Driving Economic Growth: Honoring Our Manufacturing Team on Manufacturing Day

Jim Clark | 2 October 2024

This coming Friday, October 4, we celebrate Manufacturing Day, it's a perfect time to pause and recognize the remarkable efforts of our manufacturing team members. Each day, their skills and dedication drive our success, and this celebration is a reflection of the vital role they play in shaping the future of our industry.

Embracing Opportunity in a Dynamic Industry

One of the most exciting aspects of manufacturing is the ever-changing landscape of opportunities. New equipment, advanced technology, refined process and expanded training areas create opportunities and provide a wealth of different pathways for team members to explore new career paths or personal interests. These opportunities foster a work environment that is continuously growing and adapting, and our people are at the heart of this transformation.

At Bastian Solutions, our manufacturing platform is growing quickly, as we develop and implement new products and processes.  With each new product line, technology manufacturing processes, our team members gain access to even more opportunities to grow their skills, pursue their passions and thrive in constantly growing industry.

The Leadership Path: Nurturing Tomorrow’s Leaders

As manufacturing operations grow, there is an increasing need for Leadership. For many, this is the first opportunity to experience a leadership role and grow their skills as a leader. This was my path. I joined Toyota Industrial Equipment as a welder, having trained in welding during high school. After a short time at Toyota, the first opportunity to take on a leadership role presented itself.  From there I found the roles challenging and exciting, finally deciding to permanently travel the leadership path exploring all the exciting twists and turns.

At Bastian Solutions, those roles start in manufacturing as team leaders. It is the first transition step between skilled process work and leadership responsibilities. From there team members can continue to hone his or her skills as a team leader, while exploring the next level of leadership which is supervisor.  The beauty of this path – it’s flexible. If a team member enters a team leader role and then later discovers that is not as interesting as they once thought, they can always change direction, possibly moving back to the path of highly skilled fabrication or assembly work.

The Skills Path: Expanding Technical Expertise

 Another equally exciting path, for those not interested in leadership, is the manufacturing skills path.  As Bastian Solutions manufacturing continues to grow we are introducing new technologies, new machines, and new high-technology products allowing for team members to explore new skills and interests. 

Bastian is committed to investing in our team members and as with the leadership path, we will look internally first for talented team members who are seeking new adventures. Whether it is insourced work from our sister companies in TALG (Toyota Automated Logistics Group), or the launch of new products like Ultra Blue, or CB18, and ML 2 at our various locations, there are always new challenges to tackle and new technologies to master. Team members are encouraged to explore different departments – from fabrication and welding to electrical and material handling – where they can continue building their expertise.

The Manufacturing Training Path

For those who would still like to stay in their current role but are eager to grow or explore new challenges, that is where the training path comes into play. Bastian Solutions offers the hands-on TPS (Toyota Production System) Training course.

This program allows team members to dive deep into the education behind the Toyota Production System, where they can also participate in follow up training by either participating in projects, like Kaizen, and take on leadership roles in improving safety, eliminating waste, and enhancing quality and efficiency.

These training programs are available to all team members who wish to participate, providing valuable knowledge without interfering with their chosen career path. We believe in fostering an environment where continuous learning is not only encouraged but celebrated. Bastian is invested in our employees and will continue to develop new opportunities, provide more training paths, and create an environment where all our team members feel successful and engaged.

Highlighting the Industry’s Ongoing Evolution

Manufacturing Day in the United States serves as a beacon of progress, highlighting the industry's ongoing evolution and the pivotal role of team members in this journey. It is a celebration of skill enhancement, education partnerships, and diversity and inclusion efforts – all of which contribute to the development and advancement of the manufacturing workforce.

As we celebrate Manufacturing Day, let us recognize and appreciate the dedicated individuals who make manufacturing thrive in the United States. They are the builders of tomorrow's world, driving economic growth, innovation and a sustainable future through their hard work, skills and passion for manufacturing.

Author: Jim Clark