Tool and Die Market

I am starting school in January to begin working in Tool and Die. I haven't paid any $$$$ yet but would like to know where the industry stands and if this is a wise financial decision. I could not secure an apprenticeship because I don't have experience. I've called up a few shops in the area where the school is and they all talk about gloom and doom. That the industry is dying, robots are taking over, etc etc. I appreciate all your honest responses.

If your paying for school, then they should provide the stats on their
recent graduates.
Career Services - PIA: School for Aviation Maintenance and Electronics Technology

This school has a career group, they bring in hiring companies, they
have interviews on campus, they offer their services to all grads,
over their lifetime.

And they keep track of graduates success/failures.

The industry is not dying,but it's changing. We are always looking for guys, even reaching out to high schools to get guys interested. We hire people part time while they go to school, and if they work out sign them up for an apprenticeship. Steer clear of the guys preaching doom and gloom.

Why would robots hurt a tool and die guy? Robots need tools and dies to work, same as people.

Where are you located in Wisconsin? Some areas may not be doing well based on their location, but if you are near Madison or Milwaukee a lot of shops are thriving and having troubles finding good help.

You will be ok, don't listen to the crabby guys.

Learn as much as you can,listen to good advice,and keep focused. It will pay dividends in the future. Also make certain you are proficient with a 3-d modeling package as well as CAM.

There are of lot of people in the local industry retiring. There are help wanted signs everywhere!

If you are in the Madison area I can understand some of the doom and gloom. There aren't many industries left in this area that need tool and die support. The last company in this area to farm out large quantities of machine work was Oscar Mayer. For over 50 years they designed and built the majority of their own processing and packaging equipment. The prototypes were built in house. When the machines were approved they went to local and Fox Valley companies to have the parts built. Often times they would make several dozen of the same machines at a time.

Keep in mind these machines were often multiple story beasts, several hundred feet long capable of smoking, cooking, and chilling over 100,000 lbs. of product at a time. The design department (General Machine Development) closed in 2000, but the company still retained outside contractors to support and modify existing machines. When the company was sold to Kraft Heinz the new management decided they would no longer use the in house proprietary equipment. They have been systematically replacing everything with equipment purchased from commercial vendors. The commercial vendors already have their own parts manufacturing and distribution networks, so all the former Oscar Mayer suppliers have seen a drop in business.

A quick look at Tool and Die Makers wages across Wisconsin confirms that the salaries in the Madison area are somewhat lower than the state average. The "average" around the state seems to be in the mid $20.00 per hour range. Madison is currently slightly less than $20.00 per hour. Add into that the local technical college (MATC) has an excellent machinist, and Tool and Die Maker program. Consequently there are more new faces entering the local market at the end of each semester. An abundance of qualified help tends to keep area wages somewhat lower than the average.

All the CNC machines pretty much are taking away the work from tool and die but they'll never wipe it out completely, I'd go for it myself, learn as much as you can and good luck. And if there is a good tool and die maker anywhere, he's probably happy where he's at and knows his shit

Where are you? If you are near Milwaukee and going to Moraine Park get in touch with me.

I think it's very location-specific. Around here, pay is very low, which surprises me considering all of the places trying to hire. I saw an ad on Indeed for a tool maker offering $10 an hour! Years ago, I worked for a big company, and the most I ever made in one year was in 1992. How much have prices gone up since then? I know cars have more than doubled. So I've lost money over the years. I've always had steady work, though, and have never gone on unemployment. I work in mold making, and many places are buying molds from China. You can have a mold made cheaper in China than you can buy the raw materials here.