warehouse worker

machine operator

production lead

r&d engineer

manufacturing plant worker

Aaon

On any given day I arrive at 5:45 am and start by following up on any issues that may have come late the prior day that did not require immediate attention. Around 6 am I start receiving calls from the manufacturing personnel out in either of the manufacturing facilities (we have two buildings separated by the main road into our property). The calls I receive usually pertain to questions about the assembly of our semi-custom heating, ventilation and air-conditioning equipment. Often we install customer supplied components and controls within our units; this often requires clarification of installation for the manufacturing personnel. It is my responsibility to make sure that the manufacturing personnel fully understands how each unit is to be assembled and to answer any questions they may have about the assembly. In addition, I am constantly identifying the set backs that occur on the manufacturing line and investigating for the root cause of the problem. The set backs experienced include but are not limited to:
-assembly issues with sheet metal parts produced in-house
-testing issues with controller programming
-misleading or confusing special order instructions
-parts produced in-house or by an outside supplier falling out of tolerance
-assembly issues/challenges experienced with piping evaporator, reheat, steam, condenser, water and reclaim coils in accordance with particular state and city codes throughout the U.S.
-design issues experienced with the release of new products
-inventory shortage of components, fasteners, etc.

In any of these circumstances I work with the design, sales, production control, purchasing, warehouse, and control programming departments to try to identify the root of the issue and assemble the most viable solution to the problems that arise. Although my title is Manufacturing Engineer, I spend a lot of my time organizing the correct personnel and facilitating productive group interactions to deal with the problems at hand in the most efficient manner possible.

I also interact quite often with the sales representatives for many of our purchased parts to try to find the best fit and function for our applications at the best price possible.

The most difficult part of the job is the constant running around for 12 hours a day (on average I walk 7.5 miles a day throughout the facility just going to see the current issue). It can be quite challenging attempting to keep everyone happy in the office and on the line while trying to get to the root of all the issues that arise. There are a lot of personality types that must exist and work together in order to achieve results; being the communicative link between the manufacturing line and the engineers in the office can be challenging at times to try to ensure civility and productivity between the two groups. Although challenging, there are certainly rewarding aspects of being a mediator of sorts.

I find the most enjoyable parts of this job are the interactions that I get to have with the diverse work force throughout the company. I am certainly a people person and I thoroughly enjoy working with all the different types and cultures of people out on the line. Trying to speak their complex languages (which often they and I find very comical) and at the same time understand their culture to try to get to know them at their core are the experiences that get me through the work day.

I also enjoy the knowledge that is gained on a daily basis. I am constantly being asked questions that I have never fielded before, so I have to go find the answer and convey it to the individuals in a clear and concise manner. This helps me not only develop a better understanding of the subject being questioned, but also helps develop my communicative skills.

Aaon is a perfect manufacturing company because they match you with a job of your career you apply for. My typical day at work starts off clocking in and after that I go to the forklift area to my forklift, before leaving I perform a check on the machine I'm operating for that day. I gather parts from the floor of Inco and the wagon from the westside of Aaon. The work place is ethical you rarely see anyone not working or playing around because Aaon is about performance. The hardest part of the job is supervisors! For example, I been here for a year on time everyday no points, hard worker, great ethic. I was upgraded to trainee coordinator which I thought was very great some days I even performed task by myself even though it takes three people in my department to do. I held it down for six months straight and because one of the forklift employees where terminated I was downgraded back to a forklift operator and lost my chances for a raise and a desk job. So that's why I said HR are the real champions because I made a report on my supervisor. When you have questions that need to be answered or particular problems. You can count on human resources to resolve the situation.

my typical day consisted of repairing broken machines, minor repairs, starting/finishing projects. coordinating with production people/management on downed machine repairs.

i learned that an operator of a machine knows more about the day to day issues with that machine better than anyone. so the operators should be a maintenance person first line of offense when dealing with broken machines.

management was by far minor in some areas and exceptional in others. my opinion is that their is way too much micro management. you hire leads to lead the production workers you hire managers to manage the leads and communicate issues from upper management to leads to workers below the lead position in lower management.

i enjoyed everyone i ever worked with at this company. there was a family atmosphere amongst all the workers on the floor.

hardest part of my job was training new people. new maintenance guys  whether they are fresh out of college or coming in from other  plants have different understandings of the concepts of what is going on. most have not worked with the production equipment that will need to be fixed at this plant.

most enjoyable part of the job was working in a team effort to accomplish a task or machine that looked possible to do.

