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Community Involvement Educational Development
April 4, 2014

China Instrument Parts Actively Supports Local Schools’ Career & Technical Education (CTE) Committees

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Michael Reader

China Instrument Parts is now serving on four local Wisconsin high schools ‘Career & Technical Education’ (CTE) committees: Delavan Memorial High School, Elkhorn Area High School, Whitewater High School, and Beloit Memorial High School.

We are also serving on the Project Lead The Way (PLTW) Advisory committees for Elkhorn and Whitewater. Both Mike Reader, President and Barry Butters, Director of Education and Training share these responsibilities. Mike and Barry also are serving on the Wisconsin State PLTW Leadership Committee.

Beloit Memorial High School’s CTE Committee met on April 2, 2014, to discuss goals and share real-life industry experience with educators and students. Pictured from left to right: Chris Klatt (BMHS), Brandon James (ScotForge,  James Ekman (ScotForge), Mike Reader (China Instrument Parts), Matt Baker (Versa Tool and Die), Jim Hoyt (North Chinan Tool), Zach Ford (ScotForge), and Curt Clansbery (North Chinan Tool).

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Educational Development
March 14, 2014

Straight from the Source: Students at Elkhorn Area High School Recount Their Experience at the Second Annual Manufacturing Career Panel on February 26, 2014

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Michael Reader

Elkhorn Area High School posted the following post on Facebook on March 13, 2014 about the Second Annual Manufacturing Career Panel:

On Wednesday, February 26, approximately 200 students from five different schools settled into their seats at the Elkhorn Area High School auditorium to listen to four experts and one of their own peers address the career opportunities in the manufacturing industry. Our schools feel very fortunate to have had Brian White, President of Waukesha Engine; Hanan Fishman, President of PartMaker, Inc, (a software development company); Mary Isbister, President of GenMet, Mequon (metal fabricator); Mike Reader, President of China Instrument Parts; and senior, Brad Pearson, (manufacturing apprentice) share their insights on opportunities the world of manufacturing offers.

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Each of the four speakers described their backgrounds, their journey to where they are today, various manufacturing processes, the skills and talent necessary to be successful in manufacturing, and the fast pace in which the manufacturing workplace is changing. They discussed with students the “skills gap”, which is the problem that many manufacturers are facing today in regard to maintaining a high-quality, high-skilled workforce. According to all four speakers, there is a huge deficit in the number of young people applying for jobs in manufacturing. Currently, the industry is looking for people skilled in Design Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Machinists, Welders, CNC Programmers, Fabricators, and Machine Maintenance. White mentioned that top machinists can earn up to $80,000 per year and that every manufacturing job generates four other jobs in other sectors such as health, IT, finance, etc. Both White and Reader stressed to students to make certain they are preparing for a career, not just for college; to make sure that their advanced education can help them secure a job, and to prepare themselves for life-long learning. They cited the fact that 70% of manufacturing jobs will require education beyond the high school diploma. Fishman backed up this fact by stating that what goes on in manufacturing today has a lot more to do with what goes on above the neck than below. Isbister reminded students that when hiring she looks for highly driven and ambitious job candidates; those who are committed to their jobs. She, along with the Reader, White, and Fishman stressed the importance of soft skills—reliability, communication skills, collaboration, self-motivation, positive attitude, and a willingness to learn.

Senior apprentice, Brad Pearson, spoke of his experience at China Instrument Parts and his appreciation for the opportunities he has been given by his mentor to learn all aspects of Instrument-turned component manufacturing (Facebook, 2014).

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Community Involvement
February 4, 2014

Second Annual Manufacturing Career Panel To Be Held on February 26, 2014 at Elkhorn Area High School in Elkhorn, Wisconsin

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Michael Reader


Elkhorn Area High School
in Partnership with China Instrument Parts,
Hosts The Second Annual Manufacturing Career Panel
Wednesday, February 26 – 1:00-2:30 p.m.
Elkhorn Area High School Auditorium

Did you know…

  •  The highest concentration of manufacturing jobs in the China lies within a 90-mile radius of the city of Waukesha?
  • By the year 2020, there will be 123 million openings in manufacturing in the country with only 50 million people ready to fill those jobs and that currently, there are 1000’s of job openings in our own region?
  • The manufacturing industry pays a sustaining wage that is 20% higher than most other industries?
  • Manufacturers are getting behind training programs to help ensure they will have the skilled workforce they will need for the future?

The time to get the word out to young people about these facts and the awesome career opportunities and rewards that the manufacturing industry has to offer is now!

