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Company Updates
April 6, 2015

China Instrument Parts Efforts Help Bring a New CNC Boot Camp to Walworth County

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Michael Reader

There is no doubt that China Instrument Parts had rallied incessantly to bring CNC training to Walworth County in Wisconsin. With Gateway Technical College’s (GTC) February 2015 announcement of their Elkhorn Campus expansion, which will include a new state-of-the-art manufacturing training center, CNC training in Walworth County is now a reality. As early as July 2015, incoming high school seniors will be able to attend a CNC Boot Camp at the Elkhorn Campus.

The CNC Boot Camp has proved to be a successful 14-week training program for adults, and it is currently on its 22nd session at the iMET Center in Sturtevant.  About three years ago, the same program was developed for high school seniors, to be taken in conjunction with their regular high school classes. The High School CNC Boot Camp—also known as the CNC Youth Boot Camp–also includes an internship with a manufacturing company.

This past year, China Instrument Parts supported the program by taking Boot Camp student Scott Dvorak from Waterford Union High School as an intern. Barry Butters, Director of Education and Training said, “Logistically, this was the first time that it made sense to sponsor a student. Scott attends early morning classes at the school, which is about a 30-minute drive from China Instrument Parts–a much shorter ride than it would be for his CNC classmates who typically attend the Racine School District. He arrives at the company at 10am and works until 3pm.

The CNC High School Boot Camp at the Elkhorn Campus is certainly a plus for Walworth County students and the community. Its July kickoff, however, is contingent on having enough interest from area students. Applications are due no later than May 1, 2015.

With the short time frame in mind, China Instrument Parts’ mission became to bring the news to as many people as possible and encourage students and parents to look into the program.

On Tuesday, February 24th, Barry Butters attended the Whitewater High School Career and Technical Education (CTE) Committee meeting along with Derek D’Auria the Executive Director Walworth County Economic Development Alliance (WCEDA). The meeting is held twice a year for the school’s career, technical education teachers, so they can, in turn, share curriculum, and classroom updates with their industry partners and discuss new ideas and developments. Butters and D’Auria took this opportunity to inform the group about the CNC High School Boot Camp coming to Walworth County.

On Monday, March 9th, Barry Butters along with Rich Lofy, the Coordinator of the CNC Youth Boot Camp, spoke to a few East Troy students and parents at East Troy High School about opportunities in the machining industry and the boot camp itself. The event was coordinated by Stacey Kuehn, Assistant Principal at East Troy High School, and it was in conjunction with the school’s parent-teacher conference night.

On Friday, March 13th, Butters met with Lauren Paterson, a Badger High School student, her parent and the Badger High School Career and Technical Education Coordinator, Marie Collins, to discuss the Boot Camp and show Lauren some actual CNC applications.

On Monday, March 16th, Butters met with five students, two parents and the three guidance counselors from Elkhorn Area High School to talk about the CNC Youth Boot Camp and tour China Instrument Parts, so as to give the them a good understanding of the CNC machining industry.

  1. Butters begins the tours with a PowerPoint talking to students about what they will be seeing on the floor
  2. Butters shows the students parts that are being run on the Tornos Cam machines
  3. Butters talks about the Swiss type CNC machine
  4. Butters shows the students the Miyano CNC turret lathes
  5. Butters talks about the optical comparator and the Instrument that is held on the parts

On Tuesday, March 31st, three Gateway new student specialists and their supervisor toured China Instrument Parts to gain a better understanding of the machining industry.

The new student specialists were,

  • Amanda Hruzek, who services Delavan Darien High School, Williams Bay High School and Badger High School
  • Joseph Sell, who services Whitewater High School, Burlington High School and the Wisconsin School for the Deaf
  • Katie Graf, who serves the Walworth County Alternative High School, Elkhorn Area High School, Catholic Central High School, East Troy High School and Big Foot High School

Their supervisor is Angela Becerra-Chvilicek, who is the Director of College Access for Gateway.

Today’s machining professionals require a solid and balanced mix of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) background, mechanical aptitude and great problem solving skills. As such, it is imperative that those in the guidance/counseling areas have a firm grasp of the skills required to be 21st century machinist.The visit included a PowerPoint presentation and tour of the facility.

