Blue Collar v. White Collar and the Impact of AI
What would you do if you stumbled upon a fountain of youth? What three wishes would you make if you found a genie in a bottle? Would you seize the opportunity to return to your youth? For those of us with several decades of life under our belts, it’s tempting to think about returning to a simpler time.
If you could go back to a time before the Internet existed, would you do it? What if you could be 17 again, but only if you stayed in 2026? That might change things for many people. How about you?
Combine a new war in the Middle East with increasing inflation, skyrocketing prices on everything from food to gas, unaffordable healthcare premiums, and any number of other issues, and you find yourself in a present time that’s particularly bleak for the youth of America.
Today’s parents of teens know the struggle is real. What career advice do you give a teenager in a world full of uncertainty and an economy on the verge of a recession? With artificial intelligence (AI) growing by leaps and bounds, what kind of modern career still offers the “American dream”?
Should you push your children toward a university degree and a white-collar job? Or would they be better served by pursuing a blue-collar job in the trades after an apprenticeship, certification program, or technical training at a community college?
Recent news reports signal a trend that may put blue-collar careers on a more solid footing than white-collar counterparts in the age of AI. In a recent article in The New York Times, author Sydney Ember notes that “[t]his is the worst spring for young degree holders since the depths of the pandemic.”
Diving into the statistics, it’s clear that those finishing college soon face an uphill battle. Ember cites a Federal Reserve Bank of New York analysis that finds “[t]he unemployment rate for college graduates ages 22 to 27 soared to 5.6 percent at the end of last year…up sharply over the past three years and outstripping the overall rate of 4.2 percent at the time.”
Perhaps more importantly, of those who did have jobs, “more than 40 percent held jobs that do not typically require college degrees, the highest level since 2020.” While there are many factors at play in the current employment market, some are pointing the finger at the increasing prominence of AI.
For example, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has predicted that AI “could obliterate half of entry-level white-collar jobs within five years.” Is that realistic? Only time will tell. However, a Stanford Digital Economy Lab report recently found that there have been “‘substantial declines in employment for early-career workers’ in fields that were most vulnerable to A.I., such as software development.”
In stark contrast to the apparent effect of AI on white-collar jobs, author Caroline Colvin notes in a recent HR Dive article that “AI is spurring demand for skilled trade workers — not displacing them.” She cites a recent Randstad report that indicates that “[h]iring for skilled trades has increased to keep up with the rate of artificial intelligence infrastructure growth.”
For example, Colvin notes that “[s]ince late 2022 when generative AI entered the mainstream, demand for robotics technicians has spiked 107%, with demand for HVAC engineers up 67% and construction roles up 30%.”
Before jumping on the trades bandwagon, though, it’s important to realize that “AI-driven expansion is reshaping what it means to be a skilled trade worker.” It appears that the days of viewing blue-collar jobs as low skill are long gone.
Randstad’s report notes that new blue-collar jobs “are increasingly highly specialized, digital-first positions. From electricians to robot technicians, digital fluency is now a prerequisite. The skilled trades are moving closer to traditional knowledge work, requiring a global re-rating of these career tracks and a shift toward continuous education and training opportunities.”
So, what can educators and companies do to increase the number of highly skilled workers needed for today’s job market? Partnering with a proven expert to train current and prospective workers with the hands-on skills necessary to succeed on the job is a great place to start.
Partnering with a training solutions provider with a proven track record can help any manufacturer or educational institution train workers with the hands-on skills they’ll need to hit the ground running in the workplace. For example, DAC Worldwide offers a wide variety of training systems that teach basic to advanced skills in a wide variety of areas relevant to manufacturing. From basic electrical and mechanical to advanced process control and HVACR, DAC Worldwide offers training solutions that work. Visit DAC Worldwide online to learn more about its many training systems!
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Power Transformer Manufacturer Expands Operations
Is there an artificial intelligence (AI) data center headed to a community near you sometime soon? At the rate AI data centers are popping up across the country and around the globe, there’s a better than average chance you’re already familiar with the heated debates new data center announcements bring with them.
While local and state governments often welcome new data centers with open arms—and big tax breaks—the residents in nearby communities frequently raise concerns about the natural resources these facilities consume, as well as the impact they have on the environment and utility rates.
The proliferation of AI data centers in recent years has made it somewhat common knowledge that these cutting-edge computing facilities consume enormous amounts of water and electricity. After all, all that computing power working 24/7 generates a lot of heat and components must be kept cool to work at peak efficiency.
Unfortunately, aging electrical grids and shortages of advanced power generation equipment have left many areas struggling to accommodate the demands of new data centers. That’s why manufacturers of such equipment are expanding operations, increasing the need for highly skilled workers with advanced electrical skills.
According to an AL.com article by William Thornton, Hyundai Power Transformers USA recently “announced a $200 million expansion of its Montgomery [Alabama] manufacturing operations,” a move that “will create about 200 jobs and significantly increas[e] the factory’s domestic production capacity for large power transformers.”
In addition to boosting production capacity, the new facility “will be able to manufacture even larger transformer units in the United States. This comes at a particularly crucial time, the company says, as about 70% of the nation’s large power transformers are currently in need of replacement.”
