John McCarron’s Jan. 22 column about the plight of manufacturers was right on the money. Chicago is the capital of the precision mechanical-spring industry. Your car has hundreds in the transmission and other essential assemblies, and your home and business have more.
There are more than 80 companies making springs in Chicago and more than 500 nationwide. The average company employs 35-50 individuals and records sales between $3 and $5 million. In a national survey of our members conducted during the summer, 46 percent of those replying indicated that finding trained, or trainable, employees is their biggest problem.
Only 20 percent of our young actually earn a four-year college degree. What happens to the remaining 80 percent? In that group there are plenty of good kids who could contribute, make a career for themselves and earn a competitive wage. In a time when service-sector jobs represent the entry point for many employable individuals, it is troubling that our youth perceive these relatively low-wage and low-potential positions as high-image and high-achievement.
Your insights are amazingly on target. America cannot compete globally with an economy based primarily on service-related activities. Manufacturers have repositioned themselves by adopting new methods and technologies. We just need capable people to keep our nation competing successfully.
