Networking has always been crucial for career advancement. It isn’t just about what you know, it’s also who you know. The more people you have in your network and the stronger your relationships are with them, the more opportunities seem to naturally come your way. In manufacturing, expanding the network of available resources provides a core focus for our business and supports valuable relationships that can be mutually beneficial.
A recent Manufacturing Monday Coffee Chat organized by SME Membership brought together professionals at different stages of their careers. The virtual event focused on effective networking strategies that lead to tangible business results, including attracting talented employees.
Panelists included Moderator Michael Bell, founder and CEO of Synbyo; Joshua Shepherd, engineering and r&d manager for IT Precision, and chair-elect SME Houston Chapter 29; Christie Hasbrouck, a graduate research assistant/PhD candidate at Penn State University; Sarah Curnow, co-founder and CEO of Credo Software; and Lisa Fisher, founder of Lisa Fisher Associates. Here are a few highlights of their conversation:
SME: What are the latest networking trends?
Shepherd: I’ve found that many people appreciate in-person interactions. In this post-COVID era, I’ve gained genuine connections and benefits from sitting down and talking face-to-face with local groups, customers and vendors during industry events.
Bell: Tours have been the key drawing point for membership. If company restrictions open, the conversation and networking that occur within this environment tend to be organic and free-flowing.
SME: What are your greatest post-COVID challenges?
Hasbrouck: Job interviews are almost entirely virtual now. ... COVID opened a whole world of online networking, but it makes it harder to connect with an individual when you’re not there in person to make assessments of culture and personalities.
Curnow: One of the things I think is really important is overcoming that zone of resistance when you’re meeting with people. In South Carolina, there are great organizations doing work in the community. The German American Chamber, for example, is alive and well in the area and they do a good job facilitating plant tours and helping companies and individuals connect.
Fisher: It’s not just manufacturing companies that are attending (tours), it’s a lot of people from the community and there has been an amazing amount of feedback from the companies and individuals who are finding value in seeing plants and different work environments face to face. It’s very important to utilize local organizations to help get people in the door and see what a career in manufacturing is all about.
SME: Can you share some personal experiences highlighting the benefits of networking?
Hasbrouck: When I was the president of the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society as an undergraduate, I attended many conventions where I met engineers from many different fields. Now, anytime I need input for projects I can reference new engineer contacts. ... It’s been a really high success rate in the responses I get when reaching out to my newly developed network of engineering professionals.
Bell: My approach when it comes to networking is that it’s easier to do a favor for a friend than it is for a stranger. The more people you know, the more relationships you build, the more opportunities will begin to open for you organically.
The SME Education Foundation has awarded 163 scholarships totaling $913,800 to students pursuing manufacturing and engineering education in 2023. The scholarships were presented to students from 34 states and two Canadian provinces at the SME International Awards Gala on June 5.
The Foundation received a record number of applications this year, with 1,404 submissions reviewed. Since 2005, some $18 million has been awarded to more than 5,000 students. Recipients are selected through a rigorous review process involving more than 200 academic and industry professionals. Several changes were made this year to increase the impact of the scholarship programs: award amounts were increased, need-based criteria were incorporated and multi-year renewing awards were introduced.
The changes help break down financial barriers to careers in manufacturing, according to Rob Luce, vice president of the SME Education Foundation. The minimum award this year was $2,500, while the average award was $5,274.
The 2023 scholarship program also saw increased participation from women and students of color. The Foundation’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiative, launched in 2021, includes the Irving P. McPhail scholarship fund and new promotional partnerships.
The application process for the 2024-25 school year starts Nov. 1. Interested students can visit smeef.org/scholarships for more information.
Scientists, engineers and academics from the manufacturing world gathered at the 51st North American Manufacturing Research Conference (NAMRC) in New Brunswick, N.J. Organized by the North American Manufacturing Research Institution of SME (NAMRI | SME), NAMRC is considered the premier international forum for applied research and industrial applications in manufacturing and design.
Several awards were announced at this year’s event, which was hosted by Rutgers University. The S.M. Wu Research Implementation Award, named after Professor Shien-Ming Wu, recognized Jaydeep Karandikar from Oak Ridge National Laboratory for his cost optimization method that saved $20 million per year.
The Outstanding Lifetime Service Award went to professor emeritus Serope Kalpakjian from the Illinois Institute of Technology for his longstanding dedication to NAMRI | SME. Six young engineers, researchers and professors under the age of 35 were also honored for their exceptional contributions and accomplishments in manufacturing.
In addition to the awards, outstanding papers from 2022 were recognized, and the NAMRC Student Research Presentation Award was given to Clayton Cooper for his presentation on surface roughness prediction. Radu Pavel, Steven R. Schmid and Gregory A. Harris won the David Dornfeld Manufacturing Vision Award for their presentation on “The Intelligent Machine Tool.”
NAMRC52 will be held June 17-21, 2024, at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
Tooling U-SME, the workforce development division of SME, and CESMII–The Smart Manufacturing Institute, sponsored by NIST and the U.S Department of Energy, are launching a Fundamentals of Smart Manufacturing learning curriculum. The online training curriculum aims to build awareness and educate the workforce about smart manufacturing processes and technologies.
Courses include 35 self-paced training modules that cover topics such as smart manufacturing introduction, data organization, system connectivity, automation, cybersecurity and decision-making insights. The curriculum was reviewed and supported by CESMII, CyManII and America Makes, along with the U.S. Office of Naval Research.
Jeannine Kunz, chief workforce development officer at SME, emphasized the importance of teaching the manufacturing workforce the basics of smart manufacturing methodologies to accelerate transformation in the U.S., including improved quality, reduced costs and workforce efficiencies.
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