Reaching for the Stars Starts with Students:

Ask anyone higher up in manufacturing today like Brian Coglianese, Quality Manager/ Management Representative, of Helander Metal Spinning Company, and they’ll tell you a similar story: recruiting top talent — especially younger post high school students — is increasingly difficult.

Known collectively as the manufacturing skills gap, a recent study by Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute, estimates that some 2.1 million US jobs could go unfilled by 2030 if something isn’t done to reverse the trend. The cost of such a shortfall is staggering, ballparked at $1 trillion. To put that figure in perspective, $1 trillion is about the same as the 2021 gross domestic product of Indonesia or the Netherlands. (Or the equivalent of two Irelands, or two Thailands if you’re keeping score.)

• Demographic shifts as the graying baby boomer generation continues to age out of the workforce faster than new talent is replaced
• Cultural shifts that have de-emphasized vocational training in favor of college-level coursework and advanced degrees
• Industry misconceptions that promote the idea that manufacturing is an underpaid low-skilled occupation, prone to accident and injury
• A post-pandemic desire for greater work-life balance (enabled in part by remote work flexibility) that re-establishes more mid-20th century 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. working hours

Academia within ‘Arms’ Reach

For Helander, an industry leader in metal forming and metal fabricating services for over 80 years, the key to recruiting top talent is less about resisting or reversing these trends, but rather shifting the conservation entirely. In other words, how to again make manufacturing an exciting field from which to build ones career.

One of the ways Helander achieves that aim is through the purchase and use of 3D laser scanning technology, like the FARO^® Quantum Max ScanArm. The Quantum Max is a precision measurement tool which combines the measurement capabilities of a Quantum Max FaroArm^® portable coordinate measuring machine (PCMM) with the non-contact functionality of a laser line probe. More than that, it’s also a state-of-art piece of 3D measurement technology younger employees are increasingly eager to embrace.

“It is difficult to find quality personnel but I’m an instructor for the Technology and Manufacturing Association,” said Brian Coglianese, referring to the Schaumburg, Illinois-based independent trade organization focused on assisting and promoting small and mid-size manufacturers. “So we can technically get somebody straight out of high school and I can train them to the level that I need them to be. We do have a pipeline.”

Founded in 1936, Helander has come far from its humble beginnings. Today the company of 40+ employees headquartered in Lombard, IL (a Chicago suburb) specializes in metal spinning, sheet hydroforming (the process by which hydraulic pressure is applied to a sheet of metal, which causes it to deform and take on the shape of a die and is used to create auto body panels, aerospace components, and appliance casings) and machining, with a focus on the aerospace, energy, and commercial/industrial machinery and equipment industries. Helander Metal Spinning Company has the privilege of working with companies big and small including leaders in the Aerospace industry. On average the company has close to 100 new projects per year.

With a focus on metal spinning — shaping metal sheets or blanks into cylindrical or conical shapes using a metal spinning lathe — the company possesses four FARO Arms and on three of them, they are using the mounted laser scanner, as well as the 8-axis rotational accessory. They use FARO’s technology to help build large components for telecommunications, rockets, jets, and helicopters, among additional applications. (*Due to the US International Traffic in Arms Regulations [ITAR] regulations, Brian was unable to go into additional detail.)

“Many of our parts have profile callouts, [which controls cylindricity] so we utilize laser scanning to compare the finished part to the CAD model and evaluate the accuracy of the profile,” Coglianese explained. “We must ensure the thickness and profile requirements are maintained throughout each of the step of production. Depending on how many spinning and machining operations there are, parts are checked multiple times throughout the process to verify they meet their tight tolerance requirements.”

Speed, Efficiency, Productivity and Progress

Thanks to FARO’s scanarm tech, Brian estimates that his team has doubled or tripled the speed with which they work. It’s a time savings that really adds up as it allows the company to increase its throughput and acquire more new business, faster — all while reducing rework, waste and scrap.

Prior to the introduction of the Quantum Max, checking cylindrical profiles was a cumbersome task; a task with limited data, relying on metal templates that would tell them if the part was off, but not how much the part was off or in what specific locations it was off. Or if the part was off, if it was out of round or an oddly shaped form versus being oversized or undersized.

“Now, I can tell exactly what the shape of the part is, which provides insights into potential causes of variances and production process improvements,” he said.

From an ease-of-use standpoint, there is literally no comparison. Already three Quality Control leads are using the Quantum Max, Coglianese said, and two operators have also been trained on the equipment. It’s this ease-of-use that will appeal to student-turned-employees, too. Coglianese estimates he can have newly recruited students up and running on the Quantum Max in as little as two weeks, while a more comprehensive training program (mixed with other responsibilities) could take up to four to six weeks. But even so, neither is a significant block of time.

“It's also about building up that confidence level,” he added. “Some people take longer to get confidence in their inspecting skills.”

In addition to metal spinning applications, Helander also uses its scan arms for reverse engineering, especially when a component on one of their machines breaks down. The company will scan a part and then try to determine what the original size and shape was and whether or not they’re able to manufacture new ones and replace that instead of ordering new components. Coglianese estimates that on one particular occasion there was a $50,000 piece of bronze that was reverse engineered and because of that, was able to be made in-house.

With both educational and shop floor data points like these it’s clear the entire Helander team has been extremely satisfied with their FARO scan arm results. While it’s unlikely hand tool measurement has met its total demise it’s equally obvious that 3D technology is gaining rapid ground — particularly in tight tolerance industries like aerospace and defense, where younger talent is needed most.

For late teens and early 20-somethings looking to narrow manufacturing skills gap and embrace the cutting-edge of the latest 3D laser scanning tech, such news is sure to go from “lowkey” to “highkey” before anyone else can apply to that future amazing job.