According to the accounting agency Grant Thornton LLP, manufacturing companies in Wisconsin are not offering enough employee training. 43% of the manufacturers Grant Thornton surveyed offered less than eight hours annually of employee training. When asked, companies say that more training is necessary than what they currently provide in order to run factories efficiently.

At the same time that companies are not providing enough training, they are clamoring for skilled workers. 71% of Wisconsin manufacturing companies said that they were in hiring mode.

Many companies have seen an increase in profitability in the past three years, and they are optimistic about business conditions. The biggest reported challenge right now is finding qualified people and holding onto them.

Globalization is another big concern for Wisconsin companies. For companies like Briggs & Stratton Corp., the business world keeps shrinking. The company operates three plants in southeastern Wisconsin, seven plants in the Southern U.S., and one plant in New York. It also operates a plant in the Czech Republic and two in China.

93% of the surveyed Wisconsin companies faced rising costs of components and raw materials and almost all have had to raise their prices to offset rising costs. Many have relied on productivity improvements to remain profitable, but it is getting harder to squeeze more productivity out of already efficient plants.

Many companies are automating labor or sending work to low-cost countries like China when they can’t find the labor they need.

Grant Thornton warns that companies will need to become more proactive and focused on long-term business strategies rather than day-to-day operations if they are to continue to succeed.