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The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) began breaking down the barriers in American Society in 1994, but the disabled workforce became integrated years later under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity ACT created by President Obama. Perhaps workers with disabilities may be just the employees you need to fill your manufacturing workforce shortage. Realistically, not all jobs are right for those who are physically-challenged, but there are many positions – such as assembly worker, test assistants, order builders, or technicians – that can be well-suited for these individuals. In fact, many mid-level management or supervisory positions, including safety, compliance or custodial…

Good communication skills are a critical component of productivity in business.  It is why every job listing—even those in precision manufacturing–include good communication skills as necessary criteria. However, manufacturing firms have encountered a recent decline in communication skills as a reality in candidates and the marketplace. Whether from the deluge of technology and its predilections for abbreviations and symbolism or less demanding outcomes in the educational system, communication skills are not what they were a decade ago. Communication is a two-way process.  Communication skills can be defined as the ability to convey verbal, nonverbal and written information from a sender…

Precision manufacturers face the same issue every summer – keeping up production in spite of absent staff due to summer vacations.  No one wants to have the headache of coping with unmet product demand, so smart manufacturers have learned to reduce the risk of slowing down by using a contingent workforce. The contingent solution, of course, is not to off-shore production, but rather to seek those people in your region who can do the job short term. Looking locally for qualified contingent workers enables precision manufacturers to smoothly and seamlessly fill in those temporary vacancies and keep production humming along.…

“Making good decisions is a crucial skill at every level.”  Peter Drucker In this three-part article, we will address some top challenges faced by manufacturing organizations: Decreasing level of skills presented by entry-level candidates including those of both written and verbal communication, An increase in employee “no shows” and “no calls,” The inability of companies to adjust to market realities, and Why workers, especially temps, seem less engaged   Deficits in entry level candidates Choosing a new hire can seem like betting on a roulette wheel particularly when candidates seem to lack even basic skills. Deficits appear in different ways,…

1. What exactly is an onboarding and training process? MPS.  Onboarding and training are defined as a strategic orientation and training process that seamlessly brings a new hire to his or her A-game as quickly as possible. It should include the following: Learning the organization and its goals Fitting in with the company culture Clarification of roles and performance expectations Introduction of policies and procedures On-job system or task training Onboarding can include additional objectives such as classroom training, e-learning or simulations. Some manufacturing firms also offer mentoring. 2. Many manufacturers consider this process mission critical. Why is it so important?…