Deserved or not, manufacturing hasn't exactly had a reputation as the most female-friendly career choice. But research has shown that it's financially beneficial for a company to bring women into the fold, and more importantly, to give them the opportunity to succeed. Is your company taking steps to attract -- and retain -- female employees?

Fast Company featured an article on this topic that talks about thinking in terms of all employees, not just women, as a means for bringing in the best talent. While some of the policies outlined might not be suitable for a shop floor environment (working remotely, for example), they can certainly work in other areas of any company's operations.

If you encountered any of the students who took part in the NIMS Student Skills Summit, you may have noticed that there were more than a few girls in the mix. (Watch this IMTSTV video about the Student Summit to get a first-hand account.) With excited young minds not being exclusive just to boys, and with the skills gap and worker shortage not going away anytime soon, it's important to make sure girls are also encouraged to explore manufacturing as a career path, and that companies are taking steps to recruit and retain the top talent already in the work force - regardless of gender.

This calls for a celebration – Manufacturing Day is here, a day devoted to expanding knowledge and improving public perception about careers in manufacturing and the industry in general.

To honor the day, a number of manufacturers are offering facility tours and other events. Here at AMT headquarters (home of IMTS show management), IMTS TV has created a video featuring Doug Woods, President of AMT, talking about why manufacturing matters. We also have a feature on the NIMS Student Skills Summit, which attracted thousands of students to IMTS 2012, and videos covering other great topics around manufacturing.

With a skills gap growing only more pervasive throughout manufacturing, now it's more important than ever to reach out to students and educators to give them a real understanding of the good paying, highly technical careers available in the industry. We need these bright minds and the enthusiastic energy behind them to ensure that U.S. manufacturing has a strong future. While exhibitors at IMTS were encouraged to welcome students into their booths, this is an effort that happens every day - not just on the show floor. 

What are you doing to mark this day? What do you think needs to happen to improve public perception of the industry?

Just 3 years ago, the Big Three automakers saw their factories running around 50 percent capacity. Now, it's predicted they will be at greater than 100 percent capacity by year's end. It's uplifting news for the automotive industry, and manufacturing as a whole.

This article from The Detroit News gives more details of the report, done by Ron Harbour of Oliver Wyman. He notes that automakers continue to move with caution, with an eye toward efficiency throughout the supply chain.

Still, it's good to hear some good news for the industry, and let's hope it continues throughout the rest of the year.

Congratulations to DocMagnet, winner of the IMTS 2012 Convince Them in 60 Seconds video competition! DocMagnet garnered the highest vote total with their video, Got Magnets.

The winners received a $100 American Express gift card, and will have their video featured on IMTSTV. Stop by their booth at W-1356 to say hello! You can also visit their website at www.docmagnet.com.

Thanks to all of our exhibitors who entered the contest, and everyone who voted. We had some very creative submissions and we appreciate everyone taking the time to send in their videos. Thanks for being part of the fun!