The New Face of Manufacturing

Times are tough in manufacturing. Anyone even casually following the news lately knows a lot of companies are struggling. For companies in some of the hardest hit fields like the auto industry, business is drying up. But if there’s one thing I’ve seen, it’s that a good company will always pull through. Manufacturing companies rely on innovation to get through tough times, and now is no different.

A lot of smaller, contract-based manufacturing companies have found that diversifying the industries they work with is key to getting by and even possibly growing. To help them out, Tooling U recently sponsored Industry & Innovation: The New Face of Manufacturing to discuss how to do this effectively. This symposium in Cleveland, OH focused on moving into the energy, medical and aerospace industries. This conference was also a great opportunity for Tooling U to meet with manufacturers looking to continuously improve their businesses. TU’s Chad Schron, James Vickers, and I went to the event to meet with the wide variety of companies that are dealing with the challenges of diversifying.

Jack Schron, CEO of both Jergens Inc. and Tooling U, came to speak in two different sessions on March 17th regarding the importance of training a workforce to become a more flexible company. These “early bird” sessions drew nearly 200 people to hear Jack discuss the pros and cons of different training. Jack explained that the best option with training programs is a blended approach. Using theory-based training to back up hands-on practice helps people learn more quickly, and retain that knowledge on the shop floor. Having knowledgeable people in a company makes diversification a ready option in tough times.

Sarah Wering

Marketing Manager

Sales Team Goes Home Chalupa-less

Tooling U wrapped up its annual sales meeting in January. On January 8th and 9th, the entire sales team flew in from around the country to meet at the Hilton Garden Inn in downtown Cleveland. We accomplished a lot in the two days we were there—we worked on developing our sales strategies and projecting how we think Tooling U will react to the turbulent market and economy. Our main focus was on how we can improve our products to enhance our customers' experience with the products.

On Thursday, January 8th, we looked at historical sales data and worked on our marketing plans for 2009. Friday, we discussed best sales practices, contract negotiation best practices and goal setting.

The highlight of these meetings is always the food (and drink!), and this year proved no different! Thursday night we had a fantastic dinner at The Bistro on Lincoln Park in Tremont. Friday we enjoyed a Mexican feast at Zocala on East 4th.

Without a doubt, the most memorable event was our team bonding event. At dinner, we were surprised with the news that we were going to be attending the Cavaliers/Celtics game. We had great seats, right behind the basket. Dan Sloan’s height proved a worthy asset during the game – he reached far above the crowd and managed to snatch a lottery ticket parachute floating from the catwalk.

LeBron James made us proud, leading the Cavs to a 98-83 win. I must say, though, that we did feel a bit cheated in the end. Had the Cavs scored 100 points, everyone in the crowd would have won a free Chalupa from Taco Bell. I've never had a chalupa and was looking forward to trying one! But, with 12 seconds left in the game, the Cavs opted not to attempt the 100th point. So no Taco Bell Chalupas for us!

Sarah Wering
Marketing Manager

IMTS

Phew! IMTS 2008 is over! For those of you who missed the show, there’s simply no way to describe it. The best I can think of is 1.2 million square feet of robots, CNC machines, conveyer belts and salespeople! We were lucky enough to be located at the entrance to the North Hall, which provided the perfect opportunity to demonstrate our product to the entire show. I
got a chance to meet a lot of great people over the course of the week – and managed to get a few laughs when I showed them my personal Tooling U test scores.





I think the picture that best sums up IMTS, though, comes from Chris Pinner’s desk. Chris is one of Tooling U’s dedicated writers – and IMTS’ dedicated snatchers. Let’s face it, we all like free stuff. And as trade shows go, IMTS is a free stuff paradise. Chris? Well, he strives for excellence. I think you can tell from the picture below that he made his way around the entire show.

I suppose it’s a good thing that IMTS is every two years. These companies would go bankrupt if they had to supply Chris with new desk decorations every year. See you in 2010!

Sarah Wering

Marketing Manager

The Era of Stolen Workers

I recently came across an editorial in Metalforming which I found extremely interesting. The editorial was titled, “Labor Shortage? Grow, and Keep, Your Own.” We’ve all known for quite some time that skilled labor is a growing shortage within the United States. Companies are having a harder time finding and hiring employees who already have the skills necessary to complete the job. That’s why Tooling U is so successful – companies can focus on hiring a dependable worker and worry about training them later.

In the past, companies who lacked skilled employees simply stole employees from another rival company by offering better hours, wages or working conditions. Manufacturers in South Carolina and Alabama lured workers from Ohio and Michigan by offering sunny Decembers. Steelworkers in the Ohio Valley were lured to new companies by promises of higher pay and advancement. This era is over.

Across the United States, small and large businesses alike are finding it difficult to find and retain skilled workers. Manufacturing is shifting toward higher skilled, higher paying jobs and as a result, the applicant pool is shrinking. The editorial pointed out that the top four most difficult jobs to fill are for engineers, machinists/machine operators, skilled trades and technicians. According to the article, one company, The Minster Machine Co. in Ohio, has discovered a way to increase retention within its ranks. It has implemented an engineering internship program which begins engineering students on their way to a career with the company. Minster has found that over 95% of the students in their program graduate, and 95% of those engineers stay in Ohio to work. This is impressive work when you consider that over half of Ohio’s engineering students leave the state to begin their career.

Educating employees is simply not enough when facing a labor shortage. Manufacturers need to be grooming future employees through internal training programs, internships, apprenticeships and affiliations with local vocational schools. Tooling U is taking an active stance in helping these programs work. We are currently a part of several educational partnership programs throughout the country.

If your company is not currently facing a labor shortage, it will be soon. As the workforce ages and retires, there will be fewer and fewer skilled workers to replace them. Consider getting your company involved in one of these programs – if you need help or don’t know where to turn, talk to Gretchen Schultz in our Business Development program. She’d be happy to help you get started on the way to recruiting and retaining your own employees.

In you are interested in reading the Metalforming Editorial, click here.

Sarah Wering
Marketing Manager

Tooling U Goes Mobile

In case you hadn’t heard, Tooling U did something pretty cool this week. There is now a mobile version of our training program. Users of Tooling U can now access all training and assessment information from their cell phone. The application is compatible with all Blackberry, Apple IPhone and Windows Mobile devices. Check it out at http://www.toolingu.com/mobile.

I got the opportunity this weekend to try it out. I have to admit – this was the first time I had ever used my cell phone for something other than “send” and “end.” Talk about technologically savvy!

Logging in was very easy. The most difficult part of the entire process was trying to navigate myself to the website. I wasn’t exactly sure how to type in the website address. When I finally managed to load the site, I was pleasantly surprised how easy it was to access the website. I logged in as a student without any problems, and opened a class. Despite what I anticipated, the text on my screen was large
enough for me to read and comprehend. The graphics loaded with each lesson were clear and easy to interpret.

To be honest, I think the application is pretty cool. It opens many possibilities for Tooling U users, including monitoring training from outside the office. I can’t wait for the first time I see someone taking a final exam ahead of me in line at Starbucks!

Sarah Wering

Marketing Manager