Manufacturing Talk Radio Hosts ThomasNet News Publisher and Lead Reporter Online Live
Guests to Discuss the Importance of Attracting Generation Y Talent to Manufacturing
NEW YORK, NY – On Monday, November 18 at 2:00 p.m. EST, MFG Talk Radio co-hosts Lewis Weiss and Tim Grady will discuss manufacturing in America from the perspective of the small and middle market companies that represent the vast majority of the country’s manufacturing businesses. Join them as they tackle a well-publicized issue—the brain drain in manufacturing, and what the industry is doing to solve it.Â
Broadcasting live over the Internet, the program will feature two experts on the subject, Paul Gerbino, publisher of ThomasNet News and Beth Goodbaum, lead reporter with ThomasNet News Career Journal. ThomasNet News is a family of industry-specific online publications and e-newsletters. Its Career Journal provides guidance to manufacturers looking to fill jobs, and educates job-seekers interested in new opportunities in manufacturing.
Co-hosted by Mr. Lew Weiss, President of All Metals Forge Group, and Mr. Tim Grady, a business and industry consultant for over 25 years, the 50-minute show will delve into the “ticking biological clock” that threatens the future of manufacturing, and how manufacturing organizations are galvanizing resources to tackle it.
ThomasNet.com® recently released results of its annual Industry Market Barometer® survey of more than 1,200 manufacturers showing a threat to the future of manufacturing coming from a lack of succession planning. Specifically, most respondents to the survey, reflecting their industry as a whole, are in the 45-65 age range, including many Baby Boomers getting set to retire. With Generation Y (ages 18-32) projected to make up 75 percent of the workforce by 2025, these manufacturers need an aggressive plan to bring this talent in and teach them the business.
Yet, eight out of ten respondents report that Generation Y represents a very small fraction of their employee base, and most don’t see that changing soon. The results reveal a troubling disconnect—manufacturers acknowledge there is problem, but are not taking action to tackle it. Adding to the issue: Three out of four also feel that negative perceptions of the manufacturing industry are deterring young people from joining it.
“The manufacturing industry needs a brand makeover to reinforce its ‘cool factor,’ " said Mr. Gerbino. “The people we surveyed love being able to use and develop new technologies and create products that make a positive impact. We need to convey their passion and excitement to professionals from Generation Y in order to engage them. We’re seeing exciting programs moving in this direction, and we need to increase them exponentially.”
“The purpose and point of Manufacturing Talk Radio is to go beyond the sound bites of the news to educate, inform and entertain our listeners where they live and work,” said Mr. Grady. Â Â “But rather than inundate them, our content is targeted at what makes them tick and what makes the economy tick, and to share the pivotal resources, like ThomasNet, where they can gain an overview or get granular to shape their strategic and tactical actions,” he said.
“ThomasNet provides a wealth of manufacturing information and research on how suppliers and buyers in this industry do business,” said Mr. Weiss. “We have been a part of their various marketing and advertising mediums for nearly 40 years. Their perspective and resource information on manufacturing in America is second to none,” he concluded.
ThomasNet began over a century ago with the Thomas Register of American Manufacturers, also known within the industry as the big green books, a multi-volume directory of industrial product information. Today, engineers and purchasing professionals from Fortune 500 companies, government/military organizations, institutions and small businesses rely on ThomasNet.com, industry’s leading free platform for product sourcing and supplier discovery. This powerhouse of online information features more than 610,000 suppliers (manufacturers, distributors, and service providers), and more than 100 million products. Thomas also enables suppliers to leverage their product content to increase sales, using the company’s proprietary Navigator Platform technology. In addition, they offer a suite of Internet and digital media solutions, from websites with product catalogs, to SEO/SEM.
All Metals & Forge Group has made forgings since 1972 for many metalworking industries, including aerospace, aircraft, automotive, chemical, construction, defense, engine and turbine, energy and power generation, food processing, gear manufacturing, general manufacturing, mining and tunnel boring, oil and gas exploration, petroleum, pulp and paper, shipbuilding and transportation.
NetMark International has been an advisory firm since 1986, consulting on revenue growth, new revenue streams, strategic planning, sales management, marketing materials, multimedia, and uses of technology for business results, from Microsoft Office software to website creation, content, SEO, PPC and data mining.
Contact: Mr. Lewis Weiss Â
Phone:Â Â Â 973-276-5100Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Email:Â Â Â Â laweiss@steelforge.com
