Where The Jobs Are
As the economic tide turns for Minnesota's manufacturing industry, more companies are bringing new talent on board to revitalize and grow their operations
BY ANDREA LAHOUZE
With the worst of the recession behind them, many Minnesota
manufacturers are dusting off their “Now
Hiring”
signs in hopes of attracting additional skilled talent. The state’s
manufacturing industry is already sizeable, accounting for more than
13 percent of all jobs. Many sectors within it are expected to grow—some
by as much as 14 percent by 2016. Read on to learn about six companies
searching for new employees in the recovering marketplace.
Milltronics: Multiple Skills Wanted
In
1973, Waconia’s
Milltronics began as a start-up shop in the basement of a shopping
mall.
“The
founder was a University of Minnesota graduate. He believed that there
was a better way than NC controls for controlling machinery, so he
started to develop his own CNC,”
explains Jim Broz, director of strategic sourcing and new product
development at Milltronics.
Today, the company manufactures CNC milling and turning equipment for
a variety of customers, from job shops of all sizes across the country
to Fortune 500 companies including Boeing and GM.
After downsizing from 150 to 65 employees in 2008 and 2009, this CNC
milling and turning equipment manufacturer is re-building its
operation to be stronger than ever. The company has already hired 29
employees to bring its workforce up to 94, anticipates 15 to 20
percent growth in 2011 and is looking to add a variety of skilled
workers to its staff roster. Open positions include a lead CNC
machinist, a software engineering manager and a mechanical engineering
manager.
Curt
Stockinger, human resources and client services manager, expects the
company’s
main hiring challenge will be finding a highly skilled machinist, but
adds that Milltronics can also “grow
its own”
when it comes to skilled workers. The company offers training programs
for different departments throughout the entire organization.
Machining training, for example, ensures machinists share a common
baseline skill set. Since training is customized according to each
employee’s
previous experience, training time varies from person to person. To
that end, Stockinger says Milltronics employees value the company’s
team-oriented culture.
“The
management team really cares about their specific departments and the
employees who work for them,”
he says. “Everyone
helps each other do the best for their department at Milltronics.”
Applicants may apply online at www.milltronics.net/careers.aspx.
Central Container Corporation: Recession Resistant
After 50 years in business, Central Container Corporation has
experienced its fair share of shifting economies and changing market
demands.
“We’ve
seen the packaging industry evolve from simple, corrugated boxes to
vibrant, custom-made printed displays and containers in a variety of
materials. And, of course, we’ve
evolved along with it,”
says Jim Haglund, president. “It’s
imperative to react to outside forces in order to remain competitive.”
So when the recession struck, Haglund and his team were prepared with
a diversified customer list and established lean practices. As a
result, not one of his 125 employees was laid off.
“Investing
in lean helped reduce our break-even point, and in doing so, it helped
us to prevent having to lay anyone off during the recession,”
Haglund explains.
Now
Central Container’s
workforce is growing again. Since September, the company has added 15
new fulltime employees in the design, quality, sales, and production
and fulfillment departments, and Haglund says the company plans to
hire even more as demand increases. In the first quarter of 2011, the
company’s
sales have surged 26 percent in comparison to 2010, when business was
still slower.
In
addition to its lean culture, Haglund attributes the business’s
quick comeback to a mutual sense of loyalty between employer and
employees.
“Nobody
here, including me, thinks that they are above anyone else that works
here. We treat everyone the same,”
Haglund says. “When
we didn’t
lay off during the 2008-2009 recession, when most companies did lay
off workers, I think it gave employees a heightened respect for their
employer, for working with them so that they could keep their jobs. I
think they are rewarding the company now with their efforts.”
To learn more about Central Container Corporation, go to
www.centralcontainer.com.
Grede Foundries, Inc.: Seeking 24/7 Talent
For Grede Foundries, Inc., the name of the hiring game has always been
finding local talent.
The iron castings manufacturer sells to the automotive, construction
and agricultural industries, employing some 4,200 employees across 15
foundries and two machine shops in the U.S. and Mexico. At its St.
Cloud foundry, 350 employees work to ship between 250 and 300 tons of
castings each day.
Because the company works around the clock on three separate shifts,
Works Manager John Haas says attracting skilled workers for second and
third shifts is an ongoing challenge. Grede is the largest foundry in
the state, and remains highly profitable, with 2011 sales expected to
top $90 million. But as the number of foundries in the U.S. continues
to decline, finding workers who already have the skill sets the
company requires proves difficult. As a result, Grede has developed
inhouse training programs for every position in the company.
“We
go through a thorough training for each position,”
Haas says. “The
more elaborate training we do is for the skilled trades, whether it be
a pattern maker, a tool and die maker, electrician, maintenance
mechanic, layout technician or lab technician.”
The company regularly hires 15 to 20 people at a time, both for
entry-level positions such as machine operators and press operators,
and skilled positions such as mechanics and electricians. Applicants
may apply in-person at Grede Foundries, Inc. in St. Cloud.
