Companies have increased spindle hours more than five years ago. But when the increase is measured against the rapid and low-threshold development of automation systems, it should have been more. There is great potential to use current automation technology to significantly improve efficiency at machining companies in the coming years. Companies realise that the shortage of skilled workers persists and will not be solved in the coming years. More machines with the same number of employees has created more capacity in recent years. The next step seems to be digitisation. However, machining companies seem far from ready for this.
These are the main conclusions from the Benchmark machining 2022. The research is an initiative of Koninklijke Metaalunie, which has five sector organisations for which machining is core business, OOM, the training and development organisation for metalworking, and the trade magazine Made-in-Europe.
Presented during the Evening of the Making Industry, the Benchmark Chipping 2022 outlines the status of these companies in a number of key areas, as a follow-up to the 2017 Chipping Benchmark. The aim of this survey is to inspire entrepreneurs and their employees in the sector. After all, change is happening fast in technological, business and social areas.
Tight labour market
As expected, the tightness of the labour market colours the results of the benchmark. 70% of companies reported having vacancies. Compared to 2017, the number of hours spent on training has increased by a good margin to an average of 29 hours per year. It also shows that millennials and Generation Z expect more from digital innovations, find it important for companies to take social responsibility, and put their own development more at the centre. A five-day working week is no longer necessary for many; a four-day working week, on the other hand, is possible. Companies that manage to find a good mode in this will be able to attract professionals in the years to come.
Research
In late 2021 and early 2022, machining companies within the Metaalunie and OOM membership were approached with an online questionnaire. Their responses to the 37 questions were then verified through in-depth interviews with the companies. The 2022 Machining Benchmark summarises the key findings. For Metaalunie, the figures provide insight into the key issues at play and where the Teqnow platform can be used to focus efforts. For OOM, the findings provide a basis for developing targeted initiatives to train existing and new staff. The full report is available at www.oom.nl/benchmark-verspanen-22
