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  • New York manufacturer expands into Rochester, adds 100 new jobs
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    9
    Feb2012
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    Optimation Technology Incorporated has announced it will move from its current fabrications operations in Rush, New York, to Rochester. The plan is expected to create up to 100 new local positions for those with experience in the skilled trades.

    The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports that the company recently bought out the assets of the now bankrupt Kingsbury Corporation of Keene, New Hampshire, and will move the additional equipment into its new Rochester facility.

    William Pollock, chief executive officer of Optimation, told the news agency that the expansion will allow it to provide additional services to its industrial clients since the $3.1 million purchase of Kingsbury's assets included patents to make machine parts used in automobile production.

    "This addition will allow us to be not only a fabricator but also a custom machine builder, providing more complete manufacturing facilities for our clients," Pollock added.

    Optimation said the transferred equipment is expected to be up and running at the Rochester plant by the end of  April.

    According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment opportunities for machinery manufacturing are expected to be best for those with knowledge of the skilled trades, including training beyond high school.
     

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  • California’s green economy able to retain more workers during downturn
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    8
    Feb2012
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    According to new data, those with experience in the skilled trades working in California's green energy sector were able to retain their jobs when compared to workers in other parts of the country during the economic downturn.

    The 2012 Many Shades of Green: California's Shift to a Cleaner, More Productive Economy report found that the the state's core alternative energy economy showed greater resilience at the height of the downturn, performing better than other sectors by retaining a greater percentage of its workforce.

    "We found that the global financial crisis and the mortgage crisis that caused our overall economy to go into a deep dive did not have as damaging an impact on the state's core green economy," stated F. Noel Perry, founder of Next 10, the nonpartisan research group that produced the report.

    Overall the San Diego region, the Bay Area and Sacramento showed the greatest ability to retain workers in 15 green industry segments, which include employees with knowledge of the skilled trades, welding training and those who have attended electrician school.

    The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that workers with advanced postsecondary training have the potential to earn $500 more per week than those with a high school diploma or less. 

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  • Illinois manufacturing jobs beginning to rebound after years of decline
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    7
    Feb2012
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    The latest job figures out of Illinois show  that more workers with experience in the skilled trades are starting to find work following several years of job losses.

    Manufacturers' News reports that employment at Illinois factories rose a half a percentage point over the past 12 months, gaining 3,496 jobs, for the first time in over 10 years.

    "We're finally starting to see positive numbers for Illinois," state Tom Dubin, president of the Illinois-based publishing company, which has been surveying industry since 1912. "Despite a high corporate tax rate, Illinois still boasts an educated workforce, easy access to capital, and a central location within the Midwest to do business. It's unlikely that manufacturing employment will ever return to the levels of ten years ago, but it's nice to see the uptick."

    The report credits increased hiring at Chrysler, Boeing, Caterpillar, Excel Foundry, Magnum Steel Works and Continental Tire with the uptick in hiring over the past year.

    According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment opportunities for machinery manufacturing are expected to be best for those with advanced training in the skilled trades beyond high school.

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  • Auto industry helps drive manufacturing jobs in January
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    6
    Feb2012
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    The January jobs report found the manufacturing sector making big gains, adding approximately 50,000 positions for those with knowledge of the skilled trades at U.S. factories.

    Economists said new orders rose to a nine-month high last month, thanks in part to increased demand for vehicles. According to USA Today, of the 50,000 increase in factory employment, 44,000 of those positions came from makers of durable goods such as cars, metals and other parts used in the automotive industry.

    "There's reason to be optimistic," says Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics, told the news agency. Zandi had predicted manufacturing employment would be flat this year, but now estimates payrolls will rise by approximately 250,000, which would be the industry's third-straight annual increase after years of steady declines.

    Since late last year, the automobile industry has been hiring more workers with experience in the skilled trades to make up for lost sales due to last summer's earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

    According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, almost half of all auto parts manufacturing jobs are located in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio, with an increasing number of positions being added in other parts of the U.S., particularly the South.

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  • German steel manufacturer sets up North American headquarters in Chicago
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    2
    Feb2012
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    A German-based steel manufacturing company said it will set up its North American headquarters in Chicago by the middle of this year.

    ThyssenKrupp Steel, which produces elevators, automobile components and carbon steel, said it is currently looking for office space in the hopes of opening the regional headquarters this summer, according to the Chicago Tribune.

    In making the announcement, Mayor Rahm Emanuel said the city beat out more than 20 other locations around the U.S. mainly due to its "extensive air service and a highly skilled profession labor pool."

    Torsten Gessner, chairman and chief executive officer of ThyssenKrupp North America, told the news agency that the company did not seek any financial incentive.

    "We've learned not to run where the incentives are or where there is the lowest tax rate," Gessner said. "We need the overall picture."

    ThyssenKrupp currently employs more than 24,600 people, including workers with experience in the skilled trades and welding, in the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Company officials said they expect to hire 100 new employees for the Chicago office.

    According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, job prospects for welding, soldering and brazing workers are expected to be good through 2018, especially for those with advanced training.

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