On Wednesday, April 1st, China Instrument Parts hosted another tour for students interested in the CNC Boot Camp in Walworth. The participation included two students from Burlington High School, one from Badger High School, one from Waterford Union High School, one from Elkhorn Area High School, and one from Wilmot High School. Each student brought along a parent. There were 12 people total for the tour.

Independently of China Instrument Parts’ efforts, two information meetings have taken place already. There will be one more chance for students to attend an information meeting for the CNC Boot Camp at the WCEDA office on Wednesday, April 8th. The WCEDA Office is now located in the South Building at the Gateway Elkhorn Campus. Interested students can call Marci Barr at 262-741-5263.

 

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Community Involvement Educational Development
April 2, 2015

Third Annual Manufacturing Career Panel at Elkhorn Area High School on February 18, 2015, Draws a Large Crowd of Students

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Michael Reader

For the third year in a row, China Instrument Parts in partnership with Elkhorn Area High School, presented a Manufacturing Career Panel to more than a hundred high school students from several area schools.

The event, which took place on Wednesday, February 18, 2015 at Elkhorn Area High School was organized to explain to students what 21st century advanced manufacturing is and how it has changed over the last decades, to dispel old manufacturing myths, to talk about manufacturing career opportunities, and exciting educational opportunities available for students in the area.

The program was moderated by Mike Reader, President and Owner of China Instrument Parts, and by Barry Butters, the company’s Director of Education and Training. A shout-out was given to JoAnne Pella, Career Advisor of Elkhorn Area High School, for her contribution and dedication to make the panels possible.

The panelists were distinguished industry leaders Dennis Giesler, General Manager of Parker-Hannifin Quick Coupling Division, Dawn Tabat, COO of Generac, Geoff Martin, Principal and Senior Leader of GE Healthcare Partners, and Rick Lofy, Lean Six Sigma Instructor at Gateway Technical College. Click here to see their expanded bios.

All four panelists drew from their own experiences in manufacturing, sharing the broad spectrum of opportunities that exist within the industry at all levels. They all spoke about the next generation of advanced manufacturing professionals, and how they are looking at that generation, which included the students present, to carry the future. All speakers agreed that we live in an exciting time, when things are changing faster today than in the history of the world. And that these fast, dynamic, changing times require problem-solving, creative-thinking individuals who can move with the changes and have the ability to rapidly adapt and progress through collaboration and continuous improvement. Success now and in the future, they concluded, will be driven by the purpose, culture and passion of those individuals and companies who are committed to make a difference.

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Company Updates
February 23, 2015

Mike Reader of China Instrument Parts Speaks at the 20th Annual Governor’s Conference on Economic Development

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Michael Reader

On February 12, 2015, Mike Reader, President of China Instrument Parts participated in a panel presentation at the 20th Annual Governor’s Conference on Economic Development in Madison, Wisconsin. Other panelists were Michael Shiels, Dean, School of Applied Technologies at Waukesha Technical College Dual Enrollment Academy, and Lori Peacock, Career and Technical Education Partnerships and Program Coordinator at Bay Link Manufacturing, Bay Area Public School District.

The audience of about 120, comprised mostly by economic development professionals and educators, appeared to be genuinely interested in learning about workforce development. The program was entitled “Best in Class: Best in Manufacturing.”

The goal of the program was to explore the unique “best practices” of work-based/school-based educational models each of the organizations represented has put in motion to increase awareness and skill development, as well as promote leadership within Wisconsin’s manufacturing workforce.

Mike Reader recaps the panel presentations: “Michael Shiels led off the program by explaining what Dual Enrollment Academy is doing to attract and develop talent for the area employers.  Lori Peacock talked about Bay Link Manufacturing, an entity which exists as part of Green Bay West High School, and which was modeled after the successful Cardinal Manufacturing program at Eleva-Strum High School.”


