Growing Passion for Manufacturing From a STEM

Boyer Karen small

I am very concerned about the nationwide shortage in skilled trades. A large number of our talented journeymen are quickly approaching retirement, and in addition to growing our own internal pipelines of promoting associates into apprenticeships, we are also heavily engaged with the State of Michigan and our local community college partners to increase interest in this really vital career path in manufacturing.

WardsAuto: Discuss the misperceptions young Americans may have about manufacturing. How does Denso counter those misperceptions?

Boyer: I think over time manufacturing has gotten a bad reputation. The people that love and value what the Japanese call “monozukuri,” the art of making things, know that is just a perception issue, a stereotype. We hear from some people that they didn’t realize how many manufacturing jobs were still here in Michigan. Let me tell you, 3,000 people come to work here at Denso in Battle Creek and we ship 134 trucks of finished goods each day. There is definitely manufacturing happening in Michigan! Or, we hear from others that they see manufacturing as dark, dirty work. The best thing we can do for those people is to invite them to visit. Because we have 1.38 million square feet (128,000 sq.-m) that can certainly show that’s not the truth. It’s a really cool place to come to work every day.

To answer your second question, let me tell you about one activity in particular I think really opened our eyes about changing the misperceptions about manufacturing. Last year, one of our local high schools hosted their professional development day here at Denso in Battle Creek. They met professionals from throughout our organization – engineers, skilled-trades journeymen, human-resources professionals, a little bit of everything. Then they took an hour-long tour. And they were shocked at how clean, how organized, how bright our plant is.

And when we shared some of our wages and benefit information, you could see them buzzing about the dozens of students that they know who may not be a good fit in college, who could be starting a lucrative career at 18 or 19 and letting Denso pay for an apprenticeship program or a 4-year degree instead of starting in their mid- to late-20s.

I think getting to those influencers in their life – teachers, school counselors, parents – to get them looking at reality instead of the stereotype. That’s when it's easy to fall in love with manufacturing. To realize you are energized by daily problem-solving and making sure hundreds of trucks are shipping thousands of parts out the door every day. And that people have what they need to do their jobs successfully, because someone is counting on that part – to assemble that new car and to continue to keep its owner safe for years to come. That’s powerful work, important work.

WardsAuto: What attracted you to manufacturing, given your background in other fields? (Boyer joined Denso in 1990 after stints in fashion design and social work.)

Boyer: When you walk out onto the production floor, you can feel the energy. Trucks and parts being moved purposefully around the facility, and people being trained and developed. In manufacturing, you’re building more than parts – you’re building people, careers and communities.

[email protected]