The company has seen a growth in the need for informational technology infrastructure from customers such as major west coast tech firms said Neil Love, the company’s vice president of operations and supply chain.
The increase in demand comes as people have been relying more on virtual platforms to stay connected during the coronavirus pandemic, representatives of the company said in a news release.
“News like this, during the pandemic, is very encouraging,” said Marcia Bailey, the director for the Champaign Economic Partnership. “Champaign County is fortunate to have a diverse mix of businesses and employers like Rittal who are growing, planning for the future and providing new jobs for our community.”
Rittal has also recently invested approximately $3 million in equipment to form metal for the enclosures made at the Urbana facility, according to the CEP.
However, Rittal is not the only manufacture with ties to Champaign County that is seeing a need for more employees.
KTH Parts Industries has returned to full production as sales demands in the automotive sector has increased according to Chris Millice, the company’s Senior Vice President of General Administration.
The company employs more than 1,100 associates at its facility in the Village of St. Paris and makes underbody structural frame components for cars, mostly for Honda.
Representatives of KTH said the company has been hosting a series of open interviews to fill 40 to 50 open production positions.
However, Millice reported to the CEP that “the availability of candidates to fill these positions is very limited.”
In addition, Rittal has also made several efforts to attract labor as well as invest in what it calls current and future workforce needs, according to Love.
Those efforts include partnering with ApprenticeOhio and Clark State Community College to take on three apprentices, with one in being in industrial engineering and the other two in maintenance engineering.
“Increasingly there is a drive for apprenticeships, as we have less people with technical backgrounds in the workplace. It’s a great way to grow our capability,” Love said in a news release announcing the increase in demand for Rittal’s products.
Rittal has also partnered with the Springfield-based nonprofit TAC, or The Abilities Connection, which serves and employs those with developmental and physical disabilities.
As a result of the partnership, five associates of TAC had been placed to support Rittal’s industrial engineering team, in which they cut gaskets for IT racks and complete other tasks as needed.
Claus Wolf, Rittal’s Sourcing and Procurement Manager, said that the partnership has helped them as a business “when hiring for open positions is challenging.”
In terms of the current open positions at Rittal’s Urbana facility, those interested in applying are asked to contact Katie McKee, a human resource specialist for the company, at 937-629-2097.
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