Hyundai Power Transformers USA’s expansion plan underscores the ongoing need for more skilled workers with basic to advanced electrical skills. Unfortunately, the ongoing industrial skills gap issue means that workers with advanced electrical skills remain in high demand with supply lagging behind.
This creates a challenge for industries across the country and around the world. How do companies and schools train the next generation of professionals with the electrical skills they need to succeed in the modern workplace?Top of FormBottom of Form
A thorough review of training systems is a great place to start. Do employees and students have access to hands-on training with actual components they’ll encounter on the job? If not, partnering with established companies to provide industrial-quality training systems that will stand the test of time will help ensure a competent workforce.
Be sure to check out DAC Worldwide’s variety of hands-on electrical training systems that feature the real-world components workers will encounter in the field. For example, companies in the power generation space could benefit from DAC Worldwide trainers focused on the skills their employees need, such as:
- Transformer Wiring Training System (408-000): a realistic training device that replicates the conditions and circumstances that an electrical worker encounters when making common power transformer connections in the field and industry. This self-contained, tabletop training system provides a safe, inexpensive, yet realistic alternative to paper-based learning without the danger of full-voltage field experience.
- Transformer Connections Training System (491-000): replicates the conditions and circumstances that a utility worker encounters when making common transformer connections in the field. Using this trainer, learners will explore the skills that an operator must master to confidently operate modern generating equipment, such as the paralleling of generators and connecting to a larger power grid.
- Electrical Generation Fundamentals Training System (490-000): represents a true simulator depicting multiple power plants on a grid. The unit basically acts as the control center for a generating station and simulates four separate generating units. The system demonstrates the principles of generator operation and represents the relationships that an operator must master to confidently operate generators.
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Workplace Fatalities Fall for Second Year in a Row
Do you fear for your life each day when you head to work? No, this isn’t a joke with Monday or your boss as the punch line. Thousands of people die each year due to injuries suffered on the job. Do you have the type of job with inherent safety risks?
Some jobs obviously tend to be more dangerous than others. Lion tamers and offshore oil rig workers jump to mind. However, the millions of people who work in modern manufacturing facilities can also find themselves surrounded by equipment that can kill if not handled properly.
For example, workers maintaining equipment can be seriously injured from the unexpected energization of, release of stored energy from, or startup of equipment. That’s why mandatory safety training, such as those related to lock-out/tag-out procedures, is so critical.
Lock-out/tag-out rules establish standards for the shutdown of equipment, so that energy sources can be isolated to prevent the release of potentially hazardous energy during routine maintenance activities. Following proper lock-out/tag-out procedures helps workers to avoid preventable workplace accidents and injuries.
Fortunately, it appears that a focus on safety training nationwide is working. A recent EHS Today article reports that “[t]he U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ [BLS] 2024 fatal occupational injuries data showed 5,070 worker deaths – a second consecutive year of decline.”
NSC CEO Lorraine Martin claims that “[t]his progress shows that when employers focus on serious injury and fatality risks, invest in prevention and build strong safety cultures, lives are protected.” However, she believes that “5,070 deaths in a single year is still 5,070 too many. We must accelerate proven strategies that address the highest-risk exposures and ensure every worker gets home safe.”
To put these statistics in perspective, BLS data shows:
- “The fatal work injury rate was 3.3 fatalities per 100,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers in 2024, a decrease from a rate of 3.5 in 2023.”
- “A worker died every 104 minutes from a work-related injury in 2024 compared to 99 minutes in 2023.”
- “Workers in transportation and material moving occupations represented the occupational group with the most fatalities with 1,391 fatal work injuries in 2024, though this was a 7% decrease from 2023 (1,495).”
How can manufacturers get the total of workplace fatalities down to zero? There’s simply no substitute for thorough, effective safety training for every worker before setting foot on the shop floor. For manufacturers without significant experience setting up a safety training program, it can help to partner with established companies to provide industrial-quality training systems that will stand the test of time.
For example, DAC Worldwide offers two safety training systems specifically designed to give employees the hands-on experience they need to master lock-out/tag-out skills:
- DAC Worldwide Lock-Out/Tag-Out Training System
- DAC Worldwide Electrical Lock-Out/Tag-Out Training System
Be sure to check out these training systems and contact a DAC Worldwide representative to learn how you can improve your training today!
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Electrical Outages Costing Manufacturers Time and Money
This winter, a series of storms has battered states from coast to coast, dumping feet of snow and ice and generally wreaking havoc in a variety of ways. Were you impacted by any of the storms? When the forecast calls for snow and ice, what do you worry about most?
For some, it’s the potential impact on their daily commute that leads to sleepless nights. Others, though, might worry more about how they’ll survive an extended power outage if snow and ice cause a widespread power outage.
While it’s natural for individuals to worry about the personal impact of severe weather, many people don’t realize how these storms affect businesses. While it’s much rarer for a business to close than it is for a school, for example, it’s clear that significant power outages are costing manufacturers across the country both time and money.
According to a Manufacturing.net article by Chris Daly, “[e]lectricity interruptions are on the rise across the United States…In fact…electricity customers throughout the U.S. witnessed 11 hours of power outages on average during 2024.”
