At the Motion + Power Technology Expo in Detroit, I had the privilege to sit and discuss workforce development challenges with Kris Ward, senior director, strategy, and business development at SME, Kika Young, president, Forest City Gear, Mary Ellen Doran, director, emerging technology and executive director for the AGMA Foundation and Megan Schrauben, executive director, MiSTEM Network. The following is an edited transcript of this panel discussion. (Special thanks to Forest City Gear for sponsoring this live event.)
The American Gear Manufacturers Association (AGMA) recently applied for and received reaccreditation from the International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) organization for its educational courses. An IACET accreditation allows gear industry professionals to earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for attending AGMA courses. To celebrate, Gear Technology caught up with Stephanie Smialek, Education Manager, AGMA, to discuss the full breadth of AGMA’s professional development programs.
From April to June 2022, prospective attendees will again have the opportunity to learn about current trends and the latest happenings at Klingelnberg. After so many exhibitions were canceled in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, Klingelnberg took the initiative of launching its own WebSeminar series.
In 2021, the AGMA Foundation begins its 27th year. It is a critical year for the AGMA Foundation as our industry is facing incredible challenges and opportunities, and AGMA members are asking a great deal from our
industry Foundation.
Finding capable, dependable machinists is one of the great challenges of modern manufacturing. Most gear manufacturers we talk to would hire more machine
operators - if only they could find them. They lament the fact that their workforce is getting older and grayer, and they don't know what to do.
We’ve just come off a very strong year for gear manufacturing, and most of you are looking forward to another good year in 2019. At least, that’s what the results of our annual State-of-the-Gear-Industry survey tell us.
At most family reunions, everyone gets along, everyone puts on a good face, and everyone celebrates their togetherness. The AGMA annual convention held at the end of April was a lot like that.