After a year of unparalleled challenges, the first-ever fully virtual FMA Annual Meeting celebrated the resilience of manufacturers. Sessions at the 2021 Annual Meeting, the fabrication and metals industries’ leadership conference, shed light on manufacturing heroes in the metal fabrication, processing, and distribution sectors — each story demonstrating the industry’s superpowers and ability to pivot when faced with uncertainty.

Keynote Joel “Thor” Neeb, former USAF fighter pilot and CEO of Afterburner, kicked off the event presenting Heroic Leadership During Times of Chaos, emphasizing the importance of focus in your organization — “If you lose sight, you lose the fight.”

Thor also encouraged every operation to have a constant cycle of planning, briefing, executing, and debriefing. He stressed that the key to successful debriefing is that the process is rank-less, no punches held, and nameless to encourage better communication and collaboration amongst your team.

Pandemic Pivots Panel: Stories of Manufacturing Superpowers moderated by Dan Davis, editor-in-chief of The FABRICATOR^®, brought together three executives from metal manufacturing companies (Accurate Metal Fabricating, Laystrom Manufacturing, and Metalfx) to discuss the pressures and stressors brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. All panelists agreed that 2020 was the most challenging year of their manufacturing careers, causing each of them to have to:

• Rethink their sales force
• Change sick / work-leave policies on the fly
• Learn to be more proactive than reactive
• Put a huge emphasis on employee communication and safety

Sarah Sladek, CEO and founder of XYZ University LLC, presented Leading an Inter-Generational Workforce, stating that “every generation has something to learn and something to teach.” Team-building in an era of disruption is possible with the right communication if you take the time to understand each other and engage. Employee engagement is the outcome of building relationships in an organization that is exciting, fulfilling, meaningful, and fun.

Sarah also led a panel discussion on Recruiting the Next Generation of Manufacturers. The participants included three young professionals representing Generation Z (born between 1997-2012) in the early stages of their manufacturing careers. The panelists highlighted the importance of catching individuals at a young age and introducing them to manufacturing career opportunities.

The panelists highlighted what their generation is looking for in an employer including open communication, problem-solving and collaboration, direct involvement, areas for growth, and a good work / life balance. They also gave employers tips for recruiting the next generation:

• Use the same social media platforms and websites that young students use
• Advocate directly at schools to get in front of young students
• Make your social postings easy to digest with concise wording and lots of visuals
• Get directly involved with the education system in your community

The Annual Meeting wrapped up with automotive market, steel industry, and economic updates. All of the speaker presentations had positive, forward-looking themes, underscoring the event’s tagline: Resilience in a World Redefined — showing that manufacturing is contributing to a light at the end of the pandemic tunnel.

If you couldn’t join us for this year’s virtual event, mark your calendar for next year’s FMA Annual Meeting: March 1-3, 2022, at the Marriott Biscayne Bay in Miami.

Thank you 2021 Virtual Annual Meeting Sponsors