Page 37 - MetalForming May 2012

Oberg Industries\Workforce Development
www.metalformingmagazine.com MetalForming/May 2012
Leadership Promotes Manufacturing
The generations of employees of Oberg Industries are the true legacy and back- bone of the company’s years of success, according to company officials. Maintaining these people and getting newcomers interested in pursuing careers in manufactur- ing are no easy tasks, and Oberg Industries goes to great lengths in such efforts.
For example, the company actively recruits new employees, and also encour- ages personnel to become involved in industry initiatives and community activities to promote manufacturing. For example, Greg Chambers, Oberg director of corpo- rate compliance, is a long-standing member and current chairman of the National Institute of Metalworking Skills (NIMS), leading the way to establish national per- formance standards. Chambers recently was appointed to the Advisory Committee for the U.S. Dept. of Labor on apprenticeships and is co-chairman of the precision machining technology competition of the National- Skills USA program. He has also served as the past president of the American Apprenticeship Round Table.
Dave Crawford, Oberg human resources manager, champions the cause for tal- ent acquisition, regularly seeking hard-to-find CNC specialists and machinists with the right skill sets. Unique about Crawford’s approach, he lobbies the marketplace, visiting more than 80 schools annually, serving on five advisory boards and partici- pating in the PA Center of Advanced Manufacturing - State Initiative and the PA- Skills USA. Crawford’s leadership champions the cause to place Oberg’s name out there, and promotes the manufacturing industry to the academia leadership that regularly counsels America’s youth on career issues.
Neil Ashbaugh, Oberg senior market support specialist, has collaborated with the company’s human resources department to promote branding of the business to potential employees through his involvement with the Butler County, PA, Manufacturing Consortium and through his work with county and state economic development agencies as well as with elected officials. His goal: Positively influence people, families, and businesses to uplift manufacturing business causes and the potential for local jobs.
assigned to each job area. The coor- dinator interacts with apprentices daily, ensuring they complete their weekly apprenticeship tasks.
“Formally, we evaluate appren- tices every six months,” says Lou Pro- viano, director of human resources. “If they do well, they receive a pay bump and we keep moving them across the competency line.”
Besides the pay increases and sat- isfaction of earning journeyworker sta- tus, apprenticeship graduates become eligible to receive third-party credentials that follow them throughout their careers, inside and outside of Oberg.
Solid Wages and Benefits Attract, Keep Talent
The apprentice pay and skills bumps are part of an overall solid employee-benefit mix that allows Oberg to attract and retain talent in a competitive region. Starting wages for production employees average 20 percent higher than most other local companies in the metalforming industry, according to Oberg offi- cials, and the company regularly
benchmarks for competitive pay and benefits packages. Importantly, due to business demands, for more than 30 yr. Oberg has provided more employ- ees the option of working 50 hr./week or more, typically in 10-hr., five-day shifts. The added hours certainly put
“As the pressroom manager, apprentice- ships and training requirements can pose a scheduling challenge, but if we have someone without the needed training, we can end up with a broken tool,” says Mike McKinnon. “Oberg Industries is like a family. It’s taken care of me beyond what any other company ever has. I have attended a lot of classes and seminars in my 19 years here— Oberg has provided me with training for everything I’ve needed to learn.”
“Being responsible for a quick-turn- around department, cross-training pro- vides me with versatile employees,” says Tim Wiles, production supervisor and 30-yr. employee who started with the company as an apprentice. “I’ve received a lot of training for leadership and for dealing with people, to prepare me for supervision. There are a lot of good mentors in this company.”
more money in employees’ pockets. “This provides 20 hr. of overtime at 1.5 times the employee’s hourly rate every two weeks,” explains Proviano. “The result is almost 38 percent more in the paycheck of the average machinist, machine operator, tool- maker, press operator, mechanic and apprentice. This overtime model has been part of the fabric at Oberg for many years, where our employees have touted some of the largest W2’s in the valley in our industry. While smaller shops use the overtime tool as the exception to managing busi- ness demand, we use it as the Oberg standard. And in recent years, we’ve even offered flexible work schedules, allowing for a range of start-finish times to allow employees to better
balance work and home life.”
Oberg also provides merit reviews for wage increases, and offers shift- pay differentials of as much as 20 per- cent plus additional incentives for lead personnel. In addition, the company offers an annual bonus program based on profitability that has pro- vided additional employee income. On average, Oberg offers merit raises of 2 to 3 percent, coupled with bonus payouts of 2 to 3 percent. In 2011, the company delivered a 2 percent merit