Is this significant? It certainly is when you consider that “there were around four hours of electricity interruptions per year on average between 2014 and 2023. As a result, last year saw almost twice as many power outages as the average recorded each year for the past decade.”
While an electrical outage might interrupt your favorite Netflix show for a few hours, the ramifications are more serious for manufacturers. As Daly notes, “[a] single electricity interruption runs the risk of powering down operations and causing production line processes to fall out of sync, resulting in a loss of material and profits.”
How much loss? Donna McGinnis, Director of Marketing at Briggs & Stratton Energy Solutions, estimates that “up to $1 million of manufacturing losses can be recorded during each hour that production is disrupted by a power outage.”
What are manufacturers to do? It seems like severe weather conditions are occurring with increasing frequency each year. When you add the strain of new artificial intelligence (AI) data centers popping up across the country, further burdening electrical grids, it’s clear that things could get worse before they get better.
Daly believes that “[b]usinesses throughout the U.S. need to realize the prospect of experiencing more power outages. This point was emphasized by the Department of Energy, when it recently warned that blackouts may increase by 100x by the year 2030 if reliable power sources continue to be shuttered and extra firm capacity fails to be added to the nation’s energy array.”
Daly recommends that manufacturers investigate the use of onsite generators and portable power banks to minimize the impact of power outages. However, it’s clear that larger solutions targeted at strengthening electrical grids will also be necessary.
All of this underscores the ongoing need for more skilled workers with basic to advanced electrical skills. Unfortunately, the ongoing industrial skills gap issue means that workers with advanced electrical skills remain in high demand with supply lagging behind.
This creates a challenge for industries across the country and around the world. How do companies and schools train the next generation of professionals with the electrical skills they need to succeed in the modern workplace? A thorough review of training systems is a great place to start.
Do employees and students have access to hands-on training with actual components they’ll encounter on the job? If not, partnering with established companies to provide industrial-quality training systems that will stand the test of time will help ensure a competent workforce. Be sure to check out DAC Worldwide’s variety of hands-on electrical training systems that feature the real-world components workers will encounter in the field!
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International Chain Manufacturer Will Build New Plant in U.S.
What are the most important components or technologies in the modern industrial workplace? If you had to make a list of the top ten, what would your list include? We suspect your list might include things like programmable logic controllers (PLCs), robots, electric motors, and other types of advanced automation technologies.
There’s one critical industrial component that probably didn’t make your list, though: the humble chain. When we think of chains, our minds might travel to medieval dungeons or childhood bicycle races. Indeed, chains have been around a long time, so they probably don’t seem “cutting edge” to most people thinking about industrial technologies.
Nevertheless, chains remain a key part of the industrial workplace. Their unique characteristics make them particularly suitable for a wide variety of industrial applications, from lifting and pulling to transferring power in many different types of machines.
In fact, chains are still in high demand throughout industry and soon they will be manufactured at a new facility in Alabama. According to a recent WRBL article by Jazmine Mills, “German-based chain manufacturing company, KettenWulf, is set to open a new operation in Auburn…[and] plans to invest approximately $34 million and create an estimated 70 new jobs.”
The family-owned company “specializes in engineering conveyor chains, drive chains and sprockets that serve a wide variety of industrial products.” Mills notes that “KettenWulf’s products provide solutions for mining, steelmaking, bulk-material handling, manufacturing and other specialty industries.”
The new KettenWulf chain manufacturing facility in Alabama will require highly skilled workers who know everything there is to know about chains and sprockets, as well as their operation and maintenance. This type of knowledge is also valuable in many types of positions throughout a wide variety of industries.
For example, a wide variety of different types of chains are used throughout industry. It’s important for industrial maintenance technicians to learn how to operate, maintain, troubleshoot, and repair multiple types of chains.
That’s why DAC Worldwide offers training tools designed to help industrial maintenance technicians become familiar with chains, chain drives, and sprockets:
- DAC Worldwide’s Chain Drive Training System Plus (223-PAC) provides in-depth training in industrial chain drives, heavy/silent chains, and sprocket set usage. Using a welded aluminum driver and actual industrial hardware, learners receive a complete introduction to chain nomenclature, assembly, disassembly, alignment, and maintenance. Industrial-grade components include several chain types, connecting links, attachment chain samples, sprockets, bushings, and applicable tools.
- DAC Worldwide’s Chain Sample Board (838-PAC) is an introductory hands-on teaching aid, designed to supplement courses in chain selection and maintenance. It includes samples of eight industrial-quality chains for users to learn to identify.
Be sure to check out DAC Worldwide’s other mechanical training tools and contact a DAC Worldwide representative to learn how you can improve your training today!
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Troubleshooting with X-Ray Vision
Have you heard the news? Industrial maintenance technicians are in short supply. As industry continues to grow and new technologies transform the factory floor, industrial employers find themselves needing more highly skilled maintenance technicians than ever before.
Unfortunately, the number of new highly skilled maintenance technicians isn’t keeping up with demand. A skills gap exists that results in thousands upon thousands of positions going unfilled every year. And the effect on productivity and efficiency cannot be overstated.
