Machinery parts manufacturer provides equipment to local schools to help develop skilled workers the company requires
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Farm machinery makers might take a page from the Kondex parts book when it comes to making their companies sustainable.
The rural Wisconsin manufacturer is one of the largest suppliers of parts in the farm machinery industry. It pioneers technology that make parts last longer and allow them to be lighter and tougher at the same time.
From metals to plastics, the company builds components that join assembly lines around the world.
To accomplish that, and remain competitive, requires a lot of skilled staff, from engineers to assemblers.
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The Kondex Corp. relies on em-ployees who have mechanical skills and the ability to use sophisticated technology but who can also be flexible when it comes to handling assignments.
Lomira, Wis., which is located half way between Milwaukee and Green Bay, is at the north end of the American manufacturing rust belt. It is a long way from technology-heavy Boston or San Francisco, where high tech staff might be more easily acquired.
“Manufacturing isn’t the first career that parents today think about when they making suggestions to their kids, but North America is filled with opportunities in manufacturing,” said Jim Wessing, who founded the company in 1974.
He told a meeting of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers in Louisville, Kentucky, earlier this month that the market for people skilled in mechanical, electrical and other technology-focused trades is excellent.
“(It has) more diverse career paths than folks imagine,” he said.
“And there are a dramatic amount of retirements coming in manufacturing. At the same, the cost of education is rising. Not everyone needs a four or six year college degree to earn a good living.”
Wessing said his company has had to learn how to create the staff it needs.
“If you want to grow your business, you have to have the people to work with,” he said. “Our staff are our associates. That is our culture.”
He found that if the company was to grow sustainably, it would need to attract and retain local people, as well as attract them from further afield.
Kondex began working with re-gional trade colleges but found that was too late.
The company now hosts career tours beginning in the eighth grade.
Wessing and his colleagues sit on college advisory boards to ensure that college level instruction meets Kondex’s needs.
He discovered that high schools had antiquated tools in shop classes.
“We replaced old welders (in the schools) with new Miller welding equipment,” he said.
“Kids could develop job skills, they could be put to work right out of high school.”
The company also found that technology educators in high schools were often missing more than equipment. They were toured through the facilities and introduced to the staff “so they could become advocates for careers in manufacturing. Often they didn’t know what kind of work is being done.”
The company provides financial support to local schools but ensures the money goes to buy tools and technology rather than programs and administration.
Wessing said company owners and managers are often their own worst enemies when it comes to getting the workforce they need.
“Government isn’t going to ensure you get the people you need. You have invest in your communities. This is an investment,” he said.
“Workforce development is a local issue, not national.”
Skills are only the start when ensuring that new workers will be available for industry.
“Kids and their parents need to understand that manufacturing isn’t that dirty, loud environment that it once was,” he said.
“It’s clean, air conditioned. Workers are part of teams, using Conks (computer numerical control), lasers. It seems like everything is computer controlled today.”
Women make up a growing percentage of Kondex’s staff.
“These trades are not just for men,” he said.
“Even in the engineering schools, one third of those classes are now women, but it has to start in high school, you have to convince young people there are good careers in our industry.”
