Manufacturing Day
Manufacturing Day is a national grassroots workforce-development initiative operated by the Manufacturing Institute (NAM's 501(c)(3) affiliate) that promotes modern U.S. manufacturing careers through annual plant tours, digital toolkits, webinars, and educational programs, serving manufacturers, K-12 students, educators, and workforce partners nationwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersWashington, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Manufacturing Day does
Manufacturing Day (MFG Day) is a national grassroots workforce-development initiative operated by the Manufacturing Institute, the 501(c)(3) education and workforce affiliate of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., the organization runs an annual celebration on the first Friday in October (MFG Day 2026: October 2), during which thousands of U.S. manufacturers open their facilities to students, educators, parents, and community members for plant tours, hands-on activities, career conversations, and classroom visits. The initiative targets a stated need for 3.8 million new U.S. manufacturing workers over the next decade and frames its mission as shifting public perception of modern manufacturing careers. Alongside the flagship annual event, the organization maintains a portfolio of supporting products: a Host Toolkit, Marketing Toolkit, Government Official Toolkit, Action Partner Toolkit, a webinar series, an official online Registry for participation tracking, a gamified K-9 educational experience called Innovators Quest, the PTC-co-developed Smart MFG 2 augmented-reality app, branded merchandise, and an emerging Jobs and Career Pathways resource hub.
The underlying technology stack is modest and centered on digital content delivery rather than proprietary platforms. Core assets include the MFG Day website, downloadable PDF toolkits, webinar infrastructure with recordings available within three business days, social media properties across X, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram, the official Registry for sign-up and scale demonstration, and the Smart MFG 2 mobile AR application (available on iOS and Google Play). Logo and brand-identity guidelines require co-display of the Manufacturing Institute logo alongside the MFG Day logo, reinforcing parent-brand control. The organization is GDPR-compliant for European users, operates under the laws of the District of Columbia, and reports no API, SDK, or MCP integrations.
Manufacturing Day's business model is sponsorship-driven and participation is free for event hosts and attendees. The 2026 sponsorship prospectus offers five tiers — Platinum Promotional ($50,000), Gold ($25,000), Silver ($10,000), Bronze ($5,000), and Friend ($1,000) — on multi-year contracts, with disclosed Platinum sponsors including General Motors and Saint-Gobain North America. Beyond direct sponsorship revenue, the initiative is financially underwritten by the Manufacturing Institute and NAM, whose member dues and institutional infrastructure provide the operating backbone. Customer segments span manufacturers (event hosts), students and emerging workers, educators, parents and guardians, government officials, and workforce development partners, making the "paying customer" base narrow (corporate sponsors) while the beneficiary base is broad (the U.S. manufacturing talent pipeline).
Manufacturing Day firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Manufacturing Day
- Legal name
- Manufacturing Institute
- Website
- https://mfgday.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Manufacturing Day is a national grassroots workforce-development initiative operated by the Manufacturing Institute (NAM's 501(c)(3) affiliate) that promotes modern U.S. manufacturing careers through annual plant tours, digital toolkits, webinars, and educational programs, serving manufacturers, K-12 students, educators, and workforce partners nationwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Manufacturing Day industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Manufacturing Workforce Development
- akta.pro primary industry
- Professional Training & Workforce Upskilling (AM) (IMAAAJAC)
Keywords
Where Manufacturing Day is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Manufacturing Day business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Sponsorship Revenue: Manufacturing Day operates as a sponsored initiative with multiple sponsorship tiers. Organizations can sponsor at various levels (Platinum Promotional, Gold, Silver, Bronze, Friend) to support the national movement and gain visibility. Sponsorship prospectus available for 2026 with specific benefits at each level.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Platinum Promotional Sponsor - $50,000 |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Gold Promotional Sponsor - $25,000 |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Silver Promotional Sponsor - $10,000 |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Bronze Promotional Sponsor - $5,000 |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Friend of MFG Day - $1,000 |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Manufacturing Day product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Manufacturing Day (MFG Day) is a national grassroots movement organized annually by the Manufacturing Institute to help manufacturers host plant tours, hands-on activities, career conversations, classroom visits, and community events that showcase modern manufacturing careers to students, educators, parents, and community members. The initiative provides turnkey toolkits (Host, Marketing, Action Partner, Government Official), educational products (Innovators Quest gamified experience, Smart MFG 2 AR app), webinars, merchandise, and an online registry to coordinate nationwide participation.
Product overview
Manufacturing Day is a national grassroots initiative organized by the Manufacturing Institute (workforce development affiliate of the National Association of Manufacturers) to promote modern manufacturing careers. The core offering centers on the annual MFG Day event celebrated on the first Friday in October, supported by a suite of resources including the Host Toolkit, Marketing Toolkit, and Webinars for event planning. Educational products include Innovators Quest (a gamified experience for grades 4-9) and the Smart MFG 2 augmented reality mobile app for drone design. Additional resources encompass Government Official and Action Partner Toolkits, merchandise, and an official registry for participants.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Creators Wanted: A national manufacturing movement initiative that powers Manufacturing Day events and career pathway resources for the manufacturing industry.
- Innovators Quest
- Smart MFG 2
Products and services
- Manufacturing Day (MFG Day) A national grassroots movement in which manufacturers across the U.S. open their doors to students, educators, parents, and community members through plant tours, hands-on activities, career conversations, classroom visits, and community events, celebrated annually on the first Friday in October with events continuing throughout the month.
