March 11, 2015 - Local Employer NITCO Works with Universal Technical Institute in Norwood to Provide Career Opportunities to UTI Graduates in Growing Materials Handling and Robotics Automation Industry
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NITCO Human Resources Assistant Danielle Leonard talks with a Universal Technical Institute student about career opportunities in the growing materials handling industry at a job fair held at the UTI-Norwood campus. |
Rick Papalia, Senior Vice President of Corporate Operations for Northland Industrial Truck Company (NITCO) headquartered in Wilmington, Mass., is proud of the collaborative relationship his company has developed with Universal Technical Institute (www.uti.edu) in Norwood to help them build their staff of materials handling equipment technicians. Like many employers of industry technicians, creating a pipeline of qualified, entry-level candidates to both replace retiring technicians and meet demand from business growth is a continual concern for NITCO.
“Our customers depend on us to keep their equipment functioning so they can run their business. We like to train our own people rather than hiring away from competitors, and we’re highly selective,” says Papalia. “UTI is unique in providing a strong educational foundation, emphasizing the importance of quality of work and a good work ethic, and includes hydraulic and electronic diagnostic training within its programs – training which is necessary for servicing the robotic and automation equipment being installed at large warehouses and materials handling facilities.”
“There’s growing demand for robotic solutions within the warehouse. This technology along with automated storage and retrieval systems are the future of the industry,” said Papalia. “UTI graduates have the aptitude to apply their knowledge to current and future technologies.”
According to trade publication Modern Materials Handling, sales of robots for palletizing, logistics, packaging, and materials handling are projected to grow at a 10.1% CAGR and reach $31.3 billion by 2020.
In addition to industrial robots, NITCO (www.nitco-lift.com) sells and services industry-leading brands of new and used forklifts, lift trucks, aerial lifts, materials handling and warehouse equipment. Their technicians work primarily at customer sites, performing preventative maintenance and minor repairs on large pieces of equipment where down time is expensive. NITCO prides itself on the quality of service provided to their clients, from work quality and timeliness to the professionalism and courtesy of all NITCO employees.
“Like many companies in our region, NITCO values the skills and professionalism of UTI students and our employment team works closely with Rick and his service managers at NITCO to provide the qualified candidates they need to fill open positions across New England,” said Paul Tavares, UTI-Norwood Campus Director of Employment. “NITCO is a growing company in a growing industry which creates a lot of opportunities. UTI graduates hired by NITCO have been able to pursue career paths through the company in a variety of ways allowing each person to receive additional training from NITCO and to pursue the goals that are of interest to them.”
Tavares said NITCO is also part of UTI-Norwood’s Program Advisory Committee (PAC) with Rick Papalia serving as the company representative. The PAC is a group of local employers who work with UTI to review curriculum and programs with the goal of ensuring that UTI graduates are prepared with the skills and education required by hiring managers.
NITCO has grown approximately 10% each year for the last five years and now has a workforce of nearly 300 with total annual revenue of about $100 million.
