Built by Factory Floor Workers, For Factory Floor Workers

When I was a senior in high school in 2015, I had no idea that a conversation with KYFAME, a regional manufacturing partnership, would change the entire trajectory of my career. They offered me a chance to enter an apprenticeship-style program that would create a pipeline into manufacturing. I said yes, not knowing what I was getting into.

From day one, I was at a disadvantage. My classmates had grown up around manufacturing. Their parents, neighbors, and communities were steeped in technical knowledge. They knew how to be handy, understood the environment, and had context I simply didn't possess. I was starting from zero in a world that assumed you already knew the basics.

Despite the challenges, I pushed through the program while working as a maintenance technician at several major manufacturing facilities. But here's what I discovered in those fast-paced, high-pressure environments: I wasn't alone in feeling lost. Manufacturing can be incredibly intimidating for newcomers, and even experienced workers struggle to locate the information they need when they need it most.

I can't count the number of times I found myself troubleshooting critical equipment with production down and everyone looking to me for answers. The manual was outdated, the expert who knew this machine was having their day off, and I was left piecing together fragmented knowledge from multiple sources. The stress was overwhelming, and the stakes were high.

That's the moment Nongo was born. Not in a boardroom, but on a factory floor, in the frustration of a young technician who knew there had to be a better way.

At Nongo, we envision manufacturing companies where workers at every level (operators, technicians, managers) can reach their full potential by having instant access to the knowledge they need. We're not just building technology; we're turning every worker into an expert by putting institutional knowledge exactly where and when it's needed most.

This isn't just about efficiency or productivity, though those matter. This is about creating an industry where people from all backgrounds feel empowered to join technical careers in manufacturing. When knowledge is accessible, when guidance is immediate, and when learning never stops, that's when we'll see the next generation choose manufacturing not out of necessity, but out of opportunity.

The manufacturing industry is growing rapidly, but it's also facing a critical skills gap. We believe that by making expertise universally accessible, we can motivate talented people from every background to see manufacturing as a place where they can thrive, innovate, and build meaningful careers.

Every conversation captured, every procedure preserved, every moment of guidance delivered. It all stems from that young apprentice who walked onto a factory floor feeling overwhelmed and determined that the next generation wouldn't have to.

That's our mission. That's our promise. That's Nongo.