Maintenance is Critical
Why is this such a big deal? It’s because of how important industrial maintenance is to the success of modern businesses. In an article for Manufacturing Automation, Steve Krar urges manufacturers to move from a reactive maintenance mindset (“fail and fix”) to a proactive maintenance mindset (“predict and prevent”), because “maintenance may be considered the heath care of our manufacturing machines and equipment.”
Proper maintenance improves machine efficiency and safety. Preventative maintenance extends the lifespan of critical machines and keeps them running at peak efficiency. It also ensures machinery is running properly and safely, minimizing the risk of injuries to workers or damage to other equipment.
Focusing on maintenance also saves time and money. Being proactive allows technicians to plan routine maintenance, which always takes less time and money than emergency repairs. Krar notes that “the actual cost for a breakdown [is] between four to fifteen times the [cost of routine] maintenance.”
Wanted: Troubleshooting Skills
Employers looking for maintenance technicians with the proper set of skills would do well to focus on one key competency: troubleshooting. Maintenance technicians that can quickly and accurately identify a problem and fashion a solution are worth their weight in gold.
Becoming an expert troubleshooter is not an easy task, however. Today’s industrial facilities are comprised of a wide variety of advanced technologies, requiring maintenance technicians to be a sort of “jack of all trades.”
Indeed, today’s technicians must have a working understanding of a vast number of components across a wide swath of disciplines, including electrical, electronics, pneumatics, hydraulics, HVACR, mechanical, process control, instrumentation, and more.
Not only must they be familiar with many different types of components, including all manner of switches, buttons, relays, valves, pumps, compressors, drives, instruments, and gauges, but they also must know these things inside and out.
In fact, one might say a good troubleshooter needs X-ray vision. Many, if not most, problems can’t be diagnosed from what’s observable on the surface. The problem often lies within, and that’s where specialized knowledge comes in handy.
For example, in writing about electronic component troubleshooting, author Mark Persons writes in a Radio World article: “Guessing is a bad troubleshooting technique. It’s best to visualize what the circuit should be doing and determine likely reasons it is not performing as expected…Electronic components can look perfectly good on the outside and be bad on the inside.”
But how do you teach maintenance technicians X-ray vision? While true X-ray vision is just wishful thinking, it is possible to train maintenance technicians to fully understand the components they work with most frequently—both inside and out.
Cutaways Teach Key Troubleshooting Skills
If you want to ensure your maintenance technicians have the skills to effectively troubleshoot the industrial components they work with frequently, DAC Worldwide’s wide variety of industrial cutaways provide valuable training in the internal configuration of hundreds of popular industrial components.
DAC Worldwide believes that successful training must match real-world conditions as much as possible. Its line of industrial cutaways are real-world industrial components that have been restored, cut away, and refinished using durable urethane coatings. Each of these industrial components has been professionally sectioned to expose each device’s primary components.
On many of DAC Worldwide’s cutaways, functionality has been retained and a hand wheel provided to demonstrate low speed manual operation. Each cutaway is mounted on a modular, heavy-gauge steel baseplate and support assembly. For industrial training relevance, common models by well-known manufacturers are chosen.
For example, DAC Worldwide’s valve cutaways use actual industrial valves that have been carefully sectioned and color-coded to expose and showcase the complete internal configuration of the valve. Seal features and hardware locations are retained, allowing for “hands-on” training in maintenance.
DAC Worldwide offers more than 200 cutaway training tools across a wide variety of industrial disciplines, including electrical; electronics; fluid power; heat transfer and steam; HVACR; mechanical drives; oil production; process control and instrumentation; and pumps, compressors, and valves. Visit DAC Worldwide online to learn more about its selection of industrial cutaways and other training tools!
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Regional Differences Cloud Future of Energy Transition
Fossil fuels are finite. They will run out one day. This inescapable scientific conclusion nevertheless doesn’t prompt the same reactions and priorities across the population, either here in the United States or around the world. While some people and regions see transitioning to alternative energy as imperative, others acknowledge the need for alternatives without making their development or implementation a priority.
Recent decades have seen enormous growth in awareness of the need for cleaner energy. A focus on carbon output and the rapid expansion of the electric vehicle (EV) industry are just two examples of the strides alternative energy proponents have made. Climate-focused activists once believed a rapid shift to alternative energy sources was inevitable. However, recent history shows that the path to that goal remains fraught with challenges, many of which depend upon where you live.
In this article, we’ll examine the future of the worldwide energy transition and how regional differences are affecting the timeline. We’ll also discuss how all these factors point to a future in which workers with electrical skills will remain in high demand, regardless of the source of that electricity.
According to a BloombergNEF article by Albert Cheung, “[t]he emergence of a lower-carbon global economy, at the core of which is the energy transition, encountered many challenges last year…[but] energy transition will continue to progress, in spite of ongoing challenges.” Cheung notes that those challenges are the result of regions with “[d]ifferent priorities…leading to fragmentation.”
For example, “[i]n the US, the race for clean energy leadership has been subjugated to the race for AI dominance, a competition in which the US still leads. This is super-charging demand for both clean and fossil energy to power an explosion of data centers.”
