DENSO is celebrating Manufacturing Day throughout the month with a variety of programs and events at its locations across North America to inspire the next generation of manufacturing talent. The company, with its 70-year history of crafting advanced automotive components and systems for almost every vehicle make and model on the road, will host student tours, call for manufacturing-themed essays and showcase the rewarding careers possible in the field.
Produced by the National Association of Manufacturers and the Manufacturing Institute, Manufacturing Day addresses its common misperceptions by showing what manufacturing really is. DENSO, for example, is at the forefront of automated and data-rich manufacturing, or Industry 4.0, and provides tech-forward training for employees to learn new skills and advance their careers, said the company.
“Too often, there is a stigma around manufacturing, but the fact is this – manufacturing is changing the world,” said Shinichi Nakamizo, executive officer of DENSO Corporation and North American Manufacturing, and president of DENSO’s Maryville, Tennessee, facility. “Manufacturing allows us to keep pace with the new demands of mobility. It creates an environment in which our employees can learn new skills and excel. And it allows us to build a collaborative, diverse and inclusive workforce that is helping revolutionize transportation and move society forward.”
Events to Connect with Future Generations on Modern Manufacturing
In support of Manufacturing Day, DENSO is hosting activities at and around its facilities in North America throughout October:
• Essay Competitions: Students at K-12 schools in Athens, Tennessee, and Osceola, Arkansas, will submit essays about what manufacturing means to them and the importance of transportation. Winners will get a behind-the-scenes tour of the DENSO facility in their area and meet with its leadership to see firsthand how DENSO supports the world’s major automakers.
• Interactive Tours & Exhibits: DENSO’s Maryville facility will open its doors to 300 high school students, who will experience hands-on robotics demonstrations. DENSO’s North American headquarters in Southfield, Michigan, on Oct. 4, sponsored 200 students from local middle schools to visit the Cranbrook Institute of Science for a Manufacturing Day-themed event that featured robotics and drones. DENSO will also provide robots and manufacturing-related educational materials to the Cranbrook Institute of Science’s Robot Revolution exhibit.
• Career Opportunities: DENSO will be on-site at three colleges and universities, including Kellogg Community College (Battle Creek, Michigan), FIME University (Mexico) and Mitchell Community College (Statesville, North Carolina), to connect with young professionals on careers in STEM fields, as many different roles and perspectives contribute to successful manufacturing.