National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS)
Happy New Year, all!
We can all point fingers at who is to blame for the serial closing of secondary school vocational training programs and the fact that many of our young people, with the tacit complicity of their parents, were persuaded not to pursue industrial educations. But that is all water under the under-employment bridge. Thankfully, we are witnessing an about face with renewed interest in manufacturing here in the U.S., upon which this country was built.
The resurgence in U.S. manufacturing is not without its challenges; we had our eye off the ball for quite some time. Just a few short years ago the median age of skilled metal workers was 55-years old. Well, in good old American fashion the training and education rally is on. We are changing the tide and putting the effort in the right places – people, equipment and a renewed way of thinking about how manufacturing gets done. For shops to increase capacity, today, there are only a few options. You can hire more people and invest in equipment, or you can work smarter doing what you do best and collaborating with your supplier base to improve efficiency. In my opinion the answer is a combined approach, with good people always being your greatest asset. And in that regard…
The National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS) issued a Record Number of Credentials in 2014
In partnership with high schools, community and technical colleges, and employers, NIMS has awarded a record number of credentials to individuals seeking to enter into or advance in jobs in the industry. In 2014, NIMS issued 18,947 industry-recognized credentials, representing a 36% increase from 2013.
Congratulations to Executive Director, Jim Wall, and his crack staff for a job exceptionally well done!
For more information on NIMS and how you can profit from well-trained people with the manufacturing skill sets you need, please contact the National Institute for Metalworking Skills at www.nimsready.org.
Meanwhile, don’t forget:
TCI Precision Machine-Ready Blanks
help shops do more with less
Conservative growth is always more sustainable and balancing additional overhead with improved efficiency is critical. Machine-Ready Blanks save shops time and money, while increasing production capacity by as much as 25% without adding overhead. Machine-Ready Blanks are ready to be placed directly into your CNC machining centers, eliminating time consuming prep work, including sawing, squaring, grinding/milling to tolerances of +/- .0005” dimensionally and .0002” flatness, squareness and parallelism.
In order to manage customer quality, part price and delivery expectations shops have to become more efficient. This is where Machine-Ready Blanks make economic sense. If you haven’t yet, give them a try on your next production job.
Don’t blame me if you find yourself stretched to capacity, that’s your fault for being successful. I’m just trying to help.
Until next month…
John