Pennsylvania manufacturer thrives, if only it can find good workers

FAIRVIEW, Pennsylvania — The instant you walk into the massive, 750,000-square-foot PHB Industries tool and die plant, the smells and sounds of the buzz and hum of machines and people making things engulfs your senses; instantly, you are aware you are in a place where man, woman, technology, natural resources, and robotics all collaborate for a multitude of product creation and assembly.

Aluminum die-casting, zinc die-casting, machines of every size, shape, and capabilities are everywhere, some run by a computer, some giving off thousands of degrees of heat, and some guided by skilled workers.