The global machine shop

Have you noticed job candidates and the people you’re dealing with across the business world are increasingly from other countries?

While our location near Houston has always been quite diverse, including sizable Hispanic and Asian populations, it is continuing to evolve, with people emigrating from countries not as historically represented. These include Pakistan, India, Australia, the Philippines, Scotland and Trinidad.

While there are many reasons for this, nearly all U.S. communities, from small towns to large cities, are seeing more diversity. Machine shops and other manufacturing businesses are being impacted, requiring unique management of this rapidly evolving demographic. This not only includes managing a diverse group of employees, but also working with customers and vendors that have more representatives from other countries.

Even tight-knit shops historically comprised of locals, friends and family members are rapidly changing as immigrants from numerous countries seek opportunity, many times replacing older workers.

The good news is most immigrants are eager to live and work in the U.S. and have a positive attitude just because they’re here. However, language and cultural barriers can prove challenging, and recent immigrants may not be as familiar with standard protocol, such as negotiations over a proposed job.

This sometimes requires additional explanations and even educating them about the products they’re buying from our shop. Patience may be needed when explaining why we have a minimum order value, why we require more details to provide good quotations or why a request may be impossible to accommodate. However, most are appreciative of our efforts to work with them.

A few feel the need to impress a superior and don’t respond well to things they don’t like to hear, but the American way may require such a conversation. Usually, a supervisor understands and handles the matter, but trying to show respect and sensitivity to newly Americanized workers can still be a minefield.

Over the past couple of years, many customers and vendors have been acquired by larger corporations, bought a competitor, relocated staff, forced some employees into early retirement, outsourced manufacturing to other countries, reshored other manufacturing back to the U.S. and expanded globally. This has brought many new faces into the business, requiring us to adapt to an international world, right from our little shop in Texas.

Many people are clamoring to live in the U.S., buy a nice house and send their kids to decent schools. Most are thrilled to have the experience. This really hit home when I attended a college graduation in May and nearly every engineering and IT graduate was from another country.

America has a rich history of welcoming people from around the globe, and it will continue to be a melting pot. As employees retire or move on, we should plan to employ and work with a rainbow of humanity. Domestic manufacturing is here to stay; it just may be a new group of people making it happen.

About the author: Keith Jennings is president of Crow Corp., Tomball, Texas, a family-owned company focusing on machining, metal fabrication and metal stamping. kjennings@jwr.com