Despite our many serious conversations about manufacturing, manufacturing isn’t actually all work and no play.

Manufacturing companies and manufacturing employees like to have fun, too, and we wanted to take some time on this Friday afternoon to show you a few ways to have fun with manufacturing.

Training

The Houston Chronicle published  about the several fun ways to help train employees in manufacturing. An as that article notes, some manufacturers are using video games as training tools for their new hires, getting them up to speed much faster than usual. What’s more, other employers use comics like a clumsy comic character to teach the different safety precautions employees must use in the workplace. Even training can be fun!

The Edge Factor

Now this is just awesome. First, check out the video below:

The Edge Factor (and the Edge Factor Show) are tools designed to educate students about modern manufacturing. And the video above shows the kind of work that many manufacturers do daily. What could be more fun and entertaining than showing up to work every day and designing and producing products made to withstand extreme drops and rough terrain?

The Fun Theory

 was started by Volkswagen with the idea that more people would drive environmentally-friendly cars if it was fun to do. They collected a number of ideas (outside of auto manufacturing) to see if their theory was true by trying to make ordinary tasks more fun. Then, they turned it around to the manufacturing of their cars, where VWs are designed and manufactured to maximize the experience while driving them.

Take a look at a couple of their videos below–we give the designers and manufacturers behind these ideas some serious credit.

Call Me Maybe

In honor of Manufacturing Day 2012, employees from several Connecticut manufacturing companies got together and spoofed “Call Me Maybe.” Watch the video below and tell us that you don’t think these employees are having a great time!

There’s no denying the fact that manufacturers like to get work done–it’s part of the reason that manufacturing is so efficient and productive these days. But even the most serious of producers in the industry like to kick back and relax every once in a while and have some fun with manufacturing.

If you decide that you’re interested in pursing a career in manufacturing, you can find some comfort in the fact that the industry has a great culture, great employees, and great leadership.

Just because most of what you see in manufacturing involves production and operations, doesn’t mean that there isn’t a group of real, fun people working behind the scenes. So yes–even manufacturers like to have fun.

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photo credit: via