Pontiac Times

Among the realities that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light, Myron Moser, chair of the board at Hartfiel Automation, argues that the need to modernize U.S. manufacturing to bring jobs and manufacturing back to the country is paramount.

In a recent opinion piece published by Industry Week, Moser outlines three key areas that need to be addressed to bolster the U.S. manufacturing industry and attract companies back: better automation, identifying and training the next generation of workers, and developing incentives for manufacturers to produce products in the U.S.

For automation to be successfully applied in this country, Moser said that first people have to overcome the misperception that increased automation has to mean fewer jobs for humans. 

“We’ve allowed too much of our manufacturing to be moved out of the U.S. based on profit margins, but the implementation of automation and robotic technology will lower overall costs and open the door for jobs lost to offshoring to come back home,” Moser wrote in Industry Week.

Additionally, if companies work to retain employees by training them to move up into more skilled jobs created with increased automation, existing workers should not be hurt by the changes.

As a board member of Hennepin Technical College, Moser also noted the promise such institutions offer for both creating a skilled workforce and placing their students quickly into jobs. Hennepin, as an example, achieves more than 98% job placement for graduating students, according to Moser.

Finally, the government needs to look at ways that legislation can encourage companies to invest in automated processes to return manufacturing to the U.S. while also staying competitive in the global market.

“Now is the time to embrace all the benefits of 'made in America' and to help manufacturing firms to flourish right here in the U.S.,” Moser suggested in Industry Week.