MON AM News: More northeastern Wisconsin manufacturers adopting ‘Industry 4.0’ tech, survey shows; Child care shortage, enrollment barriers for daycare subsidies fueling surplus in needy families fund

June 17, 2024

— More manufacturers in northeastern Wisconsin are adopting “industry 4.0” technologies such as cloud computing, AI and networked devices, a new survey shows.

The NEW Manufacturing Alliance recently released its latest Industry 4.0 Talent & Technology study, building on previous surveys conducted in 2019 and 2021 exploring the use of these technologies. The latest survey was conducted by Appleton’s St. Norbert College between January and March of this year using an online survey instrument, which got responses from 72 business leaders in the region.

Between 2019 and 2024, the percentage of respondents with a “complete plan” for developing industry 4.0 technologies rose from 7% to 15%. And the percentage with a partial plan also increased, from 53% to 58%.

The technology most widely adopted among respondents is cybersecurity, with 94% saying they’ve invested in it to some extent. That’s followed by cloud computing with 84%, and machine/digital integration and industrial internet of things, with 83% each.

While cybersecurity investment has risen from 83% since 2019, industrial internet of things investment has seen an even greater jump, increasing from 59% in 2019.

The survey also found 67% of respondents are investing in AI this year, though there’s no baseline to compare since the technology wasn’t asked about in past surveys. And over the next three years, 58% plan to increase their investment in this technology while 42% say they will maintain current levels of investment.

Current use of AI among manufacturers is split evenly, with 51% saying they don’t use it and 49% saying they do. Major reasons for hesitation about its use include a lack of expertise, the complexity of integrating it into operations and security concerns, respondents said.

“The evolving nature of the technology has created some uncertainty for some company leaders,” report authors wrote.

Still, 56% of respondents expect workforce demand for AI specialists to grow within the next three years. Other jobs projected to see increased demand include project manager with 59%, process engineer 58%, automation technician 54%, application developer 53%, data analyst 53% and IT security specialist, 50%.

The report also illustrates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on where work is being done, with report authors noting “to the extent that remote work has already been adopted, it’s here to stay.”

See the release and the report.

— Candy Hall has access to the resources that could help needy families cover the growing costs of child care. The executive director of Child Care Resource and Referral Inc. in Kimberly just doesn’t have enough open spots at daycares to actually use the state subsidies.

And that is part of what’s driving a growing surplus in the Department of Children and Families temporary assistance for needy families fund. The fund is expected to hit $485.5 million at the end of this fiscal year next month.

Enrollment in the Wisconsin Shares program took a significant hit during COVID-19 as fewer parents put their kids into daycare during the pandemic, and it has yet to recover. That has resulted in millions in unused subsidies to help low-income families.

To address the issue, the state has made changes such as increasing the average statewide subsidy by 30% and running an ad campaign to bring more people into the program.

But so far, those efforts have had modest results. Advocates say the challenge includes issues such as getting families to accept government help to cover their expenses, as well as the process to apply. But more than anything, it’s the same challenge facing many Wisconsin families looking for a place to care for their children — access.

See the full story at WisPolitics.

— U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden has introduced legislation to boost funding for veterans doing on-the-job training or apprenticeships, which he says will improve retention rates for these programs.

The Prairie du Chien Republican recently announced the Warriors to Workforce Act, which would amend a section of the GI Bill to change a monthly housing allowance for veterans from 80% to 90% of the standard rate during their training period, according to a release. The change would apply for the first year of the apprenticeship or training program, the bill text shows.

Van Orden said he introduced the bill alongside Michigan Dem U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell because veterans “should not be forced to choose between” a home and a job.

“Getting veterans back into the civilian workforce after they depart from their military service is instrumental in ensuring they can be successful, productive members of society, and my bill increases veterans’ MHA so that they can secure a good-paying job while also having a bed to sleep in,” he said in a statement. “This is the least we can do for our nation’s heroes.”

The bill has the support of the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans and a number of other groups.

See more in the release and see the bill text.

— The Marshfield Clinic Research Institute is collecting ticks found in Wisconsin for a research project that could help prevent diseases such as Lyme disease.

The institute on Friday announced it has identified more than 3,200 ticks collected and submitted through the Tick Inventory via Citizen Science program, which began in April. Its goal is to catalog various tick species across the state, including invasive varieties entering Wisconsin from elsewhere in the country.

Collected ticks include the common American dog tick, or wood tick, and deer tick, also known as black-legged ticks. But scientists have also identified nine brown dog ticks, usually found in the southern states, and five lone star ticks, which are typically located in the southern and eastern parts of the country.

Alexandra Linz, an associate research scientist with the institute, says finding those last two varieties “is intriguing” as it shows they may be spreading from their normal habitats into Wisconsin. The institute notes new tick species becoming more common in the state could increase the risk for new diseases being spread, such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever and a bacterial infection called ehrlichiosis.

“We are trying to determine the extent and significance of this spread and the potential health effects,” she said in the release, which also notes both of those diseases have become three times more common over the past two decades.

Jennifer Meece, executive director of the Marshfield Clinic Research Institute executive director, says Wisconsin residents and doctors should both be aware of these diseases and their symptoms. Tick-bite related illnesses can present rash, fever, joint pain and fatigue, the release shows.

“As researchers, the information from this study and future studies can help us improve disease prevention efforts and early detection as well as develop better diagnostic tools and treatments,” she said in the release.

The institute is offering pre-paid collection kits to those who wish to participate, which can be mailed in once a living or dead tick is deposited inside. The kits each have an identification number that participants can use to check the species they submitted through an online dashboard.

See a map showing where ticks have been collected and the release.

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