assembler

production assembler

cnc machinist

senior assembler

quality assurance inspector

Astronics

A typical day at work could be either positive or negative,  one day you'd be calmly working, learning new skills, collaborating, and conversing with co-workers while time passes. 

The next day you'd be dreading coming to work because you realize that nothing is really changing. You've been great at your job, but for some reason, you are still stuck in the same sector of a department.  You're not advancing, and keep in mind, this is only happening to a select group of people ( you might even call it racist but I don't  know, I won't be getting into that) so who knows, you might be the lucky individual that just blends in well enough to be recognized. 

The problem is the pace and method chosen in evaluating an employee, it's too slow and not properly tracked.  An employee could be making great progress in training but still be stagnant and slow in progressing past their current station within a department. I could go on and on but it's all in the past now. 

Overall the job is manageable, 

co-workers are friendly so the environment is always feeling quite welcoming at times. The management has it's mix of good and bad but overall it's good so not much to worry about there. You get the typical  Company benefits, nothing too bad. The company also tries it's best to contribute to that community like atmosphere by hosting little events here and there so you got that to look forward to. There is also a lot of wisdom to be granted if you meet the right person so you're bound to learn a thing or two, both technically and professionally. 
.
 It's not a bad place to work, especially if you're starting out. It's a great place to get your foot in the door and if it fits your style then it's not that bad of a place to retire from...it's all part of the journey, only you can decide it's worth since the life is yours.  

When I started working at Astronics, I populated and soldered PCBs by hand and with surface mount technology. Within 6 months an opportunity arose for me to be team leader of the final assembly team, which was a group just forming. My team was responsible for the final stages of making already assembled PCBs into airline lighting ,which used LED technology for a longer lasting product. I was responsible for teaching a team of 10-12 members how to assemble the final product by prints, work instructions, SOPs and hands on solder training. I was also in close communication with management and the engineering group with ideas on how we might refine assembly processes while maintaining a robust product. I was always in close contact with my team members to answer any questions they may have and to give encouragement when neede. These were people who had never done this type of work and I am proud to say that i was the go to person to help them succeed in building a quality product. The hardest, yet most rewarding part of the job was teaching my team members new builds, and to see thrie pride when they got it. The most enjoyable part of the job was the relationships that were formed within the work center and my open and productive relationship with engineering, some of whom often came to me for my input on a problematic process.

Three company-wide lay offs in four years indicate that management doesn't know how to grow a business.  The president promotes his personal friends who then add little or no value.  He avoids conflict with business partners when he should engage and push back on behalf of his company and people. He makes one poor judgement call after another regarding customers and markets which has a lot to do with the most recent furloughs (25% of the company lost due to errors of management). He also seems willing to say anything to the Corporate CEO if it will make himself look better, including claiming credit for work he had no part in and innocence of management errors he led.

Projects are compartmentalized so that no one knows what is going on. This is how promoted buddies can hide their lack of contribution.  There is much duplication of effort and effort wasted on failed products .At the same time, current products that do make money are ignored in favor of the new proposed ones that are years away from a sale.

The sales team is completely ineffective, sitting at their desks waiting for customers to call them and occasionally having a booze-filled vacation at trade shows.

Production is well led, although there is a clique of untouchables. 

The worker bees are generally on the ball, but trying to function while senior staff is chaotic. 

The company and products have enormous potential that is not being realized by the leadership.

Somewhat rigid 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM work days with exceptions for non management employees. 
Learned the requirements of AS9100/ISO9001 ManagementSystems for the Aviation andDefense Industries. 
Learned the synergies of :
A) solid planning, 
B) employee skill management, 
C) effective job execution and tracking activities, 
D) the effects of supplier base performance and supplier control methodologies,  
E) the necessity of surveillance execution and reporting functions, 
F) the criticality of maintaining robust and effective continuous improvement functions
G) and the importance of understanding and working in  syncronic ways with company culture and it’s strengths and limitations.
Management is forward looking, accessible, fair and open minded, with strong continuous improvement prioritization.
Workplace culture is strongly affected by an attitude to place great emphasis in employee morale, with solid systems and the belief that one should spend most energy in correcting and improving and less in placing blame for all oportinities thatemerge during the course of business.

This is not a job shop with large quantity orders. All parts made are for in-house assemblies and per order. Quantities mostly stay in single digits with the occasional 20 piece. You're always changing things up and setting up a new job so it doesn't get boring. 