Basically I would come in at 5 am make certain that my line is set up and ready for the days production from the previous day.  Make sure my team has all the required materials for their job task that day and assist them throughout the day as materials are needed. At times I may have personnel absent then I would have to step in and assist on the production line myself until we can utilize other people from different departments to help us. From there I would monitor my line to be sure everyone is staying in line with 5s as the day goes on and that the proper ppe  (personal protective equipment) is being worn in the right areas. I had to deal with different attitudes throughout the day as time went on but I learned everybody has their days and things happen. The part that makes the job hardest at times is not having the materials you need from other departments on time in order to meet your deadlines or shipping dates to the customer. What I like most about the job was the everyday challenges of meeting deadlines and being able to do it most of the time even though you were faced with a lot of obstacles to prevent you from doing it.

While the pay at AAON is competitive, the work environment raises serious concerns. Across both production and engineering areas, there is a widespread culture of micromanagement and pressure. Engineers placed on Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs) often face unrealistic expectations, and even when those expectations are met, some employees feel that management manipulates documentation to suggest otherwise.

More troubling are the reports from employees of color who have experienced unequal treatment and a lack of inclusion. These experiences suggest ongoing issues related to diversity, equity, and respect in the workplace. The absence of effective accountability mechanisms makes it difficult for affected individuals to feel supported.

Although the compensation may be appealing, the emotional and professional challenges posed by this environment are worth serious consideration. I would advise prospective employees to research and reflect before making a decision.

What department you are working in will determine how people look and treat you.  The managers overall are I would say, I am not uncertain there are some good managers.  There is a gap  between how some of the leaders teach and how others show where their style needs to improved or adapt a new idea.  Very little communication happens in some lines of our communication company wide, making it? You BET! 

difficult to communicate....  


You have no time off in your first 90 days with pay, in some departments a review after that 90 and you know the 2 ways this ends.  The profit sharing you are hoping for.  Its 3QT after your start date.

 The whole picture becomes very clear after a month, and you then know if you want to ride the wave or set sail. Option to work employer, you chose if want to work here, this company will hire until they have the right person.

You have to be ready to learn on the job, find a way to learn quick, find a faster way to spread what you just learned, you will have to outthink problems on the fly.   

What is the best part of working at the company?
Benefits and the schedule(when you are not on mandatory OT) which we were on it for a yr straight almost.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The miscommunication and lack of consistency. You will get different answers from different qtls and supervisors. As if no one really knows the correct answer

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The type where the company and supervisors want a yes man type of person. Not one who questions things or ways. And any little mistake or speed is not fast enough regardless on how long you been here can get you a write up

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Hectic very unorganized no parts to complete the item you are working on might wait all day to get the part you need to complete your work order. And there is quota that is to met everyday

Job itself isnt very hard, every position is different though so it really depends on where you are. The management and general safety is where you have the most issues. It's always a runaround to get tools you need to complete your job, and half the time when you have a question very few can answer it, even the one who's training you. And God forbid you get sent to wipedown, the acetone you use to clean the machines will give you a headache from h*ll and they won't provide a resperator as the best you're gonna get is a thin face mask. There so much more that's bad there but not nearly enough words. That being said, it's an easy check if you can handle the heat and standing for 12 hours. I'd definitely say the biggest and one of the only upsides if you're interested in applying here is the benefits. One of the best benefits and 401K plan you could probably ever get, if you aren't interested in that though I'd definitely say to find somewhere else. 

A: My day starts at 4 am when I get up.  I clock in at 5:53 am and last until I clock out at 6 pm.
B: Under staffed for the amount of work we do.
C: Most Upper Level Management Believes that their Degree Qualifies them to Lead when they have no schooling where someone other than themselves has rated their leadership Skills. This will always translate to adversarial conditions for employees and management.
D: They are not to bad
E: Trying to Respect Men and Women in Positions of Authority who have know idea on how to motivate without yelling.  They clearly have know idea on how to lead effectively without causing decisions among ranks.  They never take responsibility for their decision but get a high out of blaming lower employees who will not defend themselves.  
F:Completing a order without issue where it arrives to the client on time

Easy going work environment but long hours. The time off is great. The benefits are alright. They have activities for the employees from time to time and try to keep things fun. The HR department is great at organizing all of the interesting and fun events that go on on a fairly regular basis. They are good at moving employees to jobs where they are happy and productive. The pay could be a little better but it’s not too bad. They DO NOT discriminate in any way from what I’ve seen. I am happy with my job and I like the people I work with. The company is expanding and growing quickly with a bright future. It appears that the Longview plant is going to continue to expand and therefore provide secure employment. It is the only company in its business that continued to grow during COVID-19. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Warehouse worker 44 salaries reported	$18.45 per hour
Machine operator 39 salaries reported	$20.02 per hour
Production lead 45 salaries reported	$31.11 per hour
R&d engineer 10 salaries reported	$97,778 per year
Manufacturing plant worker 38 salaries reported	$18.00 per hour

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