Page 16 - SKILLS Workforce Development Guide 2021

For Job Seekers: Advanced Manufacturing Outlook
AN INDUSTRY WITH
WELL-PAID, MIDDLE-SKILL
JOBS TO FILL
MBY ELAINE POFELDT
ETCAR, a family-run business tucked away in an 85,000-square-foot building near the train station in Ossining, is
on the cutting edge of a field that Westchester County is putting front and center in its economic development
plans: advanced manufacturing.
METCAR makes products that keep industries humming behind the scenes: oil-free, self-lubricating materials used in industry for processes where oil can’t be used because of very hot or cold temperatures involved. Its solutions, made from carbon graphite, are used in bakery ovens, airplanes, oil refineries, water pumps, and fuel pumps.
The 75-year-old company’s success in this space has helped it grow to 175 employees — about 100 in Ossining, 10 in Sullivan County, and the rest at its facilities in Mexico and Singapore and its sales office in China.
President and CEO Matthew Brennan says the county’s convenient location makes transportation and logistics easy. “From here, we can pretty much get a product anywhere in the world in 24 hours,” he says.
However, on top of rising costs for copper, tin, and silver, METCAR has to contend with local challenges that include high taxes, the high cost of labor and energy, and a tough regulatory climate. “Westchester is a difficult place to do business if you’re a manufacturer. The cost of living in Westchester is among the highest in the U.S.,” says Brennan.
To help create a more supportive environment for local manufacturers, Brennan joined a new advanced manufacturing task force the county has set up to support advanced manufacturing in the county. The task force, Brennan says, is “the first attempt to listen to the manufacturing segment of
the economy.”
BUILDING TALENT FOR MIDDLE-SKILLS JOBS
One key focus will be on developing a pipeline of talent to fill better-paying middle-skills jobs, as well as professional- level jobs in advanced manufacturing, that pay the kind of salaries needed to live in the county.
At the advanced manufacturing task force kick-off meeting, held earlier this year, three out of four businesses involved
14 SKILLS What’s Hot. What’s Next. What’s Needed.
said they needed more machinists, according to Bridget Gibbons, director of economic development for the county.
Manufacturers also mentioned a need for programmers. “One of our top priorities is to get them talent so they can grow,” she says.
Advanced manufacturing is one of four sectors prioritized in the Westchester County Economic Development Strategy, Recovery and Implementation Plan, released by Westchester County Executive George Latimer last summer, the others being biosciences, financial technology, and clean energy. Each will have its own task force and “desk,” which employers can call if they want to relocate to the county or connect with other employers in the sector.
One result of the pandemic has been renewed appreciation of the importance of U.S-based manufacturing, according
to Harold King, president of the Council of Industry, an association based in Newburgh. “I think we recognized the importance of manufacturing and that these jobs are critical
to our national security,” King says. “If you’re making PPE or pharmaceuticals, they are vital.”
WESTCHESTER MANUFACTURERS DO ‘FASCINATING THINGS’
There’s no official definition for advanced manufacturing, but generally, says King, this type of manufacturing is more dependent on sophisticated and skills-intensive processes than typical manufacturing.
In Westchester, the companies in this sector mostly make highly engineered products, according to King. The roster includes big corporations such as IBM and BASF as well as smaller companies such as PTI, a maker of package inspection equipment; Micromold Products, which manufactures plastic fluid-handling products; Bantam Tools, which produces desktop machines used to make printed circuit boards
and aluminum parts; and Safe Flight Instrument, which manufactures aircraft instrumentation, flight performance, and control systems.
“There is a plethora of little companies doing fascinating things with almost esoteric products,” says King. Some
of the smaller companies benefit from outsourcing by bigger manufacturers. “They help solve critical engineering problems,” he says.