Technology has changed manufacturing
around the world, in more ways than one.
Today we are going to explore how technology has affected the actual
machines that are used in manufacturing, the affects on the skilled labor
force, the affects on the way businesses recruit and how all of these changes
have an enormous affect on the American economy.
Manufacturing
in the United States Japan Japan
Before
computers were widely used, machine shops around the world manufactured pieces
using manual machines such as, lathes, mills, grinders, drills, polishers. Prior to computers, there As technology has advanced and computers
became common place, NC changed to CNC technology (Computer Numerical
Controlled) which has advanced at alarming rates right along with computers. Today, CNC machine sales continue to increase
and surpass those of manual workstations.
was NC technology
(Numerical Controlled), but the advantages were not enough for many companies
to invest in the new technology unless they needed to replace a manual machine.
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| Manual Lathe |
Although
there are many major advantages for CNC machines, there is still a need for
some manual workstations in order to remain cost effective. CNC technology has many advantages in high
quantity production environments, where manual stations are more cost effective
for low quantity production. CNC
machines give more consistency in parts as they are monitored and calibrated
while being machined; versus human monitoring and calibration which requires
stopping during the machining process many times. The automation results in one set up versus
the manual set up with each part. In
Addition, the CNC machine is faster. Both
the automation of set up and machining result in more parts per hour or day. The technology and precision of the CNC
machine makes it both possible, and easier, to run more complex pieces at a
more affordable rate. Operating a manual
machine requires It is the programming and set up that require
more skill in the CNC machine. Many
times the company must hire an individual or multiple individuals just for the programming
and set up of the CNC machine. Each new
job requires programming and set up. An individual must have computer knowledge
and CAD / CAM understanding to learn to
program a CNC machine. This leads us to
some of the problems we are facing in the skilled labor force.
much more skill and training than operating a CNC machine.
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| CNC Lathe |
One
of the biggest problems brought about by technology in manufacturing is the gap
in the skilled workforce. This may be
one problem, but there are many contributing factors. The first problem many smaller manufacturing
facilities cannot afford the technology, therefore they cannot compete with
larger manufacturers and are forced to close their doors. As they close their doors, the manual
machinist is out of work but the skills don’t match those needed in CNC shops. They are not qualified for the CNC programmer
position, since they do not have the programming knowledge. They are really over qualified for the CNC
operator positions, but many time that is the only option they have. It is a job they should be able to perform
with very little training. A manual
machine operator has more technical skills than a CNC operator, although their
skills will not be utilized much, if at all, in a CNC shop. Typically the
manual machinist makes much higher wages than that of a CNC operator, so pay
cuts are a harsh reality for many. Chris
Kuehl may have summed it up best when he stated “There are still hundreds of
thousands of jobs in manufacturing, but unfortunately people who are looking
for jobs don’t necessarily have the skills to get into this field now.”
(Costello, 2010 para.4) This creates a few scenarios. One where the individual that has been laid
off must accept a position that they are over qualified for, in order to make
ends meet. Consequently, the second
scenario is that there are many over educated individuals that do not have
actual work experience and cannot find a job in their field, so they accept
whatever they can to make ends meet.
This creates a trickle down effect where people that are over qualified
are taking jobs below their skill level until there are little to no entry
level jobs for the entry level workers.
A third scenario is that there are no positions open with a close enough
skill match and the worker remains unemployed.
All of these scenarios create a large population of individuals out of
work, creating a huge drain on the unemployment system, welfare system, and economy.
A
second contributing factor to the skilled labor shortage is the negative
perception of manufacturing, especially among generations about to enter the
workforce. In years past, individuals
that knew a trade would very likely try to teach their children and pass their
skills down to the next generation.
Working with your hands was something many workers prided themselves
on. There was a sense of accomplishment
to be able to say, “I made that”.
Today’s youth are into technology and there are not many individuals
that desire to work with their hands.
Being a machinist was looked at as a skilled position, but now, many
individuals look at skilled labor as beneath them, dirty work, and
undesirable. Deloitte LLP and The
Manufacturing Institute conducted a study in June 2009 finding that only 17 %
of young Americans desire a manufacturing job and only 30 % of parents would
encourage their children to learn a trade.
(Costello, 2010 para.5)
This perception of manufacturing jobs as dirty or menial tasks is not
true in the majority of today’s factories.
Workers are highly trained technicians.
The days of dirty and unsafe factories are a thing of the past. Companies now have a focus on safety,
cleanliness and efficiency; understanding these are all necessary, not only to
attract and retain talent, but to stay in business.
The
third contributing factor is that the United States 
What’s even worse is that most of the hard to
fill skilled trades jobs, such as, machine operators, carpenters, plumbers, and
engineers, require math and science backgrounds. The United States National Center
A
fourth contributing factor to the skilled labor shortage is that baby boomers
are beginning to retire and without a sustainable workforce to replace these
individuals there could be catastrophic consequences to the American economy. Many baby boomers work in manufacturing and
are a vital part of training in their company.
