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They certainly do have skills. As you have guessed, this is a phony issue, but ...
Manufacturing by design: New skills needed to compete
George Leopold
2/29/2012 8:57 PM EST
Manufacturing ecosystems
Christine Furstoss of General Electric’s Global Research Center called for integrating more small and medium-sized manufacturers into industry supply chains since a manufacturing revival “will require a new kind of ecosystem.” A greater focus in new approaches like “additive manufacturing” using thin-film deposition, for example, will help in scaling up a new manufacturing ecosystem, Furstoss said.
“Today, we’re very sequential” in how products are manufactured,” she added. “We need to change that paradigm to make it a non-sequential process.”
Other corporate executives here like Boeing Research and Technology’s Matthew Ganz acknowledged that the aircraft maker has been “hindered” by separating its design and manufacturing operations. Boeing is now in the process of reuniting design and manufacturing while promoting younger engineers with strong design skills. “We grab them by the arm and pull them up the [organizational] chart,” Ganz stressed.
‘Stackable credentials’
The other part of the manufacturing equation is educating a new generation of skilled workers capable of driving a design-oriented manufacturing sector. An “all-hands-on-deck” approach that links companies, trade unions and community colleges is seen as one of the best approaches to reinvigorating the sector, corporate executives and educators agreed.
Community colleges “have been excellent partners and a critical cog” in training the next generation of manufacturing workers, said Carrie Houtman, public policy manager at Dow Chemical Co. Dow CEO Andrew Liveris along with MIT President Susan Hockfield head an Advanced Manufacturing Partnership unveiled by the White House last June.
A new approach to training manufacturing workers called “stackable credentials” is being pioneered by California’s community college system. Van Ton-Quinlivan, the system’s vice chancellor for workforce development, described the approach as earning course certificates that can be “stacked” in order meet manufacturer’s requirements for new employees. Each stack represents an individual skill.
For example, Ton-Quinlivan explained, an engineering student hoping to work in the energy technology market could gain both pre- and post-sales certificates, allowing the newly minted engineer to implement an energy program that a company has just sold. The modular education and training program is designed to provide students with the skills employers want now, while allowing students to “stack” other courses that would lead to undergraduate or graduate degrees.
The California official also put the onus on manufacturers to play a more active role in training future workers. She said community colleges are motivated to deliver the skills companies need, but companies must be more specific about what required and desired skills they are seeking in new employees.
Responding to widespread complaints here about regulatory red tape and the lack of tax incentives needed to promote manufacturing, the former chairman of the House Science Committee said the revival of U.S. manufacturing ultimately comes down to training more skilled workers. “You can have all the tax and regulatory reform you want,” Bart Gordon told an audience of technology company executives, “but you still have to have a skilled workforce” to compete in global markets.
Related "Rebuild America" links:
Time to play hard ball on tech manufacturing
Rebuilding America: Really? Have we given up?
Rebuilding America: Would Kurzarbeit work here?
Rebuilding America: Don't teach to the test
Rebuilding America: Proposals emerge to fix 'dysfunctional' R&D tax credit
Rebuilding America: Promoting outreach
Christine Furstoss of General Electric’s Global Research Center called for integrating more small and medium-sized manufacturers into industry supply chains since a manufacturing revival “will require a new kind of ecosystem.” A greater focus in new approaches like “additive manufacturing” using thin-film deposition, for example, will help in scaling up a new manufacturing ecosystem, Furstoss said.
“Today, we’re very sequential” in how products are manufactured,” she added. “We need to change that paradigm to make it a non-sequential process.”
Other corporate executives here like Boeing Research and Technology’s Matthew Ganz acknowledged that the aircraft maker has been “hindered” by separating its design and manufacturing operations. Boeing is now in the process of reuniting design and manufacturing while promoting younger engineers with strong design skills. “We grab them by the arm and pull them up the [organizational] chart,” Ganz stressed.
‘Stackable credentials’
The other part of the manufacturing equation is educating a new generation of skilled workers capable of driving a design-oriented manufacturing sector. An “all-hands-on-deck” approach that links companies, trade unions and community colleges is seen as one of the best approaches to reinvigorating the sector, corporate executives and educators agreed.
Community colleges “have been excellent partners and a critical cog” in training the next generation of manufacturing workers, said Carrie Houtman, public policy manager at Dow Chemical Co. Dow CEO Andrew Liveris along with MIT President Susan Hockfield head an Advanced Manufacturing Partnership unveiled by the White House last June.