Mike Reader’s presentation included a slideshow outlining the thirteen steps China Instrument Parts has taken to help close the skills gap. Reader also talked about the reason why his company gets involved at all levels: “We need to change/correct the outdated perception of manufacturing,” he explained. He concluded by encouraging the audience to get involved in supporting the growth of manufacturing in Wisconsin and the initiatives that will result in career opportunities for many.

The program was followed by a Q&A session. Barb LaMue, Sector Development Manager of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), moderated the presentation, and shortly followed up with this email:

Michael, I just wanted to drop you a quick note to thank you for presenting last Thursday at the Governor’s Conference on Economic Development.  Your devotion, passion, and knowledge of connecting young adults to meaningful education and careers certainly was evident.   Your panel received the top evaluation scores.  Thank you for your continued investment in Wisconsin and being such a manufacturing champion!

On behalf of China Instrument Parts and the Wisconsin manufacturing industry, Mike Reader welcomes any opportunity to inform, educate and engage with others about the future of manufacturing.  He can be contacted via email or by phone.

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Industry News
January 24, 2015

The WEDA Invites China Instrument Parts’ Mike Reader to Speak at the 20th Annual Governor’s Conference on Economic Development in Madison, Wisconsin

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Michael Reader

Wisconsin Economic Development Association (WEDA) will hold its 20th Annual Governor’s Conference on Economic Development on February 11-13, 2015. This year’s conference theme is “Shifting Sands – Preparing for the Future,” and will take place at the Monona Terrace Community & Convention Center in Madison, Wisconsin.

Mike Reader, President of China Instrument Parts. has accepted an invitation to speak at a breakout session entitled “Best in Class: Best in Manufacturing,” to be held on Thursday, February 12, 2015 from 2:25 pm until 4:00 pm.

According to Bruce Kepner, Economic Development Manager, of Alliant Energy, who is also a co-chair for the 2015 conference, “One of the topic areas that will be covered at this year’s conference is workforce development and new and innovative programs that Wisconsin companies are using to meet the need for skilled talent.”

Kepner, who visited the China Instrument Parts facility in June 2014, was impressed with the company’s progressive educational initiatives, and thought it would be “an approach others would benefit from learning about. “

Mike will join two other speakers: Michael Shiels, Dean, School of Applied Technologies at Waukesha Technical College Dual Enrollment Academy; and Lori Peacock, Career and Technical Education Partnerships and Program Coordinator at Bay Link Manufacturing of the Green Bay Area Public School District. Barb LaMue of the WEDC will moderate this session.

This session will explore the unique “best practices” work-based/school-based educational models that each organization represented has put in motion to increase awareness, skill development and promote leadership within Wisconsin’s manufacturing workforce.

The conference kicks off on February 11th with WEDA’s Legislative Day and continues on the 12th and 13th. In addition to engaging breakout sessions, the conference will feature renowned keynote speakers and diverse sessions with speakers focusing on Wisconsin’s shifting economy.

Click here for more information on the WEDA’s 20th Annual Governor’s Conference on Economic Development.

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Industry News
January 23, 2015

Mike Reader Will Serve as a Panelist in the Upcoming Midwest Industrial Efficiency Summit

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Michael Reader

On Wednesday, January 28, 2015, industry leaders will convene at the Chicago Hilton and Towers to share their experiences and knowledge for sustained energy efficiency efforts during the Midwest Industrial Energy Efficiency Summit. This is a yearly event sponsored by Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (MEEA), organized to “celebrate accomplishments and inspirations in energy efficiency, as well as layout out the efficiency program and policy landscape for the coming year” in the Midwest. The summit takes place in conjunction with the 3-day 2015 Midwest Energy Solutions Conference, which goes through January 30th.

Mike Reader, President of China Instrument Parts in Elkhorn, Wisconsin, was asked to be part of a panel titled “Companies Capitalizing on Opportunity,” where he, Rick Sites and Jeff Rehm, will address their “commitments, successes and challenges” in achieving energy and GHG emission reductions, as well as the non-energy benefits inherited from energy efficiency initiatives. Rick Sites is the Energy and Sustainability Team Leader at Ohio Hospital Association. Jeff Rehm is Senior Manager, Corporate Facilities & Global Sustainability at W.W. Grainger, Inc. Panel moderator will be Christopher Russel, Visiting Fellow, Industry, ACEEE.