Meanwhile, in China, “energy security and clean energy leadership continue to coincide as both strategic priorities and economic growth drivers…The country’s success in EVs means domestic oil demand has already hit a peak, helping to limit its exposure to fuel imports. The might of its renewable energy sector, meanwhile, suggests a peak in coal (and therefore emissions) may be at hand.”
In between the two, Europe “retains its role as a global climate leader…In a more uncertain world, clean energy and electrification continue to offer the EU and UK a path to greater energy security and reduced exposure to international oil and gas markets. The greater challenge facing Europe is how to increase its economic competitiveness in a world dominated by Chinese-made products and American information technology.”
Cheung notes that “[e]ach of these major economies faces different strategic considerations, and climate mitigation is no longer the shared priority it once was.” However, he is confident that “[c]lean energy will keep making progress” for a variety of reasons.
For example, Cheung predicts that renewable energy installations (both solar and wind) will continue to grow, because “the economics of renewable power are just too good to ignore.” Plus, “the acceleration in power demand from AI data centers and electric vehicles will undoubtedly support further deployment of wind, solar and storage, even in the face of changing tariff regimes.”
Likewise, Cheung points out that “[f]alling battery prices, and better electric vehicles, continue to drive electrification in transport. EV sales are now over a quarter of global car sales – an unthinkable milestone just a few years ago…China is the runaway leader, with EV share of over 50% today, and Europe’s share is above 25%, while other markets sit below the global average.”
Why is China leading the way in EV adoption? Cheung believes it’s because China is “the only major market where upfront purchase prices of EVs have fallen below the price of an internal combustion engine vehicle.” In the U.S., there’s still an EV premium and, at least for the time being, “US federal policy makers seem to have made peace with ceding the global EV market to China.”
Cheung concludes, “[w]e are in a fragmented, multi-speed transition. Progress will continue, but different regions are placing different levels of priority on clean energy development, and different technologies are scaling at different speeds.” What is clear, though, is that—whether the source is fossil fuels or an alternative like solar or wind—the world will continue to need workers with electrical skills more than ever.
Unfortunately, the ongoing industrial skills gap issue means that workers with advanced electrical skills remain in high demand with supply lagging behind. This creates a challenge for industries across the country and around the world. How do companies and schools train the next generation of professionals with the electrical skills they need to succeed in the modern workplace?
A thorough review of training systems is a great place to start. Do employees and students have access to hands-on training with actual components they’ll encounter on the job? If not, partnering with established companies to provide industrial-quality training systems that will stand the test of time will help ensure a competent workforce. Be sure to check out DAC Worldwide’s variety of hands-on electrical training systems that feature the real-world components workers will encounter in the field!
- Published in News
Pharmaceutical Giant Announces Plans for New Manufacturing Plant
Could you stand to lose a few pounds? Sorry! Yes, that’s a personal question, but it’s one that an overwhelming majority of people would probably answer in the affirmative. As processed foods overwhelm grocery store shelves and free time dwindles, forcing many to choose between exercise and mindless entertainment, the battle of the bulge has become a fight that many Americans wage daily.
Lately, though, scientific advancements have seemingly given many people an answer to prayer: an easy, almost magical weight loss tool in the form of a monthly shot. Have you noticed the number of celebrities sporting thinner bodies? These new weight loss drugs, prohibitively costly for many, are easily available to the well-to-do.
This new wave of weight loss drugs certainly appears to be the next big thing in the ongoing fight against obesity. Over time, more drugs are likely to become available, and the current medicines will hopefully become affordable to all. Perhaps they’ll even invent a version that doesn’t require shots.
Or have they already? Recent reports indicate that pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly has a weight loss pill in trials that may soon be manufactured at a new $6 billion manufacturing plant in Alabama. In a recent Manufacturing Dive article, author Nathan Owens reports that “Eli Lilly announced plans to invest more than $6 billion to build a manufacturing plant in Huntsville, Alabama, focused on weight loss medications and other pharmaceutical ingredients.”
According to Owens, “[t]he site will manufacture orforglipron, Lilly’s first oral, small molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist, which the company expects to submit to regulatory agencies by the end of this year.” The plant would represent “the third of four planned U.S. manufacturing sites the pharmaceutical giant has unveiled this year, set to bring 450 factory jobs to the Huntsville area.”
Those jobs would include “engineers, scientists, operations personnel and lab technicians.” Lilly officials have indicated that the Huntsville site was chosen, in part, “due to its proximity to the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, a campus that supports workforce training and research.”
Skilled workers will be in high demand, since Lilly plans to “leverage ‘state-of-the-art’ technologies at the plant, including machine learning, artificial intelligence, advanced data analytics and digital automation, to ‘streamline’ operations and ensure a safe supply of medicines.”
Unfortunately, these workers may be difficult to find, given the ongoing skilled labor shortage that has plagued manufacturers for decades now. Lilly will need to work closely with local industry and educational institutions to ensure a steady stream of talent for its advanced manufacturing facility.
When it comes to training the next generation of advanced manufacturing workers, educators and industry partners alike would do well to partner with experts in technical training, such as DAC Worldwide.
