As manufacturers across West Michigan continue to navigate workforce shortages, a first-of-its-kind employer collaboration is proving that shared challenges are best solved together.
Launched in partnership with the Michigan Manufacturers Association (MMA), the Talent Pipeline Management West MI (TPM WMI) Manufacturing cohort brings together ten leading employers to align their talent strategies, strengthen recruitment and retention, and take collective ownership of their workforce pipeline. Facilitated by TalentFirst, this six-month pilot is part of a national initiative led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation—one that equips employers to apply supply-chain principles to workforce strategy.
Turning Data into Action
Over the past several months, participating manufacturers—Amway, Cascade Engineering, DeWys Metal Solutions, Haworth, Landscape Forms, Proper Beverage, Shape Corp., SoundOff Signal, Wolverine Coil Spring, and Butterball Farms—have turned insight into action. Together, they:
- Identified three high-priority job clusters critical to manufacturing operations: production team members, frontline supervisors, and maintenance and repair technicians.
- Confirmed regional demand data for each occupation and mapped the supply chains feeding those roles.
- Developed problem statements and analyzed root causes to pinpoint where alignment breaks down between education, training, and industry needs.
- Chose to focus the remainder of the pilot on maintenance and repair technicians—a critical role where talent shortages and competition are most acute.
The group’s data-driven process has already helped map career pathways, performance benchmarks, and clear criteria for engaging solution partners. These insights are now informing next steps in designing a stronger, more sustainable talent supply chain for West Michigan manufacturers.
Employer Leadership, Regional Impact
The TPM framework is built on one fundamental belief: employers must lead. By coalescing around shared data and strategies, employers move from competing for scarce talent to collaborating to expand it.
“Talent pipeline is not a single-company issue—it’s a shared challenge that affects the entire economy,” said one participating leader, Daric Morell of Shape Corp, told WOOD TV8. “Through this cohort, we’re learning that collaboration accelerates results faster than any one company could achieve alone.”
Each session of the TPM WMI Manufacturing cohort has been designed to translate insight into implementation—bringing together HR leaders, operations executives, and workforce partners to analyze data, share best practices, and co-design solutions that are practical, scalable, and measurable.
A Strong ROI for West Michigan Employers
The return on investment for participating employers is already clear:
- Actionable intelligence on current and future talent needs.
- Reduced duplication and more efficient coordination with education and training partners.
- A shared framework for engaging the entire talent ecosystem—creating solutions that benefit both large and small manufacturers.
For TalentFirst members, the TPM cohort represents a tangible example of regional alignment in action—where data, collaboration, and employer leadership intersect to strengthen West Michigan’s competitiveness.
What Comes Next
As the TPM cohort’s pilot phase draws to a close in December, participating employers will finalize a regional action plan to address the shortage of maintenance and repair technicians. The plan will outline targeted strategies for outreach, education alignment, and diversification of talent pipelines—setting the stage for collaborative continuous improvement in 2026.
With demonstrated success in manufacturing, TalentFirst and MMA plan to explore expanding the TPM model into additional sectors, building on the framework’s proven results in 40+ states and 3,000+ participating employers nationwide.
A Shared Blueprint for Talent
The TPM WMI Manufacturing cohort reflects the best of what this region does well: collaboration, innovation, and commitment to shared success. By leading with data and uniting around common goals, regional employers are not just solving their own challenges—they’re creating a blueprint for a stronger, more resilient talent pipeline across West Michigan.
