Nichols added , “ Tyler has been working on it for three years , and the great advantage will be — security , maturity , compliance , and being ready for defense-based projects ; ( it ’ s a ) huge project ; we ’ re in a great place to be ready for it .”
Aside from certifications , the company is embracing new technologies as well . Rangel said that two on the horizon include “ Automating and AI . We are a high mix with low volume here . Trying to figure out how robotics would work in our environment is challenging .” He said it could be tough for manufacturing leaders to evaluate robotics because employees might see their jobs disappearing . He said his feeling is that current employees will run the future automation , “ If we can take our smart people and have them run the co-bots and robots , that would be the upside .”
Like many sectors in the industry , hiring remains difficult . Nichols said , “ Many things make it hard to find skilled labor . One of the things I see here is the higher-ups are saying , we want you to take ownership , and they are giving them ownership . One of the most important things we do is ( empowering ). Employees desire to learn more , upgrade skills , create a space for learning and growing , attract and maintain talent , and develop leadership .” She said they focus on upward mobility and promote from within .
Rangel added that they seek certain attributes in employees : “ Honesty , integrity , initiative , and communication skills ; we are not the typical machine shop . If there is an issue , they can collaborate with others and throw out ideas — to have communication to take the initiative to see if there is a problem .” Reflecting on their status , he said , “( We are ) fortunate with folks we have now , good people .”
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