For example, pharmaceutical manufacturers like Lilly could benefit from DAC Worldwide’s Smart Process Plant Training System (603-SP), a fully-functional, industrial-quality fluid process system that provides hands-on training in the measurement and control of five of the most common process variables: level, pressure, temperature, flow, and pH.
The system groups these process control elements into one complete piping system, which allows it to teach multiple configurations of flow loops, controls, and communications. The system incorporates both new and legacy technologies so that users are prepared for anything they might encounter on the job. These technologies work together to form a 3-level communication architecture:
- Device Level: Smart sensors monitor Level, Flow, Temperature, Pressure, and pH. They are connected via either IO-Link and Ethernet communication or HART communication.
- Control Level: A DCS and various PLCs and PIDs allow for operation and control of the system’s components.
- Enterprise Level: The DCS software provides Supervisory Control with data analytics for monitoring smart production, smart maintenance, etc.
The Smart Process Plant uses a Distributed Control System (DCS) that features Supervisory Control software. This software is Rockwell Automation’s PlantPAx, and it acts as the backbone of the system. It gathers and organizes data and creates dashboards that represent the real-time status of the processes being carried out by the system.
The Smart Process Plant Training System features a wide variety of common, industrial-quality components and instruments to provide learners with a realistic training experience that will build skills that translate easily to the workplace. The Smart Process Plant also includes multiple experiments, which simulate both continuous and batch process control loops that are widely used in many process industries. These experiments include:
- Basic and Advanced Bioreactor Applications
- Clean-In-Place (CIP) Skid Application
- Boiler Drum Level Application
- Wastewater Treatment Application
With these experiments, learners will explore a wide variety of fundamental process control topics, including: temperature, level, flow, pressure, and pH ratio control; agitation; sequence control; continuous control; 3-element control; feed forward/cascade control; and pump lead/lag demand. The Smart Process Plant Training System is only one of DAC Worldwide’s many process control and instrumentation training systems. Visit DAC Worldwide online to learn more about its many other training systems, as well as advanced chemical engineering training systems from its partner, Pignat SAS!
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Do You Know the Three Layers of Effective Safety Training?
It’s no secret that the U.S. manufacturing industry faces an ongoing “skills gap” issue that is leaving hundreds of thousands of jobs open because there are simply not enough skilled workers to fill them. As experts have sought to understand the factors causing the skills gap, they’ve learned that a persistent negative impression of manufacturing lingers amongst today’s youth.
Although many, if not most, modern manufacturing facilities are clean, comfortable marvels filled with advanced automation technologies, many younger people still think of “factory work” as uncomfortable, dirty, and potentially dangerous. Changing their minds has been at the forefront of efforts to combat the ongoing skills gap.
For sure, there are still factories out there that can be hot and uncomfortable. Some industries simply can’t maintain a clean appearance given the very nature of what they produce. And the potential for danger exists in any facility using large machinery powered by electricity, hydraulics, and pneumatics.
Safety concerns are certainly valid, and they can be relevant to a discussion of any potential industry job. To ease the minds of potential workers—not to mention current workers—today’s manufacturers can take positive steps to ensure that their workplaces are as safe as possible. Doing so not only improves recruiting and morale, but it insulates workers and the manufacturers themselves from the negative effects of workplace injuries.
In a recent EHS Today article, author Rick Tobin outlines “three layers of safety training—task performance, hazard awareness, and engineering solutions,” which he believes are “essential for comprehensive risk reduction.”
Tobin notes that “[r]eactive safety measures focus on treating injuries after they occur…[they] treat symptoms but fail to eliminate systemic hazards, leading to recurring issues.” Instead, he argues that “upstream strategies aim to eliminate hazards at their source…[by] focus[ing] on redesigning systems and processes to prevent accidents before they occur.”
According to Tobin, “[t]he first layer of safety training is the foundation—teaching workers how to perform the job itself with skill and consistency…When you train employees to perform a task correctly—whether it’s operating a forklift, wiring a panel, or handling a chemical—you remove confusion, improvisation, and guesswork.”
That’s why it’s crucial that manufacturers hire workers with the hands-on skills they need to succeed in the workplace. On-site training is also important to ensure that workers understand what is expected of them. Simply put, proper education and training pours a solid foundation that can be built upon to increase workplace safety.
That’s where layer two comes in: “[o]nce workers know how to perform their jobs, the next step is to teach them why it must be done safely—what hazards exist, and what standards govern their prevention. This second layer is about awareness and compliance: understanding the invisible forces that turn ordinary work into extraordinary risk.”
Tobin points out that “[h]azard recognition training transforms workers from task performers into observers and thinkers. They learn to spot the frayed wire before it arcs, the unstable stack before it falls, the fatigue in a coworker before it leads to a mistake. When safety training includes this second layer, employees begin to internalize a new habit of thinking: What could go wrong here, and what’s my role in preventing it?”
