There are 600,000 manufacturing jobs in the United States that need to be filled. In Wyoming County alone, there are more than 55 manufacturers. Exposing young people to manufacturing careers right in Wyoming County, may entice the younger generation to stay close to home, says Karl Drasgow, owner of Drasgow Inc..
Manufacturing is really a technical field so jobs in manufacturing typically require two years of schooling in the technical field. Most manufacturers want applicants to have at least two years in BOCES.
“Machining is a big deal,” Drasgow said. “The industry is lacking in those who want to do machining. When I went to BOCES, I originally went for the auto mechanics course, which included machine shop. I found that I liked machining better, so I switched courses and took machine shop.”
Drasgow began his 30-year career as a machinist after establishing a small, successful farm business raising beef and pork. He then built an agricultural repair shop in 2000, where he started doing machine work on his own.
“There’s a disconnect between what is out there money wise to what people — kids, parents — think is out there,” said Director of Wyoming County Planning and Development William J. Daly, “Kids have no real concept to the reality of work.”
According to Daly, two out of four people need trade degrees to fill the jobs that are essential, such as a plumber, electrician or machinist.
“Those jobs will not go away,” Drasgow said. “They will always be needed.”
The company that Drasgow initially worked for had several high-volume parts that they needed to reduce their cost on, but didn’t want to send the work oversees. This is when the entrepreneur decided to produce the parts himself. In 2003, Drasgow was incorporated. It makes the raw pieces for parts; they are the first or blanking operation for Tier I parts manufacturers. The company is considered a Tier II automotive supplier.
It is located on the unpaved portion of Poplar Tree Road. Although the plant is in an out-of-the-way rural location, its production has climbed steadily.
When they outgrew their facility in Sheldon, they under went a major expansion and in 2007 constructed a 6,500-square-foot building in Wethersfield. In 2008, the company purchased a CNC lathe and in 2010 a CNC mill. During the first six years in the new plant, they also doubled their multi-spindle screw machine capacity, going from four to eight machines. These machines make separate parts, but have the ability to adjust for similar parts when necessary.
In 2013, they completed a three-phase addition to the original building, bringing the total square footage of the plant to about 15,800. Additionally, with the purchase of a structure next to the facility, the total square footage of the plant is 18,000. With the new additions, Drasgow was able to increase the number of screw machines to 12.
The growth allowed the company to diversify and take on another contract from a local manufacturer.
Drasgow, Inc., has 23 full-time employees and according to Drasgow, there is a nice ratio between young and old, male and female.
“We hire mostly for attitude,” Drasgow said. “Ethics in working and mechanical ability are a plus. We do assume to train people for particular tasks, however.
“Slowly build your company,” Drasgow continued. “When people see that, it becomes an attraction to the job.
“I started from the ground up,” the owner said. “I want people to know it is possible and they can be successful in manufacturing. I want people to see that there are manufacturing jobs out there.”
According to Drasgow, American corporations are rapidly growing weary of the poor quality products produced oversees and are recognizing the high cost of reworking or even scrapping these products. Big international corporations are starting to move manufacturing back to the States.
“There is really a boom going on right now,” Drasgow said. “We are starting to see a big issue with our steel producers keeping up with the increased demand. I guess that is a good problem to have compared with the recession of 2008.”
Posted: Tuesday, October 7, 2014 at 10:27 am
By: Julia Ferrin