Hartford Business Journal

10 Hartford Business Journal • July 23, 2018 • www.HartfordBusiness.com Amid expansion, TRUMPF adds new perks to attract talent Q&A talks with Burke Doar, senior vice president of TRUMPF Inc., a Farmington-based ma- chine tool manufacturer. Q. TRUMPF Inc. recently expanded its Farmington training center by 18,000 square feet as part of a $3 million investment meant to grow its training base for customers and future workers. What was involved in the expansion and what was the strategy behind it? A. There were several things involved in the expansion of our training center here in Farmington. First, we had to in- vest in the remodeling of some of our in- ternal manufacturing space for a larger training floor to accommodate addi- tional TRUMPF machines. In addition to floor space and equipment, we increased the number of training classrooms and added substantially to our IT infrastruc- ture. An area was also remodeled for a new cafeteria for our employees and customers participating in training. The expansion has allowed us to expand our capabilities in order to continue demon- strating TRUMPF's commitment to the training and education of our precision sheet metal fabrication customers and employees. Q. We've heard a lot about Connecticut manufacturers having a tough time finding talent. Is TRUMPF noticing the talent shortage? How severe is it? What types of positions are in most demand? A. Yes, we are also noticing a talent shortage within TRUMPF. For example, field service engineers, software engi- neering and development personnel, as well as machinists are just a few posi- tions that we are working toward filling here at TRUMPF. Our most urgent need is for additional technical applications and service engineers to support our increasing sales of machine tools with automation here in the United States. Q. What unique things is TRUMPF doing to recruit workers? A. In addition to career fairs, TRUMPF provides many opportunities for our employees and future employees. As a global company, working for TRUMPF offers employees an international expe- rience whether it is by communicating with our subsidiaries around the world, international internships, or potential opportunities to work abroad. We also offer various benefits consisting of tu- ition reimbursement, language learning software, employee discount programs, and as of this month paid parental bonding leave and a paid family leave. Our company also works to hire veter- ans and has an attractive apprenticeship program that offers International As- sociation for Continuing Education and Training and SAA certified courses. Q. What is driving the hiring demand Burke Doar Senior Vice President, TRUMPF Inc. FOCUS: Manufacturing By Joe Cooper jcooper@HartfordBusiness.com R obotic milkers are helping UConn's nationally acclaimed dairy herd run away from the pack. In May, UConn Storrs became the first campus in the nation to launch an automatic milking system that allows its pack of dairy cows to be milked when they're ready, rather than on a set, three-times-a-day schedule. In addition to freeing up UConn staff from the utterly monotonous work of milking, the on-demand, tech- nology-driven system also allows the school's researchers to better track and manage the health of its herd. UConn is using two, $200,000 robots in addition to sensors that collect real- time data 24 hours a day to predict the healthfulness of about 88 cows and monitor their physical environment. The school added 3,000 square feet at its dairy center to house the new machines. UConn's dairy operators at the Kel- logg Dairy Center, as well as faculty from the school's animal science and engineering departments, use the data to measure how much a cow needs to be fed, her daily movements and milk quality and quantity. These measure- ments can indicate what kind of grain cows should be fed, officials said. Sensors also report a cow's scale of acidity, or pH levels, which can signal any digestive problems. The big data elevates each cow's ability to stay healthy, said Steven Zinn, a professor and department head of the animal science unit. "We are feeding the cows based on their nutritional needs," Zinn said. "We are trying to use the data and develop models to develop it to better manage cows." UConn's dairy brass hope their ro- botic milkers will allow other Connect- icut farmers to investigate the costly technology from an unbiased research group vs. listening to a sales pitch. "We want to have the most up-to- date technology, but also have out- reach to producers who want to adopt this technology," Zinn said. "We are a resource for this information." Robotic milkers don't generally increase production of the school's milk, although that could be an added benefit down the road. UConn cows currently produce about 2.5 million gallons of milk a year. UConn sells its milk mainly to the Agri-Mark Co-op, one of New Eng- land's largest farm milk suppliers. UConn's dairy heard milk is also used to make the ice cream produced at the heralded UConn Dairy Bar and a small amount is sold to Bear's Smokehouse Barbecue. All revenues cover the cost of manag- ing UConn's barns, parlors, veterinary care, fees and student labor. Remaining dollars go toward academic programs. Ahead of the Pack Robotic milkers produce big data for UConn's lauded dairy herd UConn's dairy operators at the Kellogg Dairy Center in Storrs are using robotic milkers to better track and manage the health of the school's cow herd. PHOTOS | UCONN

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