Otto tech center, apprenticeship in full swing in Carpentersville

Otto Engineering President Tom Roeser has a select group of workers with the precision and skills to manufacture small stamped parts, accurate to about one-tenth the diameter of a human hair.

All six of those longtime tool and die makers are expected to retire from the Carpentersville company within the next five years. And in the search for new hires, Roeser said he found a significant gap in "essential workers" who have the skill sets necessary to fill those roles.

"So," he said, "can we grow them?"

Establishing an apprentice program was a key component of Otto's new multimillion-dollar technology center, which became fully operational this month at 17 Cleveland Ave.

The 100,000-square-foot facility contains training rooms, a fitness center and some of the most sophisticated technology in the industry, Roeser said. With exposed brick and natural light, the building was designed to match the look and feel of Otto's main campus at 2 E. Main St.

It also aims to fight the stereotypical image of a factory as a dark and dirty work environment, he said.

Construction began about a year ago and wrapped up this summer, when Otto's tooling, machining and stamping departments were relocated. The new site also houses the operations of Dies Plus, a tool and die business purchased by Otto a couple years ago.

"We have made a significant investment in the future support of manufacturing in America," Roeser said. "The most important investment that we have made, however, is our investment in human capital."

The company has hired 14 young workers so far with the goal of training them for a career in the trades, Roeser said. They work at the technology center during the day and then attend night school at the Technology and Manufacturing Association in Schaumburg.

The three-year apprenticeship allows workers to choose from two tracks: tool and die and CNC machining. Both are crucial skills for Otto, which specializes in making parts for control panels, switches and joysticks, Roeser said.

"We're building something here that is different than what you're going to find anywhere else," he said. "What I expect is that five years from now, (companies) are going to be saying, 'I can't find a toolmaker anywhere,' and I'm going to say, 'I've got 20 of them.'"

The apprentice program has opened opportunities for 30-year-old Vicki Kelsey of Huntley, who was hired at Otto nearly two years ago after leaving her previous job as a blacksmith. She expressed interest in machining and started a bit of schooling on her own before company leaders encouraged her to consider Otto's toolmaking track.

"I kind of fell in love with it," said Kelsey, who has been working three weeks in the stamping area and is scheduled to begin night school next week. "Everyone here is so supportive and helpful. It's just an amazing work environment to be in."

The tech center employs about 45 people with an average salary of roughly $80,000, Roeser said. He's been trying to spread the word to local high schools that manufacturing is a viable career option, particularly for students who are uninterested in a college degree.

That message made it to Streamwood High School, where 18-year-old Matthew Suleiman learned of Otto's apprentice program. After graduating this past spring, he began working for the company a month ago, he said, and has already learned more than he could've imagined.

"For me (and) for my family, doing this - being able to work, learn and have a career after it," he said, "that's huge."