entry level manufacturing technician

manufacturing specialist

entry level laboratory technician

administrative assistant

laborer

Badger Color Concentrates, Inc.

Typical day you come in to 3rd shift, blaming 2nd shift, for the mess that 1st shift left.
Purchasing is an absolute joke.
Scheduling is an absolute joke. 
Production is an absolute joke. 
Quality is an absolute joke. 
Maintenance is an absolute joke. 
Just all around chaos day to day.
I never learned anything I didn’t already know, from this company on account there is no education or proper training.
Honestly the most frustrating and discouraging job I’ve ever worked. Terrible with recycling and have little care about the environment they are polluting.
1st shift has the most supervisors and managers but somehow never have anything relevant to relay to 2nd shift, then 2nd shift is left to clean up messes they didn’t make and piece together what needs to happen. Poor communication amongst shifts. 
Constant “not my job mentality” due to everyone being underpaid for the hard work they do and the poor ventilation they work in. (Hope you want lung cancer)
I will say, most of the production employees that have been there are decent people to work with. However most people do not stay long enough due to unfairness and segregation from office to lab to production floor. 
Major hierarchy issues. People in the office walk around like they are better than the people who bust their backs to make the product on time and correctly.
I’ve never seen a company with so many people on computers but somehow nobody seems to know what’s going on. Instead of walking and asking, everyone emails eachother, leaving 5 different answers to 1 question. They love to talk about things and never put it into action.
Recently there has been a lot of changes to the office dynamic and the people they have in charge of inventory and purchasing have no background in plastics, which leads to orders going on hold and cutting deadline’s dangerously close to their customers high expectations. Ultimately will drive the place into the ground, of course while they rake in their salary, while the physically hard working people, get scraps…
I used to be proud to work there and enjoyed my time, till the end. Utterly disgusting and discouraging how they treat people that actually care. (Very little people take pride in a strong work ethic)
Little compensation for doing a good job. Very little recognition for going above and beyond.
For a company that’s been around 25 years, it’s like they are opening for the first time again.



A typical day at work includes checking samples of material made on the production floor and making sure the material meet the standards set by badger and each customer.  I learned how to balance multiple tasks at one time and deliver each effictively.  I am quick on my feet and have become very organized.  I have a table that is divided in half, one half is for the color matchers and the other is the quality control technician's area.  I keep all orders organized and clean so that nothing gets confused or mismatched.  Preventing contamination is a huge prioriety, making sure the injection molding machines stay clean is a must in insuring the quality of each sample of material.  The hardest part of my job is balancing all of the requirements and tests that each customer requires, although it keeps me busy which is something that I enjoy.  Another struggle was getting used to working third shift, a shift I had never worked before earning this position.  The most enjoyable part of my job is being able to make desicions based upon my own knowledge and what I feel is the right desicion to make.  With working third shift, the amount of employees is much smaller than first shift, so the amount of people "stepping on your toes" is cut in half, making the environment a bit more laid back and relaxed.  There is nobody there to put down my desicions which has made me much more confident in the work that I approve and the order in which I complete tasks.

A typical day drags on, most of us only have the basic level of training to complete a task, albeit not very well. The people who have the skill to complete more difficult tasks often don't, preferring to run easier orders and leaving the difficult ones for the off-shifts. Though I have learned how certain resins behave under different conditions, I have yet to learn anything else useful about the field of plastics from Badger.
Management is incompetent, no two ways around it. They pretty much let everyone do whatever they want, and as long as they come in on-time every day, they rarely ever get penalized. This leads to an unprofessional and uninspiring work atmosphere, which breeds lazy and insubordinate co-workers who believe themselves superior to those around them. This applies to most of them. The hardest part of my job IS my co-workers; dealing with them day in and day out without any repercussions for their actions, and with no chance of moving from an entry level position unless your big brother owns stocks in the company (literally how the production manager received his title), co-workers factor in a large part of the menial work day-to-day.
The most enjoyable part of the job is job security and the benefits. Although they're not much, they kept me from leaving a year prior.

Started out on an off shift and worked my way to first. Lots of politics between shifts. If you can ignore that and focus on your work, then you’ll be fine. The work in general is easy and repetitive, but when you get better and start understanding the science behind what you’re doing, you’ll get to work on more advanced projects. Training across different departments initially sounded like a good thing, until you were constantly having to work in that department cause the company couldn’t hire someone else. Management is questionable overall. One or two try their best but tend to get overruled by their managers and/or HR. Upstairs employees really have no clue how the lab operates as a whole and that ends up causing problems for customers and sales. Co-workers can get clicky. Either ignore it or don’t, up to you. It’s hot in the summer time in the lab, molding rooms and production; AC units and maintenance are questionable. Not a lot of reward for work unless you get a manager that actually appreciates their workers. There used to be some good, fair managers in the lab, but they’ve either been replaced or pushed out, which hit an already pretty low morale environment. Seems like whenever workers started having a little fun to break up the fact we were all dying a slow death, someone would complain and ruin the morale again. So lots of internal sabotage between workers and shifts instead of staying the course and working for the same goals. 