Their many years of knowledge and skills cannot be easily transferred. I have witnessed this first hand as the
machine shop that I once worked for is now considering closing its doors. They were a manual machine shop that
specialized in repair or manufacturing of low quantity parts. Many of the machine operators that worked
there for the last twenty plus years have begun retiring. The company has now had difficulty finding
manual machine operators with the skill aptitude of those that have
retired. Their rework has gone up,
profit has gone down, and along with the economic downturn of the recent past,
they are fighting to keep their doors open after thirty years in business. An October 2009 report by Deloitte, Oracle and
the Manufacturing Institute sited that 51 percent of skilled production
companies report shortages and forecast increased shortages in the near future. (Yocum, 2010 para. 1) Without a skilled workforce, more
manufacturing facilities will close, more jobs will leave the United States
I
am a Branch Manager for a staffing agency that recruits for both office and
industrial positions. When I started
recruiting in 2004 we only had one manufacturing client that required a high
school diploma or GED equivalent. Most
companies would ask for a simple math evaluation along with a simple sketch or
blueprint evaluation, and all were on paper.
Now, I do not have one client that does not require a high school
diploma or GED. All of the testing is
computerized and there are usually a minimum of three evaluations for any given
position. Many employers now ask for
some college, previous work experience, certifications, and proof of pertinent
training. It is rare that a company will
agree to interview or employ someone that does not meet every requirement set
forth. Before technology was so advanced
it was more difficult to research and verify a person’s education, training,
and certifications. What we are up
against is the fact that companies are expecting our youth to have the
education, training and experience when they walk in the door.
In
addition, the first few steps of the recruiting process for many businesses is
all virtual. You must complete and
application, questionnaire’s, and testing all on a computer and many times even
remotely. You have a phone screen and if
you pass all of those steps then you may be offered a face to face interview. Because there are so many individuals out of
work, many companies believe that each candidate they hire should have every
skill and prerequisite that they desire.
What they don’t realize is that many times the candidate that is truly
the best person for the job may have very easily been passed over due to the
virtual process. If a person has trouble
with their computer while completing the application then it may look to the
recruiter as though they didn’t take the time to thoroughly fill the
application and they would be passed over.
In most cases there is not a way to reach a recruiter to let them know
of your troubles. If the applicant has
technical difficulties while taking the evaluation, or gets nervous when taking
a test, then their score may not reflect their true abilities. The problem with this virtual process is that
the potential employer never really gets to know any of this and just moves on
to the next application. The person that
may truly have the best experience and be the best culture fit for the organization
may not even get a phone screen, much less an interview.
Not
only do we need to change the perception of our up and coming workers, but we
need to change the perception and attitude of employers about the incoming
workforce. There are few companies,
locally, that participate in internships or externships, so it is very
difficult for someone with the education and training from a vocational or
technical school to acquire that real world experience. When I have asked plant managers why they do
not utilize the intern / extern partnership of local schools I have received
the same couple of answers. First, their
experience has been that the people do not have the necessary basic knowledge
expected coming straight out of school. Secondly,
that the company does not have the time or resources to train someone without
your basic, hands-on, work experience.
The average training time for someone with no experience in a machine
shop can vary greatly, but is two – six weeks for basic jobs. There is usually a need for ongoing training
with more complex jobs. This means
paying two salaries to do the work of one person, and with all of the
explanations and double checking involved the production is not usually even
equivalent to that of one person. It was
commonplace for a machine shop to hire someone just by giving a simple math and
sketch reading test, prior to all of the advances in technology and access to
education. Now companies prefer not to
invest the time and resources but depend on the person to come to them ready to
hit the ground running. When you look at
the fact that it takes most companies seven weeks, on average, to fill a
skilled position; it seems that the seven weeks of being shorthanded and paying
overtime to other employees would cost more to the company than the investment
of training someone for those seven weeks. (Reuters, 2011 p. 1)
More
American manufacturing means more American jobs in other fields as well. Many people only see the machine operator and
warehouse positions that are created and don’t realize how many positions are
created in other fields within other businesses because of manufacturing. If a company is manufacturing something, they
are always working on research and development, looking for ways to improve
their product and reduce costs. The
company itself will do some research and development, but will usually
outsource to other businesses that specialize in product testing or research
and development. This creates jobs in
research and development, product testing, cost analysis, engineering,
administrative assistants and the list goes on and on. If we continue to lose manufacturing jobs, we
will continue to lose jobs in those other related areas as well.
Technology
has made manufacturing more precise. It
has reduced lead times, cut the cost per piece to manufacture. There are definitely more advantages to the
advances in technology in manufacturing than disadvantages. In summation, educators, businesses,
government and workers all need to make some changes in their perceptions and
attitudes in order to allow the technological advances in manufacturing to
stimulate the economy instead of create skilled labor gaps.
References
Costello,
C. (2010) Skilled labor in high demand, short supply. Retrieved from
Digest
of Education Statistics. Table 282 Bachelor's degrees conferred by
degree-granting institutions, by field of study: Selected years, 1970-71
through 2008-09 National Center for
Education Statistics, Institute of Educational Sciences, Department of
Education
Retrieved
from http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d10/tables/dt10_282.asp
Reuters. (2011) So many US
Rooks, A. (2011) Will tinkering ever get
another chance? Cutting Tool Engineering
Magazine 63(5) para. 5 Retrieved
from http://www.ctemag.com/aa_pages/2011/110516-LeadAngle.html
Yocum, J. (2010) Skilled
worker shortage plagues many companies, even in economic downturn. Retrieved from http://www.masslive.com/business-News/index.ssf/2010/11/skilled_worker_shortage_plagues_many_com.html
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