Manufacturing Jobs need Skilled Workers

Right now there is a critical shortage of skilled workers for manufacturing jobs. Because the United States has been outsourcing its manufacturing jobs over the last few decades, talent in the manufacturing industry is hard to come by. Employers continue to struggle finding skilled tradesmen to fill these important jobs that are critical to the economy.

Manufacturing refers to the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term is is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale. Manufacturing is usually undertaken for the mass production of products for sale to consumers at a profit.  Examples of major manufacturers in North America include General Motors Corporation, General Electric, and Pfizer. These companies may manufacture products that are used in more complex manufacturing, or they may take finished goods and sell them to retailers.

In chemical manufacturing, industrial chemicals are created that are used in a variety of processes. Polymers and plastics, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene terephthalate, polystyrene and polycarbonate, are produced. They are used to make a variety of goods. Major industrial customers include rubber and plastic products, textiles, apparel, petroleum refining, pulp and paper, and primary metals.

Construction goes hand-in-hand with manufacturing. Construction involves the process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Companies may be involved with building or industrial construction.

In manufacturing engineering, workers are involved with different manufacturing practices and the research and development of processes, machines, tools and equipment. They handle machines that turns raw materials to a new product. They also integrate different facilities and systems for producing quality products with optimal expenditure.

Manufacturing in agriculture is typically called agribusiness and involves food production, including farming and contract farming, seed supply, agrichemicals, farm machinery, wholesale and distribution, processing, marketing, and retail sales.

In the industrial design portion of manufacturing, workers create and execute design solutions for problems of form, usability, physical ergonomics, marketing, brand development, and sales. The goal is to improve upon the usability and outward appeal of a product.

The manufacturing of plastics is a huge industry. Here companies create thermoplastics and thermosetting polymers. Thermoplastics are the plastics that do not undergo chemical change in their composition when heated and can be molded repeatedly. Most plastics are produced from petrochemicals. Bioplastics are currently being developed and are made substantially from renewable plant materials such as cellulose and starch.

Textile manufacturing converts three types of fiber into yarn, then fabric, then textiles. Cotton is the most prevalent and important fiber. The six stages of growing and harvesting cotton include cultivating and harvesting,

preparatory processes, spinning, weaving, finishing, and marketing.

In the pulp and paper industry, companies use wood as raw material and produce pulp, paper, board and other cellulose-based products. International Paper is the world’s largest pulp and paper maker.

In tire manufacturing, pneumatic tires are manufactured according to relatively standardized processes. Tire factories start with bulk raw materials such as rubber, carbon black, and chemicals and produce numerous specialized components that are assembled and cured.

All of these industries require skilled workers to perform various duties. Without these skilled workers, the manufacturing industry would be drastically affected.