Articles by SCMFG/Staff


Top 5 Criteria for Women in STEM

South Carolina Manufacturing Introduction: Gretchen Philyaw is an industry CEO and noted columnist for a variety of global publications including Innovation & Tech Today and Plastics News. South Carolina Manufacturing is proud to announce our invitation to include her global column, Fabric of America, to our list of SCMFG resources and…


We Need Help! SCETV and SCMFG inspiring students for manufacturing workforce

Alongside South Carolina ETV, SCMFG will produce compelling videos aimed at students around the state to encourage careers in manufacturing. When I attended middle school in the Palmetto State, our science classes and eighth grade history studies were steeped in all-things South Carolina. From Rudy Mancke and NatureScene to Mary…


Daddy’s Pinto Beans

“Oh that’s just your daddy’s pinto beans.” My mama waved a dismissive hand in my general direction. The statement itself, at first blush, was as benign as a junebug on a windowsill, but the context of her breezy reply caused a myriad of questions to instantly flood…


Thinking of starting a business?

In late 2004, I decided I wanted to try my hand at company ownership. Originally, I thought I would buy a manufacturing business and then add an engineering component. Through the help of a business broker, my wife and I visited several manufacturing companies that were for…


From Grocery Bag to Tesla?

The Death and Reincarnation of a Plastic Bag Plastic bags are a destructive contributor to global warming. How can manufacturers feel good about producing and distributing plastic bags? Plastic bags have become the stereotypical poster child for the green movement to place the blame. Plastic grocery bags, which are not single use plastic bags, have […]


South Carolina-based TechStyles mixes textile roots with revolutionary ideas

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Leveraging decades of manufacturing experience, TechStyles is launching as a reimagined form of textiles that is creating new product solutions that are meeting the demands of an evolving industry. TechStyles is a division of South Carolina-based AFF| group, which has been a manufacturing leader…


Teachers get much-deserved recognition during STEM Education Month

  Tracy Elmore said that when COVID-19 was spreading across South Carolina, she didn’t see how she would be able to sanitize the many metal pieces her students use to build robots, so she found an alternative. Elmore, a STEM teacher at Lugoff-Elgin Middle School in Kershaw…



Where do you make your money?

The question may seem obvious to most people. For example, I decide I want to buy a new pickle ball paddle. I go to my local sporting goods store, make a selection and pay for it. The store received a payment from me hopefully at a value…