Advanced manufacturing — used in everything from aerospace to household products, pharmaceuticals to robotics — involves research, techniques, and equipment to create new products or refine existing ones.
“Advanced manufacturing means something different to everybody, because it includes so many different aspects,” says Harold King, president of the Council of Industry, a manufacturers’ association of nearly 150 Hudson Valley firms employing more than 16,000 people.
“We currently have about 200 companies that use advanced manufacturing,” adds Bridget Gibbons, director of economic development for Westchester County; she also chairs a task force to help guide the growth of the region’s advanced-manufacturing sector.
An Expanding Field
“Employees with a wide range of skills can find work in the field, and there aren’t enough applicants to fill all the jobs,” King says. “Some positions might require math or a programming background, but I would say the main skills needed are interest and aptitude.”
According to the website ZipRecruiter, the 2023 average statewide salary in advanced manufacturing ranges from about $45,000 to more than $148,000, depending on skills and experience. Typical jobs in the industry include machinists, tool and die makers, software engineers, programmers of industrial computers, and mechanical and electrical technicians.
The Council of Industry’s jobs board at councilofindustry.org provides information on employment in multiple fields, including advanced manufacturing. The council also collaborates with the state Department of Labor to offer The New York State Manufacturers Alliance Intermediary Apprenticeship Program (MIAP). This provides on-the-job training in trades including industrial manufacturing technician, toolmaker, quality assurance auditor, electro-mechanical technician, and computer numerical control (CNC) machinist.
Another useful resource is the Advanced Manufacturing section of the Catalyst website run by the Westchester County Office of Economic Development, which can be found at westchestercatalyst.com/work/advanced-manufacturing-sector. The site highlights courses such as SUNY Westchester Community College’s virtual Certified Production Technician (CPT) certificate program, which covers the basics of manufacturing. In addition, the Westchester-Putnam Career Center Network offers information on training programs.
An Innovator in Advanced Manufacturing
Peekskill-based Bantam Tools specializes in creating CNC milling machines that produce precision parts for engineers, educators, product designers, and artists.
The company has two main customer bases for their CNCs, says CEO Bre Pettis. “We sell to innovators at places like NASA, SpaceX, Tesla, and Draper, who use our products to prototype aluminum parts. The other half are educators training the next generation and empowering them to use new skills.”
Bantam Tools, comprised of about two dozen employees, is launching a new product known as the ArtFrame system. “It’s made up of machines like a CNC, but instead of a spinning bit that cuts metal, it uses a pen,” says Pettis. “And instead of cutting through aluminum, it draws a line. This will be great for educators who want to give their students a leg up into computer-controlled drawing machines, and it’s great for artists, too.”
Bantam’s ArtFrame prototypes have already made it big in the art world: A recent exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art in Manhattan explored the origins of artmaking using artificial intelligence and featured two of the company’s ArtFrame units. The units created real-time drawings of images generated by AARON, a series of software programs written by artist Harold Cohen.
For those who worry that a career in advanced manufacturing requires a lot of background knowledge, Pettis offers reassurance. “Here at Bantam, some of our best employees are technically proficient but don’t necessarily have a technical background — they’re just smart people,” he says. “Of course, we do want experience, but we also like to hire people who really want to learn. We value skills and interest as much as education alone.”
A career in advanced manufacturing might be right for you if:
- You enjoy on-the-job problem solving.
- Cutting-edge, evolving technology appeals to you.
- You’re comfortable with learning new skills.
- A job with both flexibility and focus is important to you.
- You seek a career that’s in high demand.
Some Key Westchester Employers
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