maintenance Technicians
  • Engineering Technicians
  • Semiconductor Processors

High School Diploma Plus Apprenticeship or Certificate Program

  • Assemblers
  • First-Line Supervisors
  • Inspectors
  • Machinists
  • Office Clerks
  • Shipping & Receiving
  • Tool Operators
  • Welders & Cutters

All generations are unique, with different communication methods and values – millennials are no different. By evolving how we communicate with younger adults, we can better identify the best potential employees and create the next generation of manufacturing workers.

Post originally appeared here

Mary Ann Pacelli is NIST MEP’S Workforce Development Manager. Her work includes advocating for manufacturing workforce priorities with related federal agencies and providing technical support to the network of MEP centers across the country for workforce related activities. Previously she was Assistant Director for Workforce and Talent Development at MAGNET (Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network), an Ohio MEP affiliate center.

The background on industry cybersecurity standards: NIST, CSET, DFARS

By Cytellix Cyber Blog for Small Businesses

How to best understand the Cybersecurity guidance and volumes of information is an ominous challenge? The foundational cybersecurity work produced by NIST (National Institute for Standards and Technology) is a comprehensive cybersecurity review. Rather than diving too deep in to NIST and the regulatory nature of the definition of classified vs unclassified information and its protection, we will touch on the value of measuring a commercial organizations cybersecurity posture.

The recommended NIST standards, should you be interested to read, are noted as NIST SP 800-171, published October 18, 2015 identifies a couple very useful tools and premises for measurements. One tool, that is very useful is the CSET (Cyber Security Evaluation Tool), which is a self-test, that any organization can use for “free.” While this tool is comprehensive in nature, it does require the user of the tool, to have an in-depth IT and Cyber background to accurately answer the 109 technical questions.

The second very useful part of the NIST publication is the breakdown of measurements into the specific 14-controls: Access Control, Awareness and Training, Auditing and Accountability, Configuration Management, Identification and Authentication, Incident Response, Maintenance, Media Protection, Personnel Security, Physical Protection, Risk Assessment, Security Assessment, System and Communication Protection, System and Information Integrity. By accurately measuring these controls in both a self-test environment (CSET) and using network scanning/situational awareness tools, an organization can get a true grade of their cybersecurity posture to uncover looming vulnerabilities.

The tool (CSET) produces a private result that are defined as a percentage out of 100%, with 100% being equal to compliance. The commercial customer can be measured against a publicly available industry standard, that has been architected to look at a company’s posture without bias. The meaning is to use an industry standard, and by definition, an industry standard is not proprietary. The consulting, technology and solutions market typically use a proprietary methodology to assist in assessments. However, leveraging the standards will give your organization a measurable outcome and baseline for improvements.

Now that we have reviewed the foundations, putting this into practice and having a vision of the effect on your company is an important discussion. Today, any organization, that supplies the federal government with product, solutions or services under a DOD contract, MUST BE COMPLIANT BY 12/31/2017. This date is non-negotiable. Organizations can self-assess or outsource the entire process to cyber experts. There are a few other requirements for compliance beyond providing the 100% System Security Plan, which include a Plan of Action and Milestones (your cyber improvement plan), a gap analysis (what are my company challenges), continuous monitoring and cyber incident reporting processes. The commercial market cyber need is increasing daily, with both compliance, business continuity needs and basic preparedness. The standards approach is a very good methodology and starting place.

Other industries that will see changes for compliance in variations of this standard include: Healthcare, Financial Services, Food Safety, manufacturing and the Small and Medium Businesses (SMB’s). Here are some great references to see where the future of Cybersecurity preparedness is heading.

DFARS 252.204-7012 referenced as contract language for federal NIST 800-171 – designed for non-federal information systems (commercial)
NIST 800-53 cybersecurity framework for Federal information systems
Cybersecurity Framework for critical infrastructure – references NIST 800-53
Health Care Industry Cybersecurity Task Force recommends NIST Cybersecurity framework

Blog originally appeared here.

Contact the University of Utah MEP Center today for a one-hour business cybersecurity discovery session, or call 801.587.0713.

Madyson’s Marshmallows obtained GMP certification and increased annual sales by $50,000

Madyson’s Marshmallows began when four-year old Madyson asked her dad how to make a marshmallow. They started mixing different marshmallow recipes together in their kitchen, and it turned out they were delicious! Not long after, their business grew into a gourmet marshmallow company, making stuffed marshmallows, marshmallow beverage toppers, donuts, pops, and more. Their marshmallows are produced using natural, kosher ingredients without preservatives. Based in Heber, Utah, their marshmallows can be found in both national retail locations and smaller specialty markets and boutiques.

Project Scope

Madyson’s Marshmallows wanted to become certified in Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) standards, to ensure retention of current clients and obtain new clients that require this certification.

Solution

The University of Utah Manufacturing Extension Partnership (UUMEP) Center staff worked with company owner Breeze Wetzel, to support their preparation for the GMP audit.

Results

Madyson’s Marshmallows successfully obtained their GMP certification.

Impact

By obtaining their GMP certification, Madyson’s Marshmallows is now able to expand into national markets, which allows them to retain $100,000 in sales and increase sales annually by $50,000.

