Manufacturing RPO · Skilled Trades · Production Staffing
14Days

Average Time-to-Fill

97%

Shift Coverage Rate

11,200+

Manufacturing Roles Placed Last Year

Automotive Tier 1 & 2Food & Beverage ProcessingMetal FabricationDistribution & FulfillmentPlastics & Composites
The Forge Method
WeldersCNC OperatorsPress Brake TechsForklift CertifiedAssembly LineQuality InspectorsMaintenance MechanicsMaterial HandlersProduction SupervisorsTooling SpecialistsWeldersCNC OperatorsPress Brake TechsForklift CertifiedAssembly LineQuality InspectorsMaintenance MechanicsMaterial HandlersProduction SupervisorsTooling Specialists
01

We Audit Your Turnover

Before we place a single candidate, we map every role where you're bleeding hours. Our floor-level turnover audit identifies which positions are costing you most — not by department headcount, but by production impact.

  • Role-by-role turnover rate analysis vs. industry benchmarks
  • Cost-per-vacancy calculation including overtime and quality defects
  • Root cause interview: why your best operators are leaving
  • Prioritized fill-order based on production line criticality

Turnover Audit

Acme Manufacturing — Plant Floor

Live Scan

Welding Bay A

Critical

94% annual

Press Room

71% annual

Assembly Line 3

Critical

88% annual

Paint & Finish

42% annual

CNC Cell

78% annual

Shipping Dock

55% annual

Quality Control

33% annual

Maintenance

61% annual

Projected annual replacement cost

$1.4M+

Active Pipeline

Skilled Trades Sourcing Channels

1,305

Active candidates

🎓Trade School Partnerships
340 active
🔧Union Hall Referrals
210 active
Military Transition
185 active
🔗Forge Alumni Network
420 active
📋Vocational Boards
150 active
MIG WelderCNC MachinistPress OperatorElectrician2nd Shift Available
02

We Build Your Talent Pipeline

Job boards don't reach welders on the second shift. Our sourcing goes where the trades workers actually are — trade schools, union halls, military transition programs, and our own 11,200-strong alumni network.

  • Active partnerships with 47 vocational and trade schools
  • Union hall relationships across IUOE, UAW, and IBEW locals
  • Military-to-manufacturing transition pipeline (25% of placements)
  • Forge alumni re-engagement: workers who already know your industry
03

We Embed On-Site

Our recruiters put on steel-toes and show up at your facility. They run interviews on the floor, debrief with your supervisors at shift change, and extend offers before candidates walk out the door to Amazon.

  • Dedicated on-site recruiter — not a shared account manager
  • Same-day interviewing and offer extension capability
  • Shift-change presence: briefings with plant supervisors daily
  • Direct hiring manager alignment, bypassing the HR bottleneck

Forge Recruiter

Marcus Webb · On-Site Today

Dearborn, MI — Stamping & Weld

Steel-toes on floor
6:02 AMShift briefing with Plant Mgr. Torres
7:45 AMFloor walk — Welding Bay A observation
10:30 AMOn-site interview: 3 welder candidates
Now
1:00 PMDebrief with HR Director
3:30 PMOffer extension for 2nd-shift press op

3

Interviews Today

2

Offers Extended

6

Roles Remaining

Production Calendar

Hiring Surge Forecast — 2026

+40

roles by Q3

Q128Q235Q362Q448Q1'2755

New model launch +22 welders

Holiday ramp: +14 packers

04

We Scale With Your Production Calendar

Seasonal surges, new model launches, second-facility ramps — we build hiring plans around your production schedule, not the other way around. When you need 40 welders by Q3, we start sourcing in Q1.

  • Production calendar integration: hiring tied to launch schedules
  • Surge pre-staging: candidates screened and ready before the req opens
  • 90-day ramp plans for new facility openings
  • Real-time demand curve adjustments as production volumes shift
Start Here

Three questions. One staffing plan.

Tell us where the gaps are. We'll come back with a fill strategy, not a sales pitch.

Primary Path

No commitment. A Forge recruiter responds within one business day.

Secondary Path

2026 Manufacturing Hiring Benchmark Report

Time-to-fill benchmarks across 12 skilled trades roles, cost-per-hire data, and shift coverage rates for mid-market manufacturers.

WelderCNC OpPress TechAssemblerQC Inspector