Monthly Archives : October 2019

cnc machine shop

Top 10 Qualities Manufacturing Companies Look for in New Employees

The usual strong back, a robust pair of hands, and committed work ethic used to be the most desirable qualities of a new hire in manufacturing. While these attributes are important, there has been a transition from assembly-line manufacturing to technology-based manufacturing, thus impacting the way a CNC Machine Shop hires prospective talent. Today’s workers require a wider scope of skills for success including,

One: Ability to be Cross-Trained

Whether you are applying for a position as a CNC machinist in a CNC machine shop, line worker, quality engineer or other Denver manufacturing function, you must be flexible enough to cross-train in other areas. There are so many job tasks required to keep manufacturing running smoothly so those employees who have been cross-trained are highly valuable to the company.

Life happens – employees go on vacation, get sick, or don’t show up for work. If you can be cross-trained in a variety of functions, supervisors can add you to fill in the gaps. Also, those who showcase the ability to be cross-trained in a variety of functions make excellent supervisors and trainers in the future.

Two: Ambition

Although you may start in an entry-level position as a CNC machine shop Denver-based employee, that does not mean you cannot rise through the ranks. Companies want employees who are driven and motivated, who will go beyond the normal scope of their position when requested.

Ambitious employees are hard-working individuals who are regularly searching for ways to become more efficient and effective. These types of workers always have a higher chance of being considered for more challenging jobs when the opportunity presents itself.

Alongside ambition, hiring managers search for integrity and honesty during the interviewing process. For instance, when recognized for an achievement, the ambitious worker commends their colleagues who helped them succeed. Appreciating co-workers shows you are a team player who may be right for a leadership position in the future.

Three: Attention to Detail

Whether you are working for an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), in a custom machine shop or some other type of production, attention to detail is of the utmost importance. There are few positions where attention to detail is not important.

In manufacturing and when designing custom machined parts in a CNC machine shop, speed and precision are critical. Most manufacturing plants require the operation or interaction with heavy machinery so a lack of attention to detail can result in danger for you and your colleagues.

Four: Critical Thinking

The modern manufacturing employee must be able to think fast and quickly troubleshoot even the smallest of issues before they become major problems. Supervisors cannot individually solve every little issue throughout the day. Therefore, hiring managers seek those who can make accurate, rational, and quick decisions when unforeseen circumstances arise.

Five: Dependability

Although this is a required trait for any position, it is especially true in precision manufacturing and other areas of production. Manufacturing plants are large spaces with many employees so supervisors must be able to account for their staff with little oversight. Employees who excel with little supervisor involvement will create a successful career.

In addition to being dependable daily, arriving on time and ready to work is related. The best rule of thumb is to target arriving 15-minutes early so that you are not rushing to your station or work area. Rushing can also lead to a safety issue in an industrial environment.

Six: Enthusiasm

Enthusiasm runs together with the ability to be cross-trained and ambition but is slightly different. Manufacturers want candidates who are passionate about the job with which they are seeking. The passion and enthusiasm for a position should be glaringly obvious during the interview process.

Those who love their job tend to stay with companies longer than those who are only seeking a paycheck. Enthusiasm and passion are excellent traits for new employees to possess because they become useful to the company when leadership opportunities arise in the future. Enthusiasm from younger employees is especially key as management can help mold them into the perfect employee for that organization.

Seven: Interest in Technology

All US manufacturers love those who are genuinely interested in technology since it is a regularly evolving field that changes manufacturing operations. As soon as five years ago, the smartphone revolutionized manufacturing, and today, it is drones. In a few more years, production could be driven by artificial intelligence.

By showing a learning interest in technology, you are sending a message that you want to be part of their organization for the long-haul. When submitting your resume, make sure to highlight this desire to learn and succeed.

Eight: Positive Attitude

Possessing a positive attitude is essential for all positions. However, in manufacturing, there are many difficult tasks and positions that need to be fulfilled to ensure smooth and efficient manufacturing. Therefore, when asked to do an unfavorable task, those employees who do it with a smile on their face will always shine above those who complain and grumble.

Having a positive attitude during an interview process speaks volumes about the character of the candidate. For instance, all employees have dealt with difficult work situations in the past and when this question arises, those candidates who positively explain the problem and their solution, are a much larger asset to the organization.

Nine: Strong Communication

Communication is a top skill to possess in all industries but is especially essential for CNC manufacturing. If you can successfully communicate with your co-workers and superiors to achieve greater goals for the company, this shows you are a team player who is committed to the success of the organization. This makes you a highly valuable and well-respected employee.

Ten: Team Player

All types of manufacturing cannot be successful unless all employees work as a team. From assembly line production to technology-based manufacturing, all employees must do their part in the process to ensure the next worker can do theirs. Even at the management level, all departments must work together to meet the goals of the organization.

While all these skills are critical to being successful in manufacturing, it is rare to find an employee who possesses them all. However, through continuous personal development of manufacturing employees, supervisors, and upper management, skills can be refined, and new traits can be learned to better foster and improve these traits.

If you feel you embody these traits, contact Tag Team Manufacturing and apply for a position in their Colorado CNC Machine Shop.

manufacturing automation

Robots on the Rise — Rapid Advances in Automation

It is common knowledge that companies and educational institutions are doing what it takes to keep up with the ever-evolving field of automation.   Robots and robotics impacts work and workplaces in new ways, every day.

