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Employer Quotes

The quotes below are from employers in this industry: Manufacturing

They are talking about this topic: Industry Trends

 

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The quotes below are about this issue:
Ongoing technological advancements within the manufacturing industry create a strong need for ongoing incumbent training. This includes the need not only for technical skill training, but also for ongoing training in interpersonal communication.

Employer Quote Region
"Employer 1: And the technology part of it, too. We've got equipment now that ten or fifteen years ago we couldn't have imagined having. And that technology is driving our labor cost down. So, you've got to stay on top of that technology because it's changing.

Employer 2: It's happening here, too."		 Northwest
"Everything is now computerized, even shipping." Northwest
"We do so much of this stuff ourselves because of location: design the equipment, build the equipment, and do the electronic work. And it changes so fast. The PLCs are out-of-date every two years. Languages change, so that is probably the biggest change. That is probably the biggest thing—you end up sending both a mechanic and an electronic person every time there's a breakdown. And the reliability and interface, as we turn over the systems, is a challenge for us, too." Northwest
"We've got also aging machines in a lot of factories. We're looking at getting systems upgraded. We're going to continue to pursue higher technology to be able to get the type of quality and safety and work environment we need." Northwest
"We're moving toward more technology and more electronic-type communication. And it sounds like [company] has moved to things like electronic enrollment in benefits and things like that, which is going to make an underlying technology push on employees. The challenge to keep up with technology." Northwest
"The skills needed today probably won't cut it four years from now. At our plant, I see people running around with these little computers—they are constantly connected and communicating. They're running around with their cell phones and picking up their emails at different places in the building. That's happened in the last two years. So, the challenge is to be able to communicate our needs constantly into the learning system. We can't plan today what we're going to do 10 years from now because it doesn't yet exist. So, that communication is crucial. We can't set up programs today that will fulfill the needs that will exist 10 years from now." Northwest
"Technology is huge. We're moving into mobile apps in different ways to connect with people and network and build a bench there." Northwest
"Employer 1: One of the great statistics I heard—although I don't how accurate it is—was that everything a graduate learns during a university engineering program will be obsolete in five years. So, people must have the critical thinking skills in order to move on to the next set of technology, to move on to the next set of problems that are being presented or, boy, you're in a tough spot.

Employer 2: Those are the kind of things that we're looking at, too, because of the rate of change that's going on in electronics and the components—not to mention the assembly procedures or whatever. I don't know what we're going to be doing in five years. This rate of change that we've seen in the last year has been significant in the different types of applications that our components are going into. This is stuff that, even three years ago, we never even thought it was possible. Now, our customers are asking for it."		 Southwest