mechanical engineer

intern

software engineer

manufacturing engineer

engineer

Brooks Automation

I started working at Irvine Optical Corp. (which was later bought by Brooks Automation) in 1983.  I worked there until I was laid off in 2003.  Irvine Optical went through a few changes in management before being purchased by Brooks Automation in 2000.  There were so many changes it was like working for four different companies.  It was easy to make the transition from Brooks to EDIC (out of the frying pan and into the fire).  Most notably the wide range of products offered, the large number variations and options for each product and the responsiveness to customizations based on individual customer needs.  The most valuable resource at Brooks Automation SBU (Sorter Business Unit, California) were the engineers.  They were not perfect.  They were always a little behind schedule but they were good.  They were so good that we had the distinction of engineering, building and selling the (at that time) fastest two cassette integrated circuit wafer sorter on the planet.  I don’t know how long we could claim that before another company surpassed us but it proved that we were not followers but leaders in the semiconductor factory automation market.  I had the opportunity to wear a lot of hats while at Irvine Optical / Brooks.  Although it was overwhelming at times, the most satisfying and exiting times were when I was purchasing all the parts for the electronics department (procurement, assembly , test and repair) and I was the production manager for the department.  We were like a company within the company since procurement and production were in the same department.  Further more, when the engineering department would get too far behind the electronics department would take up the slack by designing and documenting all the cables (and sometimes the boards) for new products and features and improvement for old products.  During the time I was the electronics manager for Irvine Optical (and later Brooks Automation SBU) we went from 5 million in sales to 20 million.  During that time the department grew from 5 people to 11, so we benefited from the economy of scale and apparently we got better at what we were doing.  The sorter business unit fell victim to the “dot com” blow up.  We were shut down.  I was fortunate to be a part of the transition team and was able to work for over 4 months after the Sylmar facility shut it’s doors for the last time.  I have nothing bad to say about Brooks Automation and there are no hard feelings.  It’s a great company and I am quite happy to have had the opportunity to work for them.

The day is relatively common among office positions, you sit at your desk for 8 hours and do your work. The cubicle environment can be loud and distracting, and my position specifically would be easily done from home, and be far more productive. I complete work from home in my "off" time anyway. Some departments can work 3 days in the office and two days from home, but for no particular reason, my department can't, which is unfortunate because I'd likely be able to get more done on the days I was at home.  Every office position should be given this opportunity.

The job *is* flexible* in that if you have an appointment, nobody is going to care if you have to take the time off. And if you're salaried, you have flexible leave time and not a set amount of days, which means time off doesn't count against you.

Free lunch is good, not always the healthiest, but it's quality food and not a terrible buffet.  People in the office are generally in a good mood and most seem to enjoy their work.

Some of the more senior-level employees can be a little too micromanagey and worry too much about departments three tiers below them, while also being stand-offish and not understanding (or choosing not to) the way some things work because they've never done the job.  They should let their directors and managers handle their respective departments.

It is a good company to work for, I enjoy my job and most of the people, and I hope to be here for a while.  I also hope they let up on the work-from-home and stop treating employees like children in that regard.  It's definitely more of a "because I said so" policy rather than a "because it enhances collaboration and culture!" because it really doesn't do the latter when 100% of your time is at your desk or in remote meetings.

B+, hope for better.

•Deployed and standardized process to test next generation vacuum controller. Developed LabVIEW application by standardizing equipment and regulating software to control the process of manufacture.
•Assigned the tasks of implementing automation strategies, optimizing process control, and investigate process control related issues by coordinating with process experts and manufacturing operations invoking Lean Manufacturing methodologies.
•Develop, implement operation sequence and processes in the manufacturing during sub-assemblies and final assemblies for Granville-Phillips vacuum measurement system products.
•Technical liaison across design, manufacturing, customer service but not limited to other organization.
•Develop as well as design knowledge system that support operators in dealing with deviating process.
•Handle the tasks of identifying and testing changes to the process by using sophisticated modeling software by tracking and implementing ECOs, MCOs, within the PLM system.
•Perform the tasks of developing and implementing process control to support capacity increase and safe operations within the plant processes.
•Assist with Key Performance Indicators to strategize the supply chain goal metrics.
•Developed LabVIEW application to test and capture system leak test of Vacuum Gauges. The application reduced test time while capturing critical test data.
•Estimate manufacturing cost, determine time standards and make recommendations for tooling and process requirements of new and existing product lines.
•Enhance FAI to verify prescribed production method from vendors and generate reports accordingly.

