1. restoring a
workforce
by Robert G. Dwyer,
MBA, business development manager,
Super Steel LLC
Wisconsin-based Super Steel
launches a training program
to bring in skilled workers and
support the local economy

2. 23
November | December 2015
It has been said“Give a man a fish and
he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish
and he eats for a lifetime.”One might
add:“Teach a man to weld and he will
eat steak.”
It was this mantra that inspired
Milwaukee contract-manufacturer Super
Steel LLC and the Hispanic Chamber
of Commerce of Wisconsin (HCCW) to
create a 26-week program
to engage and create the
talent needed to strengthen
Milwaukee’s workforce.
The program, titled the
“Advanced Manufacturing
Partnership & Training
Initiative”or AMPTI, resulted
in an employer-approved
education and training
program to benefit low-to-
moderate income workers.
“We are very enthusiastic
about our partnership with
the HCCW,”says Dirk Smith, Super
Steel’s president and CEO.“We believe
training programs such as this one
can address, in a meaningful way,
many issues that we see within our
workforce while at the same time place
new employees on the path toward
success. Our workforce is about 50
percent welders, so we are committed
I
Left: Program participants gather
at the Milwaukee Area Technical
College where training, tailored
by Super Steel’s certified welding
instructors, is taught by the college’s
instructors. Bottom: In Super Steel
classrooms, training includes safety,
blueprint reading, math skills, weld
techniques, quality, shop orders,
continuous improvement and what
it means to thrive within a“culture of
winners.”Right: Program graduates
rise to the top from an initial field of
250 candidates. By December 2016,
the goal is to create a total of 50
high-paying welding jobs.

3. 24
November | December 2015
to building and developing the careers
of those in this industry.”
Dirk Smith began his career as a
welder and over the years rose to
find himself in upper management
positions, including having co-owned
his own company. Smith serves as a
great example of how good character
and good foundational knowledge
allow a person to achieve his or her
goals more readily. So by combining
an excellent welding training program,
effective professional mentoring and
an opportunity for a well-paying career,
Super Steel and the HCCW aim to
improve local residents’lives – as well as
strengthen Wisconsin’s economy.
Skills shortages
In July 2015, Business Insider reported
that the welding industry will face a
shortage of about 400,000 operators
by 2024, according to the American
Welding Society. Also according to the
American Welding Society, the U.S.
welding industry is facing a big labor
shortage due to retiring welders and
the lack of incoming skilled workers.
The situation is happening around the
nation, and Wisconsin has not been
impervious to it.
Some Wisconsin businesses, in fact,
have experienced high turnover of new
employees as well as a loss of know-
how due to ongoing retirements of
key workers. And some have resorted
to recruiting talent from other local
manufacturing companies. This
provides companies with solutions to
immediate staffing problems, but does
not help the long term – cultivating
Wisconsin’s talent pool to provide more
skilled and competitive workers.
If skilled worker shortages in
Wisconsin are not pro-actively
addressed, as many as 31,000
manufacturing jobs could go unfilled
by 2021. It is these types of shortages
in the manufacturing community that
could result in the possible loss of tax
revenues, decreased business revenues
for manufacturers and lower incomes
for Wisconsin citizens.
Therefore, skilled workers and
higher employment-retention
rates are being developed to assist
Wisconsin firms earn and perform
on market opportunities, like the
one that’s happening at Super Steel.
Southeastern Wisconsin isn’t ready
to risk its well-earned reputation as a
skilled region for complex fabrications,
and Super Steel and the HCCW’s
program is one example of how the
Program-participant
and new employee
at Super Steel, Luis
Jimenez, demonstrates
new skills gained over
the 26-week course.

4. 25
November | December 2015
region is stepping up to help remedy
the situation of unfilled jobs and the
lack of skilled workers.
When properly trained in the field of
welding, the opportunities are vast. The
Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the
median pay for an entry-level worker
in 2012 was nearly $36,000 per year
without overtime or other incentive pay.
Highly skilled welders can earn more
than $100,000 per year with overtime.
Strides in skills development
With the help of a State of Wisconsin
“Fast Forward”grant, the Super Steel-
customized worker training program
was developed in conjunction with the
HCCW and Milwaukee Area Technical
College (MATC.) Super Steel’s certified
welding instructors tailored the training
to its specific welding requirements,
which were then highlighted and
taught by MATC’s instructors.
To help make strides with
Wisconsin’s labor force, the program
focuses on three key components of
employment success. It begins with
outreach and recruitment, which can
include pre-screens and assessments
of potential trainees.
It continues with the HCCW’s
“Essential Life Skills,”which imparts
basic skills needed to be successful
in the workplace, including
communication, conflict resolution,
financial responsibility, relationship
building and time management.
Participants are paid for this portion
of the program and directly following,
participants receive customized,
accredited and transferrable training
from MATC at no cost to themselves.
The third component of the program
is essentially its culmination at which
point Super Steel hires participants
and enrolls them into its Super Steel
University, which consists of three
weeks of on-site classroom training,
applying the basic skills covered by
MATC to real-world in-plant situations.
Participants then continue with nine
weeks of on-the-job, mentored training.
Super Steel’s classroom training
includes safety, blueprint reading, math
skills, weld techniques, quality, shop
orders, continuous improvement and
what it means to thrive within a“culture
of winners.”The on-the-job training
also includes teaming participants
with a mentor to develop and reinforce
classroom skills.
Throughout the program,
participants receive an evaluation after
each round of skills training before
Michael Carey, a new
hire at Super Steel,
says“I gained a wealth
of knowledge and am
grateful to be given an
opportunity in a field
that is growing and
has such a demand for
skilled workers.”