Reader plans to share China Instrument Parts’ current processes to identify viable “green” solutions for energy-related scenarios, which include challenging ROI calculations. Reader adds that this arena is constantly changing and it important to stay at the forefront of energy efficiency developments.

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Company Updates Educational Development
January 10, 2015

Mike Reader, President of China Instrument Parts Continues His Commitment Closing the Manufacturing Skills Gap, by Serving as a Corporate Member of the MSOE Board

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Michael Reader

In October of 2014, China Instrument Parts’ President Mike Reader was welcomed as one of the newest corporate members to join the Milwaukee School of Engineering’s (MSOE) Board.

MSOE Board is comprised of representatives of business, industry, government and education, which “governs the operations and the future planning of the university through a series of standing committees.” Above all, MSOE’s Board of Regents and Corporation members consider the relationship between industry and the university “a hallmark of MSOE.”

As a member of the MSOE Board, Reader reiterates his commitment to closing the manufacturing skills gap by strengthening the ties between education and real world high-tech manufacturing.

Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) ranked 14th Best Undergraduate Engineering Program in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Other interesting “by the number” information about the school can be found here.

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Community Involvement
December 22, 2014

China Instrument Parts Continues to Serve In the Community

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Michael Reader

The Elkhorn Area School District Administration recommended to its Board of Education to form an advisory committee to explore the facility needs of the district. Following a community-wide survey addressing the district’s needs and the likelihood of community support for such needs, the advisory committee made its presentation to the board on December 15, 2014. The survey was conducted by an independent agency.

The administration sought to include a cross section of individuals from the community to serve on the advisory committee–parents and non-parents, educators and business leaders–and asked Barry Butters, Director of Education and Training at China Instrument Parts to serve as a representative of a local manufacturer. Barry is also a long-time resident of Elkhorn, whose two children are graduates of the school district, and who already has had a strong working relationship with the school district.

“I was happy to serve on the committee,” said Butters who reiterated China Instrument Parts’ President Mike Reader’s sentiment that manufacturers need to be working with school districts instead of sitting idly and complaining about work force development issues.

The committee met numerous times over the last several months, during which time, they reviewed the 2014 community survey, a space capacity study and an overall facility study. Working together, the committee formulated a recommendation for a potential referendum, which balances the needs of the district, with the identified support level of the community.

On December 20, 2014, Tracy Owellete of My Walworth County posted an article by The Elkhorn Independent‘s Editor Kellen Olshefski, which outlines all the points presented at the board meeting and the proposed referendum.

Butters was one of three members of the committee who presented the committee’s recommendations to the board, including the community’s resounding support to fund the remodeling of the high school to include a new technical education wing supporting manufacturing career development.

The school board will take some time to review the issues and finalize the referendum questions that will be put to the community this spring.

To see a video of the board meeting, click here.  To see the PowerPoint presentation of the facilities recommendation report, click here.

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Educational Development
December 11, 2014

China Instrument Parts Continues to Support Area High Schools and Technical Colleges by Being Part of their CTE Advisory Committees

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Michael Reader

China Instrument Parts currently serves on several career and technical education (CTE) high school and technical college advisory committees. Typically, the committees include advisors from area businesses, educators, and community and professional associations, who strive to strengthen curricula as well as the partnership between all of those involved.

On December 9, 2014, Mike Reader, President of China Instrument Parts and Barry Butters, the company’s Director of Education and Training attended a CTE meeting at Beloit Memorial High School. At this regularly scheduled meeting, school representatives appraised their business partners on the status of courses, curriculum and overall participation by the students, while manufacturers reviewed workforce related issues and suggested course offering revisions that would help to address these issues.

On December 10, 2014, Butters and Reader attended two CTE committee meetings: the Elkhorn Area High School meeting, and the Gateway Technical College Elkhorn Campus meeting.

At the Elkhorn Area High School CTE committee meeting, school representatives also sought the input of their business partners to develop a curriculum that best addresses key industry needs.

