If you're buying gifts this holiday season, of course thanks go to Santa or whomever bears present-giving responsibilities in your life. Thanks also belong with the manufacturing industry.
You may be finished already, need a last minute gift idea, or are late and need to kick-start your holiday shopping (like me!). In any case, I found this awesome list from SME* and had to share — while giving props to the manufacturer, distributor and everyone else in the global supply chain who brings happy holidays to us all.
Here's the 2017 SME holiday gift guide countdown
1. Makeup
Since the early 20th century cosmetic companies have been producing their beauty products for the masses. Fast forward to today, the U.S. has the largest cosmetics market in the world, and its revenue is expected to reach around $84 billion in the next year!
2. Electronics
While smart devices continued to rise in demand, new trends in the electronics industry include a push for “green” manufacturing processes further encouraging the development of more energy-efficient electronics. I'm always blogging about Apple Tech in the Enterprise.
3. Sporting Goods
Bicycles are one of the most popular and energy-efficient modes of transportation. The manufacturing process of a bike often includes automated construction and assembly of composites and some form of brazing, welding, or gluing and/or utilizing CNC machines for parts and prototyping.
4. Spirits
Gift a bottle(s) of locally made wine or brewed craft beer. Many towns and cities are also witnessing the rise of craft distilleries. The fun is in the tasting you'll need to do yourself to find just the right gift for that special someone.
5. Instruments
While there are tons of musical instruments made all over the globe, if you prefer to buy American-made, there are plenty of companies manufacturing music here in the USA. This is a field where craft artisans work alongside high tech machines and facilities to produce instruments in demand in every corner of the world.
6. Appliances
By the year 2020, consumption of household appliances is projected to generate almost 590 billion U.S. dollars.
7. Apparel
Locally made clothing and accessories are fast becoming a fashion category all by themselves. These products are now also part of the high-tech 3D-printed manufacturing trend.
8. Toys
Of the five major toy manufacturers in the global toy industry, three are American companies. Hundreds of small and regional toy manufacturing companies are making a name for themselves in this market with unique or niche crafty segments that most of the largest toy companies simply ignore.
9. Books
The 3D-printing manufacturing process is used to create books for visually impaired children to experience reading.
10. Games
While virtual reality (VR) video games are on many a wish list, they're also being used BY major automotive manufacturers, especially those working to improve their manufacturing processes. And we all know that the major automotive manufacturers are at the end of a supply chain filled with hundreds of SME manufacturing companies employing thousands of manufacturing workers across the country.
* SME — originally founded by 33 tool engineers in Detroit — was born during the Great Depression as the American Society of Tool Engineers. The organization changed their name in 1969 to the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) to better reflect ther membership. In 1981, SME — along with the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association — launched FABTECH, North America’s largest metal forming, fabricating, welding and finishing event. SME discontinued the use of its full name in 2013 as they shifted to connect an even wider group of people in manufacturing and address critical needs, such as the shortage of engineers, technologists and technicians impacting most manufacturing industries, and preparing the current and next-generation workforce for the advanced technologies of tomorrow.
#manufacturing #mfgiscool #holidaygiftguide #giftguide #giftideas
Wally Tonra
Wally has been with xTuple since 2004 and in ERP sales since the mid-1990s. After all that time selling vendor-centric, proprietary enterprise software, moving to an open source, Mac-friendly ERP package was a natural evolution. Prior to xTuple, Wally spent 10 years at JD Edwards, which was eventually acquired by Peoplesoft, in various sales and sales management positions. He made the move to xTuple before Oracle took over both Peoplesoft and the former JDE. Prior to JD Edwards, Wally held sales positions at ERP software company Daly.commerce (formerly Daly and Wolcott), hardware supplier XL/Datacomp and storage vendor EMC. Wally holds a B.S. from Boston College, where the Mac fanaticism all began.