91ÊÓÆµÍøÕ¾ÎÛ

Published

How Manufacturers Beyond Machining Are Addressing the Skills Challenge

The need for talent in manufacturing is a challenge extending beyond just machining, and manufacturers in other sectors are finding solutions that machine shops might be able to learn from.

Share

Leaders-In background

For Gardner Business Media­, publisher of 91ÊÓÆµÍøÕ¾ÎÛ and other brands related to manufacturing, workforce development is the overriding theme so far in 2019. We recently addressed the topic with an article about a machining business employing emotional intelligence as a means to attract and train staff. Here’s a video that takes a look at the culture change in that business through the words and perspectives of its team members. In the fields of moldmaking, additive manufacturing, composites, finishing and plastics, here are other ways the pursuit of manufacturing talent is advancing.

Moldmaking

Along with working with 91ÊÓÆµÍøÕ¾ÎÛ to , sister publication MoldMaking Technology also recently wrote about three mold manufacturing companies that share how their workforce development strategies have evolved to meet the needs of today’s industry. In other words, .

Another article features an Austrian moldmaker that by creating a unique company culture. This culture is supported through recreational activities, employee incentives, education and training.

Additive Manufacturing

. The program draws on both manufacturing and design, because of the way these functions are interrelated in AM. The article profiling this program includes links to video interviews with students pursuing this degree.

Composites

In the last decade, several universities have established composites R&D labs, which are producing graduates focused on composites. The M.C. Gill Composites Center at the University of Southern California is an example, combining a devoted educator, an alumnus resource and a growing crop of students who are doing .

Finishing

through coursework (as Certified Electroplater Finishers) in order to deepen their connection to the industry, in hopes of keeping these talented people and attracting more like them.

Another article addresses military training. to train those leaving military service to work in the coatings industry.

Plastics

By creating their own apprenticeship programs or tapping into newly formed apprentice systems, . Examples include an injection molder that established its own academy as well as another molder replicating a Swiss-styled training system created by a former molder. The way forward is seen in part through the journey two high schoolers have taken on the path to advanced manufacturing.

Related Content

  • Shop Tour Video: You've Never Seen a Manufacturing Facility Like This

    In the latest installment of our “View From My Shop” series, explore Marathon Precision’s multi-process approach to manufacturing, where blacksmiths and hand-forged dies meet state-of-the-art CNC machining. Discover how restoring classic muscle cars and building custom art projects creates a dynamic shop culture — and draws top talent to this unique and innovative metalworking facility. 

  • Solve Worker Shortages With ACE Workforce Development

    The America’s Cutting Edge (ACE) program is addressing the current shortage in trained and available workers by offering no-cost online and in-person training opportunities in CNC machining and metrology.

  • In Moldmaking, Mantle Process Addresses Lead Time and Talent Pool

    A new process delivered through what looks like a standard machining center promises to streamline machining of injection mold cores and cavities and even answer the declining availability of toolmakers.