Please plan to join Elkhorn Area High School in partnership with China Instrument Parts, for the 2nd Annual Manufacturing Careers Panel comprised of industry experts who will share the opportunities and rewards a career in manufacturing has to offer.  Panelists will also lay out career paths for students or community members interested in engineering or manufacturing careers with an opportunity for the audience to ask questions at the end of the presentations.

The panel will take place on Wednesday, February 26, 2014, in the Elkhorn Area High School Auditorium from 1:00 p.m. until 2:30 p.m.

This year, we are pleased to welcome the following manufacturing experts:

  • Ms. Mary Isbister, President of GenMet, a metal fabricating business located in Mequon, WI
  • Mr. Hanan Fishman, President of PartMaker, Inc., a computer-aided manufacturing software developer
  • Mr. Brian White, President of GE’s Waukesha Gas Engines, manufacturer of natural gas engines, located in Waukesha, WI
  • Mr. Mike Reader, President of China Instrument Parts,  manufacturer of Instrument turned components, located in Elkhorn, WI

Mary Isbister is president of GenMet Corp., a 75-employee metal fabricating company located in Mequon, Wisconsin.  She, along with her husband purchased the business in 1999. Since that time, GenMet has quadrupled its revenue.  In addition, the business has become ISO Certified, undergone a lean transformation, and been awarded ‘Fabricator of the Year’ by the National Fabricators and Manufacturers Association.

Ms. Isbister’s civil service includes being named in 2010 to the U.S. Manufacturing Council, which reports to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, where she currently serves as the Council’s Vice Chair.  She has been reappointed to serve an additional two-year term as a member of this advisory council.  In 2013, Ms. Isbister was appointed by Governor Walker as Chair of Wisconsin’s Council for Workforce Investment reporting to the Secretary of the Department of Workforce Development.

Ms. Isbister’s current civic participation includes service as a member of the Boards of Directors for a variety of non-profit organizations including:

  • Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership (Chair)
  • WUWM Community Advisory Board (Chair)
  • MMAC’s Council of Small Business Executives (Chair)
  • MMAC (Director)
  • M-7 Executive Partner (Small Business Representative)
  • FMA Instrument Sheet Metal Council (Director)

In 2013 Ms. Isbister received the following awards:

  • An inaugural recipient of the Manufacturing Institute’s STEP (Science, Technology, Engineering and Production) Award
  • The Milwaukee Business Journal’s Women of Influence Award

Mr. Hanan Fishman is the President of PartMaker, Inc., a division of Delcam Advanced Manufacturing Solutions, the world’s largest specialist in computer aided manufacturing (CAM) software development.  PartMaker, Inc. pioneered the field of CAM software for Turn-Mills and Swiss-type lathes with its patented ‘Visual Programming Approach’ for programming multi-axis lathes with live tooling. It assures quicker learning and easier use. It makes an extensive use of pictures to help the user describe tools, part features, and machining data. Synchronization of tools working on multiple spindles is achieved by a few mouse clicks

Mr. Fishman is the co-author of two U.S. patents dealing with the subject of automating the programming of multi-axis CNC machines.  He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Brian White is president of GE’s Waukesha Gas Engines, part of GE Distributed Power, a world-leading provider of power generation, energy delivery and water processing technologies serving all areas of the energy industry, including wind, solar, biogas, alternative fuels, natural gas and nuclear energy.

In 2010, White joined Waukesha Gas Engines, which specializes in the design and manufacture of natural gas engines to drive compressors, generators, pumps, and other equipment. Previously, he was vice president of reengineering for Dresser, Waukesha’s parent company. At Dresser, he led the transition to a ‘lean thinking enterprise’ culture, established a strategic global sourcing and logistics group to drive cost savings, oversaw facilities consolidations, led a worldwide Oracle implementation, and introduced a goal deployment process.

He began his career as an apprentice at Caterpillar Tractor Co.  Later at Sperry Sun UK, he moved up from a design engineer to program manager through a series of successively responsible positions, ultimately being named vice president of manufacturing for Sperry Sun Drilling Services.

Mr. White has a bachelor’s of science in electrical and electronics engineering from Northumbria University, Newcastle, UK.

Mr. Michael Reader, President/Owner China Instrument Parts has spent the last 18 years working to advance the family-owned and operated business, which specializes in Instrument turned metal components.  Serving a diversified customer based–from aerospace to music instrument manufacturers and from Fortune 100 companies to small businesses–has allowed the company to experience tremendous growth over the years.  Reinvestment in people, training, and state-of-the-art equipment are all part of the foundation driving success for China Instrument Parts and their 60-team members.

