machine operator

automation technician

moldmaker

assembly technician

injection mold operator

Aptar

     Working at the Aptar Mukwonago facility in any production position is miserable. It's not the 12 hour shifts, 90db noise floor, monotonous repetitive work, or hazardous work environment that's a problem. It's a deeply rooted toxic culture that will wear you down.-
     The role of operator is simple on it's surface. Clock in, meet for start of shift rundown, operate assigned production processing machines, check for quality issues, work with coworkers to ensure correct production, package finished production, and clock out after repeating for 12 hours.-
     Unfortunately, issues arise from the start and continue well into the shift. Sometimes spanning multiple shifts before anything involved is addressed.-
     Machines an operator is expected to operate are often in disrepair. Much of the equipment is older and is suffering from a major case of deferred maintenance. More often than not, machines will be expected to run with faults to catch up on production delays. Delays which are often the result of the faults in the machines.-
     The amount of machines an operator is expected to operate can vary wildly from shift to shift. Sometimes it's easy going and relatively smooth, but other times it's overwhelming and stressful. Little to no consideration is put forward into what is running during scheduling, meaning each day is a gamble for what to expect.-
     This is compounded by a years long staffing shortage. It's a systemic issue, but is exacerbated by the toxic personalities of people in charge. There is frequently no communication about much of anything. From quality issues, machine failures, changes in production, workflow adjustments, project statuses, expectations, personnel changes, disciplinary action, and much more, nothing is communicated properly or effectively. Changes are often discussed as gossip or rumors rather than open and direct discussion.-
     This has made all the positions on the production floor clash with each other on all issues, and has burnt out nearly everyone involved. An aura of apathy has allowed problems to go unresolved and worsen. Authoritative positions such as supervisors and managers are complicit in failing to address any of it.-
     It's created an "us vs. them" mentality among the various positions. This spills over into shifts turning against each other too. Day shift hates night, just as night shift hates day. It can feel that no part of the company is directly working with the other, even though it's all happening in the same building. The rare times where something might be addressed, it comes across as tone deaf or a backhanded mockery of the issue.-
     Promotion from within is often touted as a positive for working here, and it's not a complete lie. One can change positions when openings are available and certain criteria are met. Support after changing positions is where things break down. Job titles can change, but you can be stuck in your old position for months before placement. Due to staffing issues, you might be pulled from your new role to refill your prior one. This can and will happen, but you'll be expected to be able to do both roles effectively regardless of experience gained in training.-
     I could go on, but I feel this is the most important information you'd need to know if you plan on applying here.-

Worked at Aptar for almost 2 years & the first year was great with a lot of opportunity to learn & grow but after a lot of change in management on all 4 shifts, it all started to go downhill. Support from the management team went out the window when 2025 started & most if not all of trust in upper management was lost. Some of the floor managers are okay & try to be there for the actual workers "Lowest denominators" as we were called a few times by some of the upper management. The most said thing is "I got you" "I understand" "We understand" but typically were just hollow words. Rumors are wild there so be careful on who you talk to. Remember work is work so keep it separate from your personal life. Job description is "knowledge based" & it was very verbal that if you were asked to do something to do it even if it was not your job that's part of your job if you are told to do it. the "climate control" is really only for the humidity. it's dry in the building, which is fine, but the temperature is usually around 70-80F in (Required) Pants/long sleeve cotton shirts or lab coats if you didn't have long sleeves, so you'll get hot & sweat fast. the AC can't keep up with the number of machines in the building. the production floor itself is cramped. whoever makes the floor plans does not work on the floor & it shows. I'm sure by 2026 if they fire some of the unnecessary/toxic managers it will get better. it's a job that pays & money & pays bills. it's hard to grow there as the moment with a 1 year wait time for promotions. very repetitive, very noisy environment.  

Initially it seemed as though the culture of Aptar was better than most places. People's opinions and ideas were respected and taken into consideration and teamwork was valued between departments. However, after some time and management changes things seemed to change. The different groups seem to be out for themselves and cooperation between them was limited. They lack a common goal and seem to prefer to point fingers before trying to fix any problem that comes up. Initially it seemed minor but the "company politics" progressively seemed to take center stage over being a unified group. There also seemed to be "cliques" between a lot of the management there as well as issues with newer managers trying to make a name for themselves by implementing rules and procedures without considering others views or how it effects the people who have to work under the new processes. Most people there were great to work with but there were definitely some that you couldn't trust. With that being said there were also some great people to work with who you could learn a lot from and were great to work with. Those were the people who helped get you through your day. The benefits were good for the most part and the work itself wasn't too bad. It would have been a lot better if the communication and politics could have been sorted out. That definitely would have boosted morale.

Quality Control Inspector in McHenry IL (former employee) This was an excellent place to work. The 12 hour night shift was hard but I felt the company understood that. The lunch room was clean and well maintained. We were treated to employee appreciation dinners about once a month and quite frankly, I didn't know how good I had it. The health benefits were excellent and so was the retirement plan.

When I started, they gave me plenty of time for training and most of the concepts were very clear. The quality department keeps an updated physical library of clearly defined parts rated as acceptable, fix but accept and reject. This made it very easy to communicate defect issues to the mold techs and supervisors for adjustment.

