ReleaseWire

Job openings in the manufacturing industry have increased significantly; possibly signaling high turnover rates according to the July 2014 Bureau of Labor Statistics Job Openings and Labor Turnover. People Driven Performance (PDP) Solutions is a software development company providing manufacturers internal and interactive communications. According to Louise Dickmeyer, President of PDP Solutions, “These labor statistics on turnover are part of a serious ‘perfect storm.’ Meaning specifically that turnover, boomers retiring en masse with skilled knowledge, and lack of engagement will all converge to wreak havoc on manufacturers.”

PDP Solutions President, Louise Dickmeyer suggested, “Employee retention comes from employee engagement.” Too often manufacturers fail to take a long-term view of employees.

There is no dispute that the future of manufacturing organizations must optimize their people, processes, and technologies—what is referred to as a continuous journey towards Operational Excellence. Manufacturing operational excellence is futile without effective leadership communication. Manufacturers' Pain Points newsletter reports on best-practice manufacturing leadership communication.

PDP Solutions' President Louise Dickmeyer presents next week at the NWPCA's (National Wooden Pallet & Container Association) Annual Leadership Conference, March 13. Dickmeyer will discuss how company leaders can address multi-generational issues and effective employee retention strategies. NWPCA members with significant HR background will provide insights and lead discussion on how to improve these critical elements of effective pallet industry communication management. Panel members will include Howe Wallace from PalletOne, and Kathleen Dietrich from Commercial Lumber & Pallet.

Many talented people feel that they do not have anything new to learn in their chosen field. They believe what got them there is enough. Those who are determined and who work hard often spend a lot of time and effort to learn new skills and maintain existing ones. They display the most current knowledge of new technology and ideas. Having employees who will improve themselves over and above the company-sponsored training is critical to a manufacturing organization wanting to innovate and improve.

All manufacturing leaders each have strengths and weaknesses. The greatest strength often rests in the understanding of how production works, product is engineered, and assembled. Communication is often the great weakness of many manufacturing leaders and it comes with a high a price as a defective product. Operations leaders at small- and mid-sized manufacturing companies have no shortage of stress. Much of the burden of bringing in jobs on-time and on-budget falls on C-level executives, which explains the thirst for visibility and hawkish attention to detail regarding everything on the shop floor.

During the recession manufacturing employees questioned the security of their jobs. Even in a fast improving manufacturing climate, the rapid pace of change in most manufacturing organizations is causing employees to frequently consider their value and significant contribution to the organization.

Career development has a direct impact on employee retention. Louise Dickmeyer, President of PDP Solutions discussed in the company blog, when peoples' desire to make advancement in their own career is not fulfilled, they will begin looking for work elsewhere. Opportunities to move up the career ladder often come down to availability of open positions—waiting for someone to die or retire to move up in the company is a sad reality for many people. When promotions seem like a waiting game to employees, organizations are at risk of turnover.

PDP Solutions' President Louise Dickmeyer will present at the NWPCA's (National Wooden Pallet & Container Association) upcoming Annual Leadership Conference on March 13. The presentation is from 11:00 am – 12:00 pm. Dickmeyer will discuss how company leaders can address multi-generational issues and effective retention strategies. The leading HR consultant is joined by NWPCA members with significant HR background to provide insights and lead discussion on how to improve these critical elements of effective pallet industry management. Panel members include Howe Wallace from PalletOne and Kathleen Dietrich from Commercial Lumber and Pallet.

A recent Huffington Post blog discussed if 100 CEOs were asked to define their company's competitive advantage, a few might say they make a superior quality product, or they have a bulletproof business model. The majority of the CEOs of leading organizations would say it's their people -- and although that may seem like a soft answer, it is true -- and anything but soft. No matter how good the product, a stellar team is needed to design it, build it, improve it, sell it and service it. No matter how solid the business model, great people are needed to back it up and deliver on the manufacturers' promise to stakeholders. Employees are the secret sauce behind any successful business – and sadly too often manufacturing leaders have a "set it and forget it" mentality when it comes to the workforce. People are the biggest asset, and every manufacturing leader must try their hardest to set their employees up for success. Manufacturers' Pain Points newsletter reports on employee engagement trends in manufacturing.

