As he strolled to the podium at the annual Made in New Jersey Manufacturing Day, Peter Connolly – the CEO of the N.J. Manufacturing Extension Program – joked that they didn’t have his walk-up music going: Days Like These, by Van Morrison, he had requested.
“Because there’s nothing like days like these,” he said to an overflow crowd of more than 1,000 at iPlay America in Freehold – a group that came to interact with more than 75 vendors and see more than 100 students compete in a robotics competition.
Last Friday was indeed a day to celebrate for the sector.
Manufacturing jobs have increased in N.J. since Gov. Phil Murphy took office (not by a lot, but the rest of the Northeast is down), the state’s Economic Development Authority is getting ready to open the third version of a grant program (one that already has provided more than $50 million to help companies with capital projects), and there are plans and programs in place (see MEP’s Makers and Creators tour) to help attract the next-generation workforce the sector desperately needs.
Still.
The cost of doing business in the state still makes it tough for manufacturers to compete (especially with other regions in the country), the efforts to attract young people may not be enough (and don’t fill the donut-hole gap at workplaces that have a wave of employees on the verge of retirement) and there still isn’t enough recognition of how widespread and important the sector is to the state (still can’t figure out why).
It’s why days like these are so important for the sector.
Connolly said these get-togethers are most successful when they spur more get-togethers – collaborations are a big key to future success, he said.
“Everything we do right now is about partnerships,” he said.
Connolly rattled off efforts with employment groups of all types (hat tip to Spectrum Works), collaboration with the N.J. Business and Industry Association, Commerce and Industry Association, HealthCare Institute of N.J., chambers like the Chamber of Commerce of Southern New Jersey and government groups such as the EDA and the Business Action Center.
Connolly said MEP and the BAC are getting ready to launch an online directory (in first quarter of 2025) that will have comprehensive resources.
Every manufacturer in New Jersey will be able to find the tools, services and partnerships and guidance they need to thrive, Connolly said.
“The network will become the go-to hub for manufacturers in our state,” he said.
Tim Sullivan, the CEO of the EDA, said the organization is eager to get more grant money into the sector through the Manufacturing Voucher Program.
The program already has issued more than 380 grants of up to ($250,000) to help companies invest in new pieces of equipment (to be clear, the grants match what companies put in).
“This is a program that is designed and built for the home team,” he said.
It’s for companies that employ hundreds of thousands of workers – yet still seemingly operate in the shadows because the majority employ less than 50, rather than 500 or 5,000 as they did generations before.
Michele Siekerka, the CEO of the NJBIA, said her group is doing its part to spread the word – and fight the good fight on helping them with workforce and affordability issues.
“There are challenges, starting with the cost of doing business in New Jersey,” she said.
“What I hear each and every day is when our manufacturers in particular have to compete on a national scale, they’re going in 10% premium higher because of the cost here to produce that product.”
Still.
“It’s exciting to hear, and I give huge shout outs to EDA for the programs and investment in manufacturing, particularly post-covid, that is helping manufacturers build their infrastructure and their workforce,” she said.
A new-age workforce is another reason for huge optimism, Siekerka said.
“People think manufacturing is old smoky pipes, it’s not,” she said. “The innovation and the technology in manufacturing today is amazing. Everyone says, ‘AI is taking over for the workforce.’ It’s not. It’s creating a different workforce. There’s a place for engineers and people who love to work with their hands.
“The thing that I love to say to young students is that you can live work and raise a family on a manufacturing job and career here in the state of New Jersey.”
Connolly couldn’t agree more – it’s why he loves days like these, he said last Friday.
“Made in New Jersey, Manufacturing Day isn’t just an event, it’s an investment in the future of manufacturing in New Jersey – and the future of New Jersey,” he said.
