The metal industry, automation and jobs in the new year

By Emma Peterson. 

As the labor shortage crosses from 2023 to 2024, industry experts are looking for ways to support employees and optimize new technology. 

In a MetalTalk webinar kicking off the new year, Heidi J. Ellsworth spoke to Geoff Bernstein who is Vicwest’s director of marketing, MetalForming’s president Stephen Gosk and Holly Gotfredson who is president of American Metalcraft and Finishing Dynamics. They discussed the labor shortage in 2023 and the need to bring new people into the industry in 2024.  

Stephen explained how automation plays a role when it comes to labor needs as the industry tries to revitalize its workforce. As the industry tries to grow its numbers, manufacturers are implementing new technology that can do more with fewer hands in order to meet demand. Geoff added on to that, saying, “With a challenging labor market, the addition of automation and robotics has provided yields that we never would've seen before.” These developments allow for smaller teams to produce as much as, or more than, the traditionally larger teams.  

But this development does not resolve the labor shortage issues. It solves some demand issues, but with it comes the creation of new jobs due to new training and support needs. Stephen explained the situation, "As the machines become more sophisticated, the customers who are eventually going to run those machines need a level of training.” This training is key to optimizing the machine and production. Adding another layer, in order to train users, there needs to be a robust technical support team that also must be trained. This is where Stephen sees the need for growing the workforce, as he said, “We need to bring in this next generation into this industry that can support the direction the industry's going.”  

A key part of bringing in a new generation to fill positions created due to new technology is retaining them. Holly explained her strategy for this, saying, “A sense of belonging and a really good company culture is so key for attracting new talent as well as retaining employees.” For Holly, this looks like her company focusing on providing benefits such as healthcare and paid parental leave. Overall, the three of them agreed that 2024 holds new developments in automation and technology for the industry and there needs to be a concerted effort to bring in and retain people who can support this. 

Read the transcript or Listen to the recorded webinar to learn more about these experts’ predictions for the industry.