Personnel

Every parts manufacturer, regardless of size, has some sort of training program, and programs are nearly as varied as the companies themselves. Whether it’s something as simple as handing out a pamphlet about company policy or as involved as an apprenticeship program, it’s just a given: Where there are employees, there is training. However, while some companies regard it as a necessary evil, others have found that investing in this universal necessity yields substantial benefits—and, in the long run, actually saves money.

Youth skills training for machinists takes place in schools with metalworking programs and in connection with competitions, such as WorldSkills.

Read CTE's 2010 Salary Survey to learn which metalworking positions are up and which ones are down in earnings since the 2008 survey, and how benefit packages have changed.

Talking Shop column from the April 2011 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering magazine presents a conversation with Anderson Leveille, owner of Moscow Mills Manufacturing Services, Stowe, Vt.

Cutting Tool Engineering Editorial Director Alan Rooks recalls an era when repairing things was still in fashion.

Cutting Tool Engineering Editorial Director Alan Rooks examines Germany's manufacturing model in his July Lead Angle commentary.

Money as a motivational tool can take the form of an employee's pay rate, commissions, bonuses and, perhaps once a certain level of seniority is reached, paid health insurance premiums. Not only do employees like it, but it's often a simpler solution. Adding a few bucks to a paycheck is a lot faster and easier than establishing many other incentives.

It's getting to be a broken record. February was another up month for U.S. manufacturing as output increased 0.4 percent. Output rose 0.7 percent in January after jumping 1.5 percent in December—the biggest gain in 5 years. Also, U.S. manufacturers added 31,000 jobs in February, on top of adding 227,000 jobs in 2011. Of course, the big question is how long can this last?

Cutting Tool Engineering Editorial Director Alan Rooks ponders one of the metalworking industry's biggest challenges of late—filling numerous job vacancies.