• Article by: DEE DEPASS , Star Tribune • Updated: July 8, 2013 – 11:20 AM Industrial repairmen and mechanics are in high demand as state’s economy accelerates Sparks shot across the room at the L.J. Shosten Training Center in St. Paul as apprentices welded pipes and ground prickly steel to a smooth finish. Nearby, others hovered over a misaligned motor like doctors tending a patient. Workers with the United Brotherhood of...
Is U.S. manufacturing making a comeback — or is it just hype? It’s hardly news when a U.S. firm moves its manufacturing operations abroad to China. But what about when a Chinese company sets up a factory in the United States? Back for good? Or still hurting? (Ty Wright/BLOOMBERG) That actually happened in January, when Lenovo, a Beijing-based computer maker, opened a new manufacturing line in Whitsett, N.C., to handle assembly of...
On Tuesday the U.S. Commerce Department reported a 0.7 percent increase in factory orders from April to May.
On Monday, the Institute for Supply Management reported that the manufacturing index dropped to 49.7. May’s index came in at 53.5, naming June’s 49.7 reading the lowest since July of 2009.
On Thursday the United States Commerce Department reported there was little to no change in their final estimate for growth during the January to March quarter.
Industrial skills training is critical to the development of today’s manufacturing workforce.
The search for skilled laborers has become a great scavenger hunt. Recently, ManpowerGroup released their seventh annual talent shortage survey which proved skilled trades are still among the hardest positions to fill in 2012.
It seems like it was not too long ago that the Komotini, Greece industrial zone was buzzing with factories that employed almost 20,000 people. But today, nearly a decade later, many of the factories that once produced an array of goods from ceramics to textiles all sit in desolation, rusting, looted and overgrown with weeds. Perhaps a harsh model of the impact Greece’s economic downturn has had on the manufacturing industry. Today,...
Over and over again we stress the importance of manufacturing training, as it is critical to the development of industrial skill sets within any workforce. Some manufacturers choose to search for skilled laborers while others opt to implement industrial training programs to further the skills of their current employees.
The recent 2012 Executive Employer Survey was released by Littler Mendelson, P.C. and interviewed an array of corporate executives who are generally in charge of hiring and management of human capital. The survey found that most respondents, approximately 71 percent, plan to continue hiring in the coming year, while only 8 percent plan to lay off full time employees. Respondents to the survey also noted that some leading challenges they face include...
The Beige Book is a regional review released eight times per year by the Federal Reserve which surveys each of the Fed’s regional banking districts. The most recent report was released on Wednesday of this week and found that conditions in the U.S. economy grew moderately in most regions throughout the April-May period. Growth ranged from moderate to modest in 10 of the 12 banking districts, while the Boston district remained steady...
Every business strategy works best when a plan has been put in place first. Manufacturing training is no different. In order to implement a successful manufacturing training program you must first focus in on the management approach you will use and then work from there.
The recent spike in job openings and the dip in unemployment rates offers new hope for the once struggling manufacturing industry. The next issue to tackle is that of baby boomer retirement. With budgets still tight and baby boomers nearing retirement with each passing day, manufacturers must invest in industrial training to preserve the knowledge that will be lost when this experienced generation leaves the workforce. So what are some industrial skills...
The Labor Department reported earlier this month that during the month of April the unemployment rates in two thirds of U.S. states fell, suggesting continued economic growth as this year progresses. In most states the unemployment rate dropped below the national average of 8.1percent, recorded during the previous month. In April of 2012 the unemployment rates in 22 of the U.S. states came in below 7 percent, compared to just 13 states...
