O/T Employment Opportunity

[chris m]

I have been granted permission to expand my department from [2] to [3] Manufacturing Engineers (plus me) and I would like to begin my search with people I know. We are the $40mil US facility of a $300mil+ worldwide manufacturer of high-precision rotary motion control products; this facility (Peabody, Massachusetts) employs roughly [90] people in Sales, Design Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing Engineering, Materials Management, Production, and Administration. Our core business is precision machining (primarily turning), assembly, and testing. We really make product here with over [30] CNC machine tools on the shop floor; we’re not just polishing dust off imported parts and attaching stickers. We have invested $2mil in machine tools in the past [12] months, probably $6mil in the last [10] years, and millions in tooling and gages over that period; our tooling budget (which I also manage) runs approximately $250 - $300K per year. The point of this is, the company makes money and the company plows money back into capital improvements and operating supplies. We have a good pay package with outstanding benefits and a healthy profit-sharing plan.

 

 

 

Now that we’ve handled the basics of the company; a little about what the job is and who I am looking for:

 

 

 

The beginning job duties and responsibilities are somewhat flexible based on the aptitude and experience of the person, but include:

 

- Generate CNC programs for turning and milling centers, including setup sheets, sketches, gage lists, and any other necessary documentation

 

- Support shop-floor operations, troubleshoot process problems, train and coach machine operators on machine tools and processes

 

- Participate in Continuous Improvement projects with Production teams and with Manufacturing Engineering department

 

- Prepare and maintain a variety of documentation using Mastercam, AutoCAD, MS Office, and Microsoft Dynamics AX ERP system

 

- Review new designs for manufacturability and suggest improvements to existing designs that would reduce cost and/or improve quality

 

- Participate in identifying tooling and capital equipment requirements for improved future production

 

- Generate process plans for new parts including order of operations and time standards

 

 

 

This is a position that has great potential for personal growth; the more the employee can handle, the more latitude and responsibility that the employee will be granted.

 

 

 

The person I am looking for will have:

 

- BS in Manufacturing or Mechanical Engineering / Technology; I am looking for an engineer that can program CNCs, NOT a CNC programmer

 

- MINIMUM of five years actual practical experience supporting a production machining operation

 

- Working, proven knowledge of jig and fixture design and overall understanding of workholding principles and limitations

 

- Strong hands-on CNC machining skills; Okuma OSP control experience is a major plus but not essential

 

- Good written and verbal communication skills

 

- Ability to work independently with limited supervision

 

- Willingness to perform whatever tasks are necessary to meet production schedules or other goals set by Management

 

 

 

This position will, like our other Manufacturing Engineers, report to me directly. I work hard and expect my salaried guys to work hard, not watch the clock, and not do the minimum required to get by; the company’s success is our success and support of the shop-floor personnel to the best of our abilities is what I expect. I am not a Drill Instructor, but if you want to surf the ‘net all day and BS with your coworkers this isn’t the job for you; I am looking for someone who will carry some of my load so that I can turn my attention away from the day-to-day operations and toward larger-scale projects that will bring value to the company.

 

 

 

If you know of anyone who might be a serious candidate for this position, please ask them to contact me at cmoffattATharmonicdriveDOTnet

 

Thanks

 

C

[chris m]

117 views in four hours and not so much as a comment, eh? You guys are uncharacteristically close-mouthed today.

 

C

[Guest]

Honestly Chris,

 

looking at your have to haves, and knowing how so many other companies are having a difficult time finding people, I think you're going to be looking for awhile

 

JM2C

[spade117]

I match up to the criteria almost perfectly.

 

Other than Okuma experience and the degree...which I'm in the middle of now, so moving while finishing the degree doesn't work for me. And I'm not really sure if I have any interest in the geographical location.

[chris m]

I have no doubt that I am in for a long pull, John, if I don't get a hit from someone who's working now in an unhappy situation; good people are hard to find.

 

C

[Guest]

I'd be curious to know how many "degreed" Engineers are actually programming CNC equipment.

 

I would think that many/most would have moved on from that as opportunities open that were not previously available.

 

Nothing really answerable, just kind of wondering out loud

[Mr. Wizzard]

I don't know a single engineer who could operate a conversational control......maybe it's just the crap location I'm in.

 

Good luck in your search!

[Josh Kinney -Elite Engineering]

I would love the opportunity but unfortunately "I" don't meet "YOUR" the requirements.

 

Josh-

 

Fissed for Robert......

Edited April 29, 2011 by Josh Kinney - TMF Inc.

[Zoober]

Maybe you should lower your requirements Josh....

