ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING is the magazine devoted to industrial applications of 3D printing and digital layering technology. We cover the promise and the challenges of this technology for making functional tooling and end-use production parts.
Issue link: https://am.epubxp.com/i/894355
MFG ADVOCATE CATEGORY: I Industry Insight NOVEMBER 2017 Additive Manufacturing 38 To read more on AMT Advocacy, visit www.amtonline.org/Advocacy/ A recent article in The Washington Post told the story of Kosciusko County, Indiana, an area of the rural Midwest that is home to some of the world's most advanced medical implant makers. The county's unemployment rate sits at just 2 percent—great news for the local economy, but tough going for companies that want to ramp up their production but can't hire the workers to get it done. Economists who study the region say that these companies are likely to relocate to larger urban areas if they can't figure out a way to shore up the labor force—potentially devastating to a region that has enjoyed long-term economic prosperity. Kosciusko County isn't alone, with other rural Midwestern counties also facing a scarcity of skilled workers and the threat of economic destruction. Payday for Manufacturing: Is It All It Should Be? can't pass a drug test, or feeling as though the company HR department doesn't do a good job of identifying talent. One comment mentioned the importance of teaching skills at the ju- nior high and high school levels as a way to encourage students to pursue manufacturing careers. Anecdotally, however, the mention of wages was surprising. (In the interest of fairness, the main company mentioned in the Washington Post article—Zimmer Biomet—was quoted as of- fering top pay and benefits for the region.) With manufacturers competing with other industries for skilled talent, especially the energy and healthcare industries, is it time for manufacturing to make sure it's stacking up? Stagnant wages are not exclusive to manufacturing, though wage growth in the industry has been slower than the overall average. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, manufacturing workers have seen their wages rise just 2 percent over the past year, compared to 2.5 percent for the broader private sector. This isn't a cut-and-dried issue with an easy solution. As AMT members know, manufacturing is a capital- and resource-intensive business that is expensive to oper- ate. Particularly for capital equip- ment providers, it is a highly cyclical industry with good times and bad times. Profit margins can go from healthy to negative in a short period of time, meaning that business owners must balance short-term needs with long-term risks. What has your experience been—as either an employee or someone who determines employee salaries? Are rural industrial havens like Kosciusko County doomed to lose out to the bigger cities? Do you think manufacturing is due for a wage boost? This issue isn't going away. Email me your thoughts at pbrown@AMTonline.org. We posted that article on AMT's Facebook page and found ourselves rather surprised at the strong reaction it generated. A sample of comments: "Easy solution: raise wages!" "Pay more and start apprenticeships back up." "Manufacturers need to pay for the skills needed." Others mentioned finding good people only to learn they By Penelope Brown, Director – Marketing & Communications, AMT—The Association for Manufacturing Technology