Advanced Technology Services poll of manufacturing executives shows dire need for specially trained workforce across industry

PEORIA, Ill.--June 7, 2005--The looming shortfall of skilled labor in the U.S. will cost manufacturers an average $50 million from their bottom lines, according to results of a just conducted survey commissioned by Advanced Technology Services, Inc. (ATS) and conducted by Nielsen Entertainment's Consumer Products Group, a leading consulting and custom research firm based in Los Angeles.

ATS pioneered the factory asset service business two decades ago, and today is the leading company providing managed services for production equipment maintenance, industrial parts repair and IT infrastructure support for manufacturers. Key to ATS success is a recruitment and training program that fulfills the need for a skilled workforce.

In the survey of 94 senior manufacturing executives, with titles of CEO, CIO, Vice President and Plant Manager, ATS asked: Forecasts indicate that during the next five years, approximately 40 percent of your skilled labor force will retire. What do you anticipate the retirement of 40 percent of your skilled labor force will cost your company in these five years?

A majority of those surveyed - approximately two-thirds - say the crisis will cost them, on average, $50 million. Yet 46 percent of the respondents with more than $1 billion in revenue predict their costs will be much deeper - more than $100 million in the next five years.

The survey also found that among discrete manufacturers, automotive manufacturers will be impacted the most, followed by ball and roller bearing makers, metal valve manufacturers and engine and transmission manufacturers.

"The looming skilled worker shortage is an unwelcome threat to the nation's manufacturing base that needs to be addressed at multiple levels, from better educating the next generation of factory workers to improving the public's image of plant work," said ATS President Jeffrey Owens. "Our most modern and cutting edge plants can be more productive and profitable by deploying highly skilled employees that make their production machinery run better."

A number of sources point to a shortfall in skilled factory workers as early as five years from now, including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the National Association of Manufacturers and others.

ATS customers who have benefited from significantly increased factory productivity, skilled labor fulfillment and improved competitiveness include Fortune Brands , TRW Automotive , Textron , Johnson & Johnson , Caterpillar Inc. , Eaton , Honeywell , GE , Honda Motor Company , and other manufacturing leaders.

About ATS:

ATS makes factories run better. Advanced Technology Services, Inc. (ATS) improves productivity and profitability for many of the world's most respected manufacturers through the managed services of production equipment maintenance, information technology and spare parts repair. Founded in 1985, ATS employs over 1,500 people across the US and is a member of the National Association of Manufacturers. ATS is headquartered in Peoria, IL with offices and services centers located in Greenville, SC, and Detroit, MI. For more information, visit the ATS Web site at www.AdvancedTech.com.

About Nielsen Entertainment's Consumer Products Group:

Through custom research and consulting, Nielsen Entertainment's Consumer Products Group delivers Actionable Intelligence to our clients engaged in the business of selling and trading in the global marketplace.