[taperlength]

Does this position rate a private office or a cubicle? Will the company pay moving expenses?

[chris m]

I'd be curious to know how many "degreed" Engineers are actually programming CNC equipment

 

I know, personally, [4], including myself, in this immediate area

 

I don't know a single engineer who could operate a conversational control

 

Hi, nice to meet you; my name's Chris

 

Does this position rate a private office or a cubicle? Will the company pay moving expenses?

 

The only private offices or cubicles here are the President and the Aerospace / Defense Contracts guy. Currently we are not planning on paying relocation but that song may change; I will keep you posted.

 

C

[Greg Williams]

I'd be curious to know how many "degreed" Engineers are actually programming CNC equipment

 

I know of 3 who do CNC programming and other duties

[chris m]

and other duties

 

THIS is the key; we have a bunch of CNCs and they require programming and troubleshooting, BUT, our programming typically comes in waves. Somebody orders a new custom actuator that has [15] parts in it, they all need to be turned (some more than once or twice), drilled / milled, honed, hobbed, shaped, whatever and those operations need sketches, fixtures, jaws, cutting tools, gages, programs, etc, so we have a burst of that work to be done. After that we might go a month with just program maintenance, tweaks, etc, but there are cost-reduction projects to be tackled, processes to be improved, Continuous Improvement tasks to be performed, etc. This is why I don't need a CNC programmer; a good programmer would blow through the work I have and then either sit around twiddling their thumbs or need to be trained, coached, directed to a degree that exceeds my desires in order to handle the rest.

 

C

[Mr. Wizzard]

a good programmer would blow through the work I have and then either sit around twiddling their thumbs or need to be trained, coached, directed to a degree that exceeds my desires in order to handle the rest.

 

Mostly because of my location, an engineer and a machinist/programmer are mutually exclusive terms. Someone of your expertise and qualifications would most definitely be one-of-a-kind here. Your location might prove to be a different world where you may find someone to fit your requirements. I'm just saying that requiring a 4-year degree might scare off someone completely capable of the job. I understand you wanna come out shooting high and it sounds well justified.

 

Quick question, sorry for the high-jack, do you guys find that engineers who can program/machine were machinists first who went to school for a degree or engineers first who learned to program/machine? Just curious....

 

Good luck in your search, Chris.

[robk]

Good luck in your search Chris. Over here we're having a difficult time finding manufacturing engineers in general, and never mind them knowing programming on top of that.

[chris m]

Rob, I feel your pain man; too bad everyone decided they were going to get rich working as lawyers, stockbrokers and pyschotherapists since the late 80s / early 90s because there's nobody under the age of [35] who wants to f-ing work for a living anymore

 

do you guys find that engineers who can program/machine were machinists first who went to school for a degree or engineers first who learned to program/machine?

 

I think it's about 50/50; depends a lot on where you go to school. There are certainly more than a few guys who grew up working in the family machine shop until dad said, "boy, you're going to get your a$$ a degree and not putz around will these guys in the shop all day."

 

C

[Mr. Wizzard]

because there's nobody under the age of [35] who wants to f-ing work for a living anymore

 

+100000000

 

Sad, but very true.

[htm01]

having a difficult time finding manufacturing engineers

having a hard time finding someone who will come to work every day!

[RandleXX]

The degreed engineers coming out of the school system nowdays are pretty much worthless.

[dforsythe]

there's nobody under the age of [35] who wants to f-ing work for a living anymore

 

 

I dont mind working for a living

[Guest CNC Apps Guy 1]

I got a few looks for our position. Less stringent requirements than you but still, lots of views, few e-mails. 95% of the people in this industry don't have the testicular fortitude for jobs like ours. That's the bottom line.

 

All the better for guys like us though. We get more valuable every day. The downside to that (and yes,there is a downside)is that we as a nation get less competitive.

 

 

[mayday]

Sounds like you guys are looking for a guy raised up from the chip barrel. you know the kind, from the band saw to the bridgeport to the engine lathe, boring mills, to the state of the art MTM machines. thats been using MC since at least V3. Done some design, assembly, turnkey runoff. working directly with customers.

dunno maybe its just me

good luck with your search

[Zoober]

95% of the people in this industry don't have the testicular fortitude for jobs like ours. That's the bottom line.

and the other 5% of us were AEs in the 80's and 90's and already have close to 800k frequent flyer miles already.

I don't think I would fly 3-5 days a week again for any amt. of money or prestige.

But then again, I'm in wind down mode. Time for chillaxin.

[chris m]

dunno maybe its just me

 

Its just you

[Surface]

Chris, give me a call when you have a chance.

 

John