A new approach to training manufacturing workers called “stackable credentials” is being pioneered by California’s community college system. Van Ton-Quinlivan, the system’s vice chancellor for workforce development, described the approach as earning course certificates that can be “stacked” in order meet manufacturer’s requirements for new employees. Each stack represents an individual skill.
For example, Ton-Quinlivan explained, an engineering student hoping to work in the energy technology market could gain both pre- and post-sales certificates, allowing the newly minted engineer to implement an energy program that a company has just sold. The modular education and training program is designed to provide students with the skills employers want now, while allowing students to “stack” other courses that would lead to undergraduate or graduate degrees.
The California official also put the onus on manufacturers to play a more active role in training future workers. She said community colleges are motivated to deliver the skills companies need, but companies must be more specific about what required and desired skills they are seeking in new employees.
Responding to widespread complaints here about regulatory red tape and the lack of tax incentives needed to promote manufacturing, the former chairman of the House Science Committee said the revival of U.S. manufacturing ultimately comes down to training more skilled workers. “You can have all the tax and regulatory reform you want,” Bart Gordon told an audience of technology company executives, “but you still have to have a skilled workforce” to compete in global markets.
Related "Rebuild America" links:
Time to play hard ball on tech manufacturing
Rebuilding America: Really? Have we given up?
Rebuilding America: Would Kurzarbeit work here?
Rebuilding America: Don't teach to the test
Rebuilding America: Proposals emerge to fix 'dysfunctional' R&D tax credit
Rebuilding America: Promoting outreach
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junko.yoshida
2/29/2012 9:33 PM EST
A good snapshot where the United States stands today in its quest for bringing jobs back to the nation.
I was particularly struck by the following graph in this story:
"...Most argued that labor costs and energy usage aren’t the key barriers; what is needed is a revival of flexible, design-driven manufacturing and a new, modular approach to training the next generation of machinists, engineers and technical managers."
A year ago, most of us were almost unanimously in agreement that there is no way the U.S. could compete with other nations like China or India -- especially in manufacturing -- on the grounds of labor cost.
Now we are beginning to see a whole new debate unfolding in front of our eyes.
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Dave.Dykstra
3/1/2012 2:02 AM EST
Some very interesting points developed here. It is nice to see people realizing that labor costs are only one part of the equation, especially if productivity multiplies the actual labor results. But while there are tech jobs available, finding people to fill them is often difficult - in many cases, not because there are no skilled workers available but because the skilled workers are not where the jobs are and are not willing to relocate. This is a hurdle that must be overcome as well. With the proper education at the community college level and above, targeting skill training to an appropriate geographic area can help, but will always necessarily lag the requirements, often by a couple of years or more.
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garydpdx
3/1/2012 10:19 AM EST
Yes, there is a need for advanced expertise and management experience in 'emerging' (but some almost there) markets. And that is being fulfilled in part by returning expats (repats?), and by Americans who become expats. And George makes a couple of important points on 'why' some workers can't be mobile, but I have seen some compromise by commuting (their spouse and children stay back). Add to that, often the spouse has a relatively secure career in their home region (and may not be transportable, like real estate attorney - you basically start over if you move to another state).
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george.leopold
3/1/2012 11:42 AM EST
As the U.S. pulls together its manufacturing strategy, there will be a heavy emphasis on "manufacturing clusters," that is, state and regional ecosystems that can be tied in to community colleges, trade union training programs and the like. Some large companies like Dow Chemical are already focusing on this approach, but they want to pull in more small and mid-sized companies where the next big innovations in manufacturing may be percolating.
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george.leopold
3/1/2012 9:33 AM EST
You're are correct, Dave, you have to go where the jobs are. I was told by the high school career adviser I would work in the paper mills like my dad before me. That lit a fire under me.
Several panelists at the DoE conference noted that worker mobility is way down. The reasons range from not wanting to leave a "secure" job to being "under water" on a home loan. Still, if you are young, smart and willing to work, there are jobs out there.
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zeeglen
3/7/2012 7:51 PM EST
If you are older, established, and have a lot of baggage to move, and many posted jobs state "no relocation available", and you have already relocated twice and both times resulted in layoffs, you tend to be a bit more careful these days about relocating.
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george.leopold
3/1/2012 12:48 PM EST
Our friends at "Manufacturing and Technology News" report that the Obama administration's fiscal 2013 budget request includes a proposal to create a $1 billion public-private partnership "aimed at commercializing and manufacturing U.S. developed technologies." The partnership would be based on a similar program at Germany's Fraunhofer Institutes.
