The tool industry today — jobs, demand and future
Where you can work, and what the future brings
Behind Almost Every Mass-Produced Product Lies a Tool — a Mould, a Die, a Fixture — that a Tool Maker has Made. This Makes the Trade an Invisible but Indispensable Part of Industry. Here We Look at Where You Can Work and What Demand Looks Like.
§Where does a toolmaker work?
Most toolmakers work in the metal and plastic industry — in companies that either manufacture tools for others or produce parts themselves and have their own tool workshop. You find them with suppliers to e.g. medical electronics and automotive industry and the tasks range from building new tools to maintaining and repairing what is already running in production.
- 01Independent tool companies that make tools to order
- 02Production companies with their own tool workshop
- 03Subsuppliers to medical electronics automotive and packaging industry.
- 04Companies with maintenance and repair of production equipment
§Demand and job opportunities.
Toolmaker is a trade with few newly trained people each year and an industry that needs precision specialists. This means that qualified workers typically have good opportunities to find work. Many companies experience that it is difficult to get skilled workers, which makes the trade a safe path for those who want a craft with a future.
§The technology changes the profession
The craft is in constant development. CNC machines, advanced CAD/CAM software, and methods like wire-erosion machining and 3D metal printing push the boundaries of what can be made. It doesn't mean the handcraft disappears — but a modern toolmaker must combine classical hand skill with digital tools.
§A trade with a future
As long as things are produced in metal and plastic there's a need for tools to make them with. When something new goes into production it's the tool maker who makes it possible. That makes the trade robust against fluctuations — and gives you a competence that's in demand across many industries.
“The products change with fashion, but the need for the tools that create them remains.”