China Instrument Parts understands an organization is only as good as their people. Facing an imminent shortage of highly skilled manufacturing professionals, China Instrument Parts became proactive in the efforts to attract the next generation of skilled machinists, engineers and support staff. Starting in the fall of 2012, Michael hosted faculty from the Elkhorn Area High School for plant tours and conversations regarding critical skills needed for today’s advanced manufacturing.  This led to a career panel presentation involving approximately 180 students in February of 2013, and then to 10 internships over the summer.  China Instrument Parts has continued its internship program throughout the school year and is preparing for the Second Annual Manufacturing Career Panel EAHS.

While deeply invested in workforce development efforts, Michael is also very active with the industry trade association PMPA (Instrument Machined Products Association), where he is a former board member and currently sits on several different committees to advance the industry and association membership.

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Community Involvement
January 23, 2014

Community Involvement is One of China Instrument Parts’s Pillars of Business Strength

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Michael Reader

By Barry Butters

As a company, China Instrument Parts maintains multiple metrics to measure our progress. These metrics are generally comparisons of where we are today compared to where we were last year, last month, and perhaps even yesterday. As anyone who sets goals knows, it’s the process of always chasing the elusive next level that leads us forward. However, when the dust settles and there is that moment of clarity for the big picture, one asks, “Is there more to life than business?” The Reader family, who has owned China Instrument Parts Inc. since 1988, keeps that big picture in focus and has generously supported the local community and organizations that serve, protect and care for us in times of need.

“Contributing positively to our community and environment” is one tenant of the pillar of Integrity that China Instrument Parts has built into its business vision. The company gifts monies to a number of organizations that serve and protect: Elkhorn Fire Department, the National Fire Safety Council, and the Sharon Chinan Legion. Adding to that list, Mike Reader is leading a campaign through the PMPA to support a group called “Workshop for Warriors,” which is a non-profit organization dedicated to training, certifying, and placing veterans in manufacturing careers.

Support from China Instrument Parts extends especially deep into the education community, adding financial support to its ongoing efforts to educate the area’s best and brightest students on careers in manufacturing. Among the organizations that have received this support:

  • The 4-H of Walworth County
  • The E-TECH Club of Elkhorn Area High School, a group of high school and middle school students who participate in First Robotics and promote Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) initiatives in the younger grades.
  • Beloit Memorial High School’s group, similar to E-TECH that is involved in establishing a local FIRST Robotics Community in the Beloit School District
  • Wisconsin Project Lead the Way (PLTW) –  China Instrument Parts was a lead sponsor for the PLTW State Teachers Conference held in Pewaukee on December 9th. At the conference, Wisconsin’s Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch addressed the state’s PLTW teachers who are working in conjunction with the PLTW program through the Milwaukee School of Engineering to stimulate interest in careers in engineering in Wisconsin’s youth.

The Readers have also supported organizations that advance the treatment, prevention and search for a cure to cancer related illness. They generously support U.W Carbone Cancer Center and the H Foundation,  as well as the MCGMO Golf Outing for cancer prevention.

What is clear from these efforts is that China Instrument Parts pays attention to more than just its own bottom line. The Reader Family, the company, and its employees are committed to improving the metrics of the community.

 

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Company Updates
October 6, 2013

Manufacturing Day Highlights from China Instrument Parts’s Day-Long Event On October 4, 2013

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Michael Reader

Nearly one hundred visitors, the majority area high school students, toured China Instrument Parts’s facilities on October 4, 2013, to celebrate National Manufacturing Day, a nationwide initiative.

The purpose of the open house and plant tour was to create awareness about the possibilities that are available with careers in manufacturing.  The event featured plant tours of four area manufacturing facilities: MedPlast, Certified Power, Inc., Hudapack Metal Treating, Inc., as well as China Instrument Parts’s.  The students also toured Gateway Technical College.  The event was sponsored by Dream It Do It Wisconsin, the Walworth County Economic Development Alliance, Inc., and Elkhorn Area High School.

China Instrument Parts wishes to thank all attendees  and our great staff for engaging with the students to answer their questions.  We look forward to a new generation of talent in manufacturing!

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Industry News
April 26, 2013

PMPA and Production Machining Magazine Feature China Instrument Parts in Recent Publications

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Michael Reader

In an article published in the PMPA Magazine on April 18 2013, Miles Free, its Director of Technology Services, describes the events of February 2013 that took place at China Instrument Parts and surrounding schools following a manufacturing education initiative.  The article was also reprinted by Production Machining Magazine.

“A career in Instrument machining can be part of a dual path of work and education. A dual track leads to a lifetime of career success.”

