Domtar joined other companies across North America in celebrating Manufacturing Day in October. Our goal was to inspire the next generation of manufacturers by showcasing the many career opportunities available in the pulp and paper industry.
We invited local students to visit several of our mills and plants for tours, Q&A sessions and hands-on activities to show what it’s like to work in manufacturing and to dispel common misconceptions about our industry.
“Manufacturing Day is a great opportunity to invite local students to see what life is like in our mill. We get to highlight the many career opportunities and get young kids thinking about their future careers,” says Ginny Johnson, who coordinated events at our Nekoosa Mill in Wisconsin.
Here’s a look at a variety of Manufacturing Day events across our network of facilities:
Nekoosa and Rothschild, Wisconsin
The seventh annual North Central Wisconsin Heavy Metal Bus Tour stopped at our Nekoosa and Rothschild mills, giving students from across central and northern Wisconsin a chance to see what a pulp and paper manufacturing facility is like.
Eighth-grade students took a Manufacturing Day tour and learned about career opportunities at our Nekoosa Mill in Wisconsin.
Rothschild Mill also donated to Trees for Tomorrow, a natural resource school in Eagle River, Wisconsin. The donation provides a scholarship for one student to attend a three-day workshop to learn about sustainability and the benefits of contemporary resource management.
Ashdown, Arkansas
Our Ashdown Mill participated in the Youth Manufacturing Conference, which was organized by the Southwest Arkansas Development Alliance. During this conference, students learned about career opportunities in manufacturing and heard from local manufacturing leaders about what it takes to be successful in the industry.
Morgan Hovis, Ashdown process engineer, talks to high school students at a Manufacturing Day event.
“We also participated in an engagement opportunity at a local high school,” says Jimmy Ivers, Ashdown training and development manager. “It allowed us to share our careers with the students and show them how they can have a rewarding career in our industry after they graduate.”
Jesup, Georgia
Our EAM facility in Jesup hosted students as part of the local high school’s Work-Based Learning Program. The students spent an hour and a half learning about our facility’s history and our products, global sales impact, recycling efforts, company culture, career opportunities and work environment. The students also saw a demonstration of EAM’s absorbent products and took a tour of the facility.
Students and chaperones from Wayne County High School visited EAM during Manufacturing Day 2018.
Port Huron, Michigan
The Port Huron Mill hosted 10th-grade students for an in-depth presentation about Domtar and the mill. The event also highlighted the products made with our pulp and paper, including food wrappers, medical gowns, religious texts and more.
Greenville, North Carolina
The Greenville Personal Care facility partnered with Eastern Carolina University and invited students majoring in engineering and technology to participate in a tour, Q&A session and presentation at the facility.
Students from Eastern Carolina University represented their “Pirate Pride” while touring our Greenville plant in North Carolina.
“We were thrilled to host the students for Manufacturing Day,” says Grover Hardin, Greenville plant manager. “The group had such high energy. I think the students walked away learning a lot of new things about the industry and our company. Opportunities like this are so helpful when it comes to recruiting the future generation of engineers and manufacturing leaders. We hope that some of them come back next summer for an internship with our company.”
Johnsonburg, Pennsylvania
Our Johnsonburg Mill participated in a STEM Career Showcase, which had a theme of “Land, Air and Sea.” Because water plays such an important role in the pulp- and paper-making process, local students took part in a water experiment and learned about Domtar and the many products we make.
Students enjoyed a water experiment with Domtar employees during the local STEM Career Showcase.
We Are Manufacturers
“Events like Manufacturing Day are a great way to showcase our employees, our company and the many career opportunities available to younger generations in the industry,” says Craig Timm, Domtar regional communicator. “It’s nice to think that maybe one day some of these kids who just came and toured with us might work for Domtar.”
Learn more about Manufacturing Day.
