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Lately I’ve been getting a lot of calls from moldmakers asking where they can find good employees. Many of the mold manufacturers are getting really busy—and that’s good! But many are also running lean because of the downturn over the past two years, and now they need to start hiring.

Clare Goldsberry

September 10, 2010

2 Min Read
Top 10 moldmaking tips for hiring and retaining good workers

This month, I’m passing along some tips from Ryan Pohl of Expert Technical Training (Comstock Park, MI), a company that promotes itself as “Masters in Industrial Training and Development.” Pohl gave a presentation at the AMBA Annual Convention this past spring that I think is helpful to share, along with comments from several mold company owners.

In his presentation, Pohl said every company needs a good employee development plan that includes these elements:
1. Implement a proactive worker recruiting and hiring program. “Don’t wait for them to come to you,” he advised. “Go find them.”
2. Implement a structured employee training program. “Don’t just say ‘go work with Charlie and he’ll show you the ropes,’” said Ryan. “You need planned days of orientation.”
3. Provide efficient skills development that includes expectations and outcomes, mentorship (pass on the knowledge and skills), and an apprenticeship program. “We need to take another look at this,” said Pohl of the latter.
4. Implement an existing employee improvement program. “With new technology coming along, there’s a skills gap,” said Pohl. “Identify and fill this knowledge and skills gap. Tie the new knowledge to the existing knowledge whenever you buy new software or machinery.”
5. Train the long-time employees to mentor the younger employees.
6. Put in place a “best practices” team so that all employees can learn from each other. “Current employees are your greatest asset for your company to be successful in the next five to 10 years,” said Pohl.
7. On the flip side, “Teach the younger employees how to mentor the journeymen employees,” suggested Roger Klouda of MSI Mold Builders (Cedar Rapids, IA). “The younger people have a lot of tech savvy that they can pass along to the older employees, for whom the new technology may be a bit off-putting.”
8. Identify non-skill (soft) success characteristics. List the skill-related ideal employee for your shop. “Be creative in where you look,” advised Pohl. “Do you like the way the young person at Best Buy explains high-tech equipment to you,  which demonstrates technical know-how? Always keep your eyes open for the type of person you’ve identified that would be an asset to your company.”
9. Present this potential employee with solid reasons for working in the industry. Ask him if he has a friend that might be interested. “It all starts with you,” said Ryan.
10. Remember that your output (molds) is only as good as your input (employee training), so make employee training and apprenticeship programs a major component of your strategy for success. Employees are your greatest assets.

And don’t hesitate to look at some of the online job-hunting sites—either locally or nationally—such as ClassifiedsToday, or with companies that specialize in finding employees for moldmaking and molding companies. Good people are out there! —Clare Goldsberry

About the Author(s)

Clare Goldsberry

Until she retired in September 2021, Clare Goldsberry reported on the plastics industry for more than 30 years. In addition to the 10,000+ articles she has written, by her own estimation, she is the author of several books, including The Business of Injection Molding: How to succeed as a custom molder and Purchasing Injection Molds: A buyers guide. Goldsberry is a member of the Plastics Pioneers Association. She reflected on her long career in "Time to Say Good-Bye."

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