GuideSpark announced the results of its latest research on employee participation in corporate wellness programs. This extensive study explored what employees are looking for in wellness programs and what employers can do to maximize participation. "As companies increase their investment in expansive wellness programs designed to improve company performance and employee engagement and retention, participation among employees continues to lag," said Keith Kitani, GuideSpark CEO. Manufacturers' Pain Points newsletter reports on employee engagement trends in manufacturing.

Manufacturers' Pain Points newsletter reported manufacturing high tech companies are capturing employee engagement via corporate citizenship. Profiling Intuit, makers of Quicken, the company's "We Care and Give Back Program" includes "Dollars for Doers," donation matching, and team grants. The motivation behind this program was to better engage the staff. Most companies set a Dollars for Doers amount of about $15-20 per hour starting at 10 hours, sometimes starting as high as 50 hours! Intuit got rid of the 10-hour threshold and said, "Every hour you volunteer deserves a match."

Manufacturers' Pain Points newsletter reported that Birmingham's Brasfield & Gorrie, one of the largest privately-held construction firms in the U.S., has been on the forefront, and benefited from, the migration of the manufacturing industry. Major manufacturers like Nissan, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin continue to move new construction and operations to right-to-work states where unionization is less likely. But while manufacturing continues to be a high-growth economic opportunity in the region — in Georgia and Tennessee, manufacturing employment grew 3 percent last year ending in October, nearly twice the national average of 1.6 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Factory employment was above average in Alabama (2.9 percent), South Carolina (2.4 percent) and Mississippi (2 percent) as well — the labor force in the North is not keeping up the pace.

Manufacturers' Pain Points newsletter reported the importance of employee engagement within the workplace cannot be overstated. Offices that put an emphasis on their workforce outperform those who do not. Engaged workers stand apart from their not-engaged and actively disengaged counterparts because of the discretionary effort they consistently bring to their roles. According to Government Executive, one crucial element to employee engagement is offering a career development program. These types of programs typically help the entry-level folks, and while this particular group of individuals is just beginning their careers, seeing them through as they climb the ladder can help not only them, but the companies that have invested time and much more in these people.

Manufacturers' Pain Points newsletter reported if 100 CEOs were asked to define their company's competitive advantage, a few might say they make a superior quality product, or they have a bulletproof business model. No matter how good the product, a stellar team is needed to design it, build it, improve it, sell it, and service it. No matter how solid the business model, great people are needed to back it up and deliver on the manufacturers' promise to stakeholders. Boyce believes that the majority of the CEOs of leading organizations would say it is their people -- and although that may seem like a soft answer, it is true -- and anything but soft.

Manufacturers' Pain Points newsletter reported manufacturers often lead by brilliant engineers, are too often passive leaders. Brian Solis authored research demonstrating the economic impact of passive engagement and complete disengagement is potentially devastating on the horizon. Solis asserts, "Right now, it's only building momentum, reducing profitability, and eroding morale every day. While I've not researched the expected losses businesses should expect as a result of this shocking news, I have researched the benefits of actively engaging employees. Believe it or not, doing so carries a notable impact on relationships and the bottom line." Solis partnered with LinkedIn to lead a research project that could put weight behind dedicated employee engagement programs while also demonstrating the business upside in doing so.

Manufacturers' Pain Points newsletter reported that manufacturers in North America have seen employee diabetes rates greater than the national average. Rates as high as 4 in 10 employees either diagnosed with the disease or considered pre-diabetic (and heading toward a diagnosis without immediate behavioral changes). Wellness Works reported that diabetes management is not only a major personal issue, of course, but also a significant workplace issue. Many employers seek programs to help employees. A new report from the Northeast Business Group on Health suggests that some employers are frustrated that their diabetes management programs may be ineffective.

Manufacturers' Pain Points newsletter reported that manufacturers who designate environmental excellence drive profitability and a positive public perception. The Employee Engagement Roadmap is a 3-step "how to" guide that helps sustainability leaders engage employees on the environment and connect those efforts to business results. Engaging employees around the environment benefits both business and society. The field of environmental employee engagement (EEE) is early in its development and there remain many questions about how to begin, scale up, and sustain results. This Roadmap addresses those questions and more, showing how to link EEE to business results, measure performance, execute with excellence, and build widespread support.

