Manufacturing: Help Wanted

One sure sign of economic recovery is when companies struggle to fill open positions. While this is not a great situation for the businesses involved, it puts a great deal of power into the hands of those with the right training and experience.

This week’s USA Today featured an article that highlights the manufacturing industry’s hiring situation, titled “Manufacturers Search for Workers to Sustain Revival.” The authors begin by examining XPAK USA, a packaging technologies provider headquartered in New Jersey. The company is doing well—sales in the first quarter of 2012 are 10 times greater than all of 2007. But XPAK still struggles to find the right people. “It seems like a machinist is a rare bird in New Jersey,” says company owner Tami Minond. 

Meredith Aronson, director of the New Jersey Advanced Manufacturing Talent Network, says that many companies feel the same pressures. Business leaders are apprehensive as orders continue to go up, but the pool of available, qualified workers stays at the same level. Educators and employers need to get creative, either by providing training or seeking out new sources of labor, such as returning war veterans who bring with them a sense of discipline and teamwork. 

Solving the talent crisis with education and training is more complicated than it sounds. Many of today’s students choose other professional avenues over a career in manufacturing, and manufacturing training programs often come at a very high cost. “Manufacturing has been an industry outsourced overseas … so a lot of families and parents aren’t encouraging their kids to get into manufacturing,” says Jim Hefti, vice president of human resources at Advanced Technology Services. “Now you’re seeing a resurgence, but you don’t necessarily have the skill sets to fill the need.” 

Inquire within

The manufacturing skills gap is not only occurring with machinists. We are constantly reminded that the talent shortage is occurring at multiple levels of the organization. While it presents a difficult question for companies who need workers, it’s also a great opportunity for those willing to devote the time and effort to become competent in a manufacturing career path such as supply chain and operations management. In the current economic climate, it’s vital to demonstrate to employers that you have the knowledge and ability to perform the job. It requires external markers of skill, which include direct work experience, secondary education degrees, and respected industry certifications. 

The APICS Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM) and Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP) designations were created with the goal of demonstrating an individual’s commitment to acquiring current industry knowledge and achieving continual development. In supply chain and operations management, an APICS CPIM or CSCP credential proves your command of a discipline that’s not only growing in importance, but is constantly changing. 

It’s true that the United States is in the midst of a manufacturing resurgence; but it may require deeper societal changes before the talent crisis is solved. In the meantime, savvy professionals can take advantage of the shortage by enhancing their own worth to employers. And they can do this through the education and training that APICS provides. To learn more about the benefits of APICS certification, visit our website at apics.org.

Idea exchange

Now, you can take the APICS Operations Management Now discussion to your social networks on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and the APICS Supply Chain Channel. Be sure to use the hashtag #OMNow and include @Tweet_APICS in any tweets to have your words featured on the APICS homepage.

• Does your background in supply chain and operations management help you in today's economic climate? What effects has it had on your career?
• What are large companies currently doing to ease the talent crisis? What can they do further?
• Is there a stigma against manufacturing careers, especially among younger people? What can be done to remove this stigma?

In other news

• Collaboration Will Drive the Next Wave of Productivity Gains^__Harvard Business Review
• Leaner, faster, greener: Nike's new supply chain goals^__GreenBiz.com
• Can Commodities Be Sustainable?^__Forbes

Related APICS education

• Demonstrated Forward Thinking
  By Elizabeth Rennie
  May/June 2012, APICS magazine

• Sharing a Common Outlook
  By Gary A. Smith, CPIM, CSCP
  May/June 2011, APICS magazine

• Anchor Change
  By John R. Schultz
  March/April 2011, APICS magazine

• APICS Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM)

• Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP)

• Learn locally. Find a course in your area. 

Not an APICS member? Join today.