This Friday, October 6, the U.S. will celebrate National Manufacturing Day — a day set aside to highlight the importance of manufacturing on a national and local level, and to address the misperceptions about manufacturing.
For the third consecutive year, all of our U.S. manufacturing plants are participating, and will be hosting events in our plant-communities targeted to students and teachers. Last year, our events attracted more than 3,500 participants — and that was up from 1,500 participants in 2015.
I’m excited to be a part of our celebration this year, and to do my part to spread the word that manufacturing matters. Manufacturing jobs are far more than the dead end some people say they are. Nothing could be further from the truth. Manufacturing jobs use the latest technology, provide an opportunity for growth, are plentiful and secure.
When it comes to a strong economy, manufacturing jobs are the bedrock of our country. More than 12.3 million workers hold jobs in manufacturing today, and that accounts for nearly 10 percent of the U.S. workforce.* For every $1 spent in manufacturing, another $1.81 is returned to our economy.** That is the highest multiplier-effect of any economic sector — and for every one worker in manufacturing, another four are hired elsewhere to support manufacturing.***
For Whirlpool Corporation specifically, our nine U.S. plants employ more than 15,000 men and women, who build high-quality home appliances that consumers can count on to make their lives better. In fact, since 2010 we’ve invested more than $1 billion in our U.S. manufacturing operations on new facilities and plant upgrades to ensure we have the processes and technology in place to produce great appliances for the American marketplace.
I hope you’re looking forward to learning even more about our manufacturing operations this month.
Byron Green
Vice President
NAR Manufacturing
* Bureau of Labor Statistics
** National Association of Manufacturers
*** National Association of Manufacturers with calculations using IMPLAN