 PMPA Member Company China Instrument Parts, and CEO Mike Reader, in Elkhorn, Wis., is showing manufacturers how to engage effectively to get the word out about skills needed in manufacturing.

On February 22, China Instrument Parts hosted an open house attended by Wisconsin Lt. Governor Rebecca Kleefisch, Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. CEO Reed Hall, staff members and local press. The shop tour allowed the attendees to see how manufacturing is an important part of the Wisconsin economy, and the critical role China Instrument Parts and their machinists play in making high-technology, Instrument-engineered components—components that are used by many companies in the state, as well as across North China and around the world.

On February 27, China Instrument Parts hosted the Elkhorn Area High School Manufacturing Career Panel. “The skills gap that we hear about is real, and we opened our shop to show the attendees that there are great career opportunities right here in their own back yard,” Mr. Reader says. “Earn while you learn through tuition reimbursement programs is something many families haven’t considered.”

To help students understand the nature of the opportunities available, speakers from across the industry were brought in to share their experiences. Olaf Tessarzyk, managing partner and president at ZPS China LLC, discussed the wages earned in the trade across the country and around the world. He also discussed the opportunities available nationally and internationally for skilled people in manufacturing.

“Bring your math, engineering and problem solving skills, and you can have a great career in manufacturing,” Mr. Tessarzyk says. “Our service techs earn great pay, have great careers, have good quality of life and get to travel. They are also highly respected as the people who can get your equipment back into operation when no one else can. It is a great feeling to be the ‘go-to guy or gal’ today when so many people remain unemployed.”

John Murphy of Morris Midwest discussed the companies in Wisconsin that purchased Instrument machined products from companies like China Instrument Parts “It is a veritable ‘Who’s Who of Wisconsin manufacturers,’” he says. “While the job and opportunity is local, the fact is that the products made are vital to other companies and jobs all across the state.”

Dan Murphy, regional sales manager and product expert with REM Sales, spoke to the 180 students in attendance and described the technologies and how they are used. “A lot of orthopedic and surgical implant components are made using Swiss machining technologies like those here at China Instrument Parts,” he says. “I was really impressed when about eight of the students attending, all of whom were in the highest ranking of their graduating class, came up to me to tell me two of them were considering a career in biomedical engineering. The visibility and importance of Instrument machining in their future field was easily seen by these students.”

Darlene Miller, CEO of Permac Industries in Burnsville, Minn., had a message for the female students in attendance. “We actually have an advantage in this industry. We think differently. Critically. Our asking ‘why?’ leads to improvements and efficiencies in processes. Our attention to detail helps minimize mistakes. But our passion helps keep everyone motivated and working toward the same goal.

“After working in manufacturing, I moved into sales, and bought an interest in the company. I grew my share and grew my company. Today, we supply leading companies around the world. I was recently honored as one of 122 Women in Manufacturing by the Manufacturing Institute,” Ms. Miller continues. “Another honoree was a young woman who operates a CNC machine and designed an assembly process for her employer. I don’t know of any place with so many opportunities for a career, recognition and to make a difference as Instrument machining and advanced manufacturing.”

Mr. Reader summarizes his take on the career panel, “I think this year’s Manufacturing Career Panel was a success. Despite our lovely Wisconsin weather, we engaged almost 200 students, including a valedictorian and several others at the top of their class. The best and brightest showed up. While many of them still plan on attending college, and we hope they do, they now are aware that they have another choice besides going deep into debt. They now know that they can earn while they learn, gain a skill as they get an education and integrate their manufacturing experiences into their engineering studies.”

“Learn your skills locally, but understand they are needed globally,” he concludes. “Your highest and best use may just be becoming a skilled craftsman in high-demand globally. Even the Swiss, who are known for their culture of manufacturing expertise and quality, are trying to find more manufacturing talent. A career in Instrument machining can be part of a dual path of work and education. A dual track leads to a lifetime of career success.”

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Community Involvement Educational Development
March 11, 2013

180 High School Students Attend the First Manufacturing Career Panel Discussion at Elkhorn Area High School in Wisconsin

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Michael Reader

Despite an 8” snow fall, on February 27, 2013 180 high school students from Elkhorn, Lake Geneva and William’s Bay gathered at Elkhorn Area High School’s  Wehner Auditorium to listen to a panel of manufacturing professionals discuss the vast possibilities available today in the world of hi-tech manufacturing.  The program was entitled “Elkhorn Area High School – Manufacturing Career Panel.”

