Schroeder ‘Cool Manufacturing’ Video Wins Prize 

By Michael Degan, Fluid Power Journal Editor

A video by Pennsylvania students made at Schroeder Industries on the topic of What’s So Cool About Manufacturing? won first place as the most creative video.

The video by students from Rochester Area Middle School, near Pittsburgh, competed against other videos by students from schools around the state. 

What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?, a project of the Manufacturers Resource Center, brings school students and manufacturing companies together to advocate for careers in an economic sector where qualified workers are in short supply.

The Rochester students chose to visit fluid power company Schroeder Industries, of Leetsdale, Pennsylvania, which manufactures liquid filtration products. The students explored Schroeder’s facility and learned about the company’s products.

The students posted their videos on a website where visitors viewed them and voted for their favorites. The winning schools were announced at a ceremony on April 28. The winners then advance to compete against schools from other regions in Pennsylvania. 

In the videos, the students give their answer to the question, What’s So Cool About Manufacturing? 

“As a marketing professional in the manufacturing sector, it fills me with great pride to see such creativity focused on an industry often thought of as dry,” Timothy Rodman, marketing supervisor at Schroeder, told Fluid Power Journal. “It shows that even we can have fun.”

“I was especially thrilled to watch Rochester represent Schroeder Industries and bring home a win,” he said. “I’m humbled by the young minds and their enthusiasm for manufacturing.”

It’s no secret that fluid power companies have difficulty filling job openings and fostering the next generation of talent. One approach the industry has taken is encouraging young people to consider a career in manufacturing and industries like fluid power. That’s why the National Fluid Power Association runs programs for high school and college students.

Organizers of the video project and many fluid power stakeholders hope the Rochester students and the others will continue to think manufacturing is cool and someday choose it as their career path.

You can view the Rochester students’ video at www.whatssocool.org/contests/pittsburgh-central/.