National Manufacturing Day highlights industry

LAS CRUCES — Roughly a dozen people, including several New Mexico State University Students got a first-hand look at the Calculex manufacturing facility downtown as part of statewide National Manufacturing Day events.

Tours took place throughout the week in Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Belen, Socorro, Santa Fe, Taos, Clovis, Farmington and Aztec as well as Las Cruces and Santa Teresa. Locally, tours were held at Calulex, Certoplast, F&A Dairy, Northwire and Engineered Wire Products, all in an effort to highlight the state's manufacturing industries and to attract students to fill a growing demand.

Students have been invited to participate in the past, but this year more direct connections were made between school programs and tour hosts.

The American Welding Society predicts a shortage of nearly 300,000 skilled tradesmen by 2020 in all areas of manufacturing. The average wage of welders in New Mexico was $42,660 in 2014, according to the website USAWage.com, though the median wage in Las Cruces was $26,880. Students in the welding program at Doña Ana Community College toured Engineered Wire Products, a Las Cruces manufacturer that depends on welders.

While NMSU does a good job of preparing students for careers, the chance to see a facility in action lets them better understand what to expect after graduation, said NMSU mechanical engineering student Adam Heckathorn.

"It's great," he said during the tour at Calculex, which manufactures hardware and software for the aerospace industry and the military. "It's great they organized these tours. Businesses reaching out is a great idea."

Charles Park, the manager and instructor for the Manufacturing, Technology and Engineering program has worked several projects with students taking part in the design and manufacture of prototype equipment, agreed.

"They've got to be involved in development and the whole process," Park said.

That is vital to attracting new students to the field, said MTech director Anthony Hyde.

"We work with a lot of customers outside the university," he said. "It is critical (that students see outside manufacturing). It makes them much better employees when they graduate."

Martin Small, CEO and chief technology officer of Calculex said more graduates are needed as his industry and the manufacturing sector in Doña Ana County continue to grow.

"We have more work than we can handle," he said. "It is difficult to find enough people in Las Cruces to do the work."

According to the New Mexico Manufacturing Extension Partnership, a nonprofit organization that helps manufacturers create efficient environments, manufacturing represents a $5.6 billion slice of New Mexico's gross state product. Final sales of New Mexico manufactured products support $7.5 billion in output from other sectors of the state's economy and the sector employs 28,000 people.

Manufacturing also accounts for more than $3 billion in goods and services annually. The Las Cruces Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Doña Ana County, is home to 144 manufacturing companies that employ more than 2,200 people, according to NMMEP.

Jerry Pacheco, executive director of the International Business Accelerator in Santa Teresa, said manufacturing in southern Doña Ana County is largely responsible for the state's recent rankings as the nation's fastest growing exporter to Mexico and abroad. In 2014, New Mexico exports increased by 39 percent, Pacheco said. The county led the nation in increase of exports during the past three years and led the nation in export growth percentage to Mexico in 2014, Pacheco said.

"We've got a lot going on down here," Pacheco said. "We are very focused on the manufacturing base. We are trying to bring more and more people down here and anticipate more manufacturing at the U.S.-Mexico Manufacturing Back in the Race seminar Oct. 9."

Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima presented a declaration making Oct. 23 as Manufacturing Day in Las Cruces and noted he was pleased to finally get a look into the production facility he passes by nearly every day.

"This is why we are No.1 in exports," he said.

And, addressing NMSU students, told them they had a bright future with careers here in the region.

"You guys are sitting pretty good," he said.

Jason Gibbs may be reached at 575-541-5451 or jgibbs@lcsun-news.com. Follow him on Twitter @fjgwriter.