The 2024 Jackson County MFG Day was Oct. 11.
Nearly 200 students and 15 chaperones from the six county high schools — Brownstown Central, Crothersville, Medora, Sandy Creek, Seymour and Trinity Lutheran — gathered at Cummins Seymour Engine Plant for a welcome from Plant Manager Darren Kimmel and Seymour Mayor Matt Nicholson.
After watching a safety video, the students, divided into four groups, rotated between workshops. Those were Life on a Budget with Brian Terrell from Aisin USA Mfg. Inc.; Communication is Key with Leanne Powell, Allie Hurr and Kellie Marshall from Lannett Co. Inc.; Jackson County Grads with Rachael Hunter from Cummins, Dana Perry from Aisin USA, Gene Ivey from Pet Supplies Plus and Dalton Jackson, Steven Kidd and Leslie Bean from Valeo; and Career Development with Tina Hacker and Yesenia Otero from Pet Supplies Plus.
Then in the afternoon, the students and chaperones visited one of the five participating industries for lunch, a tour and a hands-on activity.
JCIDC organized the event with the help of Cummins SEP, Aisin USA, Lannett, Valeo and Pet Supplies Plus and the six schools.
Celebrated annually on the first Friday in October with events continuing throughout the month and beyond, MFG Day is a national grassroots movement that demonstrates the reality and future of modern manufacturing careers. Thousands of companies and educational institutions nationwide are invited to open their doors to students, parents, educators and community leaders.
The Manufacturing Institute initiative empowers manufacturers to come together and address their collective challenges and build excitement about manufacturing careers to help their communities and future generations thrive.
The inaugural Manufacturing Day in Jackson County was in 2019. Nearly 130 Seymour High School students participated in the event organized by JCIDC that was designed to introduce young people in the community to the manufacturing sector and career opportunities and demonstrate the contributions manufacturing makes to the local economy. Since that first year in Jackson County, the event has expanded to include the other county high schools.
Manufacturing Day, now known as MFG Day, has been observed nationally since 2012 to inspire the next generation of manufacturers.
