WANTED: Women in Manufacturing

Manufacturing leaders from across the country met in Milwaukee last month with a single focus and purpose: attracting more women into manufacturing.

Their reasoning is strong: while women represent close to 50 percent of the U.S. workforce, only 30 percent of the 14 million Americans employed in manufacturing are women. What’s keeping them away? A recent survey offers several reasons, including a lack of quality science and math education programs, and the presence of persistent stereotypes that say careers in technology, engineering and manufacturing are simply not for women.

Enter the Precision Metalforming Association of Cleveland, OH, who launched Women in Manufacturing two years ago to help promote opportunities for women, and dispel some of the old stereotypes of manufacturing being “dirty, dumb and dangerous,”

Read more about the conference here http://www.biztimes.com/section/manufacturing_enews

…and here: http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/blog/2012/10/former-harley-davidson-exec-bridge.html

And find out more about the group here: http://www.womeninmanufacturing.org/

What it Takes to Stay "Made in America"

In the ever-changing global manufacturing arena, here’s a terrific article on some US small manufacturers (including KI of Green Bay) who kept their production onshore, and stayed profitable.

Although for some, off-shoring was a necessity, these companies, from textiles to high tech, chose instead to focus on the primary drivers of business…. efficiency, customer-focus and adherence to company values… to stay competitive while keeping home-town jobs at home. Some of their strategies are basic fundamentals, but others required more creativity…and guts. But you’ll like what you see.

Check out the full story here from Inc Magazine.

Growing Your Force!

Conventional wisdom says you hire people whose experience and training matches the skill you need. But, when those needs shift, productivity (and morale) tend to fall off.

It seems that every few weeks, we find another story about the challenges of finding qualified people for technical positions. Well here’s one with solutions that are low-cost and yielding high returns: Internal workforce development.

You may have a success story of your own, but you can also take the example of Diemasters Manufacturing in Elk Grove Village. They created an internal training program that gets their people “working on the system, not just in the system.” It may sound like a Lean initiative, but is far more focused on people than on procedures. The result is a better trained (and engaged) workforce. And it helps getting those specialty positions filled.

You might have success stories of your own. Read more about the new issue of MetalForming Magazine.

Circle this date on your calendar: Friday, October 5th.

10/5/12 is “Manufacturing Day,” and it is NOT just a ceremonial designation.

A large group of manufacturers and associations around the country have banded together to ‘rally the manufacturing community.’

Their two key goals:
-demonstrate to the public manufacturing’s critical importance to a strong and thriving economy, and
-to show off the many rewarding, lucrative and often overlooked career opportunities manufacturing has to offer.

You can read all about Manufacturing Day by clicking here.

And click here to find out what's happening and who's participating closer to home

A Mix of Optimism and Pessimism

A new survey of over 900 manufacturers and distributors is showing the conflicting rrealities of the current business climate.

The Optimism: 83% are feeling positive about their own business and the direction they’re headed. (However, only 39% feel they are ‘thriving.’).

The Pessimism: growing doubts about the economy, both domestic and global, and potential business tax increases.

But the real upside is that these ‘realities’ are pushing more companies to be leaner and more efficient.

You can read a complete article on the report (from fabricator.com) here.

*survey conducted by Chicago-based assurance, tax and consulting firm, McGladrey LLP.

Like Something from Outer Space

Every so often we present an off-beat story related to our industry. This one just might beat them all!

A Sacramento-based welder and sheet metal fabricator built it just to walk around at Burning Man in Black Rock Playa. (Burning Man is another story altogether!) It’s not from some movie set, and wasn’t built to be in one, either (tho it might just start getting offers).

His ‘mutant beast’ walking pod was built entirely of surplus materials, using his welding skills and CNC plasma table. It’s an example of what good metal forming skills (and a sky-high imagination) can create!

Click here to read all about it!

....and, just in case you’re curious, and just have to know more, here’s what “Burning Man” is all about. (This is in no way an endorsement) http://www.burningman.com/

My Name is Jenny and I’m a Welder

Staggering numbers: currently, the national average age of a welder is 54 and in two years, 250,000 positions will be opening.

We’ve passed along some interesting welding-related articles, but here’s a first-person account of an art teacher who becomes a welder giving detail of both the challenges and attractions to this vital trade.

Check out “My Name is Jenny, and I’m a Welder” from the Manitowoc Herald Times.

…and here’s an update….right now, an estimated 8,900 industrial projects in North America are looking for welders. Read “Welders: Manufacturing’s hottest commodity.”

Tweeted by Vicki Bell @fabcomlady