The first annual Wisconsin Drives Manufacturing Summit brought together manufacturing leaders, operators and industry experts for two days of focused conversation about the challenges and opportunities shaping the future of the sector. Held at the iconic Lambeau Field, the event was designed to spark meaningful dialogue around workforce development, technology adoption and the strategies driving sustainable growth across Wisconsin’s manufacturing community. The Stoke RGA team was on the ground for the full immersive experience, and we walked away with a clear set of insights worth sharing. Here are our key takeaways from the summit.
Job Shortage or Shift?
It is projected that 1.9 million manufacturing jobs will go unfilled by 2033, according to a 2024 report by The Manufacturing Institute. What’s driving this gap is more complex than a simple headcount problem. Wisconsin alone has seen a net decline of roughly 9,500 manufacturing jobs, a figure that reflects a structural transformation driven by large-scale retirements, automation, productivity gains and a growing mismatch between available workers and the skills modern manufacturing actually demands. Experienced workers are aging out, and roles being created in their place increasingly require technical proficiencies such as Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) programming, mechatronics, Computer Numerical Control (CNC) operation and data systems. These roles are difficult to fill with existing labor pools.
This isn’t just an issue that affects human resources (HR); it’s a strategic challenge that touches every part of the business. The real question for manufacturers isn’t whether to respond, but how to convert today’s displaced workers into the technicians and specialists that modern manufacturing increasingly needs. That’s where artificial intelligence (AI) enters the conversation.
AI is Here to Stay
Here are the facts. An aging workforce is exiting the floor and taking decades of institutional knowledge with them. Capital investment in robotics, controls and process automation is reducing routine roles while simultaneously creating demand for a new class of worker, including technicians, engineers and data specialists. Manufacturers are struggling to find these workers. This is not simply a generational gap; it’s a skills mismatch, and AI is at the center of it on both sides of the equation.
The companies that will thrive are those that recognize AI not merely as a tool to offset headcount losses, but as a catalyst for refining what manufacturing careers look like. Manufacturers across the state are already finding traction by starting small, running focused pilots and building internal buy-in through early wins. The manufacturers seeing results are those who resist the urge to layer technology on top of a problem they haven’t fully diagnosed. In the process, new roles will be created that attract a new generation while making the most of the workforce already in place.
AI Will Not Fix This Alone. Industry Leaders Must Partner with Educational Institutions
While AI is a great start, it will not be the sole solution to this challenge for the manufacturing industry. Manufacturers need to work alongside educational institutions. What do we mean by this? Manufacturers need to create apprenticeship programs for students in technical colleges. High schools need to partner with area businesses to create ways to get young people interested and working in the manufacturing space. One local school district that is doing this is the Howard-Suamico School District (HSSD) Career and Technical Education (CTE) Community Advisory Team. This cross-sector group of industry partners is working together to help shape the next generation of the workforce.
Our CEO, Jen Fietz, serves on this committee, where HSSD is building a 55,000-square-foot CTE Innovation Center at Bay Port High School that will serve as a model for CTE centers that other districts across the country can follow. The center will support pathways from trades and construction to healthcare, culinary arts, modern manufacturing and robotics. This is the type of collaboration that needs to be happening between manufacturing industry leaders and area schools and technical education institutions.
Upskilling is No Longer Optional
One of the clearest takeaways from the Wisconsin Drives Manufacturing Summit was this: upskilling is no longer optional. Waiting for the right external hire while technology continues to advance at a record rate is no longer effective.
The smarter move is investing in the people already on your floor. When you build capability from within, you reduce your dependence on an increasingly tight labor market while keeping operations running and output targets within reach. And the return goes beyond productivity; employees who feel genuinely invested in are far more likely to stay. Turnover in manufacturing is expensive in ways that rarely show up on a single line in the budget. Every skilled worker who walks out takes institutional knowledge, operational rhythm and hard-won productivity with them.
The urgency goes beyond finding bodies to fill roles. Automation, advanced machinery and data-driven processes are reshaping what manufacturing work looks like at every level. Workers who aren’t equipped to operate in that environment don’t just fall behind; they become bottlenecks.
A structured upskilling strategy addresses all of this at once. It closes skill gaps before they stall output. It reduces reliance on a competitive hiring market. It builds the kind of workforce loyalty that sustains growth over the long term. For manufacturing leaders, the question is no longer whether workforce development belongs in the strategy; it’s how quickly it becomes a core part of it.
This Is Not a One-Size-Fits-All Solution
Upskilling your workforce is one of the most important steps a manufacturer can take right now, but it delivers the most value when it’s part of a connected, strategic growth plan. Training in isolation can move the needle, yet too many manufacturers find themselves stuck in the same cycle: new initiatives, disconnected execution and growth targets that never quite land. The ones breaking through are those who treat workforce development not as a standalone program, but as one deliberately placed piece of a larger system aligned with their strategy, their operations and their revenue goals.
You Don’t Have to Tackle the Future Alone
That’s where Stoke RGA comes in; our Revenue Growth Accelerator is built specifically for $75M+ manufacturers who are ready to move beyond scattered tactics and build something that actually scales. By working alongside your team through every stage, uncovering hidden gaps and aligning systems, people and processes around a single growth vision, we bring the structure, discipline and hands-on execution support that turns good intentions into measurable outcomes. If you’re serious about building a workforce and a business that’s ready for what’s ahead, Stoke RGA is the strategic partner built for exactly that work.
