Crescent Manufacturing is undertaking a 20,000 sq ft, $3.5 million expansion of its manufacturing facility to keep pace with growing demand.

To address the need for skilled talent, Crescent partnered with a nationally recognized apprenticeship program developed by the Marshall Advanced Manufacturing Center’s (MAMC) Apprenticeship Works and the Industrial Fasteners Institute (IFI). The program standardizes the training of skilled manufacturing workers and prepares them for long-term careers.

“Over the past several years, our manufacturing workforce has been aging significantly, and the pool of trained operators has been shrinking,” explained sales VP Dan Bielefield. “We expect to need to replace many of our retiring operators over the next 10 years while adding more trained operators as our business continues to grow.”

Crescent’s first apprentices will train as cold-headed forging operators, running machines that form metal wire into bolts, screws, and other fasteners without using heat.

MAMC provides on-site train-the-trainer services, related online instruction, assists with record-keeping and serves as a liaison with the Department of Labor. MAMC’s services are free to manufacturers because Apprenticeship Works is funded entirely through grants.

“One of the biggest challenges fastener manufacturers face today is hiring and retaining skilled workers to run the machines used to produce fasteners,” said Daniel Walker, Managing Director of IFI. “Although fasteners may appear to be simple, producing them requires high precision, quality control and a lot of technical skill.”

IFI and MAMC gathered input from a cross-section of fastener industry representatives to ensure the new two-year fastener technologist apprenticeship – which includes hot- and cold-heading occupations – aligns with industry needs and DOL standards.

“The advantage for companies is they get a common framework for how to train their next generation workforce,” said Walker. “The advantage for apprentices is they will be earning money to learn on the job and acquiring transferable skills.”

It’s significant that IFI and MAMC created a model that provides consistency throughout the industry, Bielefield noted.

“This program allows us to continue meeting our customers’ needs even as our current operators approach retirement age, and, just as importantly, the apprentice program will enable Crescent to continue growing and increase capacity and capabilities,” Bielefield said.