Process and control training are critical to ensuring your plant floor it operating correctly and to its full potential. However, maintenance training is just as pertinent to warrant a successful production line. While instrumentation training and general industrial skills training are among the most popular courses opted to be implemented by managers, maintenance training is perhaps just as important and should be utilized as supplementary courseware. No matter what field you’re in,...
Time and time again we attempt to express the growing importance of industrial training. However, often industrial training is hoped to be the remedy that will fix all skill set related issues among your workforce. In reality, that’s not the case. Often the real troubled areas are overlooked and as a result the potential of successful industrial training diminishes. Manufacturers invest both time and money in selecting and implementing the right industrial...
It seems evident enough that engaged employees are more likely to work harder, be more loyal and exude greater passion towards their job and the business they work for. This holds true in the industrial fields along with all other business types. In fact, a 2011 survey by the Society for Human Resource Management reported that nearly 70% of HR professionals agreed that engagement is one of the top human resource challenges....
The Bloomberg News recent survey of economists reported a 0.5 percent increase in factory, mine and utility output for the month of March based on the median of 68 forecasts. The March gain follows a 0.7 percent increase in February. The expected share of industrial capacity currently in use is approximately 81.4 percent, the highest it has been since September of 2000 which came in at 81.2 percent. The increase comes as...
On Monday the formation of the nonprofit group JobKeeper Alliance was announced. The group’s mission will be to assist in the creation and preservation of middle-class jobs in the state of Alabama. Stewart Burkhalter has been the master mind behind the project since his recent retirement from the Alabama AFL-CIO after serving as the president for 17 years. Burkhalter acknowledged that labor and business don’t often see eye to eye, however both...
According to the Association for Manufacturing Technology, U.S. manufacturing technology orders totaled a whopping $401.69 million in January. The number was reportedly down by 26.5 percent from December’s orders but has increased 8.4 percent when compared to the $370 million reported in January of last year. Experts reportedly expected order totals to come in much lower than they did during the first month of the year. This year’s consistent increase thus far...
So we have convinced you that industrial skills training is the greatest way to enhance your employee performance and boost your bottom line. But, now it’s time to determine exactly how you’ll implement your industrial training courseware. How can you be sure your adult learners are grasping and understanding the content you are offering? How will you track their progress so you can be reassured they are participating and successfully completing your...
Washington recently reported that U.S. employers added nearly 227,000 jobs during the month of February. The spike in hiring continued the greatest three month rise of job creation since the recession. The Labor Department noted that the unemployment rate remained at 8.3 percent during February, staying at its lowest percentage within the past three years. During the past three months the U.S economy has created an average of 245,000 jobs. A survey...
Training skills are not easy to come by. The most effective methods and the greatest intentions can all go unnoticed when it comes to implementing industrial training skills if the adult learner is not fully understood. Malcolm Knowles, who is credited with revolutionizing the adult learning field, identified key principals which are critical in understanding adult learning tendencies. These critical principles can ultimately help manufacturing managers not only put in place quality...
In today’s economy plant owners and manufacturing managers often find themselves asking what practices are best for each of their factories and wonder how they can turn things around on a consistent basis and put the economic hard times officially behind us. Aside from industrial skills training, a few other key factors can contribute to maximizing your return on investment and ultimately your bottom line. Last week, manufacturing executives from around the...
Thus far into the new year, the economy has seen promising growth. Factories have been fulfilling more orders, retailers have been making more sales and more jobs have been created as a result. On Wednesday morning, the Federal Reserve reported all 12 of the banking districts have seen growth all through January as well as during the first half of February. Thanks to the positive economic growth the manufacturing industry has also...
Skilled industrial jobs have long been the hardest to fill. Electricians, carpenters and welders are constantly in demand within the industrial workforce, but more and more it seems that the hiring pool is becoming scarce. This could partly be due to the retirement of baby boomers and partly due to the disinterest of today’s youth. A 2010 poll sponsored by Nuts Bolts and Thingamajigs (NBT) and the Fabricators and Manufacturers Association (FMA)...
It’s clear that bouncing back from the economic crisis our country faced not too long ago has not been an easy task for many manufacturing businesses. However, one factory is beating the odds. Almost a decade ago, a small steel mill located in central Indiana faced bankruptcy until it was eventually bought out by Steel Dynamics. Today, the plant is successful and plans are in place to invest $76 million towards expansion....
The manufacturing industry has long been a challenging and innovative field. The resulting products of the industry have shaped our technology and in many ways the way that our society functions. But now, as baby boomers begin to retire and the next generation is forced to step to the plate the turnout seems a bit scarce. So, who’s to blame? Manufacturers of course. It is the responsibility of industrial leaders to keep...
