Millennials on Attracting the Next Gen to Manufacturing

Creating a manufacturing culture that’s attractive to Millennials and Gen Zers is essential for packaging enterprises to thrive now and in the future. Two next-generation manufacturing experts explored the topic in an in-depth interview at IME West 2022, held in April in Anaheim, CA.

The duo, Chris Lueke and Jake Hall, are online influencers in the manufacturing and automation space. Lueke is the host of the podcast “Manufacturing Happy Hour,” and Hall is YouTube’s Manufacturing Millennial.

Highlights of the interview, conducted by IME West News Desk’s Sarah Soliman, include the importance of:

• Creating bite-size pieces of content that are relatable for the next generation of manufacturing employees and customers.

• Using straight talk and avoiding jargon to demystify manufacturing products, solutions, and innovations.

• Reaching audience members where they are, via podcasts, YouTube videos, and social media.

• Developing an elevator pitch that can be communicated very quickly. This is a lesson from TikTok video creators, who know they only have 15 seconds before viewers’ attention wanes.

Lueke’s and Hall’s insights are helpful not only for packagers, but also for those engaged in automation, plastics, medical-product manufacturing, and product design — the industries and disciplines that IME West brings together.

In addition to WestPack, the IME West 2022 event included four additional co-located shows: Medical Design & Manufacturing (MD&M) West, Automation Technology Expo (ATX) West, Design & Manufacturing (D&M) West, and Plastec West.