Issue link: http://www.insightdigital.biz/i/449345
w w w.in s i g h t o n m f g . c o m Januar y 2015 • /INSIGHT ON MANUFACTURING | 7 EDITOR'S NOTE | NIKKI KALLIO n k a l l i o @ i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m ARE YOU WEARING YOUR SHADES? BECAUSE THE future's looking pretty bright, according to the Northeast Wisconsin Manufacturing Alliance 2015 Manufacturing Vitality Index. In fact, 96 percent of manufacturers said their business was either healthy or quite healthy. More than half plan on hiring in the first quarter of this year. Not only that, but 30 percent plan to expand their plants, and a whopping 66 percent plan to at least modernize. at's great news — it means manufacturers are feeling confident about how things are going and are planning for the future. It's also great news for support industries such as construction and companies that make the new, up-to-date equipment that manufacturers need. e one area of concern, however, is whether manufacturers will be able to find the workers they need to operate the new equipment and fill the expanded plants (see Cover Story, p. 8). e NEW Manufacturing Alliance's ongoing mission is to tackle this potential skills gap, partnering with educators and parents to build interest in manufacturing careers and improve educational offerings in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) courses. One such effort of collaboration is occurring in the Sheboygan School District, where educators and several large manufacturers — Bemis Manufacturing, Kohler Co., Rockline Industries and e Vollrath Company — are partnering on Red Raider Manufacturing, a plan to boost tech ed offerings at North and South high schools (See Education & Training, p. 14). Efforts such as these are helping to solidify Future focus the future that manufacturers envision for the industry. Working together on building talent helps keep the industry healthy, keeping it growing, innovative and able to solve the problems of the future. e vitality index survey, sponsored by the NEW Manufacturing Alliance and conducted by the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Business Success Center, contacted 151 companies with $3 million or more in annual revenue and 25 or more employees. e survey was conducted in October and November and results were presented at the New North Summit in Sheboygan in December. Also presented at the New North Summit were the 2015 All Stars, some of the best and brightest young people in manufacturing. Included in this issue is the 2015 All Stars publication, featuring these young people, the jobs that they do and how they got there. It's a great way to show teens and young job seekers the kinds of positions that are in manufacturing. (Hint: ey're not all technical and most of them don't involve dust, dirt or grime.) All of them do, however, require a professional attitude, good communication skills and the ability to make decisions — "so skills" or "employability skills" that manufacturers seek in addition to trained talent. In our "Insight From" column (p. 22), Doug Hamm of Lakeshore Technical College's Human Resource Management Program, explains why these are important in a manufacturing workplace. Working well in a manufacturing environment means being able to play well with others and being ready to adapt to change. And that's also what manufacturers know they need to do to be ready for what the future holds. F