Everything Mike Willis said at Pharr EDC's Manufacturing Day in Pharr event

Rio Grande Guardian's Podcast

PHARR, Texas - An expert in manufacturing told students from Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD and IDEA Public Schools about the benefits of working in the industry.

Mike Willis, executive director of the South Texas Manufacturers Association, managed a maquiladora plant in Reynosa for 26. He was one of the keynote speakers speakers at Pharr Economic Development Corporation’s 4th Annual Manufacturing Day in Pharr. The event was held at The Forum by Regency.

“We have about 16,000 people working in manufacturing in the (Rio Grande) Valley at over 500 businesses. They range from size to one or two people doing custom word sign shops, print shops, boot shops, all the way up to Space X and Seatrium AmFELS with 3,000 to 4,000 employees each,” Willis said.

“I like to say in the Valley, we make everything from tortilla chips to rocket ships.”

The average wage for manufacturing workers in Hidalgo County, Willis said, is $1,040 a week. “That is about 26 bucks an hour. That's an average. A lot of the entry level jobs, or low skilled jobs, are below that. A lot of the higher skilled jobs are above that.”

In United States there are 13 million people working in manufacturing, Willis reported. He said Texas has almost a million of those 13 million. “So, Texas is the manufacturing powerhouse in the United States.”

As for the STMA, Willis said the trade association has around 100 manufacturing companies as members. “A lot of the maquilas (in Reynosa) also belong. And a lot of them have manufacturing plants on this side of the river. And if they don't have manufacturing plants, most of them have pretty good sized distribution centers where the finished product comes over here to be shipped.”

The big trend in manufacturing is automation, Willis revealed.

“We've always used technology and embraced constant improvement, continuous improvement, but it's really accelerated the last five to seven years. Now we're looking at things like robots, automated assembly machines that talk to each other, unmanned, guided vehicles. There's a lot of changes coming in the industry.”

This trend is going to make manufacturing more competitive in the United States, Willis predicted.

“If you can use more automation, and you have higher skilled workers that can operate that more technical machinery, repair and maintain all that machinery, there's not as much labor cost,” Willis explained.

“So, the cost of labor in Mexico or China is less of a factor when companies decide where to put their plants. So, I like to say that we're what we need today in manufacturing is strong minds, not strong backs.”

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