Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1032752
S T U F F M A D E I N M A I N E \ F A L L 2 0 1 8 G one are the days of workers bent over dimly lit assembly lines repeating the same motion over and over again at breakneck pace while shouting over the deafening clang of ma- chinery. Manufacturing in Maine is lean, clean and high tech. With iPads and 3D printers, manufac- turing has boldly gone into the future and workplaces can look remarkably like something out of Star Trek. This transformation is about more than new tools and ma- chines, manufacturers now see their employees as their most valuable assets. They wisely in- vest in the health, safety, educa- tion and happiness of the people who make their businesses run. As Maine's leading workers' com- pensation insurer, we see it every day. MEMIC may provide insur- ance, but our passion is work- place safety and ergonomics. Ergonomics is human engineer- ing, designing things and spaces so people can utilize them more comfortably, efficiently and safely. MEMIC's ergonomic experts have been traversing the state sharing their expertise in workplaces from Kittery to Calais, Caribou and everywhere in between. Over the past decade a tre- mendous amount of time, energy and money have been spent to improve the quality of employee experience and put them at the center of business operations, strategy and culture. Maine's manufacturers need more young workers and no expense is being spared to attract and retain them. There truly is no better time to take a second look at a career in manufacturing. Even Maine's traditional industries are not so traditional anymore, despite the headlines of closing paper mills, exciting things are happening in the forest products industry with wood composites stronger than steel being developed for construction materials. Choose manufacturing and you will use your hands and your mind to build and create in workplaces at the cutting edge of innovation. n — Allan Brown Director of Ergonomics, MEMIC Human Engineering P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F M E M I C Allan Brown Director of Ergonomics, MEMIC Letter 4 Ergonomics is human engineering, designing things and spaces so people can utilize them more comfortably, efficiently and safely.