Workbox Staffing’s Post

Manufacturing seems to be the hot space right now. We are seeing a lot of recruitment and movement with plant managers and distribution supply chain, as well as project managers. Maintenance Managers are and Plant Managers seem to be the highest demand with many receiving multiple offers. With a number of plant managers who have retired versus continued onward in the job market, there seems to be a shortage of plant manager talent right now. And, in general, a shortage across most manufacturing positions in management and engineering. On the sales front, medical equipment, payments and financial consulting are showing movement. The payments space in particular seems to be very hot, and as well, with a shortage of talent. Same as in plant manager searches, we are seeing those in the space taking to the job market are soon to be with multiple offers in hand. In the start up world - a few high profile start ups had planned sales expansions beginning in Q1, and are now pushing those off until June. Across hiring industries, hunter and business development roles seem to be the flavor. Which tells me industry is sensing a new wave of revenues to chase, which bodes well in the big picture.

Feeling ready to step up in your manufacturing career but not quite sure where to start? With specializations ranging from engineering to supply chain management, finding the perfect fit can seem daunting. That's where our expertise comes in. We're here to navigate you through the vast opportunities within the manufacturing sector, tailoring options to your unique skill set and career goals. Let's explore together! #CareerGrowth #ManufacturingJobs #EngineeringCareers

How I went from Engineer to Manufacturing Manager to Consultant (a 26 year journey)… I started out wanting to be a garbage man—until I realized they worked in all weather conditions (rain or shine), not really my stride. So, instead, I joined Cooper Industries’ Manager training program right out of school, rotating through 4 positions: Quality, IE, Supervisor & Tech. In just two years, I visited over 50 manufacturing sites, laying the foundation for my Lean Learnings. By 34, I became a plant manager at Focal Point Lighting, managing 200+ employees and implementing a one-piece flow system. But at the time, with 7 kids at home, too much time was allocated to work. So, I shifted gears, taking on roles at smaller organizations with reduced hours (instead of more money) provided the same or better results were achieved. This gave me flexibility to start consulting on the side, teaching others how to make greater impact with fewer hours clocked in. This went on for 5 years before becoming a full-time consultant in 2022. In the course of just 6 months, I was a fully booked consultant teaching and advising flow principles & lean frameworks. The best part? More time with my 11 children while helping companies and leaders grow. Would I change anything? Maybe I’d have started my consulting side-hustle earlier. But every step of my journey has been valuable. 👉 Where are you on your career path? 👉 Are you thinking about making a change? P.S. I now only accept local clients, so I can be home every night while serving my clients to my fullest capacity. And thanks to LinkedIn, all my clients have come through referrals and connections. I’m grateful for that! P.P.S Want to learn more, DM me... let's chat. Picture: Current, former, and future XXHH employees... my amazingly supportive family! #LeanManufacturing #ManufacturingIndustry #ManufacturingManager #ManufacturingConsultant #ManufacturingExpert

Soft Skills or Hard?              Looking at some of the career opportunity posts, one could be forgiven for thinking that many upper-management-level manufacturing opportunities necessitate an engineering background. It could be argued that deeper-level understanding of the operational parameters of equipment and machinery offers certain advantages in such an environment but, in my experience, the more salient argument is, that as it is the shopfloor team who operates the production equipment and not the manager, then people i.e., soft, skills are much more relevant. It is often said that managing people is the hardest part of a manager’s role. Being in such a position, where your people skills are more advantageous than understanding how the machines work, is certainly a challenge, but is by far the most rewarding when it works well. It would be easy to cite instances where I’ve witnessed poor management by those entrusted with oversight of teams of people, seemingly as a result of an almost complete lack of soft skills, which resulted in highly unwanted, and even highly costly, outcomes. I often refer to a personal list of certain skills which I have found find helpful, many of which are complimentary and naturally overlap, when faced with the stream of daily challenges. Skills to benefit yourself in your daily working routines include being focused, organized, confident, strong, resilient, disciplined, responsible, resourceful, industrious, frugal and flexible. Skills to draw upon when considering or interacting with your team include being empathic, collaborative, enthusiastic, thoughtful, generous, kind, respectful, patient, helpful, supportive, caring, understanding and sincere. It has been my experience that having these skills in your management arsenal, and putting them into practice, produces outcomes and benefits far beyond even a deep mechanical understanding. After all, one can place new employees into positions with just an instruction sheet, a modicum of training and some light supervision, but getting them to produce their best work with diligence, responsibility and enthusiasm, requires empathy, understanding and skills with hearts and minds.

