Manufacturing Week - NTM Inc

Machine-shop apprenticeship helps create succession plan

Apprenticeship enhances specialized training needed for second-generation machine shop. NTM grinds custom tools, makes cutters and parts that help manufacturers create products for defense, automotive and agricultural industries.

When machines are humming and metal is grinding in the shops of NTM Inc., a second-generation machine and tool shop in Fridley, the staff plays a key role providing manufacturing parts to other factories around the country.

“We’re part of the supply chain for the defense [industry],” said Barb Dorumsgaard, CEO and president. Their parts are also used in other industries, from cutting flower stems to cutting out metal components that become car parts.

NTM has about 30 employees and has been able to keep busy, even through a pandemic, with tight-knit, seasoned staff with an ability to do variety of jobs. The downside is that when those employees leave for retirement or other transitions, they can leave a hole when it comes to expertise running their CNC machines and tool-grinding and tool-making areas.

“Our average tenure here is 20 years, so we had no succession plan,” Dorumsgaard said. “We’re having trouble finding people with these skills.”

They worked on improving that when they were able to secure grants through the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry and Department of Employment and Economic Development and to set up a registered apprenticeship program. It allowed them to take candidates with good basics, such as a math aptitude, set up classes at technical colleges and train them in skills they need the most, such as tool grinding.

They also encourage employees to cross-train in different departments so they can be flexible in switching to different areas as work ebbs and flows.

“We could be stronger as a company if we had people we could move around,” she said. “Our tagline is a ‘One-stop tooling and machine shop.’”

The four people who joined their apprenticeship program had to show they could be on time to work and to be a good team member. The company starts their apprentice pay at $15/hour and sets them up with classes such as machine technology, blueprint reading and computer-aided drafting courses at Anoka or Hennepin Technical Colleges. Safety training is also part of the program.

“Working full time and going to school isn’t for everybody,” Dorumsgaard said, but it’s a boost in that their on-the-job training is paid, and school tuition is covered.

The apprenticeship takes three to five years, but Dorumsgaard hopes the learning will be ongoing and that others in the company will be interested in cross-training with different machinery and tools. At a retirement party for an employee who had been with the company for 40 years, one of the apprentices told her, “I want to be able to do that.” 

“That’s unforgettable for me,” Dorumsgaard said, “to see someone with that passion and wanting to learn.”