Assembly required: manufacturing is a pillar of North Carolina's economy. Creating the correct balance of workforce, technology and regulations will ensure it remains strong.

• Position: MANUFACTURING ROUND TABLE

NORTH CAROLINA MANUFACTURING HAS CHANGED. Life sciences, aviation and other high-tech products have surpassed textiles and furniture. But the sector remains important to the state's economy. Washington, D.C.-based National Association of Manufacturers reported that It was responsible for about 20% of North Carolina's output and about 11 % of its employment in 2015. Continued adaptation, especially in regards to workforce, regulation and technology, is needed to keep it strong. Business North Carolina magazine recently assembled a panel of manufacturing experts to discuss that challenge and identify strategies to meet it.

WHAT IS THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINAS MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY?

MINTZ It is strong. Smaller companies and new technologies are helping the sector grow. There are challenges, including finding enough workers to support growth. More companies are interested in using more technology and fewer workers. We are monitoring that trend, offering training and connections that can help them grow in lieu of a ready workforce.

AUDILET Business has improved. A chemical manufacturer that we represent, for example, has added shifts the past few years. It recently began adding people at the vice president of business development level, which is a great sign. It's one company, but it's representative of positive news across the sector.

HOW HAS THE SECTOR'S WORKFORCE CHANGED?

BEESON About 300,000 jobs were lost in North Carolina during the Great Recession. Community colleges offered opportunities to learn skills, such as computer use, to people out of work. I had 18-year-old students sitting next to those in their 50s and 60s in community-college classes that I taught. Older students would share work and life experiences. Younger students offered fresh outlooks. Older generations expected to retire from a company that they worked at for 30 years. But 25 years in, they lost their job. They tell their children to avoid manufacturing careers because they believe they weren't treated right. That outlook makes recruiting the next generation of manufacturing workers a challenge. It's starting to change as we work with school systems statewide. Middle-school students are asked to decide what they want to do in the future, such as attending a two-year or four-year school. They select their high-school classes based on that. We actually offer college tours for sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders.

SLOSMAN We recently participated in a chamber-sponsored job fair, and turnout was low. Millenniais want things immediately and without investing much work. They jump from job to job seeking the best deal for right now. Companies have lost vision of the workers over the years, and the workers have lost vision of the company. We need to recapture that.

HOW CAN MANUFACTURERS FIND AND TRAIN WORKERS?

SLOAMAN Asheville's quality of life makes recruiting businesses relatively easy. Many companies admit that's the reason they came, but if they had known how difficult it is to find workers, they wouldn't have moved there. Most are trading employees rather than attracting them. We'll interview three, and one will show up before moving on a week later. We have two interns starting soon. We want to show them that manufacturing is alive, and it offers well-paying careers. Elected officials want to land the big company whose jobs pay upward of $50,000 annually. But not everyone has the qualifications for...