I left in 2010, and the company was in major transition starting from about 2008.  The company was divesting poorly producing divisions (like software), but the management lacked focus and direction, and underestimated the competition from Asia.  Massive layoffs hurt morale, and caused many quality employees to leave.  Certain departments were keeping the company solvent, and yet management came in and juggled most of the employees of that group, disrupting the customer contacts, etc..  Management brought in one young knuckle-head with little experience and he axes many good employees.  He came up with ridiculous "money saving" schemes that had no long term benefit.  
The stock price during this time tells the whole story.  Management couldn't convince investors that the stock (and thereby their management skills) was worth more than single digits.  For more than a decade, the stock couldn't get above $15 a share... sad.  No matter how many bells and whistles the new management put on their "dashboard" and how many metrics they measured (usually cheating by carefully slicing the data to favor whatever non-sense they thought the investors would swallow) the stock floundered. The young hatchet-man moved on not too long after I left, and the stock remained under $10 for years.  More recently it looks like the Board of Directors may have got the right people in positions that matter.  The stock is moving in the right direction, it would be a good company to watch going forward.

Brooks Automation is a supplier of automation products consisting of Robotics, Cryogenic Pumps, Front End Semi-conductor systems, Bio Life-science tools, and critical care solutions. A typical day at work consists of a large amount of unproductive, unnecessary meetings, every one wants results typically a certain amount of shipments per day but no one does the work to improve the processes and systemic issues to do so. The workplace culture is not good either, they have a lot of immigrant workers with a huge array of different skills that are paid far below what they are worth. Management is only interested in the revenue goals and pushing employees to work as many hours as they can, without any sense of empowerment or celebration when goals are attained.

At the mercy of clients in every department but sales. Sales makes all decisions and never consults a single person who will deal with the mess later. No matter how much you do, it will never be good enough next time. No support from middle or upper management. They make enough money to not care or be on-site. Meanwhile on-site employees are working with no recognition and have to reach absurd productivity. Lots of attrition in every department from being overworked and underpaid. Pe

Employees are worn out. Promotions are quarterly, and raises are once a year. That's it. Our voices were never heard after a survey, just like every year.

Hostility between leadership and staff in department. Cross-department hostility is worse and noticed by everyone. Communication on every level is a joke. Bad employees are favored and protected by HR, even though they make everyone unhappy and make a bad work environment even worse.

Always scared I'm not productive and will get fired. I want to quit but life science job market in Indiana is nonexistent. This place is terrible. 

I got hired as a Temp to work at Brooks and as a Temp, you really have to remember that you are working for a Factory. It will have it's ups and downs and you need to be mentally & financially ready for slow-downs and shutdowns. Brooks calls all the shots, even though you're employed with R&D Technical. If you are lucky enough to get hired or converted to a full-time Brooks employee, be ready for some really nice benefits. Brooks employees are well taken care of. Long vacations, heath, employee stock purchase, and an incredible amount of training for which you get credit for. Their HQ is in Chelmsford, MA and if you ever need assistance, they are the 1st in line to help. Management of Materials and Operations are really great people to work with. We get to have some fun mixed in with our work. Brooks creates an environment where everyone is treated with respect. If you get the chance to work for Brooks, I highly recommend it

A typical day at work is never typical because the focus and priorities of the position change every day due to dynamic conditions (internal and external) within the various programs under my management.  As such, I've learned to increase my flexibility and responsiveness in order to keep abreast of these changing conditions and provide my team with the information they need when they need it and to keep the customer informed on a realy time basis. The management team at Celestica counts on each person to be self managed and supports us where necessary.  This is the type of work environment that promotes trust and makes this company an enjoyable place to be, especially considering the quality of the work force.

Worked here for almost 2 years as a temp and never got a perm position no matter how many times I asked. The slackers were favored and liked more even though they only had 1-2 builds done a day and look at their phones majority of their shift. Then these people actually get perm and quit a few months later. Supervisor and leads are surprised when they are behind and encounter so many reworks when clearly there is a problem they don’t notice for some reason. Forces the good workers to work even harder because of this. They’re taking advantage of the Cambodian and older people knowing it would be harder to get a higher pay job elsewhere and are stuck there. If recommend working here if you need more experience on your resume and that’s it. Not worth staying long term unless they raise the pay and hire actual good people

Even thought the market is cyclical and there could be big lows there are also great highs. The company provided change. You had the opportunity to discover and learn new functions almost every day if you wished. Management is doing their best to stabilize the cycles and acquire other product fits that could help to make the changes less dramatic. Everybody has their differences but the people really work together and this helps to make the work environment enjoyable.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Mechanical engineer 5 salaries reported	$85,900 per year
Intern 3 salaries reported	$23.16 per hour
Software engineer 1 salary reported	$110,918 per year
Manufacturing engineer 3 salaries reported	$105,000 per year
Engineer 3 salaries reported	$104,333 per year

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