Kickstart: Investing in the labor pool

The labor market may be slowing slightly in the U.S. — although not by as much as expected — which means that companies remain focused on finding, training and keeping good workers.

PN's Catherine Kavanaugh has an interesting look at how Engel North America has adapted its apprenticeship program from Europe for U.S. workers. Rather than starting to train employees at age 15, which is part of school programs in parent company Engel Holding GmbH's home country of Austria, Engel North America accepts applicants at least 25 years old for the four-year program, which also offers a starting pay of $22.80, educational and corporate housing provided and a guaranteed job offer at the end.

"The labor pool is tight and there aren't enough qualified people for all of us. We need to grow our own," Terri Fanz-Falzone, Engel North America's vice president of human resources, told Catherine.

And the offer from Engel is getting results. It has more than 1,200 applications for 18 spots.

For an example of what happens when companies fail to plan for talent, consider the dilemma for carmaker Subaru at its Indiana assembly plant where it has to compete against fast-food chains.

"In Indiana, part-time workers at McDonald's earn $20 to $25 per hour, which is in competition with what temporary workers make at our plant," CEO Tomomi Nakamura said in a quarterly earnings call. "If we were to build a new plant, it would be very difficult to hire new people for that. Labor costs are rising now. It is quite challenging for us to secure workers for our Indiana plant, including those of suppliers."

Bottles, straws and bags may get the most attention when it comes to plastics pollution, but year after year, the most common item found in beach cleanups is cigarette butts and the single-use plastic filter found in them.

A San Diego company is out to change that, though, by commercializing a nonplastic, biodegradable filter alternative. Greenbutts LLC (yes, I hear the snickering from your 10-year-old selves) has signed a cooperative development agreement with Italian cigarette machinery maker Montrade SpA to bring its concept to market.

"By bringing together Montrade's filter technology and manufacturing expertise and Greenbutts' patented material science, the aim is to develop next-generation biodegradable and water dispersing cigarette filters," the companies said in a Nov. 3 news release.

Mold-A-Rama Inc., the business that combines injection blow molding, souvenirs and vending machines, is getting some time in the spotlight.

Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry has opened a special exhibit on the history of the company that will be open through most of 2023. Mold-A-Rama: Molded for the Future "features a collection of popular, rare and experimental Mold-A-Rama souvenirs from the past."

Having the exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry seems appropriate, since it was among the first customers of Mold-A-Rama and continues to operate two presses.

The creation of the company grew out of the wide mix of business interests of the 1950s and 1960s and includes an early investment by an unexpected company, foodservice giant Aramark, which at that time was focused on uses for vending machines.