Worcester Business Journal

20 Worcester Business Journal | April 7, 2025 | wbjournal.com F O C U S M A N U F A C T U R I N G Kinefac prioritizes workforce to ensure long-term innovation BY MICA KANNER-MASCOLO WBJ Staff Writer M ore than 60 years aer Howard Greis opened Kinefac, the Worcester-based metal forming manufactur- ing firm still works to maintain the same entrepreneurial and collaborative com- pany culture instilled by Greis in 1962. Now at the helm of Kinefac, Howard's daughter Leslie Greis said this cul- ture, along with the company's for- ward-thinking lens, are key to retaining employees and essential to the work at hand. e company builds custom machines used in a wide range of industries, including automotives, aerospace, power generation, railways, and medical devic- es. is work demands innovation and resourceful thinking, said Leslie Greis. To find employees looking to do this kind of work, Kinefac pulls from a multitude of educational institutions, with 10% of its employees coming from vocational schools throughout Central Massachusetts. e company partic- ipates in co-op programs, allowing vocational school students to learn on the job. Additionally, Kinefac offers col- lege and post-graduation internships to neighboring institutions such as Worces- ter Polytechnic Institute. ese students typically work under Kinefac's head of research and development on specific projects with many becoming candidates for long-term positions. "We've created opportunities for peo- ple from a variety of backgrounds and levels and allowed them to build a career and a life," said Greis. Knowing that new hires, regardless of their backgrounds, need to learn the ins and outs of Kinefac to be successful, the manufacturer heavily emphasizes ongo- ing hands-on and industry trainings. New mechanical and electrical assemblers work under experienced colleagues to learn Kinefac-specific skills while engineers take online courses to fulfill customer needs and enhance their foundational knowledge. "ese are all parts of the glue that keep people there, have kept people there in the past, and will keep people there in the future," said Greis. "Work- force development is integral to the long-term viability of the company." Kinefac's high employee retention proves these programs work well for the company, she said. Nearly half of Kinefac's workforce has been with the company for decades: out of the company's 48 employees, 22 have been with Kinefac for 20 years or more. In fact, one of the company's employees retired in December following a 59-year career with the manufacturer. "It's really nice to be able to bring in folks locally who have had a good secondary education and see them take off at Kinefac," said Greis. "We are just so pleased to continue the culture and environment and create opportunities for people that my father started creating 62 years ago." WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT & PRODUCTIVITY Kinefac Location: Worcester Industry subsector: Precision metal forming and processing technology Founded: 1962 Employees: 48 Top executives: The Greis Family, owners, and Jean Allain, vice president of Sales Primary product: Cylindrical die rolling, extrusion, radial forming, center drive turning, and coiling machines for the automotive, aerospace, power generation, and medical device industries, along with manufacturing hydraulic actuation systems, industrial centrifuges, and access control gate systems. W PHOTOS | COURTESY OF KINEFAC Almost 1/3 of Kinefac's workforce has been hired within the past six years, although 22 have been with Kinefac for more than 20 years, including (top left) one employee who retired in December after working there 59 years.

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