It doesn't get stressful and the tolerances aren't crazy, if the parts fit together then all is good, basic +-5 thou on almost everything. These are nonstructural aircraft parts of 97% Al 6061 and the occasional Delrin. Love the sound of that 1 inch roughing indexible end mill throwing chips. If you've got an issue the supervisor or lead will help you quickly or teach you what you need to know.

You meet a lot of good people and if parts are sent out before the deadline everyone will be happy. There are plenty of things to do and learn, if you want to transfer to another place then that can probably happen assuming there is enough space there. It's a pretty diverse place with a machine shop, circuit board assembly, wiring, testing, and repairing. They were going to teach me some programing if I didn't move away.

The shop is right next to Green River and there is the walkway and a small park right around and you can get a nice walk on your breaks.

AeroSat got a new president about four years ago from Garmin. I was told he was smart and business savvy. I was there four years. He was neither. Three months into his job he laid off 70 "sins of the past". He made big promises to employees and businesses. He never got our products off the ground (literally). He laid three more rounds of employees off up to April 10, 2019. He used the layoffs to balance his in the red budget. The software team leaders would constantly lie that the product was in good shape but it was not. Now, AeroSat is bailing out of NH because the president failed. So many good people lost their job but not him and his cronies. They stayed. The Astronics president also never cared for AeroSat. He would come to our stand up meetings now and then and scowl at us and refuse to address us when asked. His last two radio addresses (transcripts online) show how little he cared about AeroSat. Now, the greatest sin of all, the president and CEO of Astronics AeroSat both get to continue to tank Astronics, but this time they will do it in Chicago. Bye.

This is a fantastic place to work and I have been so happy. The environment is fun, relaxed, fast-paced, collaborative, and in line with its core value of helpfulness. The people are great and care about their co-workers.  There's a real mindset of "we" instead of "I" and it makes the experience unique and rewarding.

The benefits are solid and the shared bonus plan is amazing.  This is just one division of a large aerospace company, but corporate is fairly hands-off and it feels like a small to midsize business with the support and backing of a large company.  

One of the best parts of working at Astronics Ballard Technology is the work/life balance.  Most employees are working a pretty standard 40 hour week with some minimal extra hours being put in as needed.  There's a real focus on life and employees appreciate it.  The vacation and holiday schedule are generous and the standard work schedule allows for half-days every Friday, which is fantastic!

I highly recommend this place and consider this company and division and great place to work.

Poor communication. Poor manager. High manager turnover. Manager spent more time on cell phone or fraternizing, than managing. Very little support from engineering staff, engineering management, or technician manager. Very often my manager had no clue or desire to know what I was working on, what I had accomplished, or what obstacles I may have needed help to overcome. The training we received for IPC certification was great.
However, the on the job hands on training of the product produced or equipment used was either poor or non-existent. More safety training and procedures need to be implemented before and accident or injury occurs. The nature of the product produced provides for risks of exposure to dangerous energy levels that cannot be seen, smelt or heard. Physical barriers and signage were at a minimum or were not present in certain areas that are easily accessible to employees, customers, vendors, consultants, and/or support personnel.

The culture of Astronics Test Systems is one that is hands-off in terms of how management runs, which allows freedom as long as your are a professional and get done what you need to get done. Most workers have been there for a long time (10+ years), but there is no seniority when it comes time for layoffs. There is little collaboration between departments, which can cause frustration and keep departments from being on the same page.  Depending on the type of job and who your supervisor is, there is an array of different types of work schedules that the company offers to help fit your lifestyle (5/8, 4/10, 5/9 with every other Friday off). The company looks out for its employees as best as it can as long as the needs of customers and shareholders are met first. Overall, I would give the company about a 3.8/5 .

Working in the Clackamas OR plant as a CMM operator was a nightmare.  The people there at the time (May 2018) were impossible to work with.  They will not give you any training or share their knowledge, then management will write you up because you don't know what you are doing.  Most of my days were spent doing nothing because the present CMM operators will not share any information.  Gave it my best effort for 5 months but had to leave, in 5 months time I had learned very little.  Any type of management is non existent, never talked to my boss until she decided to write me up for not following procedure, which I was never shown.  This is a very tight knit group of employees in the inspection department and they do not play well with others.  They also expect you to work 7 days a week!  But they won't tell you that in the interview.  I was lied to when hired about the shift, the pay, and the pension.  Don't believe a word these people tell you!  Save yourself the trouble and look somewhere else!

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Assembler 6 salaries reported	$25.25 per hour
Production assembler 7 salaries reported	$21.64 per hour
Cnc machinist 5 salaries reported	$21.90 per hour
Senior assembler 4 salaries reported	$28.13 per hour
Quality assurance inspector 1 salary reported	$29.36 per hour

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