83.9 F
San Fernando
Friday, Mar 29, 2024

Tales From the Trenches: Some Manufacturer Feedback

Manufacturing is alive and well in the greater San Fernando Valley. To be sure, it is far different than in its heyday, but after “The Purge” of the first half of the ’90’s, manufacturing is still the second largest employment sector in the Valley. Many vibrant companies that survived are financially strong, very well managed and growing. A vital component of a strong foundation for the future of our communities is having a strong manufacturing sector. Our Valley has some fresh names and faces in the manufacturing sector and combined with a few that have new industry focus, these players mix well with the strong survivors to give all of us a reason to look again at preserving and enhancing the manufacturing landscape in the Valley. We are a society awash in information, yet the discipline of manufacturing seems to still suffer from a lack of understanding by the general population. What it is that manufacturers offer to a community is still fuzzy in the minds of most. Rhetoric from governance at all levels touts a sincere interest in manufacturing, yet politicos still struggle with the metrics of the totality of the contributions made by manufacturing. How about climbing into the trenches with some of those from the manufacturing sector, survivors as well as new faces? Let’s hear what they have to say about the business conditions of today, about politicos and bureaucrats, about workforce issues and what they think are their biggest challenges. Business Conditions of Today “Product lifecycles continue to shrink and the time-to-market from concept is a more and more critical aspect of competing. Strategy and judgment mistakes are more costly than ever before. The demands on time, and exactly how you use it, are the entrepreneur’s biggest challenge.” “There is an expert around every corner on just about every topic. There are so many ready to impart wisdom and knowledge to us struggling manufacturers. The ranks of “expert consultants”, and those ‘committed-to-your-success’ nonprofit corporations continues to swell. No wonder the general public thinks we manufacturers are a lame lot, waiting to be served up as the next meal for a foreign competitor. Global competition has much more to do with government competence than our operational incompetence. The truth is that the manufacturer of today has to be great just to stay afloat, too bad the perception is otherwise. Securing competent new employees is our biggest challenge.” “The attitude of the local community used to be positive. The recent quotes from Jack Kyser (Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. Senior Vice President and chief economist) go double for manufacturers. Our biggest challenge is just staying here, rather than taking one of the offers from outside of the Valley” Politicos and Bureaucrats “It is amazing that the people we elect have such little understanding of how manufacturing affects the quality of life in a community They still understand those fundamentals in the Midwest, but here in California it has been lost. The field has changed and our needs are much different than they were a generation ago. But it seems that they do not know that, or worse, don’t care. We are not inept and irresponsible and we are not just one training program away from global competitiveness. If they really want to help, they should study the business model and then listen to what we have to say about how things can be improved.” “Politicos throw money at the wrong programs because they just don’t know what manufacturing means to a community. I guess not enough of them ever had to sweat a payroll or really make something. If you only provide a service it really is tough to relate to the complexities of manufacturing. Our biggest challenge is securing enough capital to sustain our growth” “The level of competence shown by environmental compliance personnel is shocking. I do not understand why such an important task is performed by someone that does not even know what the regulations are that they are inspecting. I dare not complain to the bureaucratic agency because they hold my fate in their hands. It is micro-tyranny at its finest. Our biggest challenge is getting a level playing field for all the compliance issues.” “Government, at all levels, is bolstered by bureaucrats that are overpaid and cling to the status-quo, yet run for cover when accountability is defined for them. Our biggest challenge is finding people that are skilled.” Workforce Issues “The illegal immigration debate ignores basic human truths. We get the appropriate forms of ID and demand that I-9’s are on file for every new hire. We create new jobs every month and monitor our hiring policies diligently. Everybody thinks that because of the type of company we are, we look the other way in our hiring practices. We do not endorse the hiring of illegals, but we do endorse hiring those that want to work hard.” “We are now doing training programs that we never had to do before. The schools are not doing the job regarding educating young people about how to work together, how to be a team and how to work with people of other cultures or beliefs. The pool of new prospective employees needs to learn what respect and common courtesy are all about. Our biggest challenge is staying where we are rather than going to a more business friendly area.” “What the schools are turning out is a disgrace. Our biggest challenge is hiring the people we need to keep up with our growth.” Brad Ward is president and CEO of the Sherman Oaks-based Small Manufacturers Association of California

Featured Articles

Related Articles