Manufacturing companies around Montana will offer virtual and in-person tours of their operations throughout October as part of a national effort that kicks off with National Manufacturing Day on Thursday, Oct. 1.

The Montana Manufacturing Extension Center at Montana State University is encouraging Montana manufacturers to host the tours and is available to provide guidance about how to conduct the tours virtually to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

"This is a great opportunity for Montana manufacturers to showcase their expertise and innovation, and for members of the public to get a glimpse of all that goes into making things," said Paddy Fleming, MMEC's director. The events are also a chance for people to see what manufacturing jobs look like and determine whether a manufacturing career might be a good fit for them, Fleming added.

MMEC has a webpage with resources for manufacturers, their partners and educators about how to host and attend the in-person and virtual manufacturing tours. The webpage includes ideas for hosting virtual events, guidance for promoting events on social media and downloadable graphics. The page is at montana.edu/mmec/news/MFGDay.html.

Manufacturers can register to host an event at creatorswanted.org/register-event. Those interested in viewing or attending a tour can find events at creatorswanted.org/find-events.

Manufacturing Day was started by the nonprofit Fabricators and Manufacturers Association in 2012. Since 2017 it has been organized by the National Association of Manufacturers, an advocacy group.

Fleming and members of MMEC’s advisory board will be on Voices of Montana to kick off Manufacturing Day on Oct. 1 at 9 a.m. on the Northern Broadcasting System. Joining them will be Neal Blossom of American Chemet, Amanda Markle of Red Oxx and Claude Smith of Wilcox Farms to discuss the future of Montana's manufacturing workforce.

MMEC works one-on-one with manufacturers to help them assess and improve their production processes, develop their workforce and leverage research and technological developments at Montana State University to keep manufacturing competitive in the state. Since MMEC was established in 1996, it has strengthened Montana’s manufacturing economy by generating over $328 million in new investment, $1.3 billion in new and retained sales, 6,180 new and retained jobs and $160 million in cost savings, according to data MMEC tracks for federal reporting. MMEC is housed in MSU’s Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering with five field offices around the state.