Survey: Manufacturing sectors in need of more applicants

By Tony Wittkowski | Business Reporter | The Herald-Palladium

BENTON HARBOR — Kinexus has been working on a series of surveys to look at several work sectors in order to measure the health of Southwest Michigan’s industries.

The Benton Harbor-based economic development organization completed and released results from its manufacturing sector survey, which included companies throughout Berrien, Cass and Van Buren counties. The companies that participated in the survey remained anonymous to ensure the results remained accurate.

The feedback was staggering.

A high degree of product diversity has become the norm across industries in recent years as manufacturers expanded their product portfolios to capture new revenue sources, the survey showed.

The product variations reported by the tri-county manufacturers include plastics (68 percent), automotive (52 percent), textile (41 percent) and energy (28 percent).

In addition to a diverse product portfolio, 21 percent of those surveyed said they create products in a finished state for the consumer marketplace. An additional 38 percent produce components used by other manufacturers, called Tier 1 suppliers.

Rounding out the supply chain process, 31 percent are Tier 2 manufacturers, who supply to Tier 1, while 10 percent are Tier 3 suppliers, producing their product for the Tier 2 manufacturer.

“Manufacturing is our region’s most vital industry, providing an estimated 17,500 jobs and a $2.1 billion impact on Berrien, Cass and Van Buren counties,” said Todd Gustafson, CEO of Kinexus, in a news release. “The data we collected is not only valuable to the manufacturers in our region, but also to our team as we work to address their business challenges and assist them with their growth strategies.”

Need for skilled workers

More than a third of the manufacturers indicated that the lack of applicants applying was a concern in terms of organizational growth. In addition, 20 percent indicated global competition was the second-largest issue disrupting growth strategies.

A survey respondent said: “We consistently encounter employees who either fail to show up for work or arrive on time when they do show up. We strive to create a good work culture and provide necessary training for our employees and simply need people who are reliable.”

The survey highlighted that though there is a lack of technical skill competencies in the labor pool, 33 percent place emphasis on lack of soft skills as challenges in filling open positions.

Another 33 percent are concerned with the work force’s inflexibility in shift times.

Alex Grumbine, director of business and industry for Kinexus, said global issues mirrored the results of the local survey. He said the results indicate a lack of available and technical skills being the largest constraints in filling jobs.

“Topping the survey results for in-demand occupations include machinists, programmers, maintenance mechanics and engineers,” Grumbine said. “Survey results revealed that 70 percent of manufacturers reported are providing more training, development, and higher starting salaries for both new and existing talent with increased benefits.”

Kinexus will release its second series of surveys concerning the health care sector in August.

Contact Tony Wittkowski at twittkowski@TheHP.com or (269) 932-0358. Follow him on Twitter: @tonywittkowski.

(Author’s Note: This article was originally published on July 20, 2016)

New student opinion survey application welcomed as part of course registration

By Tony Wittkowski | Staff Reporter | Central Michigan Life

For Hancock freshman Kimberly Thornton, the new student opinion survey application used during registration could not have come sooner.

She stumbled upon it this semester when registering for her classes online.

“If the scores were really bad (for the professors) I would have switched to a different class,” Thornton said. “I just like the availability of it.”

The application was launched midway through the first semester, giving students a chance to get used to it before the second semester began.

“The SOS report from within the Course Search and Registration went live Oct. 1, 2010,” said John Rathje, director of application development and support.

The application idea was given to Information Technology by the provost office in September.

Students can view the SOS information from within the “Info” selection for any given course when registering.

“Students are asked to acknowledge the intended purpose of the SOS report,” Rathje said. “A student must be authenticated to get the SOS information.”

When opened, the report will display instructors who have taught the particular course along with their rating. It will show the instructors who have taught the course more than two times in the last six academic years, Rathje said. The report is listed by professor, not course, and in alphabetical order.

Some students compared the SOS application available during registration to dedicated websites which include information on classes and the professors who teach them.

“It could be more useful than the other sites,” said Harrison sophomore Michael Hammell-Nelson. “It sounds like it produces more validity.”

Hammell-Nelson has used websites such as myedu.com and ratemyprofessor.com to find out about his teachers. Those sites offer the visitor all the grades of the students who submitted.

“Typically the people there are really happy or really sad,” Hammell-Nelson said. “So you don’t always get the right answer.”

(Author’s Note: This article was originally published on Jan. 25, 2011)