Students and the public alike were able to take tours of local manufacturers to recognize their impact on the Wylie community last week.

Tours organized by Wylie ISD and the Wylie Economic Development Corporation kicked off Friday, Oct. 7, at the WISD Agricultural Barn.

Following the festivities to start the day, students spent a morning and afternoon session touring different manufacturing facilities located on Hensley Lane and Martinez Lane, including Savage Precision Fabrication, Barco Pump and Lone Star Circuits. Future tour stops include Raytheon, Sands RX, different city facilities, ABC Productions and more.

Manufacturing Day — and the tours that will take place throughout the month — are a way to highlight different career paths in manufacturing and inspire future workers to consider a career in the field. The day is celebrated annually on the first Friday of October and Wylie first held events in 2018.

In the city, there are 52 manufacturers that generate around $137 million in sales annually while employing over 1,600 individuals.

Kevin McEuen, sales manager at Savage Precision Fabrication, gave students a tour of the company’s Wylie facility. He said the tours are a way to promote student interest in joining the manufacturing field.

“There has been a decline in interest in manufacturing, which makes it harder to find workers,” McEuen said.

Savage — which makes parts for fighter planes as a contractor with the U.S. Department of Defense — has been in the Wylie community for over 20 years and has been a Manufacturing Day staple since 2018, he added.

For the full story, see the Oct. 12 issue of The Wylie News.