Manufacturers' Pain Points newsletter reported that a recent study shows the American metals industry accounts for nearly 2.5 million jobs and the economic contribution of the industry is more than $552 billion or more than 3.5% of the nation's gross domestic product. Metals industry CEOs face myriad staffing issues today: a lack of skilled workers, concern over succession planning and "building a strong bench" so that the company can continue successfully when current management retires. MSCI saw a need for an executive education program specific to their industry that would raise up leaders and created Strategic Metals Management.

Manufacturers' Pain Points newsletter reported that Donna Lowry profiled the nature of manufacturing jobs today for Atlanta-based WXIA, Channel 11. Factories now have a new look.

Manufacturers' Pain Points newsletter reported that American Roll Form (ARF) made a significant decision about their business changing the company DNA forever. They decided to offer an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP). ESOP encourages personal accountability for all employees and gives the company team incentives to make operations more efficient, pursue growth opportunities and help the customers succeed. This individual ownership permeates the quality production, innovative thinking and hardworking service that ARF employees offer. At its most basic level, an ESOP is an employee-benefit plan. ESOPs are commonly used to create a monetary account for closely held stock of its shareholders, to help motivate and reward employees by giving them financial stake in the company, and to take advantage of different tax incentives. Once an ESOP purchases the balance of all company shares, it can say that it is 100% employee-owned. ARF is proud to be 100% employee-owned and operated.

Major Manufacturers Migration South Continues with High Tech Growth Manufacturers' Pain Points newsletter reported that Birmingham's Brasfield & Gorrie, one of the largest privately-held construction firms in the U.S., has been on the forefront, and benefited from, the migration of the manufacturing industry to the Southern states like Texas, Alabama, Tennessee, and Florida. Major manufacturers like Nissan, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin continue to move new construction and operations to right-to-work states where unionization is less likely.

Manufacturers' Pain Points newsletter reported on Companion Group whose CEO Chuck Adams emphasized the culture of family, "We're not just a 'family of brands,' we are a family. We started the business back in 1984 (we used to be called Charcoal Companion, but have since evolved). 2014 marks our 30th year in business, yet we feel like we're just getting started. Likes to refer to us as the "first company in grilling." Adams insists that treating people right is fundamental to how we do business. "We treat our customers how we want to be treated. We listen to customer concerns and feedback and are only a phone call or email away. We treat each other like family, and we treat ourselves to a good day's work and regular vacations," Adams shared.

Manufacturers' Pain Points newsletter reported Hannibal Industries strategic and impressive recovery was featured in a LA Times article. Hannibal Industries, a large scale, California-based manufacturing company, became an employee owned company via ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) in 2008.

For the second time in three years, salaries in 2014 decreased slightly for quality professionals, who said their organization's quality culture plays a key role in the overall satisfaction of their job and salary, according to Quality Progress magazine's 28th annual Salary Survey. PDP profiled the survey in the company blog. PDP Solutions President, Louise Dickmeyer, highlighted the importance of salary satisfaction is tied to corporate culture.

The speaker, Louise Dickmeyer, President of PDP Solutions, will discuss how C-level leadership strategies can work better. The leading employee communications consultant will provide insights and lead discussion on how to improve critical elements for effective industry management. C-level leaders are faced with the following employee facts that can cost millions of dollars.

Manufacturers' Pain Points newsletter reported manufacturing company founders shared that an ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) is often the best exit strategy for them and for the company legacy. ESOPs are not for every manufacturing company however companies with high-value employees, low debt, and solid prospects are often great matches for ESOPs. The 1974 ESOP law and later amendments were designed to encourage employee ownership. Company founders who initially sell just part of their stake and stay on as CEO say the best news comes after the deal: employees start to act more like owners. Ideas formerly kept quiet start to bubble up. Costs, once resistant to reduction, come under control more easily. The largest ESOPs include highly competitive companies like Publix Supermarkets and Gortex maker W.L. Gore Associates. As Publix CEO Ed Crenshaw recently told Forbes: "I'm always amazed that more companies don't recognize the power of associate ownership." Publix's 159,000 employees, after they have worked 1,000 hours and been there a year, begin receiving company stock through the ESOP.