By Doug Kurkul, AFS CEO
Over the past several months, I have spoken with countless metalcasters, suppliers and end-users of castings. Most of these business leaders are seeing some improvement in sales and in price quotes. If the trend holds up, 2017 will be a better year than a 2016 that was challenging for many companies.
With orders starting to rise, coupled with higher business and consumer confidence, now is the time for all industry stakeholders—suppliers, purchasers, and metalcasters—to assess the skill levels of their workforce.
Innovations in manufacturing processes require new worker skills to ensure you are competitive. For you and your employees, continuing education is one reliable way to keep up with cutting-edge ideas and new technologies that stimulate manufacturing improvement. The AFS Institute offers four types of talent development and can help you assess what training your employees truly need.