5. 26
November | December 2015
moving on to the next level. And
once they are brought on board, new
employees receive formal check-ins
after 30, 60 and 90 days. Finally, they
receive ongoing reviews focusing on
safety, quality, productivity and skills
advancement to keep them learning,
improving and thriving on the job.
New employees are full-time and
receive full benefits, including health,
vision, dental, 401K and educational
assistance. These new hires are also
given opportunities for advancement
within the organization.
Throughout the 26-week program,
trainees, like AMPTI-participant
and new employee at Super Steel,
Luis Jimenez, are able to show their
dedication by committing themselves
to the thorough, full-time program.
“The program helps you be a better
person, more professional and prepares
you for your career,”Jimenez says.“The
program is truly a stepping stone into
learning the job.”
Jimenez should take pride in
completing the course. Graduates rose
to the top from an initial field of 250
candidates down to 47 individuals
attending all orientation sessions to
26 trainees accepted into program
support to 23 accepted into essential
life skills to 17 accepted into technical
training who eventually graduated
in September of 2015. Of the final 17,
Super Steel currently employs six with
the remaining 11 participants receiving
support to land positions at other
companies based in Wisconsin.
“Enjoying the experience, I gained
a wealth of knowledge and am
grateful to be given an opportunity
in a field that is growing and has such
a demand for skilled workers,”says
Michael Carey, another newly-hired
Super Steel employee.
Proud to participate
For program participants, Super Steel
is a great place to cut their teeth in
the industry as well as a great place to
spend an entire career. The company
is a $60 million, ISO 9001:2008- and
EN 15085-certified firm specializing in
large, complex fabrications and electro-
mechanical assemblies.
The company’s services include
laser cutting, plasma/oxy-fuel cutting,
up to 600-ton press brake operations,
machining, turret punching, AWS-
certified welding (manual and robotic),
sand/steel blasting and painting
(e-coat, liquid and powder). The
laundry list of services also includes
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6. 27
November | December 2015
complex electrical, mechanical and
hydraulic assemblies. These processes
are employed to build whole goods to
the company’s client specifications with
materials ranging from 18 gauge to 12
in. thick.
The 92-year-old Super Steel has had
strong growth since
being re-purchased
by the Luber family
in 2010. Super
Steel excels in
providing complex
fabrications
and weldments
requiring high
levels of skill.
The welders who
work there are
continually growing
and learning, as
they are faced with
challenging and exciting projects each
and every day.
Super Steel’s newest recruits are
equally grateful to the partnership
organizations that helped Super Steel
develop the program, like the HCCW.
Established in 1972, the HCCW is a
501(c) organization that advances
economic growth and prosperity
opportunities for Wisconsin’s Hispanic
population, low-to-moderate
constituents and the community at-
large. The HCCW drives legislative and
regulatory public policy success at
federal, state and local levels.
The larger“Advanced Manufacturing
Partnership”has also included the
State of Wisconsin’s Governor’s office,
U.S. Department of Labor Workforce
Development Boards, the American
Welding Society and other Wisconsin
companies, such as the Ariens Co.,
Miller Electric Mfg. Co., Monarch Corp.,
Pierce Mfg. Inc. and Schuette Metals.
Super Steel’s success, combined with
its projected growth through 2017,
spurred its involvement with the HCCW
and MATC to create additional skilled
employees who will be instrumental
in achieving projected goals. Super
Steel’s mentorship program is part
of its“culture of winners”mindset,
which urges employees to define
requirements, develop plans and
Super Steel is a $60
million, ISO 9001:2008-
and EN 15085-certified
firm specializing in large,
complex fabrications
and electro-mechanical
assemblies. Its broad
range of services take
place in its 450,000-sq.-
ft. facility.
solutions to meet the requirements,
and to continually improve one’s self,
both professionally and personally. In
this scenario, everyone wins.
Super Steel has also been an
ongoing participant in the national
“Manufacturing Day,”which promotes
manufacturing jobs each year.
Manufacturers open their doors to
educate the public about the industry
and the well-paying jobs available.
At this year’s Oct. 2 Manufacturing
Day, Jorge Franco, chair, president
and CEO of the HCCW, presented its
Advanced Manufacturing Partnership
Workforce Innovation Award to
Smith, Super Steel’s president, in

7. 28
November | December 2015
recognition of the company’s efforts to
strengthenWisconsin’s manufacturing
competitiveness. Super Steel’s
Manufacturing Day included 130 local
homeschooled and public school
students who toured the company’s
450,000-sq.-ft. facility to learn more about
potential careers in the manufacturing
industry. Around the nation, hosting
companies held more than 2,000 events
to promote manufacturing as a career
path for students.
For the nation and Wisconsin as
well, successful strides are being made
to cultivate skilled workers in the
manufacturing industry. For Super Steel
and Wisconsin, the AMPTI has been a
successful integration of a government,
advocacy group and private corporate
partnership, which resulted in
improving the lives of participants.
The upcoming three sessions as well
as other iterations of this project should
result in a stronger, more-competitive
Wisconsin going forward. The goal is
to create 50 high-paying welding jobs
via four structured training sessions by
December 2016.
Super Steel LLC
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