Manufacturers learn to invest in training

Every parts manufacturer, regardless of size, has some sort of training program, and programs are nearly as varied as the companies themselves. Whether it’s something as simple as handing out a pamphlet about company policy or as involved as an apprenticeship program, it’s just a given: Where there are employees, there is training. However, while some companies regard it as a necessary evil, others have found that investing in this universal necessity yields substantial benefits—and, in the long run, actually saves money.

Investing in the Human Fund

LeanWerks LLC, an Ogden, Utah-based job shop, uses open-book management in its apprenticeship-style training program, with the goal of giving employees a holistic understanding of the company’s inner workings.

The standard approach to job shop training is to hire someone and then have him shadow an experienced machinist until he feels competent enough to work on his own, said Reid Leland, LeanWerks founder and president. “Our program, on the other hand, includes on-the-job training with all our systems, web-based video training and work done in conjunction with local trade schools, so part of the program involves the participant spending a certain amount of hours in the classroom, learning the theory of the fundamentals of the trade.”

A group of students receives offset training on a Mazak Integrex machine tool. Image courtesy LeanWerks.

This combination of on-the-job training and classroom learning falls somewhere between basic shadowing and a traditional apprenticeship, and while the investment is sizeable, Leland said the results are invaluable.

“We are committed to investing in our employees, so we have invested in this learning management system that we have found helps people get the most out of it,” he said. “The result is reduced time for the employee to come up to speed, increased consistency in training and ability across our workforce, and an ability to provide documentation of every step.”

SGS Tool Co., Munroe Falls, Ohio, is another manufacturer that has benefitted from an investment in training. According to Gary Miller, director of training and occupational development, that investment in employees is what separates a good training program from a great one.

SGS’s training begins with a formal onboarding. According to Miller, the toolmaker’s safety director goes over safety policies and assigns protective equipment needed for the job; human resources goes over the paperwork; IT goes over email policy (and more, depending on what electronic devices an employee will use); and the associate involvement director goes over programs like training, tuition reimbursement, apprenticeship programs and anything else the company is offering at the time. Training also involves an R&D demo, where tools are shown in action, and a plant tour. And that’s only the first day.

“Our training is all structured,” Miller said. “Every position we have at this company has a training plan attached to it that outlines, step by step, what the associates need to do. Our trainer goes over the training plan, and we have both the associate and the trainer sign off on each step, verifying that the associate has learned and can demonstrate the skill. The program is constantly evolving as, in the name of continuous improvement, we are constantly updating our methods and materials.”

Juan Pacheco takes measurements as part of his operator training at LeanWerks. Image courtesy LeanWerks.

Perhaps the most important tenet of the SGS training regimen is feedback. Miller works directly with all newly hired sales engineers and handles training at the Munroe Falls main office.

“At the end of each day, they come into my office and I ask: What went well? What didn’t? What do you need more of? And I work additional training into the gaps that they have identified,” he said. “We are constantly seeking feedback for improvement. We always ask where we can improve, and we always listen to what we’re told. A new hire who has worked for several of our competitors told me, after finishing his training, that our program was the best he had been through. As a trainer, that makes me feel really good.”

Apprenticeships and Portable Credentials

Endmill manufacturer Advanced Tool Inc., Marcy, N.Y., noticed that training new hires was consuming an inordinate amount of time on the part of the shop’s senior staff. The company intended to make improvements to the training process—but wound up revamping it completely. Now they’re looking to the future.

What Advanced Tool hopes to establish in the old system’s stead, explained Sherry DePerno, president and CEO, is an updated version of a traditional apprenticeship program, something to help new hires get a certification they can even take with them if they leave. To this end, the toolmaker has been working with the U.S. Labor Department for several years, hoping to establish a program that others within the industry will support and adopt, with the goal of making manufacturing more appealing as a career choice rather than a fallback option. Citing the “tool and cutter grinder” apprenticeship of yore, DePerno hopes to see a similar program, updated with CNC technology in mind.

SGS Tool uses checklists like this one to verify a trainee’s progress and get feedback on each step in the training. Image courtesy SGS Tool.