- MFG Day Host Toolkit A downloadable PDF toolkit providing manufacturers with ideas, tips, and templates to plan and execute MFG Day events, including guidance on event formats, guest lists, outreach, promotion, and post-event engagement.
- MFG Day Marketing Toolkit
Quantifiable outcome
- 3.8 million new manufacturing workers will need to be hired in the US over the next decade
Companies that use Manufacturing Day
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Manufacturing Day technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Manufacturing Day partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- Manufacturing InstitutecoreThe Manufacturing Institute (MI) is the workforce development and education affiliate of the National Association of Manufacturers. MI organizes MFG Day nationally and provides all toolkits, resources, and coordination for the initiative. MFG Day is an official initiative of the Manufacturing Institute.
- National Association of Manufacturers (NAM)coreNAM is the parent organization of the Manufacturing Institute. NAM provides the organizational infrastructure and member network that supports MFG Day. MFG Day operates under NAM's terms and privacy policies.
- Saint-Gobain North AmericaflagshipPlatinum Event Sponsor for MFG Day 2026. Supports manufacturing workforce development efforts through sponsorship of the national MFG Day movement.
- General MotorsflagshipPlatinum Promotional Sponsor for MFG Day 2026. Supports promotion and visibility of manufacturing careers and the MFG Day initiative.
- International Corrugated Packaging FoundationminorBronze Sponsor supporting MFG Day. Part of the corrugated packaging industry's contribution to manufacturing workforce development.
- National Center for Next Generation ManufacturingminorListed as a Friend of MFG Day, supporting the national manufacturing workforce development movement.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Manufacturing Day competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- SkillsUSA: National nonprofit serving middle-school, high-school and college students preparing for skilled-trade careers, including manufacturing technology pathways; directly comparable in mission to inspire the next-generation technical workforce.
- FIRST Robotics: Youth-serving STEM nonprofit operating large-scale robotics competitions and education programs that channel students into engineering/manufacturing careers; comparable as a high-visibility annual STEM engagement movement with sponsor-driven revenue.
- SME Education Foundation: Philanthropic arm of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers focused on inspiring the next generation of manufacturing engineers through scholarships and STEM programming; comparable as a manufacturing-workforce nonprofit with employer sponsorships.
- SAE International Foundation: Mobility engineering professional society with active K-12 STEM and manufacturing-engineering workforce programs (e.g., SAE Awards Program, A World In Motion); comparable as a manufacturing/STEM workforce development organization.
Emerging players
- FAB Foundation: Nonprofit supporting digital fabrication labs (Fab Labs) in schools, universities, and communities worldwide; comparable as a manufacturing-technology access and workforce readiness initiative using digital tools.
- American Welding Society Foundation: Foundation of the AWS running welding-industry-specific scholarships, educator training, and youth programs; comparable as a manufacturing trade-specific workforce development nonprofit with sponsorship funding.
- Dream It Do It: Manufacturing Institute state-level workforce-attraction campaign targeting students and parents, closely aligned in mission and ownership lineage to MFG Day (also a Manufacturing Institute program); comparable as a directly adjacent awareness campaign with overlapping audiences.
Broad incumbents
- Code.org: Large K-12 computer-science education nonprofit with major corporate sponsor funding and grassroots campaign events (e.g., Hour of Code); comparable as a high-visibility corporate-sponsored workforce awareness movement at national scale, though focused on software rather than manufacturing.
- Junior Achievement USA: Large, established nonprofit delivering K-12 career-readiness, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship programs through corporate partners and volunteers; comparable as a manufacturer/corporate-sponsored K-12 workforce awareness initiative but with broader cross-industry scope.
- AME - Association for Manufacturing Excellence: Operations/manufacturing excellence membership organization offering training, certification, and workforce development resources for manufacturing professionals; comparable as a broad manufacturing-workforce professional development and training body but B2B rather than K-12 facing.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Manufacturing Day social profiles
Digital presenceManufacturing Day compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Manufacturing Day financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Manufacturing Day leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Manufacturing Day funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Manufacturing Day M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Manufacturing Day
What does Manufacturing Day do?
Manufacturing Day (MFG Day) is a national grassroots movement organized annually by the Manufacturing Institute to help manufacturers host plant tours, hands-on activities, career conversations, classroom visits, and community events that showcase modern manufacturing careers to students, educators, parents, and community members. The initiative provides turnkey toolkits (Host, Marketing, Action Partner, Government Official), educational products (Innovators Quest gamified experience, Smart MFG 2 AR app), webinars, merchandise, and an online registry to coordinate nationwide participation.
Is Manufacturing Day a public or private company?
Manufacturing Day is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Manufacturing Day founded?
Manufacturing Day was founded in 2012. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Manufacturing Day based?
Manufacturing Day is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.
How does Manufacturing Day make money?
One revenue line is on record: sponsorship Revenue.
Who are Manufacturing Day's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are SkillsUSA, FIRST Robotics, SME Education Foundation and SAE International Foundation. Emerging players are FAB Foundation, American Welding Society Foundation and Dream It Do It. Broad incumbents are Code.org, Junior Achievement USA and AME - Association for Manufacturing Excellence.
Does Manufacturing Day have an API?
No public API is recorded for Manufacturing Day.
What industry is Manufacturing Day in?
Manufacturing Day's product category is Manufacturing Workforce Development. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAAAJAC, Professional Training & Workforce Upskilling (AM).