If employers can successfully implement this second layer, they’ll notice that “[t]hat mental shift is transformative. It turns safety from a set of rules into a shared mindset.” It also helps with compliance. “OSHA, PPE selection, lockout/tagout—these are some of the legal and procedural anchors of safe behavior. But compliance works best when people understand its logic. Instead of obeying out of fear of penalties, workers comply out of respect for the system that keeps them alive.”
Finally, the last layer is “training workers to think like engineers.” “If the first layer is about doing, and the second is about seeing, the third layer is about solving. This is where workers learn to think critically and design hazards out of existence.”
This might sound beyond the capabilities of many organizations, but Tobin argues that “it’s the single most powerful form of prevention. It moves safety from reaction to innovation.” And who better to suggest effective solutions than the people intimately involved in the very tasks at issue?
Tobin points out that the sequence of these layers of safety training is equally important: “First, teach the task. You can’t be safe doing something you don’t yet know how to do. Second, teach the hazards. Once the job is understood, risks become visible and relevant. Third, teach the solutions. Once workers see risks, empower them to redesign the work.”
According to Tobin, “when all three layers align—knowledge, awareness and innovation—the payoff compounds.” What are those compounding benefits? To name just a few, Tobin points out that employers can expect:
- Reduced Injuries and Illness
- Lower Workers’ Compensation Premiums
- Higher Productivity
- Operational Efficiency
For those wondering how to go about this approach from a practical perspective, Tobin points out that “[m]odern technology now makes it possible to integrate all three layers seamlessly. Online and mobile safety training platforms turn what used to be fragmented, time-consuming initiatives into connected systems of learning and measurement.”
It can also help to partner with established companies to provide industrial-quality training systems that will stand the test of time. For example, DAC Worldwide offers two safety training systems specifically designed to give employees the hands-on experience they need to master lock-out/tag-out skills:
- DAC Worldwide Lock-Out/Tag-Out Training System
- DAC Worldwide Electrical Lock-Out/Tag-Out Training System
Be sure to check out these training systems and contact a DAC Worldwide representative to learn how you can improve your training today!
- Published in News
Can Philly Shipyard Revitalize American Shipbuilding?
What comes to mind when you think of Philadelphia? For sports fans, images of the Philadelphia Eagles, the 76ers, the Phillies, the Flyers, or the Union might spring to mind. Food enthusiasts, on the other hand, will certainly envision a delicious Philly cheesesteak.
Perhaps the most important aspects of the city of brotherly love, however, relate to its significance as the birthplace of America. For example, history buffs will think of the Liberty Bell and other sites with great historical significance, such as Independence Hall, Congress Hall, Old City Hall, and the Betsy Ross House.
Another part of Philadelphia’s history that predates the Declaration of Independence is a site that was critical in the birth of the United States Navy: Philly Shipyard. Although owned today by Hanwha Ocean, a South Korean company, Philly Shipyard could hold the key to revitalizing the faltering American shipbuilding industry.
In an article published in The Wall Street Journal, author Timothy W. Martin points out that Philly Shipyard is “central to Trump’s bold plans to revitalize American shipbuilding and narrow a yawning maritime gap with China.” However, he admits that “Trump’s dream of resuscitating American shipbuilding relies heavily on South Korean help.”
Martin notes that “America currently makes less than 1% of the world’s ships. China is by far the world’s largest producer, with more than 230 times the shipping capacity and far more merchant ships than the U.S.” The current administration hopes that Philly Shipyard’s new owner will help reverse that trend.
Hanwha’s $100 million acquisition of Philly Shipyard “is central to South Korea’s $150 billion pledge to help Trump revive American shipbuilding—one of the most ambitious industrial turnaround projects in the U.S. in decades. Hanwha plans to pump $5 billion into the site, hoping to rebuild a shipbuilding workforce and supply ecosystem that has largely shriveled away.”
If anyone can help return American shipbuilding to its former glory days, it’s South Korea, who Martin notes is “China’s most formidable rival in shipbuilding.” The task ahead, however, is daunting: “Now, Philly Shipyard churns out a single commercial vessel a year—roughly what Hanwha produces in a week in Korea.”
Hanwha’s plans for Philly Shipyard are aggressive. “Hanwha wants to increase Philly Shipyard’s annual production up to 20 ships a year, expand the workforce by thousands and add new heavy cranes, robotics and training sites.” Current areas of focus include “assisting American firms to expand capacity, train workers and make their production more efficient.”
Significant obstacles persist, however. The ongoing manufacturing skills gap in America has resulted in hundreds of thousands of open manufacturing positions due to the fact that the supply of highly skilled workers is simply insufficient to meet the growing demand for such workers.
The shipbuilding industry is not immune from the skills gap issue. Like every other major industry in America, Philly Shipyard will struggle to find enough skilled workers to fill the thousands of positions revitalized ports will require.
As individuals and organizations seek to establish a pipeline of new maritime talent, it will be necessary to seek out training partners that understand the foundational skills maritime workers will need to be successful.
For example, DAC Worldwide has worked extensively in the past with the U.S. Navy to provide training tools in a wide variety of disciplines, from basic electrical to advanced pumps, compressors, and valves. Be sure to check out DAC Worldwide’s variety of hands-on training systems and tools, like cutaways, dissectibles, and models, that feature the real-world components workers will encounter in the field!
