Investing in the People Behind the Press: Royle Awarded WisTRAIN Grant to Train Our Team in Applied AI
October is Manufacturing Month, and this year it started with some exciting news for our Sun Prairie family. On October 13, Governor Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development announced $6.6 million in new WisTRAIN grants to train more than 3,800 Wisconsin workers in advanced manufacturing and artificial intelligence. Royle Printing is proud to be one of the 84 employers selected, with a grant to train 45 members of our team in applied AI.
We've been putting ink on paper since 1948. This grant is about making sure the people who do that work have the best tools of the next 75 years in their hands.
What is WisTRAIN?
WisTRAIN (Wisconsin Training for Resilient Advanced Industry Needs) is a new employer grant program that funds hands-on skills training in advanced manufacturing and AI. It's supported by federal funds through the U.S. Department of Labor's Industry-Driven Skills Training Fund; Wisconsin is one of 14 states to receive one.
The program's goals line up closely with ours:
Help workers keep pace with the way technology is changing their industries
Expand access to industry-recognized skills and credentials
Strengthen partnerships between employers and educators
This round funded everyone from cheese makers to marine engine builders. Royle's award is among the larger in the state, and we don't take that lightly.
What the grant means at Royle
Through this grant, 45 current Royle team members will take part in applied AI training led by WiscAI Inc. The training reaches across the business, not just one department:
Production operations: the press floor, bindery and mailing teams who turn files into finished pieces
Sales and marketing: the people who help our customers plan campaigns and hit their in-home dates
Finance and IT: the teams who keep quoting, billing and our systems running smoothly
The word that matters most here is applied. This isn't about chasing buzzwords. It's about giving our people practical skills they can use on real jobs, on real deadlines, for real customers.
Why this matters for our customers
AI won't run our presses, and it won't replace the craftsmanship our team brings to every job. What it can do is take friction out of the work around the press. That frees our people to spend more time on what they do best: solving problems and taking care of customers.
Here are a few places we see the opportunity:
Faster, clearer answers: quicker turnaround on quotes, schedules and job questions
Smarter planning: better insight to keep work flowing and catalogs mailing on time
More time for partnership: less time on repetitive tasks means more time on your project
Print isn't dead. It's getting smarter.
You've heard us say it before: the mailbox is the new inbox. Brands keep launching into print because a catalog or direct mail piece gets noticed and kept in a way a screen can't match. As print grows, the printers who thrive will be the ones who invest in their people and their technology at the same time.
That's what this grant represents for Royle. Family-owned for more than 75 years and still growing, we believe the best way to serve our customers tomorrow is to invest in our team today.
Thank you
A big thank you to Governor Evers, Secretary Amy Pechacek and the Department of Workforce Development for their commitment to Wisconsin manufacturing. Thank you to WiscAI for partnering with us on the training. And most of all, thank you to the 45 Royle team members who are rolling up their sleeves to learn something new.
Happy Manufacturing Month from all of us at Royle. Now let's keep printing, and keep learning!
Source: Gov. Evers, DWD Announce $6.6 Million in New Grants to Train Over 3,800 Wisconsin Workers in Advanced Manufacturing and AI, WisPolitics, Oct. 13, 2026.