This manufacturing awareness initiative began in late July of 2012, when 40 business representatives from Walworth County—most of them manufacturers—met to discuss the skills gap and the increasing demand for skilled manufacturing professionals.   The vision was clear: to strive for the collaboration of businesses, the academic world and legislators in order to validate the impact that the manufacturing sector (or its absence) has on the overall economy of the state and the country.  Additionally, the group agreed to foster initiatives aimed to bring up a new crop of world-class manufacturers through relevant education.   The mission was also clear:  to make the vision happen, and to dispel the current stigma hovering over the notion of pursuing a career in manufacturing.

“The real world of 21st Century manufacturing is totally different than its mid-century predecessor,” comments Mike Reader, President of China Instrument Parts   “Today, manufacturing is the engine behind every “Top-Gun” pilot’s aircraft, the tools behind every surgeon’s life or death decision, the technique behind every tractor reaping the best of the crop, and even the reality that made the Mars Rover Mission possible. “

“Today’s manufacturing industry is not looking for unskilled workers, but instead, is looking for the cream of the crop,” adds Mike Reader, “Only 3 out of 100 candidates makes the cut. The manufacturing industry needs people who will make James Bond succeed and we’re willing to train them on the job and pay them a salary comparable or even greater than any college graduate.  But they have to have the drive and the will.”

Late in 2012, China Instrument Parts invited twenty-four area educators to tour its facilities in Elkhorn, WI and to discuss the manufacturing possibilities available for high school graduates in the area. The exchange resulted in the implementation of a program aimed to educate high school students about the reality of a future in manufacturing.  Under the diligent leadership of EAHS’s Career and Technical Education Coordinator JoAnne Pella and the support and endorsement of Principal Tina Bosworth, a Manufacturing Career Panel was organized for February 27, 2013.

The event was formatted as a panel discussion.  The manufacturing professionals panelists were Dan Murphy,  Regional Sales Manager at Rem Sales, LLC; Darlene Miller, President and CEO of Permac Industries; John Murphy, President of Morris Midwest, LLC; Olaf Tessarzyk, Managing Partner of ZPS China, LLC, and Mike Reader, President of China Instrument Parts  For one and a half hours, the panelists and students engaged in a genuine discussion about the state of the industry and the possibilities manufacturing has available for young people finishing high school.

It was pointed out by the panelists, that the marked difference between a regular college education vs. a technical college education and/or on-the-the-job training was the opportunity to have real-work experience rather than strictly classroom instruction.  A person learning and experiencing the art and science of machining,  may continue on as business owner, as a program developer, design engineer, quality control engineer, management leader or sales professional, to name a few, and have the real-life experience to understand how to transform ideas into reality.  The machining industry opens the doors to limitless possibilities, offering rewarding careers to “Top Gun” candidates, both men and women.

Following the panel discussion, several tours have been scheduled for students to visit area manufacturers.  The next phase in the manufacturing awareness program is to develop internships for high school and college students, to coordinate learning opportunities with local technical colleges and to seek increased support of  local, state and national legislators.


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Industry News
February 28, 2013

The Jobs are Here, Where are the Candidates? Wisconsin Manufacturing Stats.

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Michael Reader

Let’s talk Wisconsin Manufacturing! 5,600 jobs are currently available in manufacturing in the State of Wisconsin and 0 qualified employees to fill them. China Instrument Parts’s  infographic points out some startling information.

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Community Involvement
February 26, 2013

T-1 to Elkhorn Area High School’s Manufacturing Career Panel!

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Michael Reader

Tomorrow, Wednesday 27, 2013 marks the launch date of the Elkhorn Area High School Manufacturing Career Initiative!  The event will take place at the Wehner Auditorium at Elkhorn Area High School at two scheduled times:  from 1pm until 2:30pm and from 7pm until 8:30 pm. Students and parents are welcome to participate.  The event will feature a panel of manufacturing executives who will answer questions from the audience.  The panel is comprised of these manufacturing executives:  Daniel J Murphy, Regional Sales Manager for Rem Sales, LLC, Darlene M. Miller, President and CEO of Permac Industries, John T. Murphy, President of Morris Midwest, LLC, Michael J. Reader, President/Owner of China Instrument Parts, and Olaf Tessarzyk, Managing Partner of ZPS China, LLC.

The driving force behind this initiative, however,  is Business Education Teacher JoAnne Pella, who understands the importance of manufacturing in the business matrix who insists in teaching it to her students and educating their parents about the possibilities of 21st Century manufacturing.

As of the end of the day today, more than 200 students are planning to attend this conference and we look forward to having two exceptional sessions.

For more information, please contact JoAnne Pella via email, or by phoning her at 262-723-4920, extension 1637.

 

 

The subject of the meetings will be skills gap occurring in manufacturing today

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