- Published in News
Texas Becoming Nexus of AI Data Centers
Has artificial intelligence (AI) affected your day-to-day life yet? If it has, then you already know how prevalent this technology has become in a short time. If it hasn’t, well, you may just not realize it yet, as AI seems to have infiltrated nearly every aspect of technology.
AI apps, like ChatGPT and Grok, have become go-to resources for a wide variety of users, from students looking for help with homework to workers seeking assistance with basic job functions. Apps like these, though, are just the tip of the iceberg. AI “engines” are being used to power things behind the scenes in many different types of technology.
The rise of AI has resulted in a race for dominance. Every big tech company is in the race, but it’s unclear where the finish line is, what awaits the winner, or what it will take to get there. These uncertainties aren’t dampening the spirits—or investments—of these companies in AI, though.
In many cases, the race currently takes the form of a rush to build as many large AI data centers as possible. Locations throughout the United States have been targeted for new AI data centers, leading to pushback in many communities over the resources, including water and electricity, that these facilities require.
It’s true that AI data centers require an enormous amount of electricity and water to run their rooms full of supercomputers. In areas where electrical grids are already overtaxed, residents have valid concerns about the effect AI data centers will have on their already-strained resources. At least one project, however, may be taking a new approach to allay some of those concerns.
In an article in The Wall Street Journal, author Bradley Olson reports that a small portion of a sprawling ranch in West Texas will soon be home to a giant new AI data center being planned by AI startup Poolside in conjunction with cloud-infrastructure provider CoreWeave.
What’s different about this AI data center is that the partners chose the location because the complex will be “capable of generating its own power.” “[L]ocated in the heart of the fracking boom,” the site will “take advantage of natural gas produced in the Permian Basin, the epicenter of U.S. drilling activity.”
According to Olson, “Poolside and CoreWeave…are betting that the proximity to natural-gas resources could reduce costs and improve the long-term viability of the data center, as many planned facilities across the U.S. have been built without power generation capabilities.”
The companies plan “to use an on-site gas plant built years ago by Occidental Petroleum and other infrastructure including pipelines will make it possible for the data center to generate its own power.” This could be a game changer, since Olson notes that it’s “far from certain whether many data centers will have sufficient power and water to operate without becoming a significant strain on local resources.”
One thing Olson does not touch upon, but which is another scarce resource that AI data centers will put a strain upon is the supply of skilled workers to build and operate these facilities. In the case of the planned facility in West Texas, workers will be needed that have a wide variety of skills in both the oil and gas sector and electricity and power generation.
How do companies and schools in these areas train the next generation of professionals with the electrical and oil and gas skills they need to succeed in the age of massive AI data centers? Fortunately, there are already companies they can partner with to develop the training programs that will provide workers with the hands-on skills they need to succeed.
For example, DAC Worldwide provides a variety of hands-on training systems for both electrical and oil and gas training:
Be sure to check out DAC Worldwide’s training systems that feature the real-world components workers will encounter in the field!
- Published in News
Survey Finds Small Businesses Lack Adequate Safety Training
When you think about businesses in the United States, the first companies that might come to mind are likely “big business” giants, like automobile manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, or other behemoths that employ thousands upon thousands of workers.
The reality, however, is that small businesses—those with 500 or fewer employees—far outnumber large businesses. In fact, small businesses in many ways power the U.S. economy and provide the jobs that keep food on the table for millions of Americans.
While small businesses may outnumber big businesses, they rarely compete on a level playing field. In fact, most small business owners would tell you that their resources pale in comparison to their larger counterparts.
Unfortunately, scarce resource allocation may lead some small businesses to avoid investing in necessary areas. A recent survey has revealed that one of those areas in which small businesses may be lacking can have a significant impact: safety training.
According to a recent Safety+Health Magazine article, “[n]early 60% of small-business employees have witnessed a workplace injury in the past year, and almost half of those injuries were considered preventable.” Why so many?
That’s what Pie Insurance, “a commercial insurance provider for small businesses,” wanted to learn when it “commissioned a survey of more than 1,000 full- or part-time workers at businesses with 500 or fewer employees.”
The results of that survey were quite concerning, especially regarding important safety training:
- “Only 29% of workers said they regularly receive safety training, even though 63% of employers say they provide structured training.”
- “28% said they’ve never received formal safety training.”
In a press release, Pie Insurance senior vice president of claims Carla Woodard said, “What I find most meaningful about this data is that it shows the gap between what employers think they’re providing and what employees actually experience, and that’s where the real opportunity lies.”
So, what can small businesses do to provide adequate safety training for employees? Fortunately, they don’t need to recreate the wheel. Instead, partnering with established companies to provide industrial-quality training systems that will stand the test of time can help ensure the continued safety of the workforce.
For example, DAC Worldwide offers two safety training systems specifically designed to give employees the hands-on experience they need to master lock-out/tag-out skills:
- DAC Worldwide Lock-Out/Tag-Out Training System
- DAC Worldwide Electrical Lock-Out/Tag-Out Training System
Be sure to check out these training systems and contact a DAC Worldwide representative to learn how you can improve your training today!
- Published in News