Celebrate the 10th Annual ‘MADE in New Jersey’ Manufacturing Day

Manufacturing Day is a national celebration recognized by states, businesses, and schools throughout the country. It’s a day to honor the domestic manufacturing industry and showcase the value of these incredible organizations. Manufacturing is easy to overlook, especially in a state like New Jersey.

‘MADE in New Jersey’ Manufacturing Day was developed to highlight the New Jersey manufacturers that contribute so much to not only the state but the entire nation. New Jersey might be named the Garden State, but there are over 10,500 manufacturing businesses that call the state home. Primarily thought of as a service-based economy, manufacturing contributed over $175.3 billion to the state’s GDP. Manufacturing combined with life sciences industries brings in more than 30% of the total GDP for New Jersey.

There are so few opportunities for the entire industry to come together, discuss their progress, collaborate to overcome their challenges, and connect with partners, potential suppliers, and representatives from the state and federal government. ‘MADE in New Jersey’ Manufacturing Day is designed to provide this opportunity for the businesses that attend. 2022 marks the 10th annual ‘MADE in New Jersey’ Manufacturing Day and each year the event evolves to meet the growing needs of the industry. With dozens of supporting organizations and hundreds of manufacturers, this event has come incredibly far from its origin.

‘MADE in New Jersey’ Manufacturing Day is a content-driven event that includes the best parts of a tradeshow, educational conference, and awards ceremony. On October 7th, New Jersey manufacturers will experience critical breakout sessions focusing on topics and themes that will have a direct impact on their business. See below for the sessions being delivered at the 10th Annual ‘MADE in New Jersey’ Manufacturing Day:

Mitigating Supply Chain Disruptions – Strategies, Tactics, Real-world Examples
Cyber Security Made Simple – The Threats and How to Avoid Them
Strategies for Manufacturers to Improve Cashflow
Best Ways to Retain Your Current Workforce
‘Year of Women in Manufacturing’ - Collaborating to Drive Forward Progress
How Manufacturers can Work to Rebuild the Talent Pipeline
Reaching More Customers and New Markets
Bridging the Divide – Connecting Manufacturers and New Jersey Policy Makers

Community Engagement and Inspiring the Next Generation

High-school robotics teams will come out to showcase their creations and their engineering prowess. These events help bring young adults and industry together. Building a bridge between academia is incredibly challenging for a manufacturer to manage on their own. Adding these portions to ‘MADE in New Jersey’ Manufacturing Day provides a direct way for manufacturers to connect and engage with students and local high schools to create those relationships.

Exhibitors from businesses both inside the industry and those that directly support the industry are a vital part of ‘MADE in New Jersey’ Manufacturing Day. Their support not only ensures NJMEP can develop the event, but each adds unique value to the trade-show aspect of the event. These organizations not only sponsor the event but will actively contribute to the run of the show. From sharing expertise to providing manufacturers with additional resources, the exhibitor room will be filled with value.

Last but not least, ‘MADE in New Jersey’ Manufacturing Day will honor and celebrate the stand-out manufacturing businesses found throughout the state. Manufacturers were nominated for the Manufacturer of the Year awards in unique categories at the beginning of the year. After a rigorous selection process, finalists are chosen in each of the six unique categories. This year two new awards will be added to the Manufacturer of the Year award ceremony, “Leaders in Life Sciences” which will be presented by the Healthcare Institute of New Jersey (HINJ), and the “Rising Stars Award”, in celebration of the ‘Year of Women in Manufacturing’ initiative to bring attention to the incredible women manufacturing leaders that drive the industry forward.

This year’s ‘MADE in New Jersey’ award finalists have been selected for each category and the winners will be announced on October 7th during the ‘MADE in New Jersey’ Manufacturing Day celebration. The Manufacturer of the Year finalists in each category are: Small-Size Manufacturers – ModTek, Hickory Industries, Inc., and Prince Sterilization Services; Medium-Size Manufacturers – IPAK, MAINGEAR, and Worldwide Glass Resources; and Large-Size Manufacturers – Sanofi, Stryker, and Marotta Controls. For the inaugural Rising Stars Award finalists: Catherine Nkoutche – Power Container Corp., Micaela Alvarez – Universal Nutrition, Cari August – OFS Fitel, Devon Winter – F.W. Winter Inc & Co, and Ellen Pietrowitz-Phillips – L-E-M Plastics & Supply, Inc. The new Life Science Leaders Award finalists: CorePharma LLC, Case Medical, and Celularity. Innovator of the Year Award finalists: Sanofi, Intelligent Material Solutions, Inc. (IMS), and MAINGEAR.

Continued Support for a Strong Domestic Manufacturing Base

Manufacturing is making headlines. A renewed effort to bring more manufacturing back to the United States can be seen nationwide. However, without providing the industry with the ability to collaborate and connect with public and private partners, they will not be able to sustain a strong industrial base.

The workforce continues to be a persistent challenge. There is a limited talent pool that needs to be rejuvenated. Women are incredibly underrepresented in the manufacturing space, even though they hold key leadership positions and are a driving force for the industry. Supply chain challenges continue to loom. The industry still hasn’t received the recognition it deserves. All these issues put unfair pressure on the domestic manufacturers that have contributed so much to the state and national economy. A single day is not going to be the entire solution but ‘MADE in New Jersey’ Manufacturing Day is the catalyst for progress.

‘MADE in New Jersey’ Manufacturing Day is NJMEP’s way of ensuring the industry can connect on a large scale. Without these opportunities, manufacturing will remain in silos. Engaging in events like this provides incredible value to all involved and industry leaders must continue to come out, connect, and collaborate with their peers.

There’s no telling the value that can be uncovered from all the opportunities that will be presented at New Jersey’s largest manufacturing networking event of the year, ‘MADE in New Jersey’ Manufacturing Day. Registration is currently open, and seating is limited.

Categories: Sponsored

Celebrating the 10th Annual ‘MADE in New Jersey’ Manufacturing Day