-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- pcb007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueThe Sustainability Issue
Sustainability is one of the most widely used terms in business today, especially for electronics and manufacturing but what does it mean to you? We explore the environmental, business, and economic impacts.
The Fabricator’s Guide to IPC APEX EXPO
This issue previews many of the important events taking place at this year's show and highlights some changes and opportunities. So, buckle up. We are counting down to IPC APEX EXPO 2024.
Getting to Know Your Designer
In this issue, we examine how fabs work with their design customers, educating them on the critical elements of fabrication needed to be successful, as well as the many tradeoffs involved. How well do you really know your customer? What makes for a closer, more synchronized working relationship?
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Events
||| MENU - pcb007 Magazine
Millennials and Seasoned Veterans: Your Future Lies in Both
December 29, 2020 | Dan Beaulieu, D.B. Management GroupEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
There is no doubt that we are having a crisis when it comes to the workforce in our industry today. In the PCB and PCBA industries, as well as most manufacturing industries, there is a definite shortage of good people we can hire. Seasoned veterans are aging out, while youngsters want to spend their lives doing something they love, which, often, is not manufacturing.
Our problems with offshore competition do not just lie with popular reasons like unfair trade practices, packing the market, and cheap labor; we simply don’t have enough people entering our ranks. One of the more insidious problems at this time is finding people from a dwindling labor pool. We are losing people to age at one end and not recruiting enough people at the other end to make up the difference or allow us to grow as well. Even if business did come back from offshore, we would have a problem handling it at all. This is a real problem, albeit not necessarily an insurmountable one.
But there is some good news about bringing younger blood into the fold. One of the side effects of COVID-19 is that it has left a lot of recent college grads high and dry when it comes to finding a job. Some of the more astute companies have already taken advantage of this and are hiring fresh graduates. Now they might not think manufacturing PCBs is an ideal job, but for right now, it’s a job. There is a reason for some optimism here. If we can get them to stick around when things in the world improve, that would be a good thing.
Then, we have the issue of people working in our shops, and the blue-collar workforce has been so difficult to find the past few years. What do we do about them? How do we get them to enter our workforce and stick around for the long run? Here are some ideas for not only attracting young people but getting them to stay for a career as well.
Hiring: It All Starts With the Right Process
“I hire people brighter than me, and then I get out of their way.” —Lee Iacocca
The hardest thing about any business is finding, hiring, and keeping good people. It has always been a problem, no matter what the condition of our economy is. The problem with so many businesses is they don’t take the time to do it right. They are too busy managing day-to-day affairs to lift their heads long enough to take the time to hire the best people. Often, they need a person yesterday, so they are appreciative when they can find someone (or anyone). This leads to a great deal of frustration for both the owner and the people they hire.
As Larry Bossidy said, “I am convinced that nothing we do is more important than hiring and developing people. At the end of the day, you bet on people, not strategies.” Nothing is more important than hiring the right people.
To read this entire article, which appeared in the December 2020 issue of PCB007 Magazine, click here.
Suggested Items
KIC’s Miles Moreau to Present Profiling Basics and Best Practices at SMTA Wisconsin Chapter PCBA Profile Workshop
01/25/2024 | KICKIC, a renowned pioneer in thermal process and temperature measurement solutions for electronics manufacturing, announces that Miles Moreau, General Manager, will be a featured speaker at the SMTA Wisconsin Chapter In-Person PCBA Profile Workshop.
The Drive Toward UHDI and Substrates
09/20/2023 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamPanasonic’s Darren Hitchcock spoke with the I-Connect007 Editorial Team on the complexities of moving toward ultra HDI manufacturing. As we learn in this conversation, the number of shifting constraints relative to traditional PCB fabrication is quite large and can sometimes conflict with each other.
Standard Of Excellence: The Products of the Future
09/19/2023 | Anaya Vardya -- Column: Standard of ExcellenceIn my last column, I discussed cutting-edge innovations in printed circuit board technology, focusing on innovative trends in ultra HDI, embedded passives and components, green PCBs, and advanced substrate materials. This month, I’m following up with the products these new PCB technologies are destined for. Why do we need all these new technologies?
Experience ViTrox's State-of-the-Art Offerings at SMTA Guadalajara 2023 Presented by Sales Channel Partner—SMTo Engineering
09/18/2023 | ViTroxViTrox, which aims to be the world’s most trusted technology company, is excited to announce that our trusted Sales Channel Partner (SCP) in Mexico, SMTo Engineering, S.A. de C.V., will be participating in SMTA Guadalajara Expo & Tech Forum. They will be exhibiting in Booth #911 from the 25th to the 26th of October 2023, at the Expo Guadalajara in Jalisco, Mexico.
Intel Unveils Industry-Leading Glass Substrates to Meet Demand for More Powerful Compute
09/18/2023 | IntelIntel announced one of the industry’s first glass substrates for next-generation advanced packaging, planned for the latter part of this decade.