Client Testimonial

“Madyson’s Marshmallows is a small company with an exponential rate of growth each year. Partnering with the UUMEP Center has been a terrific experience for us and has helped us take large steps in moving forward with being able to manufacture our confections for major retailers. Quality and food safety are of the utmost importance to us and to our customers. The UUMEP Center helped us obtain our GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) Certification so that we can partner with new retailers and bring our marshmallows to more customers nationwide. Our next step in the journey of food safety is to become SQF Level 2 certified and to make this happen, we will continue to partner with the UUMEP Center to conduct a gap analysis, implement changes, and more towards SQF certification.”

Breeze Wetzel, Owner

 

Check out their website to find and purchase their products.

Download PDF of success story

Top four marketing items to do now

By Maureen Brakke, Marketing & Communications 

Here are the four top things you should do to increase your company visibility and build your customer base. These components are essential to you company’s success.

Do these in order, as they build on each other.

1. Establish your online presence.

Today, it’s really simple to download a FREE website template from WordPress, Weebly, Square Space, and many more. To get more than the basic templates, it might not hurt to invest a few bucks for a more customized, branded look.

  • Update your current website. It’s important to have an up-to-date website that matches your company branding. Your contact information should be easily accessible and visible. See examples here. Make sure you use good quality photos on your website that represent your company and your products well.

2. Establish your social media presence.

Find out what social media platform the majority of your customer’s use, then start with that one.

  • Twitter NOT Facebook: In our experience, most manufacturing companies use Twitter the most. Facebook is used more for personal reasons. LinkedIn is a good way to connect with individuals and companies too.
  • YouTube: People love videos. Short videos (under 2 min). Create a company YouTube channel. If your company has cool stuff to show off, take a video using your smart phone and upload it to YouTube. Don’t forget to share these on your social media channels. Check out slide.ly which helps you easily create videos and photo slideshows—and you can add free music to your videos.
  • Save a LOT of time. Automate your social media posts. Social media doesn’t have to be time consuming. Use a social media management system such as Hootsuite. This allows you to manage multiple social media network channels in one place. There is a free version or a paid version, depending on your needs.
    • Benefits of using a social media management system:
      1. You can schedule posts in advance.
      2. You can easily view analytics data.
      3. You can manage customer service on social media efficiently.

3. Create engaging content for your website

Engage your audience. Consider starting a blog. Write about tips, tricks, or “did you know” types of posts for your industry. See our blog for examples. Use lots of photos and graphics in the blogs. Like videos, blog posts should be short and to the point. People skim more than they actually read, so highlight things of importance in your blog post. Read more about The Anatomy of the Perfect Blog Post.

  • Use infographics: Infographics are a great way to get your message across in an engaging and interesting way. Use free tools such as Canva or gram. You can create anything from infographics to flyers with these tools. See examples here.
  • To use or not to use stock photos? Try to stay away from using stock photos as much as possible, as it doesn’t provide your website or materials with an authentic look and feel. In some cases, however, it might make sense to use a stock photo. Check out Pixabay or Shutterstock for free images.
  • Don’t have money for Photoshop? Check out PicMonkey, which is a photo editing, collage making, graphic design tool—and there is a free option!
  • Share blog posts on social media. Spread the word about you company on social media using your blog posts, infographics, etc. Include a link in your posts to your website, so your readers will want to go there for more information.

4. Stay in touch with your clients

It’s important to stay in touch with your potential, current, and former clients. Consider starting a quarterly or monthly newsletter, depending on how much news you have to share.

  • What to include in your newsletter:
    • A brief company introduction with your logo.
    • Company highlights
    • Your latest blog posts
    • Upcoming events (your own or industry events)
    • Your contact information so they can easily get in touch with one click
  • FREE newsletter tools: There are many free newsletter tools out there. Check out MailChimp or Constant Contact to get started. See newsletter examples

 

Maureen Brakke works in marketing and communications for the University of Utah MEP Center. She previously worked for the Utah System of Higher Education in marketing and communications, managing multiple initiatives, brands, blogs, and websites. Connect with her on Twitter.

UMA Safety & Mining Conference

The Utah Manufacturers Association and Utah Mining Association is hosting their 6th annual safety conference on April 12 at the Little America Hotel in Salt Lake City. We will be attending as an exhibitor, so please stop by and connect with us if you are attending.

Click for more information

Utah’s Manufacturing: Sharing successes & growth

Manf Blog

Published in Manufacturing Innovation Blog on January 9, 2017, by Tab Wilkins

Recently I accompanied our Director Carroll Thomas to the University of Utah Manufacturing Extension Partnership’s (UUMEP) open house announcing a new MEP center in Salt Lake City. After the open house we joined two roundtables, which validated how significant manufacturing is in Utah and how they successfully compete on a global scale.

Utah is recognized as a business friendly state by Forbes Magazine and CNBC, has a current unemployment rate of just over 3%, and a very strong and active Governor’s Office of Economic Development. The event drew close to 40 people from around the state and celebrated the thriving manufacturing community.

Read more