Advance Manufacturing

Nascar champion driver Brad Keselowski is starting his own engineering company, focusing on being an industry leader in advanced manufacturing, additive manufacturing, and CNC technology. Beyond starting a bold new company, Keselowski also envisions his plans ushering in a new wave of manufacturing jobs for the entire sector.

Overall, if you’re learning the fine skills of advanced manufacturing, particularly how to use CNC machines, in Pickens Technical College’s Advanced Manufacturing course, you’re in a good place. The manufacturing industry is growing, and more workers are needed with the skills you’re developing right now. In December of 2018 alone, according to a report by Advanced Manufacturing.org, the industry added 32,000 jobs.

As you learn more skills and competencies you’ll need in the advanced manufacturing sector, you’ll be better positioned to enter the industry and take advantage of all those jobs out there for you. And Nascar champion Brad Keselowski might be waiting for you, too.

Keselowski Advanced Manufacturing

Keselowski recently founded his company in Statesville, North Carolina. His 70,000 square-foot hybrid manufacturing lab already has 30 employees and houses tens of millions of dollars in equipment. Keselowski says he hopes to expand his workforce to 100 employees by the end of 2019. Eventually, he hopes his company and how it produces new solutions will be the dawn of a new day in advanced manufacturing.

Already with partnerships with GE Additive, ALSCO, Pinnacle X-Ray Solutions, and others in hand, Keselowski’s goal is to focus on sophisticated engineering, automated machining, additive manufacturing, subtractive manufacturing, and high-tech manufacturing techniques to create better, cheaper products faster. He believes he can dial down wasted time and effort, lessening the time to market for newly manufactured products.

An Engineering Approach With Manufacturing Talent

Keselowski says that he was inspired to start KAM by his father and uncle, who essentially supplemented their love of racing with their ability to build and craft things for customers in the racing offseason when Keselowski was a boy. He was impressed at an early age by his father’s and uncle’s ability to approach a problem from an engineering perspective and still use their manufacturing talent to see their engineering ideas through to a working product.

This combination of skills and vision is rare in any industry, let alone advanced manufacturing. Keselowski wants talented workers who possess this blend of skills, vision and drive to help move his company forward. Workers who can utilize evermore advanced machinery and more sophisticated CNC machines and devices will be at a premium for all advanced manufacturing companies over the next decade or so. Keselowski’s company is one of many looking for skilled workers in this industry.

Keselowski has a strong background in manufacturing and knows what it takes to run a business. He had many advantages in setting his innovative company up for success, but as you enter a booming advanced manufacturing industry, you’ll find that you, too, have many advantages you can use to build your career.