A Millennial in Manufacturing

By: Alyssa Cannella- Business Development Associate

I am a millennial, born and raised in the technology age.  A part of a generation of innovators who are ready to be hired. The problem? Our general lack of interest in Manufacturing.  The unfortunate thing about being a millennial is a majority of us are clueless when it comes to present day manufacturing. We were brought up to believe that the jobs that come with fancy clothes and the corner office are more appealing than anything manufacturing can offer. Before I was hired at Dymotek, the word “Manufacturing” brought visions of dirty, poorly lit factories. Assembly lines, bored workers and smoke stacks.  Manufacturing was something that I went to college to avoid.  I was under the impression that those who are in manufacturing are there for the one reason: they can’t do anything else. There was never any excitement about manufacturing, the number of lives it touches, or the opportunities it provides.

I was hired in June of 2011. A recent college grad, hard on my luck and excited to have a job. It wasn’t that high paid Public Relations job I was promised after my five years (and thousands of dollars) spent in college, but it was a job. By the time my first week was over, I was in love.  At Dymotek I was surrounded by some of the smartest people I have ever met. From engineers to operations managers, sales to process technicians and everything in between.  Every day I walked out onto a CLEAN production floor and watched robots move effortlessly in and out of machines all while carrying and assembling parts. The hustle and bustle of a manufacturing environment is addicting. Now when I hear Manufacturing, I picture Dymotek. I picture engineering and technology like I have never seen before. I see why people are so passionate about it.

I started as customer service, but quickly moved into a business development role.  Now I work very closely with our engineers and am in the front lines of all the latest innovations taking place in injection molding.  Dymotek is always searching out the latest innovations and technologies to improve our facility and capabilities.  We are the pioneers, the ones foraging a path for others to follow and I get to be a part of it all.

While all of that is amazing, the part that affected me the most was realizing what goes into the products we consumers buy at the store. All of the other businesses that are essential to Dymotek’s success. From material suppliers to packaging suppliers, electricians to office supply stores. The list goes on.  To trace the line of one of the products we make is my favorite part.   Before I started working at Dymotek, I was a consumer.  Now I am part of the bigger picture. I see a product on a shelf and understand how many steps, facilities and hands that product has passed through. How many jobs that product has created. How many families that product has fed.

Now, my ultimate goal is to inspire a younger generation.  The next generation of workers. I want to play a role in opening their eyes to what manufacturing can offer and what manufacturing touches, while I am still relatable.  I want to share with them the highly technical, well paid positions that manufacturing offers.  Show them our bright lit, robot laden facility.  Do factories with assembly lines exist? Yes, and they always will. But they are not the only jobs available in manufacturing. To all of the 20 somethings, stuck worrying about what you want to do with your life, try manufacturing. Come visit us. Go visit anywhere. Go out and make something!