Why Manufacturing is Great -- and Awful?
What are IndustryWeek's readers saying about the state of U.S. manufacturing and their jobs? Here is some of the positive and the negative.
"I am compensated well for my services. I work for a company that recognizes key employees and rewards them for their skills and abilities." manufacturing/production manager in the medical devices/lab equipment industry with 26-plus years of experience, living in the Middle Atlantic region and earning $63,000
"I work for a privately held, family-owned business that has been in operation since 1877. It is a blessing after working for a private-equity-based organization for 25 years." director of manufacturing/production in the automotive/transportation vehicles and equipment industry with 26-plus years of experience, living in the North Central region and earning $115,000
"It's all good." environmental, health and safety manager in the metals industry with 26-plus years of experience, living in the Mountain region and earning $81,000
"Aerospace industry is doing very well." financial manager/controller in the aerospace and defense industry with 26-plus years of experience, living in the Middle Atlantic region and earning $126,500
"145-year old-company just purchased by a company with no manufacturing background. Interesting transition. They are committed to making a cultural change and necessary financial investments. Positive outlook for the future." sales and marketing manager in the paper/printing/publishing industry with 26-plus years of experience, living in the North Central region and earning $86,000
"It is unfortunate that the worldwide recession was used as a way to punish employees, when most of these people really stepped up and contributed substantially to their company's survival." engineering manager in the industrial machinery industry with 26-plus years of experience, living in the North Central region and earning $114,000
"I work for a small company, and they say they can't compete with larger-company salaries and benefits. This is related to our company's ability to land new work. The company keeps reducing our benefits and doesn't give out any bonuses. But we keep breaking company sales records." director, purchasing/procurement/sourcing in the metals industry with 26-plus years of experience, living in the North Central region and earning $54,080
"My company is going through a growth period, and 50% to 60% of all new hires are released within the first few months. There is a high unemployment rate in this country, but what percent of that is made up of people who are not employable? There is talk of 'reshoring,' but will this country have the available resources for the returning work? As a manufacturing manager, it is scary." operations manager in the automotive/transportation vehicles and equipment industry with 26-plus years of experience, living in the North Central region and earning $62,000
"Lost my job twice and start at the bottom each time; big step backwards in salary." quality manager in the pharmaceuticals/health care industry with 26-plus years of experience, living in the Middle Atlantic region and earning $60,000
"In a smaller company, I feel somewhat underpaid for my knowledge, experience and contributions, but I have great satisfaction in my ability to positively impact the operations." supply chain/logistics manager in the chemicals industry with 11 to 15 years of experience, living in the North Central region and earning $78,000
"My geographic requirements limit my opportunities or I would likely be moving on to another position." lean/continuous improvement manager in the metals industry with 21 to 25 years of experience, living in the North Central region and earning $88,000
