DISTINGUISHED and

By Jimmy Lovrien jlovrien@duluthnews.com

Moline Machinery, a family-owned maker of industrial bakery equipment in Duluth’s Irving neighborhood, is just moving into its new 25,000-square-foot expansion.

A pingpong table sits on one side of the wide-open space as computer numerical control (CNC) machines and other equipment recently moved from the company’s assembly building across the street fills one corner of the space.

“It does set us up for growth,” said Dan Moline, vice president of operations and the fourthgeneration family member working there. “We weren’t able to grow before. Now we can.”

In a typical year, the company might produce five or six machines, custom orders for national doughnut, pastry, bread and snack companies. The machines are massive — some up to 200 feet long — with everything needed to make the bakery item: from cutting and shaping dough to frying and glazing doughnuts.

Moline now has about 90 employees, with almost 50 of those positions in the trades — assembly, machine tool operators, electricians and more — and the others in CNC programmer and engineer positions.

But Moline has consistently been hiring for most of the decade.

“We’ve had a lot of retirements, so we’re trying to keep up with that, so there’s been a lot of hiring,” Moline said.

And it’s not alone. Other area manufacturers like Altec and Epicurean are facing similar workforce issues, and, like Moline, are filling openings with graduates of Lake Superior College’s manufacturing campus in downtown Duluth. Some are even hired while they are still students.

REPLACING AN AGING WORKFORCE

Recruiters for manufacturers within Duluth and throughout the region have been reaching out to programs at schools like LSC on a regular basis.

“It’s non stop … almost a daily call,” said Daniel Fanning, the college’s vice president of Institutional advancement and external relations.

Max Udovich, an LSC machine tool instructor, said job placement at well-paying manufacturing jobs for graduates is near 100%, but many students are able to work as they complete the two-year manufacturing welding programs.

“It’s a win-win for the student … by the time they graduate, they have almost two years of experience,” Udovich said.

While some can even take fulltime jobs before finishing the program, Udovich encourages