Misumi Americas has launched a new $2 million foundation to support engineering education, robotics programs and manufacturing skills development in the United States.
The Misumi Imprint Foundation is the first corporate giving organization established in Misumi Group’s 63-year history and is intended to help expand the pipeline of engineers, machinists, technicians and other skilled manufacturing workers.
Initially backed by a $2 million seed investment, the foundation will provide funding in three main areas: scholarships and access to engineering and manufacturing education; equipment, maker spaces, engineering teams and student programs; and partnerships between industry and educational institutions.
Misumi says the initiative responds to growing demand for workers capable of building and maintaining increasingly automated manufacturing systems, particularly as artificial intelligence moves into robotics and other physical systems.
Dave Evans, president and CEO of Misumi Americas, said: “Misumi has spent decades supplying the components engineers design into machines, so we know exactly who builds the physical world.
“We also know the talent pipeline is too narrow for the moment we’re in. AI is moving into factories, vehicles, and operating rooms, and that work takes engineers, machinists, and technicians – not just software. This Foundation is our investment in the talent pipeline the industry depends on.”
The foundation will also invite companies in Misumi’s global supplier network to contribute through a Partner Network. Participating suppliers will be able to make annual contributions and take part in an advisory board that will help determine grant priorities.
Misumi cited research projecting that US manufacturing will require 3.8 million additional workers by 2033, with 1.9 million positions potentially going unfilled.
Arata Shimizu, CEO of Misumi Group, said: “For more than sixty years, Misumi has supported the people who make things. The Imprint Foundation is the first time we have built an organization dedicated to the next generation of builders.
“It launches in the United States, but is a global initiative. We intend to extend it across the regions Misumi serves, and into communities where manufacturing is beginning to take root.”
The foundation expects to open its first grant cycle in early 2027, with international expansion planned as the initiative develops.
