双城记:来自密歇根州不同角落的伟大制造业新闻

最近在两个截然不同的城镇宣布了新的工业设施，这进一步增强了人们的称赞 strength of the manufacturing sector in Michigan.

Detroit – the state’s industrial epicenter, 以及传统汽车工业的全球发源地——赢得了美国汽车市场的竞争.S. 为新建的电动商用车电池厂选址. German company AKASOL AG (see more about them here), 该公司为各种不同的电动汽车应用生产高性能锂离子电池系统, 去年开始为其在美国的第一家工厂寻找最佳选址. On June 26 they announced that metro Detroit had won out. The new plant, to be located in Hazel Park, is expected to begin production next year, and will create over 200 new jobs over the next five years. 密歇根州为该工厂提供了支持，向AKASOL颁发了2美元的奖金.2400万密歇根商业发展补助金用于建设该设施.

AKASOL于1990年在达姆施塔特工业大学成立，是一家非营利组织，专注于太阳能赛车. The company branched out into EV components, 并最终在2008年剥离为一家营利性电池系统公司. 他们去年完成了首次公开募股，目前的市值接近2.39亿欧元.

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新工厂延续了底特律地区的多元化, 他们继续利用自己庞大的汽车资本和人才基础, 同时拓展到运输和相关业务的新领域.

Jeff Mason, 密歇根经济发展公司(MEDC)总裁兼首席执行官, 对公司给国家带来的机会感到满意吗. “AKASOL is a great addition for Michigan,” he said. “We’re really bullish about the EV and mobility markets.”

离底特律最远的地方是位于密歇根州的上半岛小镇Ironwood, 就在威斯康辛州边境，距离苏必利尔湖仅18英里. 20世纪早期和中期的一个采矿和伐木的新兴城市, Ironwood has endured multiple doses of bad business news. The mines all shut down decades ago, 去年年底，密歇根州惩教局关闭了附近马伦尼斯科的奥吉布韦惩教设施, with a loss of over 200 jobs. 7月8日，威尼斯注册送38元公司新铁木工厂的盛大开幕.对于这个拥有5000人口的小镇来说，这是一个可喜的命运逆转.

Waupaca Foundry, owned by Japan’s Hitachi Metals, Ltd.该公司总部位于威斯康星州沃帕卡，是一家生产灰铸铁和球墨铸铁部件的生产商. The Pioneer Foundry, its earliest predecessor, dates back to 1871, and Waupaca Foundry was established in 1955. They make iron castings for industrial applications, 他们还提供后期制作和复杂的供应链解决方案. But recently they ran into trouble.

“我们在沃帕卡地区面临着劳动力可用性的挑战,” said John Wiesbrock, the company’s Executive VP of Sales, Marketing and Supply Chain Management. “我们开始在威斯康辛州和邻近的几个州寻找失业率较高的地区, and we learned of the Ojibway closure.” With the help of the MEDC, 威尼斯注册送38元在马里尼斯科举办了招聘会，并成功地找到了潜在的候选人.“他们决定在北方邦的那部分地区开设一家新的铸件清洗和精加工工厂.

当该公司随后在该地区寻找可用的建筑物时, 铁伍德的官员向他们介绍了工业园区内合适的设施. “We found buildings we could renovate and make attractive, to retain the talented workforce,” Wiesbrock said. “And we found the same jobs need.”

Waupaca Foundry was awarded a $1.去年12月，密歇根战略基金为密歇根商业发展项目提供了200万美元的绩效赠款, and quickly set to work. Wiesbrock赞扬了为公司翻修大楼的当地承包商. “They did a great job for us,” he said. “And they pulled off the job ahead of schedule.” He had praise for other players as well. “在密歇根州、医疗中心和当地政府之间，我们得到了很大的支持.”

While the site was being prepared, 公司开始雇佣他们最初需要的工人, and didn’t wait around to start training them. Wiesbrock说:“我们在2018年12月雇佣了第一批员工. “我们承包了一项巴士服务，把他们送到沃帕卡接受训练. They’d come down on Monday and go home on Friday, 所以他们赚的钱已经回到了当地. 从12月到7月的盛大开幕，我们每周都坐满了大巴.威尼斯注册送38元目前在Ironwood工厂雇佣了42名员工, with plans to grow that workforce to 61 in the near future.

Wiesbrock sees great potential for the new facility. “It’s really great to do something for the UP,” he said. “I told them at the grand opening, ‘Watch us grow!’ We don’t have anything firm right now, 但我肯定会预见到未来会需要额外的装修服务.”

在日立金属90亿美元的全球销售额中，威尼斯注册送38元的销售额约为20亿美元. 他们多样化的产品组合——他们有运输行业的客户, agriculture, oil and gas, 基础设施和铁路——使他们能够很好地抵御经济风暴. "如果一个行业下滑，其他行业就会上升，" Wiesbrock解释道.

MEDC的梅森认为，密歇根的新劳动力将有助于实现未来的潜力. “Manufacturing is in our DNA,” he said. “It goes to the long manufacturing history of our state, but also to our workers – we know how to make things.”

That focus on the people is a piece Wiesbrock agrees with. “我们相信，在沃帕卡和日立，我们的第一资产是我们的员工.” And he feels the respect is mutual. “很高兴能在一个欢迎制造业就业机会的社区生活，这里也欢迎威尼斯注册送38元.”