Jones Metal Products Inc.: Exploding Operation
One
year ago, Jones Metal Products Inc. had 89 employees. Today, that
number has soared to 128, and continues to rise thanks to the Mankato
metal fabrication company’s
recent opening of a second shop, Avalon Metal Fabrication, in
Owatonna.
Jones
Metal Products began in 1942 and is still family owned by the founder’s
daughter and grandchildren. Today, it is an ISO 9000:2008 certified
metal fabrication company offering a variety of metal components. The
company also provides an assortment of services, including combining
elements of design for manufacture and assembly, document control, and
shipping, complete with Just In Time (JIT) delivery and inventory
management.
By
the end of 2011, the company hopes to add to 12 additional workers in
a variety of departments. Open positions include welders, a CNC
machinist, CNC operators, maintenance workers, a sales engineer, a
quality engineer, and additional engineering and support services
roles. Sarah Richards, director of sales and marketing, says the
company’s
fast-paced, team-oriented environment makes it a great place to work.
“The
nature of the business is challenging and all of the departments have
daily opportunities to work together on delivering our brand promise ‘Solutions,
Service, Satisfaction’
to our customers so every day is energizing,”
Richards says.
To
inquire about positions at Jones Metal Products,applicants may visit
www.jonesmetalproducts.com or call the company’s
Human Resource department directly at 507-625-4436.
Mayo Manufacturing: Spud Specialist
From Rochester to Russia, Mayo Manufacturing is a big name in the
potato business. The 52-year old company carved out its niche
manufacturing equipment for everything related to handling potatoes,
from loading and grading to sorting and washing machines.
Mayo
Manufacturing is the Minnesota division of Harriston- Mayo LLC. The
other division, Harriston Industries, is located in Minto, North
Dakota, and between the two there are 65 employees, with 30 in
Minnesota. Mike Delisle, president and general manager, says the
company’s
smaller size allows it flexibility in catering to the varying needs of
its international customer base.
“We’re
small enough where we can tailor the equipment to customers’
needs and not [require them to pick] out of a catalog. We have
standard machines but we can custom build and we can also tailor
existing standard machines to fit a customer’s
needs. We are very responsive to what the customers want,”
Delisle says.
In the next year, Mayo hopes to add more design and engineering,
welding and fabrication, and assembly positions to its staff roster.
The company is on the lookout for applicants with relevant education
or experience in similar industries who can then learn by working
alongside experienced employees.
Delisle
says customers’
success in the potato industry fluctuates often given rising freight
costs and the highly perishable nature of the crop, but he is quick to
add that Mayo does not fluctuate its employee numbers accordingly. To
that end, he says employees appreciate the security that comes with a
career at Mayo, leading many to stay with the company for decades.
“We’ve
never laid anyone off for lack of work. Even if we haven’t
got the business, we’ll
build inventory up ahead of time to fill in the gaps,”
Delisle says.
Job applicants for positions at Mayo Manufacturing may apply in
person.
SpecSys Inc.: Engineering Success
In 15 years, SpecSys Inc. has ballooned from a small outsource design
firm to a turnkey engineering and manufacturing powerhouse. The
company offers OEMs across the country an array of engineering and
manufacturing services including design, engineering, fabrication,
machining, welding, painting, hydraulic assembly, pneumatic assembly
and electrical assembly, among others.
SpecSys
Inc.’s
nationwide client base is diverse, ranging from construction and
agriculture to mining, railroad and industrial operations. Dave
Gelhar, president, says customers appreciate the company’s
aptitude for building complex projectsfrom start to finish.
“Our
company’s
ability to work on the special and the unique projects that require
more than one discipline to complete is something that makes us
unique,”
Gelhar says.
A unique set of capabilities requires unique talent, and SpecSys Inc.
is searching for more than 20 new employees, including designers,
engineers, fabricators, machinists, welders, painters and assemblers.
It is particularly focused on growing its engineering operation.
While the company values experience, it also recognizes the challenge
of attracting skilled talent at its three locations in Benson,
Montevideo and Granite Falls. Low-volume, highly customized projects
make on-the-job training difficult, too, because each task is
different. As a result, the company offers in-house and offsite
training for its sales, engineering and manufacturing positions.
“When
you’re
out in small towns in western Minnesota, in some cases, your org chart
is determined by the talent that shows up at your door. We try to
maintain that flexibility,”
Gelhar says.
This
year, Gelhar hopes to see the 100-person operation grow to about 125
employees. He says workers enjoy the diversity of projects that come
their way: “The
challenge of working on different projects each week gives the people
a real variety. Learning how to execute a project in a short timeline
and with a tight budget really challenges the employees, and they like
that.”
To
inquire about positions at SpecSys Inc., applicants may visit
www.specsys.org or email resumes to the company’s
Human Resources department at robynl@specsys.org.
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