CMC Report
September 2025 – by Al Mangels
The NESMA Technical Development Committee (TDC) met on September 18th, 2025. As expected, the Fall season has taken off with a flurry of activities, some of which are presented below in approximately chronological order.
On September 10th, the NESMA Board met at the MASC Center to view a demonstration of a Pensa C64 CNC Wire Bender. Unfortunately, there was a last-minute cancellation, so the demonstration will be rescheduled. Meanwhile, as MASC has committed to furnishing space for a training program, work is ongoing to convert the SMI coursework into part of the proposed curricula.
On September 11th was the 2nd Annual CT Manufacturing Forum in Hartford with over 100 attendees, 6 panel discussions, 40 speakers and a keynote speaker. It was good to renew connections with, for example, the director of FIRST Robotics and some folks from Goodwin College and Magnet Schools.
The SMI Technical Committee met on September 16th. The three main takeaways were that, first, the new course 200 Mechanics and Spring Materials is completed, and preparations are being made for pilot sessions. A flyer is being developed explaining the course for those interested. Second, work on a new course 204 Beam Springs and Washers is starting, with hope for completion by next spring. And third, the SMI 2026 schedule of courses is being finalized in such a way as to coordinate with possible NESMA offerings next year.
The AMEP Bi-Annual Meeting was held on September 17th at the Trumpf facility in Farmington. Besides a tour, the program focused on job quality for worker retention, incumbent worker training and succession planning. There was also an overview of ‘Makerspace’ in Hartford. A description of the location and what they offer is here: https://makerspacect.org/.
We discussed the NESMA / WAFIOS Spring End Grinding Training Session being held on September 23rd. WAFIOS believes in contributing to educating manufacturers. Spring end grinding is generally the most expensive process in spring manufacturing, and Wafios technologist Simon has produced a program to train spring makers how to grind springs more efficiently. Germany had a training session last week and SMI will host another training session in November.
At this immediate time, Dan Garewski of Capital Workforce Partners , who serve all of North Central CT, reported that they have some training funds available for upscaling incumbent workers. This limited time funding includes grants of up to $20,000 to help open up new lines of business, etc. Please visit: https://capitalworkforce.org/layoff-aversion-grant/
Also at this time, Jake Walsh from Cheney Tech reports at least one student working at a spring company as part of Cheney’s work-based learning program. Jake would like to hear from more manufacturers that would like to participate in this program. Work-based learning is an excellent pathway for manufacturers looking for apprentices and employees.
Sue Bradley at Plainville High Schools is inviting professionals to share their careers at their Career Math classes. You would visit for 30 minutes and share your career journey: the education needed, skills needed, and the math you use in your field. They will run this class all year. Also, Plainville will have their Annual Career Gallery coming up on Friday, October 3rd, from 8:30-11:00 AM, where students will have the opportunity to walk around and speak with professionals from a variety of fields to explore their career pathways of interest. Contact Sue at bradleys@plainvilleschools.org with questions.
Jill O’Brien from Plainville Adult Learning reports that delays in federal funds release have postponed a few programs. She also mentioned that these adult learners need soft skills help, and has requested feedback in what your company looks for towards helping to form the curriculum.
From CCAT (Eileen Candels) “We’re excited to share that MIT has been notified that CCAT will receive the award from the U.S. Department of Defense to launch the MIT Tech AMP program this fall at our East Hartford facility. This Technologist Advanced Manufacturing Curriculum Program (TechAMP) is an IBAS-funded project (DoD) and is completely free for participating students and companies. The target audiences for this 12-month program are current technicians or operators with 1+ years of experience, and the program is designed to bridge the gap between technicians and engineers. Our plan is to begin the program very soon – in early October, pending the final contract award from MIT. We are finalizing participant recruitment and would love to include employee(s) from your organization in this 12-month program. To secure spots, please register your participants using the link below:
CCAT x MIT TechAMP Program Participant Information (please complete this form for each employee who plans to participate).”
BristolWORKS! announced the launch of their Bristol CLNA Advisory Board on October 10th. This is a new committee, making sure that the curriculum in the school is in line with what industry needs.
Vinnie Bartoletti from Southington High School announced an Industry Advisory Board meeting for October 16th in the morning, and asks manufacturers to please join if possible. They are working on developing the posting of job opportunities on their new MAIA platform – internships, apprenticeships, job shadowing, etc. Students can log on and view or apply for these opportunities. SHS is also looking to increase the number of guest speakers placed in front of students.
On Friday, October 31st, from 2:00 pm – 4:30 pm, CCSU is inviting small and medium manufacturing companies to their campus for a showcase of the certificate programs offered through the School of Engineering, Science and Technology. These programs cover Advanced Manufacturing, Cybersecurity, Data Analytics, Supply Chain & Logistics, Robotics & Automation and Quality Control / Continuous Improvement.
Naugatuck Valley Community College will be hosting an Annual Internship Fair on November 19th from 10 AM to 1 PM. Manufacturers can contact Sharon Lutkus for a table (free of charge) and meet their new class of manufacturing students. Also, any manufacturer that would like to tour the facility and speak about their company can contact Sharon at sharon.lutkus@ctstate.edu.
The next NESMA Technical Development Meeting will be Wednesday, October 8th (2:00 – 3:00 PM). For more information about the Technical Development Committee, or any of the upcoming workforce development events, I can be reached at amangels@leespring.com .