welder

assembler

cnc machinist

industrial painter

machine operator

Astec Industries

This company used to be good to work for but once they did their layoffs a few years back and started "restructuring". They have only eliminated jobs that people could be doing rather than create more. The company keeps outsourcing more parts to other companies and in return they get poor quality from those businesses. Nothing gets done about the issues either and instead your are expected to just "make it work" rather than quality control doing their job to prevent these issues from showing up in the first place. The morale is so low and keeps getting lower. It is so unorganized in so many ways such as, parts shortages, parts not getting picked properly for jobs, unorganized work areas, no standard work, poor quality control, little to no transparency, lazy supervisors and upper level management. The supervisors have no backbone when it comes to disciplinary action since this place is so hard up for help. They are more concerned about who is wearing a face mask or not rather than addressing real issues that can make the workplace a better environment for everyone. When employee's see management does nothing about real issues, that puts a bad taste in ones mouth.The new hires are either unskilled people that never should've been hired or they hire trustees from the unit in Yankton. From a health stand point this place is absolutely disgusting. The bathrooms don't get cleaned more than every few months. They tell you that your health is oh so important and yet I don't see how that is possible when they cannot maintain a clean restroom for anyone! Overall this place is very hard to stomach and I wouldn't recommend anyone apply at this point unless you like banging your head against a wall everyday.

DO NOT GO TO WORK FOR THIS COMPANY, it will drain your will to live and leave an empty hole in your chest,,, your life will never be the same after entering these premises. It may sound good in theory but I worked there for 14yrs and I can assure you that you'll hate this job.. The Management is unqualified to manage a lemonade stand must less a corporation and the amount of lies and company politics is astounding not to mention the work pentagram developed by Management to ensure the completion of the simplest task be an utter nightmare.. This is the absolute honest opinion of a happy former employee who found a true calling in life..

Astec Industries offers a solid, stable work environment with a strong focus on manufacturing excellence and long-term growth. They have a strong commitment to safety, structured processes, and clear operational standards.  Astec provides opportunities to work with large-scale equipment and innovative technologies.

The culture is professional and team-oriented. Career advancement exists, especially for proactive employees, but growth may feel slower in some areas due to the company’s traditional structure. Benefits and job security are strengths, while work-life balance can depend on the demands of specific roles.

Overall, Astec Industries is a good fit for individuals seeking stability, a strong manufacturing culture, and opportunities to develop technical skills within a well-established company.

Manufactures Rd plant used to be excellent to work at. It is still a good company to work for as far as co-workers, pay, and work/life relationships. 
However, there is not any job security since Astec took over its sub companies and Oracle has torn the company apart. After over 2 years, Oracle is still working at 50% max.  There have 2 major layoffs in within in 5 years. Many of the people that got let go have worked there 10+ years. The recent layoff in January 2025 was a 24% layoff. The layoff in January 2020, at the time Astec took over, was equally disastrous.
 Also, the training for Oracle is worthless. Mostly because you can't train on something that 1/2 works. It'll be at least 3 more years before Oracles even close to where it should be. 2025

Ever since Astec Corporate took over and went full Globalization mode they have been steadliy taking benefits.  Wage grade progression, cost of living increases, monthly meals, profit sharing, Christmas bonus, three unpaid excused absences, all gone in the last two years.  Now there's just the basic benefits an employer has to have just to get people in the door.  Management will lie to your face and then try to play it off when they get exposed.  They don't care about employees at all, you're just an easily replaceable number in their eyes.  It sucks, the job is not bad, but upper management will suck the morale out of the building faster than a tornado.  I've worked at worse places, but even fast food makes you feel more valued than Astec.

When I first started back in 2019, everyone treated you like family. It was a nice place to work and the people were great. We all went home in 2020 and started working from home. We proved we could do our job and even train people from home for 4 years. While at home, they hired a TON of higher ups, all of which made dramatic changes and are forcing us to go back to the office. They lie to  you. Say one thing and do another. You are nothing but a number now. They make everything look good on paper but there is no "One Astec". There is no work/life balance. There is no "We care about your mental health". All they care about is money and how much work they can squeeze out of you. Who cares about your family or feelings. 

I worked at Astec Industries for a little over two years in a manufacturing/operations role. Overall, it’s a stable company with strong industry presence and steady work, especially if you’re in production or engineering. Pay was competitive for the area, and benefits (health insurance, 401k match, PTO) were solid compared to similar manufacturing jobs.

The work itself can be fast-paced and sometimes physically demanding depending on the department. Management was generally respectful, but communication between departments wasn’t always great, which led to occasional confusion on priorities or deadlines. Training was decent, but a lot of learning happened on the job.

Let me start by saying the pay here for this position is fantastic. The benefits are great and the actual work I do is some of the easiest I’ve ever done. The issues all seem to come down to management and mismanagement of people, resources, time etc. I personally have tried to submit small changes and fixes to help streamline the process, but that always ends up falling through due to someone in management or engineering saying it’s “too much to ask for”, or “there’s nothing wrong with my work”. It’s extremely frustrating. That being said you basically get paid to deal with a headache. Could be better, could be worse. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
Health benefits, double overtime pay and sometimes annual bonus.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Inexperienced management,  factory is stuck doing things like it was done in the 1980's.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Management knows best, even if they have never done it.  Talk the talk on safety but not even close to walking the walk.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
1980's...slow to change and TONS of waste (talk the talk on lean, nowhere near walking the walk)

My husband was hired through a staffing agency to work at Astec Industries, expecting steady work and a chance to grow his skills. However, he was given zero notice and told via a last-minute text not to come in anymore because production was low and they cut staffing agency workers first to protect their direct employees.
This lack of communication and respect was really disappointing and left us scrambling without a backup plan. It’s frustrating to be treated like an afterthought after committing time and effort to the job.
I hope Astec improves how they handle layoffs and treats all workers with more professionalism.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Welder 38 salaries reported	$22.06 per hour
Assembler 2 salaries reported	$19.23 per hour
Cnc machinist 6 salaries reported	$21.67 per hour
Industrial painter 3 salaries reported	$21.67 per hour
Machine operator 19 salaries reported	$21.50 per hour

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