The employee evaluations were timely with well structured advancements in pay. One super perk I really miss: if you didn't miss any days or punches for a month you were awarded 10 hours of pay, this was 2 years ago, don't know it they still do this but if you didn't have attendance issues this was worth well over $1000 a year.

I am sure there are people that "rule with an iron hand" in all companies, even this one and gossip is just fact of factory life. If you can get in here, do a good job and don't take it personally when they let you know you messed up, accepting that as just a form of education, you will do well.

If you are in need for a immediate job, then this company works well.  There are lots of areas that are short in staff, and should you get hired you will be paried with someone knowledgeable and trained quickly.  Most people are friendly and easy to work with.

However:
If you are looking for something long term and want to secure your future with a career, this is not the place for you.  Once you are trained for your job, you are pretty much stuck there.  There is little chance for advancement as the company prefers outside hiring opposed to employee advancement to make sure your position stays filled.  
Employees are knowledgeable, but are overworked with not enough resources and too much manditory overtime, including mandatory Saturdays.  This causes employees (even the friendly ones) to become bitter, often bad mouthing the company and eventually each other, making for a hostile work environment.  
Management and HR cares little for their employees  and are lazy, which in turn makes the employees themselves lazy and uninterested in company happenings.

If you need a job, this place will work.

But if you want something longterm and fulfilling, your time is best spent elsewhere. 

I had only positive experiences as a mechanical engineering student Co-op working with Aptar. The employees I worked with were all very respectful and treated you as though you were any other employee. I really appreciate that the engineering team I worked on made sure to always try and give me work to do that were in my areas of interest rather than assign me busy work that the other engineers were simply too busy to do. As a Co-op student, I gained valuable engineering experience as I learned the fundamental processes that go into product development as well as an exposure to manufacturing setting. Not only this, but my team treated me as another engineer and I regularly got to assist in leading projects and traveling to meet with customers and outside vendors. I greatly appreciate all the effort from the team I worked on that helped me build valuable skills as an engineer. My team was very respectful, helpful, and knowledgeable, which resulted in me both learning a lot and enjoying the work I was doing. I am very thankful for my experience at Aptar; I would definitely recommend for other students to work here as co-ops given the opportunity.

Management is clueless to employees needs. Horrible place to work. They expect way too much for way too little. They keep taking everything away and giving nothing back. It was a great place to work twenty years ago when it was Seaquist Closures. It has went nothing but downhill ever since becoming Aptar. I was terminated after twenty seven years of dedicated service to them without so much as a write up. I was nearing retirement and dismissed for little to no reason at all. I feel as though this occured so they could save themselves money. They don't care about their employees well being. Working for them will make you old before your time. They work you hard because they are severely understaffed. They run full productivity even though they don't have enough people to do so. Their training system is poor too. They throw you on machines with no training what so ever and expect you to run it anyway. You are responsible for running up to twenty one different machines at the same time all by yourself on a daily basis. They have a revolving door of employment. They can't even get people to apply there because they have a horrible reputation for mistreating their employees.

They lost a big customer and have been forcing week long furloughs about every other month for a year now. They have been slow for almost two years and are pulling all of their molds in from outside vendors and sending them to Mexico.  They closed a local plant this year and everyone is on edge about their job in all of the facilities where layoffs have been common.

Aptar used to be a great place to work but there has been a radical culture shift recently. Your job is objectified and you are a cog in a machine now. There are cameras everywhere and bathroom use and breaks are monitored. They weaponize unlimited numbers of safety rules to write a discipline book on you and enforcement is very inconsistent.  The pay is mid to low for comparable positions that can be found in non factory settings where you aren't breathing dangerous fumes all day.

Don't waste your time unless you are only looking for something temporary and local. They might still be in operation in two years but I doubt it.

Started working here when the pandemic hit the USA in case would not be called back from furlough. Six months later still here and it just continuous to amaze me how this company can survive the way they manage the factory. There is NO management on the floor, quality is poor everywhere since there is one to supervise the areas. They do watch on the cameras when they think there is an issue. Some people spend half the day in the cafeteria, these mechanics, material handlers and even some production personnel take at least three one breaks in an 8 hour shift. Can’t keep good, dependable mature people. Only the young kids out of high school seem to stay. In my tenure I’ve seen at least 60 new hires and only a handful have stayed passed 30 days.  They do offer good benefits that start the day you are hired.

Interview, background check, drug test and the orientation process went great! Hair nets, ear protection and steel toe shoes are required in the warehouse and smocks are required on some lines. The training isn’t good. Training on a different machine every day didn’t help either. You’re left to figure things out on your own. It’s the loneliest 12.5 hours that I’ve ever worked. You have no human interaction at all unless you need maintenance. The work is very boring, repetitive and lonely. Very easy to get inside your head. No windows in the warehouse. You Never see supervision out on the floor. The warehouse is tempered controlled and is very clean. You completely feel like only a number after out on the floor. If your supervisor calls in you just don’t have one for your 12 hour shift. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Machine operator 1 salary reported	$20.13 per hour
Automation technician 1 salary reported	$41.50 per hour
Moldmaker 2 salaries reported	$49.47 per hour
Assembly technician 13 salaries reported	$18.50 per hour
Injection mold operator 2 salaries reported	$33.25 per hour

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