Manufacture Smarter Blog

1/18/2019 - BY: SHELLY STOBIERSKI
A hard life lesson everyone has had to learn at one point or another is that all good things must come to an end. This is an especially difficult lesson to learn when it comes to the economy, but one that Michigan manufacturers may soon be faced with.

9/21/2018 - THE CENTER
Since 2013 the Skilled Trades Training Fund (STTF) has provided nearly $73 million in funding for training and apprenticeships. This fall, another $29 million will be available for businesses throughout Michigan through the Going PRO Talent Fund, the new face of STTF. Although its name has changed, Going PRO is still as powerful as ever, helping to drive Michigan’s economy and provide manufacturers with the talent they need to compete and grow.

8/24/2018 - BY: JAMIE HEADLEY
Employers across America are dealing with the combined effect of baby boomers retiring, a strong economy and record low unemployment. Now faced with the large labor shortage this perfect storm has created, manufacturers are looking to the next generation of workers to fill this gap: millennials.

4/14/2017 - BY: RUSS MASON
With its aging demographic, the U.S. manufacturing sector will have more than three million jobs available by 2025. According to Forbes, millennials are projected to make up 50% of the U.S. workforce by 2020. However, nearly two million of these positions will go unfilled—due to the existing skills gap and the prevailing perception about manufacturing careers.

12/16/2016 - THE CENTER
As 2016 comes to an end, companies within the U.S. manufacturing sector remain optimistic about new opportunities for growth and innovation in the upcoming year, even as competition from overseas continues to increase. Perhaps the most pressing issue facing the industry in 2017, and beyond, is educating and training the next generation of manufacturers.

12/1/2016 - THE CENTER
According to a recent report by Deloitte, the United States is expected to take over the number one position as the most competitive manufacturing nation from China by the end of the year—with Germany holding steady at number three. The United States continues to improve its ranking as technological innovation sweeps across the manufacturing landscape and new opportunities continue to arise.

7/8/2016 - THE CENTER
For years, the retirement of the baby boom generation has been a large topic of discussion and a looming economic threat. Now, that dreaded time is upon us. Baby Boomers, those born between 1946 and 1964, are retiring in droves – to the tune of about 10,000 a day!  

5/27/2016 - THE CENTER
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported there were 12,293,000 employees holding manufacturing jobs, accounting for nine percent of the workforce in the United States in March 2016. These employees earn an average hourly wage of $25.72, equivalent to more than $50,000, not including benefits or overtime pay.

1/8/2016 - THE CENTER
Staying ahead of the curve allows you to anticipate what is going to happen before it actually does. You may watch the marketplace, assess emerging trends, and evaluate both potential challenges and growth opportunities.

7/2/2015 - THE CENTER
Manufacturers have helped the United States through most of the challenging times confronted as a nation. It was the manufacturing capacity of the United States that proved decisive in World War II. Only America had the manufacturing infrastructure to accomplish such things. The world was a better place because manufacturers played a vital role