Change in the Weather

It’s an old bromide: Everybody complains about the weather and nobody does anything about it. Likewise, in metalworking manufacturing, everybody complains about finding the right people for the business, but too few institutions do anything about it. There is a resignation within industry, which is that matching the right people with the available jobs is a problem that we must deal with ourselves.

I recently received a press release that announces an effort to move the precision machined products industry in this direction. The joint release is from the PMPA (Precision Machined Products Association) and PI (Predictive Index) Worldwide. The gist of the announcement is that PMPA has named PI Worldwide as an official partner, bringing its science of human capital analytics to the association’s membership.

我将你的注意力Inbox Insightsbecause there are a couple of webinars coming up that are open to PMPA members and non-members interested in learning more about PI Worldwide’s Predictive Index System and PMPA’s member services. I applaud this effort because as another bromide states, “A high tide raises all boats.” The better we as an industry can compete (PMPA members and non-members alike), the better off we all are. Here are the webinar details and registration information:

“Building Effective Sales Teams,” December 7, 2010 10 a.m. (EST) (Session runs from 10 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. EST with Q&A from 10:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.):The days of counting on a handful of major accounts to keep your business afloat are gone. Today’s precision machine shops need to be aggressively pursuing new customers and contracts. Learn how to identify the skills you have and how to use that knowledge to build the critical missing skills needed to meet your sales goals in 2011. This webinar will reveal the differences between “sales hunters” and “sales farmers” and how to determine the right mix for your organization.

“Hire for Drive. Train for Skills.” January 18, 2011 10 a.m. (EST) (Session runs from 10 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. EST with Q&A from 10:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.):Today’s market has a very limited pool of people with the critical skills needed by precision machine shops. Before investing time and money to train your latest hire, learn how to ensure that they have the critical skills required for long term success. The attendees will learn the “drive characteristics” of the successful machine operators and set up personnel and the most effective way to train them right the first time to eliminate defects, improve quality and shop performance.

Attendees can register for the sessions by confirming their participation with PMPA. Send an e-mail toRenee Merkerto register.