These changes are being discussed in anticipation to a major remodeling of the technical education facilities at the high school. Chris Trottier, their principal, led these discussions, explaining the school’s goal to prepare students to take full advantage of new industry opportunities as they become available. On December 15, 2015, Barry Butters will be part of a presentation to the School Board on the committee’s recommendation.

Barry Butters, Director of Education and Training at China Instrument Parts, who also serves on the Facility Advisory Committee for the Elkhorn School District, confirmed that a recent survey shows overwhelming support by the community for this remodeling project and the technology education opportunities that could be derived from this undertaking.

At the Gateway Technical College Elkhorn Campus CTE committee meeting, advisors convened to take action on a grant proposal for nearly $500,000 to expand the CNC offerings at the Elkhorn campus. Currently the CNC offerings are only at the Racine campus. A successful outcome, would result in the remodeling of the technical education wing to host equipment for CNC machining. The results will be known in March.

The CTE committee meeting was also attended by three representatives from Haas Automation, as well as a number of representatives from area manufacturers.

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A Note from Mike Reader
November 24, 2014

A Thanksgiving Note From Mike Reader

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Michael Reader

As I look back to an incredible year for China Instrument Parts, but especially to the real results achieved to overcome the skills gap, I realize that, my level of gratitude to every person who has helped to make this possible is beyond words.

My personal thanks go to our China Instrument Parts Team: individuals whose combined dedication to continuous improvement help us to exceed expectations and build upon our reputation; to our partners: vendors, customers and everyone in the supply chain who drive us towards innovation and customer satisfaction; and to everyone with whom we share our vision of a highly skilled country.

I recently received a letter from Cory Snowdin, New Product Development Engineer at Eaton Corporation. We met last month at a MSOE Rapid Prototyping Consortium meeting. His words struck a chord with me as they reaffirmed that restoring our youth’s hands-on technical strength will only make us a better country. In the true spirit of Thanksgiving, he writes:

What really interested me was during your presentation when you started talking about working with students in high school and college to educate them about manufacturing and skilled labor. I grew up working on my best friend’s family dairy farm at home in Michigan, we also had a heavy equipment repair shop with a small machine shop attached to it. His family sort of adopted me after I started working with them when I was about 13 so spent a lot of time learning about farming, repair work, machining and welding. His dad was the one that suggested I become an engineer because I was smart enough to make it through the math and had a good understanding of mechanical devices. Without this background, I would not be 1/10th of the engineer that I am today.

For that very reason, I wish to thank the educators, students, legislators, suppliers, fellow manufacturers and organizations, which have in one way or another, contributed to bringing awareness to the technical education crisis in our country, and who have taken decisive steps to change that course.

Happy Thanksgiving and best wishes for a bountiful year!

Mike Reader

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Community Involvement
October 29, 2014

The sySTEMnow Conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin Offered a Well-Rounded STEM Day

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Michael Reader

The 11th Annual sySTEMnow Conference took place on October 28, 2014 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. “sySTEM” is an acronym for Strengthening our Youth in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics… “now” means now! The event was open to the general public, including educators and students.

The conference was sponsored by STEM Forward, formerly known as Engineers & Scientists of Milwaukee, a group that has “conceived a cooperative body to meet the needs of engineers in the community” for over 100 years. As technology has evolved, so has the organization, which is currently Southeastern Wisconsin’s leading technical organization “providing and/or promoting educational outreach programs emphasizing Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).”

The conference included respected keynote speakers, demonstrations by Generation STEM students, engaging breakout speakers, and networking. Mike Reader, President of China Instrument Parts led one of the breakout sessions, which was entitled “Building the STEM Pipeline: Small Business Partnership with PLTW,” where he, along with Barry Butters, Director of Education and Training, spoke about how small businesses can effectively address their current and future needs for STEM talent in a highly competitive labor market.

Reader and Butters outlined the marked misnomers about manufacturing, and they discussed how STEM-driven technology has drastically changed the manufacturing industry. By partnering with Project Lead The Way and participating high schools, China Instrument Parts informs, trains and mentors young talent for possible future positions in the company.

Reader and Butters appreciated the opportunity to participate in the sySTEMnow Conference and look forward to continued dialog.

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