Are Women Ignoring Careers in Manufacturing?
You can’t help but notice the special emphasis Sarah Richards uses as she describes her company.
“We are a third-generation, woman-owned metal fabrication manufacturer,” says Richards, the CEO and president of Jones Metal Products in Mankato, Minn.
Richards is somewhat unusual in an industry dominated by men, but you could say that manufacturing is in her blood. In fact, she comes from a long line of women in the business.
The company that she heads was founded in 1942 by her grandmother, Mildred M. Jones. Her mother, Marcia Jones Richards, later served as the company’s president and board chair. And today, Jones Metal is owned by Richards, her sister, Jessica Richards-Palmquist, and her brother, David Richards.
“We manufacture products for companies that shape the world,” says Richards, ticking off a quick but impressive list of things her clients build with components and parts she makes. Nuclear power generators. Heavy construction equipment. Agricultural implements. Submarines. Even those metal donation boxes at McDonald’s restaurants all over the world.
“When you see those things … you’re looking at Jones Metal products,” Richards says with a gush of pride in her work and enthusiasm for her industry.
Learn more about women in manufacturing here.
Congrats to Emerson Process Management on its Recent Expansions
Congratulations to Emerson Process Management on the opening of a new 500,000-square-foot facility in Shakopee.
The facility represents a capital investment of up to $70 million and will result in the addition of up to 500 new, highly skilled jobs.
Emerson Process Management is a leader in helping businesses automate their production, processing, and distribution in the chemical, oil and gas, refining, pulp and paper, power, water and wastewater treatment, mining and metals, food and beverage, life sciences, and other industries. The company combines superior products and technology with industry-specific engineering, consulting, project management, and maintenance services.
Parent company, Emerson, has more than 3,700 employees in Minnesota, across the communities of Chanhassen, Eden Prairie, Bloomington, Mankato, Waseca and Elk River. Emerson Process Management has approximately 2,700 of Emerson's 3,700 employees in Minnesota.
Over the past two years, Emerson Process Management’s Rosemount business has invested $40 million in upgrades and improvements to two Rosemount facilities with 680,000 total square feet.
Select the infographic below for a larger image.
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Manufacturing is Comeback Kid in Central Minnesota
After getting knocked down hard during the recession, manufacturing has been the comeback kid in Central Minnesota.
Over the past three years, the sector has picked itself off the canvas, charged forward with remarkable stamina and made substantial gains.
Manufacturing has added more employment to this region’s economy than any other industry since 2010, gaining 3,676 jobs.
This remarkable rebound accounts for almost 30 percent of total job growth. That growth was especially impressive from 2012 to 2013, when more than one in five new jobs were in manufacturing.
Here are some regional highlights:
- Manufacturing had a total of 993 job openings in the second quarter of 2014. That's 11.2 percent of all job openings.
- Manufacturing is the regions’ fourth-largest industry.
- Median wage for full-time manufacturing jobs was $14.20 per hour. That was $3,000 more than the median wage across all industries.
- The average annual wage for manufacturing jobs in the region was $46, 488 – 25 percent higher than the average for all industries.
Check out this interactive map to learn more about manufacturing’s impact in the Central Region.
Use our job vacancy survey tool to learn more about hiring demand and job vacancies by industry and occupation.
Today's Manufacturing Video:
DEED Services For Manufacturing
Kevin McKinnon, director of business and community development at the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, talks about the ways DEED can help manufacturers.
Select the image above to view the video.
First Job Training Pilot Program Grants Awarded
DEED's Job Training Incentive Pilot Program awards three manufacturers funding to train 87 new workers.
Three manufacturers in Greater Minnesota received worker-training grants totaling $144,000 from the Job Training Incentive Pilot Program. The funding will help train 17 new welders at C4 Welding Inc. in Sauk Rapids, 50 new welders at Edmonton Trailer Manufacturing in Sartell and 20 new workers at Talon Innovations in Sauk Rapids.
The following is a summary of the first grant awards and companies:
C4 Welding Inc., Sauk Rapids, $50,000
The company, previously known as WFSI Inc., is a fabricator and assembler of welded components for the oil and nuclear industries. The company recently relocated to a larger facility and intends to add 17 new welding positions. The grant will complement earlier funding that the business received from the Minnesota Job Skills Partnership to train 38 new employees.
Edmonton Trailer Manufacturing, Sartell, $50,000
Edmonton Trailer, owned by Canada-based Edmonton Trailer Sales, is a Minnesota-based startup company that will focus on making specialty and heavy-haul trailers. The company plans to hire 30 employees by December 2015 and 50 by December 2016. The new employees will be trained in specialized welding skills.
Talon Innovations, Sauk Rapids, $44,353
Talon Innovations manufactures proprietary products and provides precision machining services for the semiconductor, medical device, aerospace and other industries. The company intends to add 20 new jobs over the next year. The grant will supplement a Minnesota Job Skills Partnership grant that the company was awarded last November to train 41 new employees.
Learn more about the Job Training Incentive Pilot Program here.
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