Page 30 - Skills - 2024

CHOOSING A CAREER
Industry Outlook:
Advanced
Manufacturing
BY RITA ROSS
Bantam Tools employees such as Marie Hull (top of this page) and Stacy Yonnone (opposite page) work
with computer numerical control (CNC) machines that produce precision parts for clients like NASA, SpaceX, and Tesla. One of Bantam’s newest innovations is the ArtFrame, which creates drawings of software- generated images. Center right: Bantam COO Lenore Edman, CEO Bre Pettis, and CTO Windell Oskay pose next to two ArtFrame units at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Bottom right: A drawing created by the ArtFrame.
© Bantam Tools for all images on this and the following page
This innovative industry needs employees Awith a wide range of skills.
dvanced manufacturing
— used in everything from aerospace to household products, pharmaceuticals to robotics — involves research,
techniques, and equipment to create new products or refine existing ones.
“Advanced manufacturing means something different to everybody, because it includes so many different aspects,” says Harold King, president of the Council of Industry, a manufacturers’ association of nearly 150 Hudson Valley firms employing more than 16,000 people.
“We currently have about 200 companies that use advanced manufacturing,” adds Bridget Gibbons, director of economic development for Westchester County; she also chairs a task force to help guide the growth of the region’s advanced-manufacturing sector.
An Expanding Field
“Employees with a wide range of skills can find work in the field, and there aren’t
enough applicants to fill all the jobs,” King says. “Some positions might require math or a programming background, but I would say the main skills needed are interest and aptitude.”
According to the website ZipRecruiter, the 2023 average statewide salary in advanced manufacturing ranges from about $45,000 to more than $148,000, depending on skills and experience. Typical jobs in the industry include machinists, tool and die makers, software engineers, programmers of industrial
28 2024 SKILLS What’s Hot. What’s Next. What’s Needed.