same time, many of the workers of
tomorrow are enthralled with the
idea of careers in STEM (science,
technology, engineering, and math)—
jobs that are technical, respectable,
stable, challenging, rewarding,
exciting, and high paying.
But here’s a secret few people
know: in many cases, careers in
the manufacturing sector are STEM
careers. Engineers design the
products manufacturers make and
the systems necessary to produce
them. Robotics experts program,
operate, and maintain the state-
of-the-art machines that build
things. Software developers code
the applications necessary to keep
entire factories running. These are
just a few of the STEM-heavy careers
that exist in manufacturing today,
jobs that are at the cutting edge of
innovation and that pay accordingly.
So much of the public conception
of manufacturing is based upon
what manufacturing used to be—
what the industry was many
decades ago—before technology,
safety standards, and efforts to
become environmentally sustainable
transformed it for the better. In this
book, we will take you on a journey
through what manufacturing is
today, from the technologies that
manufacturers use on a daily basis
to the innovations they are creating
to change the world.