ARCADIA, Wis. - Throughout the month of October, Ashley Furniture Industries, Inc. (Ashley) will host several onsite events in celebration of National Manufacturing Month. Middle school students will tour the advanced-manufacturing facilities to learn about manufacturing and career paths available throughout the company.

 

National Manufacturing Day, originated by the National Association of Manufacturers, is a celebration of modern manufacturing meant to inspire the next generation of manufacturers. Manufacturing Day addresses common misperceptions about manufacturing by giving manufacturers an opportunity to open their doors and show what manufacturing is — and what it is not.

 

“We’re proud to participate in National Manufacturing Day and open our doors to students,” said Todd Wanek, President and CEO, Ashley Furniture Industries, Inc. “We believe it is important to showcase the exciting changes in advanced manufacturing with automation and robotics as well as the one-of-a-kind career opportunities that are available to them in their local communities.”

 

Ashley’s facility in Arcadia, Wisconsin, will tour more than 350 sixth grade students from Arcadia, Arcadia Holy Family, Blair-Taylor, Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau, Independence, and Whitehall school districts.

 

“Our visit to Ashley Furniture not only gave students the opportunity to see all the great jobs and skills that are out in the manufacturing industry, but it also helped reinforce the need of two new courses that the middle school is offering; computer coding and robotics,” said Pete Peterson, Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau Middle School Principal. 

 

Ashley’s Advance, North Carolina, facility welcomed 160 eighth grade students from Davie County School District to partake in a facility tour. Participating schools included North Davie Middle School, South Davie Middle School and William Ellis Middle School.

 

Additionally, this year Ashley’s Ecru and Ripley, Mississippi, facilities plan to participate in the tours welcoming nearly 300 seventh grade students from North Pontotoc Middle School and Ripley Middle School.