I work as a Color Technician and if you work on the off shifts, you will be in a peaceful working environment. The interview was simple because they are currently very desperate for workers and will take on anyone if they are willing to learn the skills. The learning curve is very long so you will have to work there a while to understand and to master the skills (matching color is a very specific, and sometimes subjective job). There sadly is some favoritism and drama between the different shifts. It has been said that first shift is favored when it comes to rewards for work and special work celebrations. There also tends to be a disconnect between the color lab and the sales department. This makes communication with the costumer about what is possible and not possible for us to produce difficult. But other then that if you genuinely try to learn the skills, your not going to have much of a problem, the managers are forgiving of new people and as long as you can take constructive feedback and learn from your mistakes, you will probably have a fine experience working at Badger Color.

I used to love working at Badger. 

I was their 1st employee, when they were still out in Muskego. 

They used to compensate me fairly, incentivize me for putting in extra work (bucks tickets, even just ordering some pizza) and have GREAT Christmas parties! 
Now anything slightly extra is cut from their budget....

Including the 3 bonuses I'm STILL owed!
 I am not even employed there anymore. 

Sadly, when one of the company owners passed away, he took the best part of the company with him. 

One of the biggest issue in that place is, they permit WAY too much inappropriate  fraternizing between employees.

Which is part of why I chose to leave...

I would come back in a HEART BEAT, if they would get rid of the girl who is a problem in the lab. 

She used to be on the overnight shift, but then she moved to days. 

She absolutely needs to go! 
I am aware of several other employees that she has caused personal issues with, and she has also caused personal issues for me outside of the workplace.  
This is a major factor in why I left, and I didn't fall management would support me if I came to them with a complaint about her. 

If she were to be removed, I would feel SAFE returning.

NWe pride ourselves on our friendly and supportive culture. Our team members are committed to fostering positive relationships and working together collaboratively. We believe that a friendly work environment is essential for innovation, productivity, and job satisfaction.

Engagement is a key factor in our team's success. Our team members are passionate about their work and are motivated to contribute their best efforts. We provide opportunities for professional growth and development, and we encourage our team members to take ownership of their roles and responsibilities.

By combining diversity, friendliness, and engagement, we have created a high-performing team that is capable of achieving exceptional results. Our team is committed to delivering exceptional value to our customers and contributing to the success of our organization.

I was employed at Badger Color for a short time,  but did make lasting friendships with several colleagues while there.  

The environment is fast paced and rather unorganized.   Objectives can change quickly and it starts from the President down.  

There seems to be potential for future growth based on market size, but will take a fast change in organizational structure in order to capitalize.  

Badger Color is top heavy in Sales, and that department has to much influence on good operational business decisions. 

Overall am glad I joined Badger for the experience.  I was able to make several positive changes and contribute towards company success in my brief tenure related to payment terms, price procurement goals and cost saving's / supplier management.  However, I am also glad I moved on. .

Tremendous entry level and future growth opportunities exist here at Badger Color,   In the lab, technicians are trained to design, formulate and match colors for any products made with plastic resins or for liquid color.  The customers include global manufacturers in industries such as:  household, beauty, automotive, food, sporting goods, and many, many more.  In the production areas, weigh technicians, mixers, and extrusion operators manufacture the concentrate color that is shipped to molders and added to resin batches for any plastic products.  Badger Color also has a growing liquid color department.  Badger Color is located on the edge of the Mukwonago Industrial Park not far from the intersection of Hwy. 83 and Interstate Hwy.43.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Laid back but job gets done as management cares that their employees knows their jobs and provides guidance for their employees 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
No stress if everyone does their jobs correctly. Good work flow process!

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Great! Employees work very well together at this facility 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Customer Service inquiries. Help keep production flow stay on track so customers orders do not get delayed. Answering phone calls and customers emails regarding status of their orders

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Entry level manufacturing technician 1 salary reported	$20.00 per hour
Manufacturing specialist 1 salary reported	$20.13 per hour
Entry level laboratory technician 4 salaries reported	$19.25 per hour
Administrative assistant 4 salaries reported	$18.38 per hour
Laborer 3 salaries reported	$18.67 per hour

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