Guest blog post by Vicki Holt, President and CEO of Proto Labs

Manufacturing looks a lot different than it did 100 years ago, driven now by complex software and automated equipment. As a result, the face of a modern manufacturing factory like Proto Labs is equal parts vocational trade school graduates and engineering degree professionals. There will always be a need for mill operators, press technicians and other production staff, but for computers and industrial machinery to communicate with one another, software developers and mechanical engineers are also needed.  We call this interaction digital manufacturing.

Let’s say you have an amazing idea for a new product. At Proto Labs, you can go online to upload a 3D CAD model of your part (or parts) and receive a quote back within hours that tells you areas within your part design that require changes before production begins. This type of automated quoting analysis requires a team of trained developers who are continually progressing the programming of production equipment.

It’s a small slice of how important STEM fields are within manufacturing today, and it’s why Proto Labs actively reaches out to college grads who may not be familiar with the current state of manufacturing — a tech-driven industry that is undergoing a digital renaissance. Manufacturing Day is great platform to continue touting the benefits of a career at forward-thinking companies like Proto Labs. To see current job openings, check out Proto Labs’ career page.