By Claudia Serrano, Projects Coordinator, New Mexico MEP
Manufacturing Day is catching on in New Mexico, with more and more manufacturers lining up to represent the state in a national day of recognition for businesses that make products in America.
Events are planned at more than a dozen facilities in nine New Mexico communities. Last year, the first time New Mexico participated, seven producers hosted events in three cities.
New Mexico Manufacturing Extension Partnership — the primary sponsor of statewide events — is scheduling tours in Albuquerque and Rio Rancho, Hobbs, Silver City, Deming, Farmington, Las Cruces and from Santa Fe to Taos. Each region has a designated day to participate between Oct. 1 and Oct. 3, with kickoffs set for Oct. 1 in Hobbs and the Albuquerque metro area.
Who’s on Board
Nineteen businesses have committed to public or private tours, but many more are considering participation in this important event.
Confirmed participants include Black Mesa Winery in Velarde; Marpac, an Albuquerque company that specializes in medical-securement devices; RMS Foods in Hobbs, which makes soy-based burgers under the Boca Burger brand; Syzygy Tile in Silver City, producer of handmade tiles; Herbs Etc. in Santa Fe, which makes medicines from herbs; Lectrosonics in Rio Rancho, an audio system producer of wireless microphone systems; Mule Creek Adobe in Silver City, which makes adobe bricks; and OGB Architectural Millwork, a woodwork facility that makes cabinets and architectural pieces for commercial facilities.
My Sacred Fig of Albuquerque and Private Label Select of Taos, two unrelated companies that make private-label skin-care products, will give participants a look at new facilities. The San Juan College Enterprise Center, a business incubator, will showcase five of its resident startups.
Four companies will participate by hosting private tours intended to give legislators a firsthand look at the importance of manufacturing in New Mexico. Others aspire to engage young people and encourage them to consider careers in engineering, design or manufacturing. Students who participated last year in Deming expressed interest in how things were made during their tours of Compass Components, where workers assemble electrical components used in the transportation, semiconductor, solar-power and medical industries.
Event Objectives
The goal of Manufacturing Day is to show the public what manufacturing looks like in America in the 21st century and to encourage young people to consider careers in manufacturing so the industry can remain a backbone of the U.S. economy.
As Manufacturing Day draws near, the entire state tour lineup can be found at http://newmexicomep.org/mfgday. That page will contain links to an individual Eventbrite page for each tour so people can register and reserve a spot. Some tours will visit more than one business.
A visit to the MEP website or an Eventbrite search for Manufacturing Day in New Mexico will show a current list of all tours.
New Mexico MEP is part of a nationwide network of public/private partners that works with manufacturers to provide expertise and training in streamlined production and administrative practices so these businesses can create and retain jobs by becoming more efficient and competitive. For more information, visit http://newmexicomep.org.
Download 361_New Mexico Businesses Join National Manufacturing Day Initiative PDF