Southeast Michigan Manufacturing Growth Requires Scalable Workforce Solutions

Three days at the Defense Industrial Base Accelerator in Philadelphia, and the final morning went to the part of the industrial base nobody puts on a slide. The people who actually build things. Welders, machinists, press operators, maintenance techs. Every capability discussed this week eventually lands on a shop floor. If nobody there knows how to run the press, the strategy stops being a strategy. We have been making magnets since 1959. Ronnie Hamm has been running a machine at Bunting longer than some of the companies pitching this week have existed. That is not nostalgia. That is capacity. The skills gap is a national security problem now. It is also a hiring problem in every town with a plant in it. To anyone in the trades reading this, the country needs you more than it has in decades. Who taught you your trade? I would like to hear their name. #SkilledTrades #Manufacturing #FamilyBusiness #Magnetics #DIBX2026 Magnet Applications #philadelphia United States Department of War U.S. Small Business Administration Office of the Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Policy

"An automotive manufacturing plant in Bartholomew County is closing its doors and putting around 150 Hoosiers out of a job. According to the WARN notice, the PMG Indiana plant located at 1751 Arcadia Drive in Columbus is set to be closed by Dec. 31." https://lnkd.in/eAnTCEYb

Virginia Steel and Fabrication, Inc. is making new investments in advanced manufacturing technology, investing $3.6 million to expand its operational capabilities in Bland County. The move will fully automate key manufacturing equipment and create 52 new jobs — more than tripling the homegrown company's current workforce and bolstering Southwest Virginia’s advanced manufacturing industry. #WorkforceWednesday Learn more: https://lnkd.in/erXWU4CA Image Description:  A male student wearing safety glasses smiles while holding a tool in a technical manufacturing workshop.

✈️🏭 $1 BILLION INVESTMENT — COMPLETE. NOW 100+ NEW JOBS! ❤️🤍💙 Rolls-Royce just completed its largest-ever investment in the USA — and now they're HIRING! 🔥 💰 $1 BILLION invested 👷 100+ NEW roles opening 🏭 ~3,500 Indianapolis employees already on site ⚙️ Advanced manufacturing + engineering ✈️ New ground & altitude engine-testing capabilities 🔗 Thousands of additional supply-chain jobs supported And this isn't another announcement about what might happen. The investment is COMPLETE. The technology is installed. And now 100+ new opportunities are opening! 🙌 The Indiana operations support some seriously impressive defense programs, including engines connected to the B-52, C-130J and V-22 Osprey. ❤️🤍💙 $1 BILLION invested. 100+ new opportunities. Advanced manufacturing growing right here in the USA. 🏭🔥 USA MANUFACTURING KEEPS MOVING FORWARD! #USAManufacturing #Manufacturing #ManufacturingJobs #EngineeringJobs #RollsRoyce #AdvancedManufacturing #Aerospace #DefenseManufacturing BlackRock Resources LLC

👀 Not actively looking doesn't mean not listening... That's something I've noticed from a lot of my conversations with engineers recently. I've spoken with plenty of CNC Machinists, Programmers, Quality Engineers and other engineering professionals who are perfectly happy where they are. They're not applying for jobs. They're not desperate to leave. But they are keeping an eye on the market. Which I think is an important point for engineering businesses. The person you want to hire in 6 months might already know your business today. They've seen your facility. Heard about your culture. Spoken to someone who works there. Seen what you're investing in. And probably already formed an opinion. In a market where the best talent isn't always actively applying, being visible matters but being somewhere people actually want to work matters even more. Sometimes recruitment starts long before someone clicks 'Apply'. Something I'm seeing more and more across Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire and the West Midlands. Always interested to hear what others across the engineering market are seeing. 📧 dbucciero@theonegroup.co.uk #PrecisionEngineering #Aerospace #Motorsport #F1 #Defence

98% of Trinity Precision Inc.'s hires come from referrals. And there’s a reason for that. People with zero machining experience are thriving on the shop floor within just a few months. Meanwhile, their automation setup is handling thousands of part numbers. High-mix. Low-volume. Switching from job to job with virtually zero operator time. But the machines aren’t what caught my attention most. It’s the culture. Purpose. Mentorship. And giving people a reason to show up. Chris VanNover gave me a great look inside Trinity Precision and how this team built something special in Wichita, Kansas. The machines are impressive. The people might be even more impressive. 🎬 Full video: mtdcnc.com/?p=200000181818 #DNSolutions #TrinityPrecision #Engineering #USA #Machines #Machinery #Innovation #Manufacturing Arthur Field MTDCNC

“This is something I’m hearing more and more when speaking with engineers across the North West. It’s not always just about pay — hours, progression and feeling valued can make a massive difference too.”

J.M. Hutton & Company, an Indiana-based manufacturer specializing in precision metal fabrication, will expand its operations in Richmond, creating up to 37 new high-wage jobs by the end of 2029. https://lnkd.in/e6h97xqz

Celgard recently completed a retrofit of warehousing space at its Charlotte facility off Carowinds Boulevard to make a key battery component, expanding the site's manufacturing footprint by 50%. The company expects to create 100-plus jobs with the expansion. Hiring is underway, but the bulk of new jobs will be added in 2027 and 2028. Celgard will hire operators, technicians, engineers, quality professionals, supply-chain personnel, warehouse staff and production leadership roles. Read the full story here from CBJ's Cooper Metts: bit.ly/3Ui0kz0

Something is shifting in machine tool hiring, and I don't think enough companies are paying attention yet. Pennsylvania alone has over $10 billion in committed investment tied to shipyards, military work, aerospace, and defense. That’s already showing up in demand for machinists, programmers, engineers, and quality and inspection talent. The machines may be funded and the contracts may be signed, but the people are not included in the PO. When several companies start chasing the same skillsets at the same time, the market gets tight fast. That's why I watch where the investment is going. It usually tells me where hiring is about to get harder. What are you seeing in your market?