Here's a link to the story:
http://www.manufacturingnews.com/news/national-network-for-manufacturing-innovation-228112.html
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george.leopold
3/2/2012 8:04 AM EST
Bad news:
"As state funding has dwindled, public colleges have raised tuition and are now resorting to even more desperate measures — cutting training for jobs the economy needs most."
Full story here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/02/business/dealbook/state-cutbacks-curb-training-in-jobs-critical-to-economy.html?_r=1&ref=business
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chipmonk
3/2/2012 3:41 PM EST
2/3 rds of the US economy is for medium technoogy consumer products. The US cannot survive if these are outsourced to China. As we have seen in electronics, driven by rational self interest China will invest profit from making sneakers or assembling PCs ( low tech consumer products ) into Base Stations & Servers ( Huawei ) and so on. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, the US has become a house divided ( Wall St vs Main St ), arrogantly underestimating China and sending investment & technology to China for higher returns.
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george.leopold
3/2/2012 5:09 PM EST
Our advantage over China rests with out unmatched design capability, as the commentators at the Energy Department conference repeatedly pointed out. This capability must be integral to the (re)training of American workers so that we can build up flexible, regional manufacturing clusters that can leverage American know-how and superior productivity.
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elctrnx_lyf
3/4/2012 12:17 PM EST
I hope these seminars will help US to revive the manufacturing. But I'm not really sure how this is going to help. Government should encourage more and more manufacturing with tax incentives for the companies.
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agk
3/5/2012 1:19 AM EST
one point i noted is using automation can bring back the manufacturing from china. A lot of research and development in the area of robots which are more efficient than human can do it.Based on the population ratio of China to USA this can be achieved.1 US employee if he could complete the work of 20 China employees using automation can be paid 10 times salary of China and rest 10 times can be expended on the robot. This will create more jobs in USA.
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C VanDorne
3/5/2012 4:39 PM EST
George, idealistic platitudes are nice to ponder over beer but if "Most" argued this: "that labor costs and energy usage aren’t the key barriers" then I am more interested in what the "some" had to say. That is since they are probably the only non-bureaucrats in the room. You know...makers, the productive, people who actually pay the bills and balance the books, etc.. Will a report on their opinions be forthcoming from our friends at EE Times?
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george.leopold
3/7/2012 5:53 PM EST
Most of what is contained in my report was from "non-bureaucrats," so I don't know what "idealistic platitudes" you are referring to.
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C VanDorne
3/8/2012 5:01 PM EST
Really? I see two people who were given voice: a smarting "Cleantech" Market Researcher and a DOE Program Manager. So who were the "Corporate Executives" that were there?
As for the "idealsitic platitudes" I'd say the entire 7th and 8th paragraphs.
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george.leopold
3/7/2012 4:34 PM EST
Here's a training update from the Nation's Capital. Not much manufacturing in DC, but the more training, the better:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dc-wire/post/district-to-pump-2-million-into-job-training-program/2012/03/07/gIQA2z1CxR_blog.html?wpisrc=nl_buzz
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george.leopold
3/21/2012 2:40 PM EDT
For those of you following this thread, I highly recommend this analysis of U.S. manufacturing productivity statistics. It is an article of faith among most economists that manufacturing efficiencies over the last two decades have contributed to steadily growing U.S. manufacturing output. But now some experts are challenging that view, saying computer and electronics manufacturing inflated that overall numbers and that U.S. manufacturing statistics fail to take globalization, e.g., the offshoring of manufacturing, into account.
The link below will take you to this excellent analysis:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/economists-offer-more-pessimistic-view-on-manufacturing-in-upcoming-report/2012/03/19/gIQAKSpZNS_story.html
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TFCSD
4/5/2012 12:58 AM EDT
Here’s a question. What did employers and employees do back in the 1900’s when electricity was being introduced? I sure there was a huge skill shortage back then since it was newly invented with no similar technologies to draw compatible skills and how did they deal with it? The same thing is probably true with Steam engines (1800’s), automobile (1900’s), telephones (1890’s), televisions (1930’s), commercial mainframe computers (1950’s), and many others. So how come all of a sudden people do not have skills?
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http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/poconoarmchairreview
4/5/2012 3:16 AM EDT
They certainly do have skills. As you have guessed, this is a phony issue, but there are political and financial reasons for advocating it.
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http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/poconoarmchairreview
4/5/2012 3:28 AM EDT
This is the new America: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/19/inside-amazons-very-hot-warehouse/
So when you hear reports about shocking conditions in Chinese factories that make iPads, remember, we have the same working conditions in the US. It doesn't matter if we are talking about a factory or a warehouse. The issue of bringing dignified work, let alone manufacturing, back to the US is not a matter of skills, not by a long shot.
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