Steps to Career Success in Machining

Steps to Career Success in Machining

Matthew Schowalter, CMfgT

THE STEPS TO CAREER SUCCESS IN MACHINING

  1. Get a Technical Degree – A solid educational foundation is a critical building block, you will make a lot more money in your career if you follow through with a Technical College education.

  2. Serve a State Sponsored Apprenticeship – This is an excellent way to learn the skills of the trade and climb the pay scale also. It also will ensure that you are viewed as a professional in your career. By finishing an apprenticeship and becoming a journeyman, you will be put in a position to make a good wage for the rest of your career.

  3. Never Stop Learning – Enroll in at least two specialized classes per year. It is an excellent way to build a great resume also, as it shows future employers that you are a dedicated career professional.

The Eleva-Strum Technical Education Program

The Eleva-Strum Technical Education Program

Matthew Schowalter, CMfgT
CNC Machining, Machining, Machinist, Soft Skills, Technical Education

I recently had an opportunity to visit the technical education department at the Eleva-Strum high school. While I was in the shop, there was an eighth-grade class working on manual milling projects, sheet metal projects, welding projects, and brazing projects. These projects that they were making teach the students the fundamental principles of manufacturing. With this class, the students spend six days in each subject area, then they switch to another project. They learn the basics like how to read a tape measure, and how to use a dial caliper.

5 Ways to Mitigate the Lack of Skilled Machinists

5 Ways to Mitigate the Lack of Skilled Machinists

Paul Van Metre
CNC Machining, CNC Programming, Machining, Machinist, Machinist Interview, Manufacturing

I don’t know a single CNC machine shop that has an easy time hiring machinists, and would say they have enough well-qualified candidates. The fact is that there is more demand than supply, with not enough young people coming into the industry to fill the positions that are needed by machine shops today. On one hand, it's great news in general, that the demand for machinists is strong. Onshoring seems to be a longer-term trend now and the demand for machined parts in North America is strong, which is fantastic. The shadow side is that it’s tough to find machinists and most shops feel that pain, which inhibits their ability to grow at the pace they could theoretically if hiring was not a problem.

The Evolution of 3D Printing

The Evolution of 3D Printing

GSC

The concept of 3D printing anything and everything is a common thought amongst many individuals. While that hasn’t occurred and probably won’t for a long time, additive manufacturing is quickly becoming a need for many manufacturers, and it’s easy to understand why.

Although 3D printing originated over 40 years ago, at its inception, it was predominately used for prototyping. Today 3D printing is no longer utilized solely for consumer base purposes such as printing one-of-a-kind objects. It is now being used heavily in manufacturing settings to produce functional, large-scale, and end-use products.

7 Habits of Highly Effective Machine Shops

7 Habits of Highly Effective Machine Shops

Paul Van Metre
CNC Machining, Machining, Machinist, Manufacturing

The machining industry has thousands of CNC machine shops. Many of them struggle to stay profitable and deliver on their promises, and as a result, don’t grow as fast as they want to. A small number of shops are highly effective and grow faster than the rest and go on to have amazing results. I’ve talked with thousands of machine shops around the world and seen the common themes, and of course, with our own experience growing a shop from $0 to $12M in revenue, we have a few thoughts to share today. There are many more effective habits that are also important, but here are the most important habits we’ve seen over the years.

Introducing the Younger Generation to Manufacturing

Introducing the Younger Generation to Manufacturing

Matthew Schowalter, CMfgT
CNC Machining, Machining, Machinist, Manufacturing

Adapting to the worker shortage in manufacturing is difficult. Some shops may choose to search more aggressively for employees, while others might invest in technology that helps streamline the manufacturing processes. Then there are other manufacturing facilities that may buy another machine shop to gain capabilities. Those are all ways to overcome the worker shortage, but this article will focus on how to introduce manufacturing to the younger generation to help fix the worker shortage.

A Tech Ed Program That Teaches Professionalism

A Tech Ed Program That Teaches Professionalism

Matthew Schowalter, CMfgT
Machining, Machinist, Manufacturing, Soft Skills, Technical Education

I recently had an opportunity to work with the technical education program at Eleva-Strum School District in Wisconsin. The project that I had for the students was to modify a few parts for a mechanical clock. It was an amazing experience to be greeted at the door by a student and the student gave me a great handshake. The technical education class teaches these soft skills to the students, starting in seventh grade.

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