| AMERI-FORCE CRAFT SERVICES | CASE STUDY |
Client Type: Trailer Manufacturer — OEM Transportation Equipment Industry: Equipment Manufacturing (Trailers / Transportation) Location: Three Facilities in the Madison, WI Area
BUSINESS IMPACT SNAPSHOT
| 334 Total Welders Placed (Original Engagement) | 96%+ Weld Test Pass Rate (Conservative) | 3–5x Starts vs. Competing Staffing Firm | 2 LTIs Total Incidents Over 2+ Years / 334 Workers | 3 Phases Re-Engaged in 2025 and Again in 2026 |
The Client and the Stakes
A major trailer manufacturer operating three production facilities in the Madison, Wisconsin area needed a sustained, high-volume pipeline of qualified welders. The scale was significant: multiple sites, multiple shifts, and a need that would persist for nearly two years. The client was already working with a national staffing competitor when Ameri-Force was brought in to compete directly.
The stakes were straightforward. Consistent weld-ready workers, strong attendance, and a workforce that could scale with production demand. The firm that delivered would earn the volume. The firm that didn’t would lose it.
Operational Environment
Three simultaneous production facilities in the Madison area required coordinated recruiting, pre-employment vetting, and worker logistics across multiple job sites. Every worker had to pass a weld test to the client’s standard before starting — there was no on-the-job learning curve. The trade mix began with production welders at volume and later shifted to include aluminum welding, a higher-skill and harder-to-source classification. The pay rate for this engagement was below market average for traveling welders, which compresses the available candidate pool and makes retention materially harder.
The Challenge
High-volume welder staffing at multiple sites over an extended period is one of the most demanding engagements in manufacturing staffing. Every candidate had to pass a weld test to the client’s standard, complete a physical examination and pulmonary function test (PFT), arrive with required PPE, and be willing to travel and commit to a multi-month assignment — at a pay rate that was below the market average for this type of work.
Recruiting at that standard, at that volume, at below-market pay, while simultaneously outperforming an established national competitor required Ameri-Force to operate at peak execution at every stage. The candidate pipeline had to be deeper, the vetting had to be tighter, and the field support had to be better.
Trade Mix
Primary trade: Production Welders, deployed at high volume across all three facilities throughout the engagement.
Specialty trade added mid-engagement: Aluminum Welders, sourced as client production shifted to higher-skill fabrication lines. Aluminum welding is a significantly more specialized and harder-to-recruit classification than production welding. Ameri-Force adapted its recruiting focus and continued to deliver against both requirements simultaneously.
The Solution
- National recruiting campaign targeting qualified welders willing to travel to the Madison, Wisconsin market, including candidates willing to commit at below-market compensation.
- Pre-start vetting for every worker: physical exam, PFT, PPE confirmation, and weld testing to client standard before first day on-site.
- Lodging and field logistical support coordinated for the traveling workforce throughout the engagement.
- Recruiting focus adapted mid-engagement as demand shifted from production welding to aluminum welding.
- Candidate pipeline maintained through the client’s production slowdown. When demand returned, Ameri-Force was the first call and delivered immediately.
The Results
Engagement Results
| Metric | Result on This Engagement | Client Baseline / Benchmark |
| Start ratio vs. competing firm | 3 to 5 Ameri-Force starts for every 1 competitor start | Competing national staffing firm — confirmed by client on multiple occasions |
| Total welders placed / peak headcount | 334 total placed over the full engagement; peak of 100 simultaneously across 3 facilities (70 at Plant 1, 26 at Plant 2, 4 at Plant 3) | Client’s sustained volume requirement across 2+ years |
| Backlog recovery | Production backlog that had grown to over 1 year out was cleared during the engagement | Pre-engagement backlog: 1+ year — a significant operational liability |
| Lost-time injuries, full engagement | 2 lost-time injuries across 334 workers over 2+ years | Manufacturing avg LTIR: typically 1.0 to 1.5 per 100 workers/year; 2 LTIs across this volume and duration reflects a well-below-average safety record |
| Weld test pass rate | 96%+ conservative estimate — only 9 candidates rejected out of 276 Year 1 starts | Exceptionally high for a traveling workforce; validates depth of active candidate pipeline |
| Average tenure, all 334 workers | 116.9 days (16.7 weeks) at below-market pay rate | Strong result for traveling trades — achieved under pay constraint |
| Terminations | Less than 2% for productivity issues (6 of 334); less than 10% for attendance (16 of 334, 4.8%) | Validates candidate quality and field support throughout the engagement |
Before / After
| Before Ameri-Force | After Ameri-Force |
| Competing national firm delivering inconsistent fill rates | Ameri-Force outperforming 3 to 5 starts to 1 — confirmed by client throughout engagement |
| Production backlog exceeding 1 year — a significant delivery risk | Backlog cleared; client maintained on-target production schedule |
| Below-market pay constraining candidate pool and retention | 116.9 day average tenure across 334 workers — strong result under pay constraint |
| Workers arriving with inconsistent vetting standards | 100% screened: physical, PFT, PPE, and weld test to client standard before day one |
In the Client’s Words
Ameri-Force has proven to be a true partner in our business. Not only were they successful in bringing on a large number of employees, but they continue to work with us from an employee support standpoint and a business standpoint.
— Reijo, Director of TA
Why It Worked
The clearest measure of this engagement is the production outcome: a backlog that had grown to over a year out was cleared. That does not happen with an unreliable workforce. It happens when welders show up, pass their tests, work their hours, and stay. Ameri-Force placed 334 workers across three facilities, maintained a 96%+ weld test pass rate, averaged nearly 17 weeks of tenure per worker at below-market pay, and lost only 6 people to productivity issues over the course of two years. At peak, 70 welders were running at Plant 1, 26 at Plant 2, and 4 at Plant 3, all staffed and supported simultaneously.
Competing against an established national staffing firm, at below-average pay, over two years, across three sites, and winning by a 3-to-5 start margin is the result of an active pipeline, rigorous vetting, and the field infrastructure to support traveling workers through the full duration. The client confirmed the performance difference on multiple occasions. The backlog data confirms it in production terms.
The safety record validates the quality of the workforce: 2 lost-time injuries across 334 workers over more than two years, a well-below-average LTIR for a large traveling industrial workforce. And the relationship did not end with the original engagement. Ameri-Force was brought back to launch a new project in 2025 and re-engaged again in 2026. A staffing firm does not get called back three separate times unless the work was genuinely good every time.
Ready to solve your next workforce challenge? Contact Ameri-Force: 904-633-9918 (Option 2 for Sales) | sales@ameriforce.com | www.ameriforce.com
