Employees of Parr Instrument, Quad Cities leaders and lawmakers, and representatives of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association and Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center pose in front of the ‘Makers on the Move' bus Tuesday, Oct. 10, at the Moline-based Parr. CREDIT ILLINOIS MANUFACTURERS' ASSOCIATION
The Illinois Manufacturers’ Association “Makers on the Move” statewide bus tour celebrated Manufacturing Month on Tuesday. Oct. 10, with a stop at Moline-based Parr Instrument, a Quad Cities manufacturer with a global reach. The Makers’ tour of top manufacturers, colleges and community centers across Illinois also is designed to highlight the tens of thousands of […]
The Illinois Manufacturers’ Association“Makers on the Move” statewide bus tour celebrated Manufacturing Month on Tuesday. Oct. 10, with a stop at Moline-based Parr Instrument, a Quad Cities manufacturer with a global reach.The Makers’ tour of top manufacturers, colleges and community centers across Illinois also is designed to highlight the tens of thousands of available “exciting job opportunities and career pathways available in the industry.”Parr, a maker and supplier of state-of-the-art chemical reactors, pressure vessels, calorimeters and combustion vessels used for research and testing, was one of 20 locations to be visited during the IMA’s second annual “Makers” bus tour. During the Moline stop, IMA representatives and Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center (IMEC) leaders, such as President David Boulay, joined local dignitaries in a tour of the award-winning manufacturing company that employs 100 workers at its 211 53rd St. location.“In the vibrant landscape of Illinois, manufacturing stands as the pulsating heart of our state, and our skilled workforce forms the bedrock of our competitive advantage,” Mr. Boulay said. “Embarking on this tour across our region, we don’t just reminisce; we celebrate the enduring legacy, the dynamic present and the promising future of manufacturing.” He called Makers on the Move “a poignant acknowledgment of the triumphs, the boundless potential, and the strategic imperatives that will shape a prosperous tomorrow for Illinois manufacturing.”
Parr story goes back 125 years
Parr Instrument joined other manufacturers and manufacturing partners along the tour to help IMA and IMEC tell that story.Jim Nelson, president and CEO of Parr Instrument, gives travelers on the 2023 “Makers on the Move” statewide tour an inside look at his Moline company’s operations. CREDIT ILLINOIS MANUFACTURERS’ ASSOCIATION“Parr has a very long history in the Quad Cities community – 125 years, most of them here,” President and CEO Jim Nelson said told the crowd gathered. “We may be old but in many ways, I think we are just getting started.”While the company may not be well known within the Quad Cities community, he said, it is well-known globally for the work it does and its impact is wide-ranging. Indeed, more than 60% of Parr’s sales now go to further the work of labs and researchers outside of the United States.“The instruments we provide for industrial companies, universities and government research facilities around the world enable the development of everything from the clothes you wear to the car you drive, the items you use in your home, to the energy that powers our economy, to the food you eat and the medicine you need, to the space we explore to the country we defend,” Mr. Nelson said.“I think this is why our country’s ability to make things is so important to our economic security and national security. We cannot lose that ability and know-how, and need to encourage manufacturing careers to our young people,” he added.
Employees key to success
Mr. Nelson also used the event to thank IMA and IMEC for their efforts to promote and assist the manufacturing industry and to salute his dedicated Parr employees. Many of them made up the large audience that gathered on a chilly morning in front of the Makers on the Move bus.“There is no one person that can make a company a success,” Mr. Nelson said. “It takes tremendous teamwork to accomplish what we do every day and I’m very proud of our Parr family that gets it done every day.”Doing that work at its Moline home, which Mr. Nelson said the company continues to outgrow, is a team of highly trained professionals and skilled journeyman machinists and technicians. (Parr Instrument also operates a sales and service branch in Frankfurt A/M Germany.)In addition to highlighting the efforts of Parr Instrument, the Makers two-day Quad Cities stop began late Monday afternoon with a trip by the 56-foot wrapped bus to East Moline’s Midwest Ale Works. It's located in the reclaimed former manufacturing center now known as The Bend.In the Quad Cities, the trip also included Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce CEO LaDrina Wilson, Moline City Administrator Bob Vitas, state Sen. Mike Halpin (D-Rock Island), state Rep. Gregg Johnson (D-Moline) and state Rep. Dan Swanson (R-Woodhull).The overall eight-day tour started at Boeing Co. in Mascoutah, Illinois, which employs more than 16,000 Illinois manufacturing workers. The tour closes on Friday, Oct. 13, at National Safety Apparel in Chicago. Until then, the trip will continue to focus on the importance of manufacturing in the nation and in Illinois where it is estimated that the manufacturing industry supports nearly 30% of all Illinois jobs, making it among the state’s largest industry sectors.In addition, the IMA said, Illinois’ manufacturing industry:
Generates $580 billion-$611 billion in economic investment every year.
Represents the largest contribution of any industry to the state’s Gross Domestic Product.
Directly employs 662,298 workers and ultimately supports as many as 1,771,928 jobs.
Generates up to $150 billion in labor income for Illinois residents annually.
The tour especially drew attention to those 800,000 unfilled manufacturing jobs nationwide. That includes tens of thousands of available jobs in Illinois.
Parr sees more expansion
Parr Instrument is among the manufacturers who need more workers to continue to grow.It currently employs 100 workers for two shifts, but the ever-growing company needs and wants to add a third shift, Mr. Nelson told leaders during the Parr stop. Employee Nate Brown also talked about his journey to the Quad Cities and Parr. After graduation, Mr. Brown said he was told college was the best path to a good future. It didn’t take him long to realize that path wasn’t for him. He ended up working an entry-level manufacturing job and loved it, he said. Over time and thanks to experienced co-workers along the way, he became a journeyman. These days he is proud to be the machine shop foreman at Parr and he and his family are happy to call the Quad Cities home.Those are the kinds of stories the Maker’s tour is designed to spotlight, the IMA said.“Manufacturers make the world a better place every single day, and the ‘Makers on the Move’ tour is designed to shine a spotlight on our dynamic and diverse industry. With tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs available in Illinois, there’s no better time to pursue a career in this revolutionary field,” added IMA President & CEO Mark Denzler in a news release.Both IMA and IMEC pledge to remain dedicated to working with employers, educators, and lawmakers to enact policies that help attract and retain a skilled workforce. Their ultimate goal is to help Illinois continue to experience strong economic growth in the coming decade, especially as baby boomers retire and companies work to replace the loss of their wealth of knowledge and experience.Among its successes, the IMA and IMEC said are the creation of two new world-class manufacturing academies, the establishment of an apprenticeship tax credit for manufacturers who train employees, and passage of legislation to remove barriers denying students hands-on shop floor experiences. All are designed to expand career development opportunities.
