My programs should be unnecessary. That’s a frightening sentence to write given the positive impact these manufacturing apprentice programs have on the students, the companies, and my college. But the reality is if Vermont Technical College graduated enough engineering technology majors, my clients could staff their workforce for free. Unfortunately, over the last two years Vermont Tech graduated only 180 engineering technology graduates even though it had the capacity to educate dozens more and there were well over 200 job opportunities for the graduates in their fields right after graduation (starting salaries for the two-year degree exceed $45,000). But because 40% of Vermont high school graduates do not go on to post-secondary education, the companies are forced to fill the gap by growing their own college graduates.

The most recent manufacturer to carve this path is the Global Foundries plant in Essex Junction, Vermont. They join GW Plastics, GS Precision and, the original manufacturing technician apprentice trailblazer, GE-Aviation, as Vermont companies tapping into what Forbes contributor Bandon Busteed labeled the “Go Pro Early” phenomenon for high school graduates. According to Busteed, as many as one-third of all traditional students in the next decade will "Go Pro Early,” that is, work directly out of high school and earn a college degree as part of the employment package (Busteed, Forbes, 2019).

These Vermont employers are hiring high school graduates as apprentices, paying $18-$26 per hour, providing on-the-job-training, and partnering with Vermont Technical College’s Office of Continuing Education & Workforce Development to deliver engineering technology courses at the plant, resulting in 20 to 40 college credits towards a degree (one-third to two-thirds of the credits needed for an Associate in Engineering degree). Tuition-free for the student. Once they finish the apprentice program, most will use the companies’ tuition reimbursement benefits to complete the associate degree and several have even completed the Bachelor of Science in Manufacturing Engineering Technology.

Global Foundries and these other manufacturers have done the calculation that growing their own technicians and plant leaders is worth the investment. What they don’t realize yet is that they will see the return on that investment before the apprentices even graduate.

These are examples of recent or current apprentices investigating and implementing plant improvements:

Paul took it upon himself to investigate the potential to end the unnecessary printing of CMM reports that were already digitized; this saved over 500,000 sheets of paper annually and reduced printing costs by $23,000.

Doug and Ryan suspected that rinse line water usage was excessive and implemented an automated in-line flow meter that saved over 400,000 gallons of water annually. If expanded plant wide, it could save over 2.5 million gallons of water or over $25,000 annually.

Kevin built a shim to close the gap between the catch basin and the End of Tool Arm (EOTA) to eliminate scrapped parts saving over $31,000 in scrapped parts and press time back runs.

Dylan created a single block to replaced class B gage blocks reducing inspection time from an average of 6 hours to 15 minutes. Using a standard shop hour rate of $150, that’s a savings of $862.50 per class B gage block inspections, which happens dozens of times a day.

Mike built his own mold flusher to remove excess LSR (liquid silicone rubber) saving $131,000 annually in mold cleaning time.

Sean and Jason tackled the problems with a machine that was “cutting air” too often. Their multi-faceted approach to program optimization reduced spindle time by 93 hours annually with less tool wear and less chance for catastrophic failure. And while that reduction in time has a savings (93 x $150 = $13,950), more importantly those 93 hours can be used to increase the output of die sets, providing the tooling to support an increase of over $2 million in business output.

John and James designed and fabricated a universal CMM fixture to replace the cost of building and maintaining multiple fixtures. They did a 3D design in Unigraphics and even made the prototype using a 3D printer Jon had in his garage at home. Annually savings equals more than $610,000.

I have many more examples of the mutually beneficial relationship between companies and employees turning the traditional model of “a college degree gets you a good job” into “a good job gets you a college degree.” The fact that 40% of Vermont high school graduates do not go on to post-secondary education is disappointing and must be addressed, but Vermont manufacturers are doing their best to provide an incentive to get a college education with a pathway that changes lives and improves their global competitiveness. As for the ingenious apprentices mentioned above, many are pursuing their degrees. The only time they may step on the Vermont Technical College campus is when they walk across the stage at graduation to shake the President’s hand and cross-over to the next step in their professional lives.

Sachiko Johnson’s love of people, along with her diverse education and career path, have helped her thrive as an award-winning executive in West Michigan’s manufacturing sector. 

Johnson, a native of Japan, studied American literature at Aoyama Gakuin University in Tokyo before landing her first job out of college at a luxury retail store.   

Today, Johnson is the CFO of Jordan Manufacturing, a third-generation family-owned company based north of Grand Rapids in Belding that specializes in tooling, stamping and assembly.  

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Johnson was recognized last fall with the 2023 Manufacturing Woman of the Year Award from the Michigan Manufacturers Association for her leadership skills and the positive effect she has had at Jordan.  

Johnson recently discussed her life’s journey from Japan to Michigan, her recent recognition and what it means to “manufacture happiness.”  

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.  

Tell me about your first job.  

The first job I got was at Louis Vuitton as a sales associate because I love people. I wanted to get a job as a sales associate, even though many people who graduated from the same university wanted to get an office job. But I wanted a people job, so that’s what I did right after I graduated. I only had that one job in Japan. I worked for seven years at Louis Vuitton, and by the time I left I was the supervisor and managing staff at one of the busiest stores in Tokyo.   