Automation Changes Every Thing

Automation is changing how we live, how we work, and how we spend our free time. It improves quality of life and productivity. The supply and demand in most areas of commerce and business field are made easier because of various uses of automation. According to economists,  the improvement of productivity that automation provides is positive for improving Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the value of goods and services produced in any given country.

Robots are a newish concept. However, since the beginning of making and providing goods and services, automation has existed. Consider the printing press, the steam engine, or a plow and compare them to a modern-time machine shop.  Machine-tending robots utilize times when production would not occur. They also provide faster and more efficient work. However, while robots are on the rise, man and machine collaborate and work safely in the same space. ” Cobots” use sensors to allow humans and machines to work side-by-side in a machine shop or factory without incident.

Fear Not Robots

A custom machine shop is not the end of employing humans. No historical evidence exists that shows a significant technology impacting human employment levels. The fear that robots will take over stems from Western economies that include robots and automation. The trepidation and hesitation to utilize the latest technologies are unfounded. No one knows where the future of robots and automation will take the human race, but by all accounts, they are positive for all aspects of life.

Aspects of Automation

Companies like cnc automation continually examine the market of robots, machine shop technology, custom machined parts and all things’ automation.  Every aspect requires constant consideration and the evolution of beliefs.

  • The human workforce will remain competitive. Not all companies utilize automation and certainly not assign their labor to solely robots. Factors such as business size, geography, and payoff of the investment of automation technology. Companies that keep a mixed workforce are more productive than those that utilize only one or the other.
  • The rise of robots sees safer work conditions. Workplace accidents come at a high cost, financially and personally. With the latest technology, the most dangerous of tasks are doable by robots. Strains from heavy lifting, exhaustion, and unsafe working conditions are no longer the norm.
  • Automation drives job creation.  Evidence shows that waves of technology have no effect on employment numbers. The opposite is actually true. As technology evolves, the number of required skills in a workplace grows. 
  • Three major industries predict a mostly mixed workplace. Healthcare, manufacturing, and logistics already are putting automation to work with their human labor force. The trend is expected to grow far larger and far faster in the future. Productivity, accuracy, and competition are the driving force in robots and humans working together.
  • Workers report positive job satisfaction and a rewarding salary when automation is part of a company’s profile. Factors such as decentralized management structure,  collaboration with multidisciplinary teams, the wide variety of tasks, and employee autonomy lead to positive workplace culture.

Robots & Manufacturing

Consumers now enjoy a wide-ranging variety of products. The increase in low volume, high mix manufacturing is obvious. Robots and automation is crucial when improving productivity in a non-challenging way. For example, Denver Manufacturing is a highly adaptable region where machine shops work to reduce manufacturing defects, lessen machine downtime, and decrease cost and loss of productivity.

One of the rising trends in automation and robotics is Cloud robotics. It is when data is collected and analyzed for productive and predictive purpose. Robots are becoming easier to afford, more adaptive to constant updates, and straightforward when reprogramming.  Historically, larger businesses were the beneficiaries of robots. However, at a lower cost and easier to operate, everyone is seeing the rise in robots, in a factor or even in a personal home.

Factors that make automation and robotics available to all:

  • Expansion in Company Visions
  • Falling Prices in Components and Custom Machined Parts
  • Mobility and Gripping Technology
  • Cobot Evolution
  • Sensory Technology

Robots — The New Coworker

Workers see an increase in responsibility of workflow and processes in factories and warehouses because of effective integration of robots.  Other workers experience robots as direct coworkers and teammates. For example, robots and workers come together to assemble products or parts and pack them for delivery.

A collaborative robot is one that senses the environment and knows to move or react in tandem with a human counterpart. They work with human labor to lift a heavy object from one place to another for processing, get and carry parts that the worker requires, and perform precision manufacturing in a factory setting driven by human workers.

Actions possible with a collaborative robot includes:

  • Weld
  • Glue
  • Mark
  • Label
  • Solder
  • Lift and Place

The International Standards Organization  (ISO) identifies four kinds of human and robot collaboration:

  1. Safety-rated monitored stop. “This is similar to the approach used with traditional industrial robots,” said Vladimir Murashov, a senior scientist in the Office of the Director at NIOSH and a member of the NIOSH Center for Occupational Robotics Research. “The work stops when a worker would like to enter the workspace of the robot.”
  2. Hand guiding is when a robot moves with the help of an operator.
  3. Speed and separation monitoring are when a robot slows or stops when human coworkers approach or touches it.
  4. Power and force limiting. “This is the approach that has really taken off in the marketplace, so it defines what everyone considers a ‘collaborative’ robot,” said Carole Franklin, director of standards development at the Robotic Industries Association. “Typically, these robots are limited in the payload they can carry and in the amount of force they could exert if they were to strike a person by accident. Also, the power/force-limited robots tend to be designed with rounded edges and softer surfaces that reduce the risk of injury if contact were to occur.”

New technology is often met with skepticism and anxiety. However, no evidence exists that robots take away human employment. Instead, it creates new jobs and optimal productivity. Contact Tag Team Manufacturing in Parker, Colorado.