Right person for the right job! - sounds simple? It's not always. We had positioned a competent engineer as a factory manager, years back. He had all reasons to succeed - good shopfloor experience, good with people, technically strong, had done union agreements. But in a completely new geography, with the language and culture unknown, he couldn't do well. Any number of conversations on inputs, support didn't work. We moved him to a completely different, in a new geography and setting. He did reasonably well there. We positioned a bright IITian as incharge of quality in a plant. It was a very exciting role and his predecessors with similar profiles had done very well in this role. The role was demanding in terms of complexity and interface with a diverse set of stakeholders. He miserably failed, to our shock and disbelief. We had conversations on concerns and support required, but situation hardly changed. We moved him into another role, in another plant, focused on a new technology project. He did pretty well. While, we deploy well oiled processes to identify and position talent for critical positions, we can get it wrong a few times. The system also considers growth and learning aspirations of individuals in positioning people.Thankfully, instead of labeling the resource as incompetent, we try to match the requirements with specific capabilities after such experiences. But these experiences dent the confidence of individuals. And despite such efforts in offering newer and different roles, few individuals may still not fit into these roles well, and fail to deliver.

🌱 Exploring the Intricacies of Recruiting a Plant Manager 🌱 Recruiting for the position of a Plant Manager is no small feat, as brilliantly outlined in a recent article I came across. This piece sheds light on the complexities and unique challenges faced when filling this crucial role, especially in less-than-ideal locations. The discussion extends beyond the typical job requirements to the nuanced aspects of leadership, industry knowledge, and resilience that these roles demand. 🔍 Why Read This Article? - Deep Insights: Understand the profound challenges and what it truly takes to recruit for a pivotal position like Plant Manager. - Real Experiences: The article provides real-life scenarios that bring to life the difficulties and triumphs of recruiting in tough circumstances. - Expertise Shared: Gain from the wealth of knowledge shared by a seasoned recruiter Dorota Wróblewska who navigates these waters regularly. Whether you're in HR, management, recruitment, or just fascinated by the dynamics of hiring for critical roles, this article offers valuable perspectives. Let's dive deeper into what makes recruiting for such positions a fascinating and rewarding challenge! Join the conversation and share your insights on this intricate topic. https://lnkd.in/dAqwC66T

"Ready to Optimize Operations & Drive Results! As an experience Supervisor with a proven track record in manufacturing, production, or operations. I'm eager to leverage my skills and experience in a new opportunity. I am confident in my ability to drive growth, innovation, and success. My strengths: - Process improvement & optimization - Team leadership & development - Quality control & assurance - Lean manufacturing & six sigma methodologies - Operational efficiency & productivity growth If you know of a company that could use a dedicated and passionate professional, let's connect! I'm excited to explore new possibilities and contribute to a team's success. Feel free to share any job leads or introductions. Let's make something amazing happen! #jobseeker #newchapter #careersearch #opportunityahead #operations #manufacturing #production #supervisor #jobseeker #lean #sixsigma"

Happy National Manufacturing Day! 🎉 Curious about a career in manufacturing? Wondering what it really involves? Over the next month, we will continue to share insights that could change your perspective. Manufacturing is booming in our state, and there's a place for YOU to build a lasting career—not just another job. Don’t miss the chance to learn more! Check out the event details below, and discover how you can get started in this exciting and growing industry. 👇 #ManufacturingDay #CareersInManufacturing #YourFutureStartsHere

Notes for my fellow transitioning Army Officers, more specifically in Logistics. I found most of the jobs that fit to us are project management or called project engineering. Most of these are individual contributor roles and not coded as management or leadership when it comes to grade/level. Keep this is mind. The major groups I found can be lumped into the big mailing companies (fedex, ups, etc), transportation, manufacturing, distribution, production, operation. So pretty much any company, but if your brand specific look into the top 20s. Get your MBA first if you can. This will leverage your salary and ability to get a higher level/grade (think of it like rank). Connect with recruiters to explain the company rank system. Individual contributor, hourly, salary, management. A Director at one company can be a lvl 7 manager, but a lvl 3 individual contributor at another. Learn about Sr., Staff, etc for engineering companies.

Leadership opportunity in Operations in Australia