SYRACUSE, NY – October is New York State’s official celebration of Manufacturing Month, which aligns with National Manufacturing Day (MFG Day), on the first Friday of the month. On Thursday, October 3^rd, and Friday, October 4^th, MACNY, The Manufacturers Association, and Partners for Education & Business, Inc. (PEB) held a two-day MFG Day celebration to kick off New York State’s Manufacturing Month.

Students across Central New York visited Byrne Dairy, Worthington Steel, Anheuser-Busch, and Morse Manufacturing. On Thursday at Byrne Dairy, students learned about automation on the plant floor and experienced various processes from batching and pasteurization to titration and dye testing. Students who visited Worthington Steel saw the entire process of making steel coils from raw material to packing. On Friday, students experienced the brewing process from ‘sip to seed’ at Anheuser-Busch and joined the manufacturing floor at Morse Manufacturing to see the engineering of drum handling equipment. They capped off the day with a relay/obstacle course where they worked in teams to move 55-gallon drums across the floor using 3 different barrel-moving products!

To celebrate this momentous month, MACNY and PEB have coordinated with 14 local manufacturers to showcase manufacturing in action to over 600 students and educators from 11 school districts across Central New York and the Mohawk Valley. The supporting companies participating in tours are Anheuser-Busch, Anoplate, Bartell Machinery, Bluefors, Byrne Dairy, Cayuga Community College’s Advanced Manufacturing Institute, Golden Artist Colors, Indium Corporation, Morse Manufacturing, OCWA, TTM Technologies, United Radio, Waygate Technologies, and Worthington Steel.

“Manufacturing Month shines a spotlight on the manufacturing industry and provides us with an opportunity to positively influence the perception of manufacturing, inspire the workforce of tomorrow, and engage with our community – students, educators, business leaders, elected officials, and beyond,” stated Randy Wolken, President & CEO of MACNY.

The mission of Manufacturing Month is to showcase real-life examples of modern manufacturing jobs to inspire the next generation of creators to pursue careers in manufacturing. This month provides an opportunity for manufacturers to come together to address their collective challenges to help their communities and future generations thrive.

“With the number of manufacturing jobs coming to our region, our team’s work engaging students with local industry partners is more vital than ever. Through career-connected learning experiences, we can ensure the youth of our community are informed and equipped to access these opportunities,” shared Taylor Hodge, Director of Partners for Education & Business, Inc.

For a full list of Manufacturing Month tours and events, visit www.macny.org/manufacturing-month.