What is manufacturing?

(energetic music) - When you think of manufacturing, what comes to mind? Many of the everyday objects that we buy and use have been transformed from raw materials into finished goods inside factories. And that, in its simplest form, is manufacturing. Every day around the world factories manufacturer thousands upon thousands of new products. These products are as simple as a sheet of paper, as complex as a car, and as commonplace as this computer mouse. Obviously, these products don't make themselves. Highly trained manufacturing professionals are responsible for figuring out how these products should get made, and making sure they get made properly. We depend on the manufacturing trades to deliver these products safely, reliably, and affordably. - Manufacturing is one of the greatest hidden secrets in the country. And advanced manufacturing jobs really do offer an amazing array of career opportunities, and one that everyone in need of a career, in need of a job change, should consider. - I would say the biggest challenge is finding skilled people. Not only machinists, but throughout the whole advanced manufacturing gamut. There's a lot of different avenues. Companies are pivoting. They're using a lot of different technology, AI, and vision, and all sorts of different technology. And they need to have people that are skilled in all those different entities. - I think one of the biggest challenges for this industry is getting the word out to people that these jobs exist. I tell people what I do or how I make something, and they said, "I never really thought about that." so they don't even think about the fact that somebody has to design it, somebody has to figure out how to make it, somebody has to keep the production line running, somebody has to figure out how to get it to the public. There's a lot of cool, cool stuff that's happening behind the scenes. And so I think the biggest challenge is just letting people know that these things exist. - Modern manufacturing is very different than manufacturing of the old days. The jobs that require a lot of manual labor have gone overseas, and jobs that are boring and repetitive typically are performed by robots. Manufacturing jobs today require much more flexibility. These jobs demand a diverse set of skills and experiences to handle a wider variety of tools and processes, to make an ever changing set of products. Some of the best careers in the world are in this dynamic field of modern manufacturing. I'm Kipp Bradford, and I've been designing and manufacturing products for over 24 years. I've made everything from children's toys to cooling systems for the military. In my course, I'm going to introduce you to opportunities for a satisfying and rewarding career in the manufacturing trades. (energetic music)