TAKING PRIDE IN A JOB WELL DONE
This Springdale-based company values ingenuity and is looking for creative thinkers and problem solvers.
FPEC, which stands for Food Processing Equipment Company, makes custom-designed machinery used by many companies that process the poultry, meat and other foods we eat every day. FPEC credits its dedication to service and quality for its more than 55 years of success.
The company is known for its outside-the-box ideas, says Alan Davison, FPEC’ s president.“ All of our concepts are custom built. We help companies streamline production and become more efficient by updating their equipment and providing everything from stand-alone equipment to totally automated systems. Our customers include Tyson Foods, Cargill, George’ s, Inc., Simmons Foods, Ozark Mountain Poultry, Hormel, Bar-S and Lopez Foods.”
The company needs engineers, CAD designers, machinists, electrical technicians and instrumentation designers, fabricators and welders to create its custom pieces from start to finish.“ It’ s a lot of fun to see a concept go from an idea to bringing it into a plant and see it work,” Davison adds.
Logan Wichert is an important part of that process. He started his career at FPEC shortly after he graduated from high school.“ I like being at FPEC because it’ s a good company to work for and they take care of me,” he explains.“ FPEC has good people, a good atmosphere and it’ s a good place to work.” Wichert started in the company’ s shipping and receiving department but soon expanded his skills. He now does whatever is needed, including making the parts used in the company’ s products and assembling the custom-made machines. work with stainless steel,” he explains.“ That requires some special training, and with that training you can hit the ground running.” Clouse got his start at the company when he was first hired at FPEC as a college intern. He took a different job after graduation, but returned to the company as an engineer in 1997 and worked his way up to become general manager. He says having the right mindset is important.“ We look for people who love what they do because we’ re proud of the work we do here.”
That pride shows when you look at how long many team members have been with the company. Many joined FPEC when the company expanded back in the mid-1990s. Some have now left or retired, and Clouse says finding the right people to fill those positions can be tough.“ We want to help you build a stable career. Most of our employees stay for 10 years or more, and we take care of our team.”
To show you have what it takes to join the FPEC team, you need to have a professional résumé and good references if you’ ve had a previous job.“ Having a good recommendation from a former employer is helpful,” explains Clouse. He says having technical certifications for skills like welding could also help set you apart from the competition. But the most important quality is your attitude.“ We’ re looking for people with a good work ethic who will do their best every day.”
“ I’ m learning all the roles including fabrication, machining, assembly and cutting. I like doing everything because it’ s not always the same thing every day.” Wichert says there are some things you can do now that could help you build a career in manufacturing.“ Take classes to develop your skills. It helps a lot to go to a technical school, or take an agriculture or engineering class and learn the basics.”
Chris Clouse, FPEC’ s general manager, agrees.“ Our team members
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