NEW Manufacturing Insights, a joint podcast of the Northeast Wisconsin Manufacturing Alliance (NEWMA) and Insight on Manufacturing (IOM) magazine sponsored by ICON Marketing, is back for the new year with a brand-new episode featuring Kathy Zuckweiler from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh’s Center for Customized Research and Services.
UWO is the NEW Manufacturing Alliance’s longtime partner in the annual NEWMA Manufacturing Vitality Index, which was recently released for the 16th year. Zuckweiler, who is in her second year at UWO, told the co-hosts she particularly enjoyed working on this year’s NEWMA study and joined the podcast this week to help outline and analyze this year’s results.
As has been the case for several years, one of the study’s topline findings was ongoing concern about talent attraction. Franz noted that fewer than 30% of respondents said they had trouble attracting talent in the first vitality index; that same number crept above 90 for the first time last year and is at 84% for 2024.
Zuckweiler offered some comfort in acknowledging that the national birth rate has been declining and that Northeast Wisconsin is not alone in the challenge, but she did point to marketing and education opportunities in helping address the issue.
“Societally I’m not sure we do a good job of explaining the types of jobs and the impact these jobs have and the salaries that go with them and all the positive things about manufacturing,” Zuckweiler said.
Other findings discussed on the episode include an easing of concerns about supply chain, New North manufacturers’ most in-demand skills and overall financial and sales projections for the upcoming year.
New episodes of NEW Manufacturing Insights are available every Thursday at www.spreaker.com/show/new-manufacturing-insights, as well as through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Google Podcasts, Amazon and a variety of distribution platforms.
