Tool & Die Makers Searching for Workers

The economic recovery has been driven by a manufacturing revival the past two years.

But the strength of that revival could be threatened by the challenges facing a small and beleaguered sector of manufacturing that evokes images of a quainter, more labor-intensive era: the tool and die industry.

These skilled manufacturers are vital. They produce tools, dies and molds that other makers use to shape products — from car fenders and dashboards to shampoo bottles and cellphones.

Yet tool and die makers shrank far more dramatically than other manufacturers in the downturn, and now they're struggling to find skilled workers. As a result, they may not have a large enough workforce to support the return of significantly more manufacturing to the U.S., a trend known as reshoring, according to a Congressional Research Service report last month.

"It's unquestionably a problem" and could slow reshoring, says Harry Moser, founder of the Reshoring Initiative.

Click here to read the entire article from Paul Davidson, USA TODAY