Cooper planning MFG Day events at 3 sites

FINDLAY, Ohio — Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. plans to reach more than 10,000 students during Manufacturing Day activities associated with the "Dream It. Do It" program sponsored by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and Manufacturing Institute (MI).

Cooper will focus on communities where it has its tire plants — Texarkana, Ark., Tupelo, Miss., and Findlay. The company will participate in community-wide efforts as well as host its own Cooper Manufacturing Experience events.

The company's Dream Team, a group of 40 employees from across Cooper who work with students and others to educate and improve the image of careers in manufacturing, have planned the interactive, hands-on events.

"Manufacturing is technology driven, fast-paced and offers exciting career opportunities, but it can be challenging to attract employees," said John Bollman, Cooper's senior vice president and chief human resources officer. "Many students today are not focused on careers in manufacturing and, unfortunately, great jobs go unfilled."

He said the company has reached nearly 30,000 students in the three years it has been part of the Dream It. Do It. program.

"We hope, as they think about a career path in the future, they will consider jobs in manufacturing and some of the great opportunities available at Cooper."

MFG Day is Oct. 6, but the Cooper Manufacturing Experience will be offered throughout October. The events include:

• Findlay, Oct. 3-6: around 1,000 students from 11 area schools will visit Cooper's headquarters facilities to experience eight interactive stations, ranging from raw materials and tire design — including 3D modeling — to tire assembly, mold design and curing, as well as tire finishing and testing.

Safety, human resources and marketing will be a focus, as well as other functions, to give students an understanding of the dozens of roles involved in the design, production, distribution, and sales and marketing of Cooper tires. Students can participate in an interactive session with United Steelworkers Local 207L and Findlay-based companies Ohio Logistics,

Findlay Machine and Tool Inc. and GSW Manufacturing Inc. also will provide manufacturing demonstrations and hands-on activities.

• Texarkana, Oct. 11-13: approximately 2,000 students from six middle and junior high schools will be able to participate in the same interactive stations that will be featured at the Findlay event, with an expanded number of additional stations including engineering, IT, lab, and warehousing/distribution.

• Tupelo, Oct. 3-5, Oct. 19-20: the company will participate in the local Imagine the Possibilities Career Expo Oct. 3-5 at the BancorpSouth Arena and Conference Center. Around 7,000 eighth grade students will attend the expo, which will feature area businesses giving students a glimpse into many different career options, including manufacturing and Cooper.

The Cooper Dream Team will host the Cooper Manufacturing Experience on site at Tupelo High School on Oct. 19-20, as 1,200 students will experience many of the same interactive stations offered at Findlay and Texarkana.

Students who attend the Cooper Manufacturing Experience at any of the three communities will be encouraged to share their experiences through social media using #CooperCareers and #MFGDay17.

According to a nationwide NAM survey in 2016, 89 percent of students participating in MFG Day events felt more aware of manufacturing jobs in their communities, and 64 percent said they were more motivated to pursue a career in manufacturing.

Abbey Kindler, senior engineering technician for Cooper Tire's Global Technical Center, said her experience helped to convince her to pursue a career in manufacturing.

"Through this experience I am able to share my career path, answer questions, and debunk myths about working in the industry," Ms. Kindler said. "It is important that students, as well as their parents and teachers, are shown the wide array of possibilities offered through manufacturing. It can truly be the ticket to a rewarding career."

The Dream It. Do It. program, which includes manufacturers, schools and community-based organizations, wants to inspire next-generation workers to pursue manufacturing careers. Members of the Dream It. Do It. network gain access to national support and resources to aid their pro-manufacturing efforts, and join a network of industry leaders that implement activities to meet local, regional and statewide work force needs.