In medieval times, there were three ranks of workers within trade guilds: apprentices, journeymen, and masters. After completing their apprenticeship, a worker was promoted to the rank of journeyman who would work, usually, for a master craftsman. Today, we still refer to a skilled worker who has successfully completed an official apprenticeship in a given building trade or craft as a journeyman. When you hire a journeyman, you know they are competent and authorized to work in that field as a fully qualified employee.
So, the question is: where did all the journeymen go?
As manufacturing companies, including printing companies, search high and low for experienced workers, they are often faced with no available options. The labor shortage for skilled workers is affecting all industries, not just our own. As a result, companies are researching automated options that could possibly be considered for repetitive functions. These options not only resolve the lack of skilled labor available, but they also advance capabilities and products. Some examples include:
Smart factory solutions
Recognizing the real problem with finding skilled labor, Müller Martini continues to advance our finishing solutions. Our engineers have developed equipment that simplify the setup procedures and have produced an intuitive control system that does not require an apprenticeship program to learn how to operate. These advancements allow even a novice candidate to quickly learn how to operate and produce quality products in a safe and productive manner, resulting in the manufacturing of more product per square foot per labor hour. Our smart factory solutions result in more product, less labor, and less makeready time. The ease of operation and intuitive controls also allow operators to easily be cross-trained, becoming a greater assist to your organization. These automated advancements are integrated across Müller Martini’s entire portfolio: https://mullermartini.com/en/products-en/.
To learn more about Müller Martini’s smart factory solutions, contact your local sales manager to review our portfolio and to see how these advancements will allow you to create your own apprenticeship program that will help solve your labor shortage.