NFFS Talent Pipeline Program

Building the Workforce Behind America’s Maritime Industrial Base

America's maritime industrial base is entering a period of extraordinary demand. As the U.S. Navy works to grow and modernize its fleet, the ability to build, maintain, and sustain ships and submarines depends on a strong domestic manufacturing supply chain.

Metalcasting is an essential part of that supply chain.

Castings are found throughout the vessels, equipment, and systems that support America's maritime defense. From pumps, valves, propulsion systems, and electrical components to countless other mission-critical applications, the Navy depends on a capable and reliable metalcasting industry.

For NFFS member foundries, meeting that demand requires more than production capacity and advanced equipment. It requires people.

Foundries need skilled employees who can produce the castings our nation's maritime industrial base will depend on for decades to come. That makes developing the next generation of foundry workers more than an individual company's workforce challenge. It is an important part of strengthening America's defense industrial base.

That is why NFFS has made the Talent Pipeline Program (TPP) a cornerstone of its workforce development efforts.

NFFS Foundries Are Producing Results

Through its dedicated NFFS cohort, the Talent Pipeline Program is helping member foundries rethink how they recruit, hire, onboard, develop, and retain employees.

More importantly, participating companies are putting the tools into practice and seeing results.

At TPi Arcade, implementation of the program's Leadership Retention Training and 5th Metric Scorecard helped one department improve efficiency from 85% to 110% within months.

Jerry Byrne of TPi Arcade shared:

“This is a great program; it requires commitment from Managers and Supervisors. If you take it
seriously it will increase performance and retention. I highly recommend this program.”

TPi Arcade also reported hiring seven new entry-level employees and retaining six, demonstrating the impact that a more intentional workforce strategy can have.

Calumet Brass has described TPP as an:

“Invaluable resource” to help the company improve the retention of younger talent.

At Danko Arlington, the program has helped the company strengthen its approach to hiring, onboarding, and workforce development. It has also helped connect workforce needs with outside training resources. One JARC-trained welder brought into Danko successfully passed the AWS D17.1 welding qualification, demonstrating how employers and training partners can work together to create pathways into skilled manufacturing careers.

A&B Foundry has described TPP as a:

“Credible solution for reducing turnover and enhancing productivity and safety.”

These results reinforce an important message for the metalcasting industry:

The workforce shortage may be a national issue, but the solution starts locally, one foundry at a time.

Moving Beyond “Post and Hope”

For too long, workforce development has followed a familiar pattern: post a job opening and hope the right person applies.

The Talent Pipeline Program challenges NFFS members to move beyond “post and hope” and take ownership of building their workforce.

Instead of treating recruiting, hiring, onboarding, and retention as separate activities, TPP helps foundries build a complete talent system designed around the needs of their operation.

Participating companies receive practical tools that can be implemented directly in the foundry, including:

• Value Stream Mapping to identify weaknesses in the recruiting and hiring process
• Best Athlete Profile to define the characteristics of employees most likely to succeed
• Realistic Job Preview to help candidates understand the job before accepting it
• World Class First Day to improve the new employee experience
• 30-, 60-, 90-Day and One-Year Assessments to identify issues before employees leave
• Leadership Retention Training to help frontline supervisors become stronger leaders
• 5th Metric Scorecard to measure workforce performance and results

The objective is not simply to fill today's open positions. It is to create a repeatable system that helps a foundry attract the right people, get them productive faster, develop them, and give them reasons to build a career with the company.

The Power of the NFFS Cohort

One of the greatest strengths of the program is that NFFS members are not doing this alone.

NFFS has its own Talent Pipeline Program cohort, bringing foundries together to learn from one another, share successes and challenges, and implement proven workforce practices.

That peer-to-peer engagement is especially valuable because these are not generic workforce solutions. They are manufacturers learning from other manufacturers who understand the realities of running a foundry.

When one company discovers a better way to onboard a new employee, improve supervisor communication, work with a local school, or reduce turnover, those lessons can benefit the entire cohort.

The philosophy behind the program is straightforward:

Hire for Fit. Train for Skill. Retain for Life.

NFFS Members Have a Team Behind Them

NFFS staff serve as Network Coaches, working directly with participating management teams to implement the Talent Pipeline Program within their own operations.

This is not a program where a company receives a manual or attends a webinar and is expected to figure out the rest.

NFFS works alongside participating foundries to identify where their workforce system is breaking down, select the right tools, implement improvements, measure results, and continue building upon their successes.

Whether the challenge is attracting applicants, selecting better candidates, improving the first 90 days, developing frontline supervisors, or reducing turnover, TPP provides a structured process for making meaningful improvements.

Stronger Foundries. A Stronger Maritime Industrial Base.

The connection between workforce development and national security is clear.

The Navy needs a strong maritime industrial base. That industrial base needs a strong domestic metalcasting industry. And the metalcasting industry needs a reliable pipeline of people with the skills, knowledge, and commitment to produce the castings our nation's defense systems require.

Every foundry that improves retention strengthens that supply chain.

Every new employee who develops into a skilled foundry professional adds capacity.

Every supervisor who becomes a better leader makes it more likely that good employees will stay.

And every NFFS member that builds relationships with schools, training providers, community organizations, and potential workers is helping create the next generation of the metalcasting workforce.

The Talent Pipeline Program gives NFFS members the tools, coaching, resources, and peer network to make that happen.

We cannot wait for the next generation of foundry workers to find us. We have to go out and build the pipeline ourselves.

Want to Learn More?

NFFS members can use the Talent Pipeline Program to strengthen recruiting, improve onboarding, reduce turnover, develop better leaders, and build a sustainable workforce pipeline while helping strengthen the metalcasting industry's role in America's maritime industrial base.

Download the NFFS Talent Pipeline Program presentation or contact Bill Padnos, NFFS Director of Workforce Development, at bill@nffs.org to learn how your foundry can participate.

Yes, I am Interested