I also had been chosen as an exchange associate and the company sent me to France to work at stores in Paris for three months. That was very helpful because I gained perspective by working with people who have a different background.  

How did you end up in the U.S.?  

When I came back to Japan, I met Justin (Johnson), who is now my husband. He’s from Michigan, and they got married and decided to move to the States. I was afraid to move to Michigan at first because it’s a little different, so they moved to New York City first. It was easier for me — lots of half-Japanese half-American companies, Japanese culture, Japanese food — it was nice, like Tokyo and America mixed. I had a great job there as an executive assistant at Mitsui & Co. USA, a trading company from Tokyo. 

What brought you to Michigan?  

We lived in Manhattan for two years, but they wanted to have a dog and a kid, so that’s why they decided to move to Michigan. They had some other options, but they decided to help run Justin’s family business, Jordan Manufacturing. Justin had hated the idea of working for the family business, but at the time they wanted a stable job to sustain their family, so they started working there. 

And now Justin is the president and you are the CFO of the third-generation-owned Jordan Manufacturing. What does your role look like today?  

Since we’re a small company, I wear so many hats, but the most important hat I wear is CFO. I make the things that Justin dreams about happen in a financially secure way. That’s my biggest role here, but the other important job for me is to make sure that people are happy — all the employees, the leadership team and the company itself. They have to be happy in order to give back. 

How has your industry changed or evolved?  

Metal stamping, honestly, is not as common as it used to be. That’s what they are seeing with their customers. Now, fabrication is taking over some of what they do. So, they have to find a way to be able to suit that kind of new era, but their focus is on how they can flourish in the metal stamping industry again. 

What does the 2023 Manufacturing Woman of the Year Award mean to you? 

It means a lot that what we’re doing and where they want to go is right. That’s how I feel. And this is of course a team effort. At first, Justin and I didn’t have enthusiasm for manufacturing because they came from different industries. They had different interests, and this company was something Justin’s parents had already. So Justin and I talked about what could represent us? That’s why they came up with: ‘We manufacture happiness.’ It’s not just saying, ‘We will be innovative and create the best something in the world.’ It’s what they will always head for. That’s their North Star, and I’m glad that they chose that. That has guided us and I think guided me to the MMA award.  

What else might people find interesting about you?  

I’m an author, and I published six books in Japan. I started a blog 15 years ago, and I took pictures of my dog, which they got when they moved to Michigan. I was lonely back then, so I started a blog about him and was writing in Japanese. That’s how I communicated with other Japanese people. Then, a publishing company found my blog and offered to publish a photography book. So I did that and published books about their dog and their son, who was a baby back then. That was helpful for me. I conquered my language barrier, and I also learned that even without words, they can connect with others. Language is not the most important thing — the photography books were able to move people’s feelings and be just as influential.  

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North Carolina’s booming biopharmaceutical manufacturing industry will need at least 8,000 new workers by the end of 2026.

Will the state be able to provide that workforce? And how so?

These are among the questions addressed in a new report, Window on the Workplace 2023, Workforce Training Needs for North Carolina’s Biopharma Manufacturing Industry. The 57-page report, published by the North Carolina Biotechnology Center in partnership with NCLifeSci, the NC Life Sciences Organization, is publicly available on the NCBiotech website.

“As its name implies, this report provides an invaluable window into the current and anticipated needs of North Carolina biopharmaceutical manufacturers,” said Laura Rowley, Ph.D., vice president of life science economic development for NCBiotech. “This type of assessment is essential to inform strategy for the continued success of employers, training partners and job seekers in the state.”

North Carolina's investments in education and workforce training in recent decades have helped attract dozens of biopharmaceutical manufacturers and thousands of high-paying jobs to the state, and more resources will be needed to develop sufficient talent for the sector, said Laura Gunter, president of NCLifeSci, a member-supported trade association that promotes the state’s life sciences industry.

“With a projected industry need for 8,000 new workers by 2026, it will be critical for us as a state to meet this challenge,” Gunter said. “NCLifeSci will share this report with their policy leaders in the hope that it will help the state direct the resources needed to meet this demand for talent most effectively."

Fifth report in a series

The report is the fifth Window on the Workplace report published since 1997. The last report was published in 2020.

The newest report is based on a 2022 survey of 33 biopharmaceutical manufacturing sites across North Carolina employing 13,786 people – representing 43% of the sector’s total employment in the state.

The sites included those manufacturing biologics, vaccines, cell- and gene-based therapies, regenerative medicines, biologics for R&D, pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, supplements and nutraceuticals. The study did not include sites manufacturing other life sciences products such as medical devices, laboratory supplies or equipment.

For the first time, a separate survey was sent to all educational institutions offering training programs specific to biopharmaceutical manufacturing. Representatives from five universities, 12 community colleges and the N.C. BioNetwork Capstone Center participated.

