Scot Forge: Training Accelerated
From crafting parts you can hold in the palm of your hand to creating components tilting scales at more than 200 tons, Scot Forge has people and equipment making massive manufacturing contributions, including efforts for the next generation of U.S. Navy submarines.
Now, to contribute even more, they need to add their ranks, because our national defense depends on Scot Forge.
“We always talk about being able to take what we do inside and export it outside, so we talk about collaboration outside will never be better than it is inside,” said John Cain, Scot Forge Chairman/CEO. “In order to improve the way we serve each other, we serve the community, we serve the warfighter, we serve those who serve. It creates a wonderful ecosystem that makes it inspiring every day to come to work.”
Since 1995, the company on the outskirts of Chiago has supported the Navy. Four classes of subs, two classes of aircraft carriers and two classes of destroyers feature the craftsmanship of its workers. Metal forging may be at the top of their marquee, but the company’s credits also include heat treatment, machining, and destructive and nondestructive testing.
As the Navy pursues its mission of adding new submarines, maintaining its existing vessels and supporting its partner nations, the needs from U.S. suppliers like Scot Forge are growing.
Now, the company is receiving a co-investment from BlueForge Alliance in partnership with the U.S. Navy to establish The Scot Center, providing new training opportunities on the Spring Grove, Illinois grounds. The aim: accelerate the development of new hires and upskill current employee-owners (Scot Forge is a 100 percent Employee Stock Ownership Plan company).
“It’s an incredible blessing to work here at Scot Forge because just like in theater, you have the people who work backstage,” said Rachel Pitman, who rose from intern in 2021 to aluminum process metallurgist. “I attribute Scot Forge workers to being the backstage handsmen, and it’s really cool to see everything, literally, from the ground up being built.”
Currently, foundational training takes place on the shop floor and on larger equipment. In addition to relocating the education, smaller machine tools will be utilized, allowing for faster cycle times and more task repetition. The goal is to ensure trainees have a more immersive experience, all the necessary skills, and their training times cut in half. Current Scot Forge employee-owners will also have the opportunity to upskill, expanding their horizons within the organization.
Initially, CNC Machining will be the focus of The Scot Center, with plans to put upwards of 40 people through training each year. Existing partnerships with area colleges will be leveraged to advance participants’ education. Non-Destructive Testing, Metrology, Welding, Industrial Maintenance Technology, and Additive Manufacturing could also find their way into The Scot Center curriculum in the future.
The production equipment on the shop floor that had been devoted to training? It will be refocused toward parts production, meaning even more and faster output from Scot Forge.
Over his two decades at the company, Mark Dowell has not only risen through its ranks but has seen and helped countless new hires.
“Once you see someone come in that doesn’t know the value they have within them and then it starts to come out through forging and craftsmanship and other areas of manufacturing as well, it is unbelievable to witness that and to see someone grow and be excited and passionate about the value that they’re bringing to the team and to the country,” said the press operator.
Near the end of the 19th Century, four brothers from Scotland’s Shetland Islands crossed the Atlantic in search of prosperity near Lake Michigan’s shores. Originally a six-man hammer forge shop, Scot Forge now stands as a key supplier ensuring peace from beneath the surface of the world’s oceans, and is a company set to accelerate its training and product delivery through this new initiative.
