as of today, he affirmed,“ We have more opportunities for work than what we can do; the only cure is to add more employees.” In the next two years, Chuck expects to grow staffing by 20-30 %.
Now that the forecast is on an upward trend, manufacturers like the Girtz’ s are making continued investments for the future. The company is a Tier 1 supplier, with over 80 % of its work going directly to Boeing Commercial or Defense, and the remaining 20 % eventually ends up on Boeing airplanes. Chuck said half of their projects are for Boeing Defense, but“ Boeing Commercial is coming back.” He wants to continue to expand the commercial side of the business.
They also outsource some work to regional vendors and work directly with other Tier 1s. Their specialties are stamping, complex sheet metal forming, deep draw, hydro-press, machining, and complex assembly. Regarding hiring, Craig asserted,“ Training for staff at the entry level— they must have the right mechanical ability.” Applicant math skills are determined with a written test, which“ Tells us whether they can think and have the math skills to be a machinist.”
Don said the programmers who then send the project to the machine hold many of the math skills.“ The programmer would need algebra, calculus, and higherlevel math. Often, the programmers know about machine tools and make parts.”
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