Collectively, the two surveys focused on seven goals:

• Securing an overview of biopharma manufacturing companies including site locations, product types and operations. 
• Assessing current and future employment including number of employees, demographics, scientific and technical areas of work, number of new hires and turnover rate. 
• Determining current and desired educational attainment and skills for employees. 
• Evaluating current recruitment and hiring practices. 
• Assessing company awareness of existing training programs and the desire to outsource training to them. 
• Quantifying existing and future industry-relevant training capacity from continuing education through graduate degrees. 
• Comparing industry’s workforce needs to training program capabilities to identify any gaps or mismatches.

Workforce challenges cited by the report include overcoming high employee-turnover rates that average 13.4%, expanding training programs that are already at full capacity, attracting more students to programs that are below capacity, and training a workforce that is more diverse, equitable and inclusive.

Focus on entry-level jobs

The report comes amid a spate of new or expanded biopharmaceutical manufacturing sites in the state. Between January 2020 and December 2022, companies announced 31 projects totaling nearly 6,200 new jobs and $7.6 billion in investment, and more announcements have come in 2023.

Altogether 108 biopharmaceutical manufacturing sites across the state employ more than 32,000 people at an average salary of $92,652, according to the report.  

Many of the expected jobs to be created in the next few years will be entry-level positions, which pay an average salary of $51,142.

Students who complete training programs – from certificate courses to associate degrees, bachelor’s degrees and graduate programs – are likely to benefit from “a remarkably high placement rate for graduates” and rewarding career possibilities, according to the report.

“Biopharma manufacturing companies provide North Carolinians with meaningful work, competitive salaries and opportunities for advancement that rival any industry,” the report concludes. “These opportunities are increasing both in number and geographic diversity across the state.” 

With over 100,000 votes cast during the last three weeks, they are happy to present the winners of the 2022 ArchDaily Building of the Year Awards. This peer-based, crowdsourced architecture award showcases projects chosen by ArchDaily readers who filtered thousands of projects down to the 15 best works featured on ArchDaily in 2021.

As in previous years, the winners showcase a wide spectrum of different types of building, giving an insight into how diverse the profession has become in recent decades. High-profile practices take their place as ever, with winners such as MVRDV's Housing project in Bordeaux and Kengo Kuma's Casa Batllo's installation, showing that establishment firms are still able to make their mark, as in more traditional award systems. Alongside these are previously unsung heroes, such as PALMA and HANGHAR with their project, Types of Spaces. Among the winners, they also find Ca'n Terra House by ENSAMBLE STUDIO and Plaza of Kanagawa Institute of Technology by Junya Ishigami + Associates, extremely creative projects that today challenge their typologies.

But for all their many beautiful differences, the winners share a crucial element in common: they represent the values of their mission, to bring inspiration, knowledge, and tools to architects everywhere. Neither ArchDaily nor the Building of the Year Awards would be possible without the continued generosity of the firms that choose to publish their projects with ArchDaily every year, or without the engaged readers who take part in the voting process.

The 2022 Building of the Year Awards is brought to you thanks to Dornbracht, renowned for leading designs for architecture, which can be found internationally in bathrooms and kitchens.

https://www.archdaily.com/977012/the-15-winners-of-the-2022-building-of-the-year-awardsDiego Hernández

HOUSTON, Nov. 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- KAP Project Services, one of the largest privately held technology-enabled project control solutions providers in North America, is delighted to announce its new involvement as an Associate Member of the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM).

This partnership with AFPM, the foremost trade association representing fuel producers, essential petrochemical manufacturers, and midstream logistics companies of America, underscores KAP's commitment to advancing innovation and sustainability within the energy and petrochemical sectors.

"This partnership offers us an invaluable opportunity to collaborate with like-minded organizations and industry pioneers. KAP's core tenets in responsible growth and development resonate strongly with AFPM's mission. They look forward to contributing their expertise and knowledge to the industry through this affiliation," said Scott Kammerer, CEO of KAP Project Services.

KAP's membership in AFPM opens doors to a wealth of resources, research, and networking opportunities. The association's renowned events, conferences, and advocacy efforts provide KAP with a platform to engage in meaningful conversations about the challenges and opportunities in the energy and petrochemical sectors.

For media inquiries or more information on KAP Project Services and its affiliation with AFPM, please visit their website at kapproservices.com or call 844.368.7265 ext. 712.

About KAP Project Services

KAP Project Services is one of the largest privately held technology-enabled Project Control solutions providers in North America. The KAP Project Controls story started in 2005 when several friends realized that they could do things better than each of their current employers. The team knew that if they prioritized taking care of their employees, they would attract and retain the industry's best resources. KAP's project control platform is a role-based, client-defined, customer-driven platform for planning and executing STO events. From start to finish, you can manage STO events with configurable tools designed to fit your needs. Five individual platforms come together to form one powerhouse STO platform.

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About AFPM

The American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) is the leading trade association representing the makers of the fuels that keep us moving, the petrochemicals that are the essential building blocks for modern life, and the midstream companies that get their feedstocks and products where they need to go. AFPM's mission is to advocate for policies that drive economic success and sustainability within the industry while promoting the production of essential products.

View original content to obtain multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kap-becomes-associate-member-of-the-american-fuel--petrochemical-manufacturers-301986211.html

SOURCE KAP Project Services