Experienced workers are a job shop’s most valuable asset

Don’t underestimate the importance of a skilled worker to a metal fabrication shop, writes Nick Martin of North Carolina job shop Barnes MetalCrafters. Getty Images

A shop doesn’t always run as smoothly as you want or need it to. I think we can all relate to that, even if you’re not a metal fabrication job shop like us. A ton of scrapped parts can ruin the work flow for extended periods of time—but it shouldn’t be that way. The right crew working together can solve problems seamlessly, and one thing we have found in Barnes MetalCrafters is that experience pays.

I recently watched some scrap metal being hauled away from the shop on a trailer. It was full of skeletons and other miscellaneous defective parts. Most of the parts were miscuts combined with misbends, but there were also some misassembled parts in the mix. It was a tough sight to see. Since the time those parts were assembled incorrectly, we’ve gotten some new blood in the shop. It was time to put those parts in the past.

In the current economy, people who are working do not want to lose their jobs, and people who aren’t working are doing anything they can to make ends meet. Experienced and skilled workers are more valuable than ever, but that level of expertise is very hard to come by.

When you have an experienced worker in your shop, work is clearer and communication is easier. There isn’t as much fog through the trees, so to say. When I ask them to do something, I can trust them when they say, “OK. I got it.”

It’s an odd feeling to have a new hire with some honed skills know exactly what you are talking about without any questions. If they do have a question, it is a very relevant one and reassures me that they will complete the task properly. When a shop onboards an experienced person, managers can loosen the leash much quicker when work begins to flow in at a faster pace.

In our case, we recently hired a new press brake operator. Luckily for us, he has run the same machine controls before and fits right in with everyone on the shop floor. Ever since he started, we’ve noticed parts being produced correctly at a very steady pace. Not only does that make those of us in management happy, it makes the fabricators down the line happy. Putting an assembly together with tight-fitting corners is something any welder can appreciate.

We also have another fairly new employee, a fabricator, that came to us with experience. He is easy to communicate with and listens to any input or advice coworkers have to offer. He also has a consistent work flow, and his quality is what we expect it to be.

Here’s some advice to anyone starting at a new shop. Like many managers in my position, I find it bothersome when a new employee goes into defense mode when talking about something we are producing. Name-calling and pushing unwanted work away from their area isn’t at all productive and it’s bad for the morale of the shop. If there is a problem, the worker who caused it should own it and be proactive on fixing it.

Since we’ve brought in some new blood, problems with out-of-tolerance parts and over-/under-angled brakes have become few and far between. Equally as important, beef with anyone up and down the line has gone away. We really do have a great group of people at our shop. I cannot emphasize that enough, even though I point out some of our past shortcomings. Our employees tend to stay around for a while, but there always seems to be one or two floaters. And when you have one that doesn’t need to hold your hand, it’s a great feeling.

So if a shop that’s hiring says you need more experience, how do you get more experience if you can’t get that specific job? Don’t get discouraged; just get your foot in the door at any shop. When you’ve honed your skills more and improved your resume for the job you want, you’ll probably get scooped up and brought on board. Any experience is valuable experience.

And for shop managers, if an experienced person comes around, don’t hesitate. Hire them, pay them well, and treat them well. It only helps when an employee can bring new ideas to the table, offer insight to co-workers, and improve work flow. Everyone benefits.

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