entry level machine operator

machine operator

maintenance technician

forklift operator

print operator

DS Smith

The hardest part of my job was trying to grow the business while understanding the market and where your company's strengths can help.  DS Smith is a market leader with fluid handling devices (i.e. push button dispenser for wine market, diary industry, medical, etc.) however one of our weaknesses was having a market strategy for where DS Smith could put our products/skill sets to use. Having multiple manufacturing sites, stake holders in different time zones complicated this as well. 

The most enjoyable part of the job was to see a design start from infancy and watch it grow through the process. I can't emphasize enough how building quality into each phase is critical to the success of a project.  Quality is not something a company inspects into a product, quality is the backbone of strong design and robust processes...the quality department function is to audit/ensure the processes are functioning properly. 

I spent nearly 20 years of my life with DS Smith, started as a quality assurance engineer, promoted into the Quality Manager role, moved into the Implementation Engineer Manager (think project management) and ended up the Director of Technical Services.  The processes I built or was part of in each area are still running strong and at the end of the day, this is what you want out your time with a company.

Upon start they’re nice to you, they tell you in your interview you will receive training however only if you’re on day shift where management is present to train you adequately. If you’re on night shift you’re thrown to the wolves and then reprimanded when you don’t have the knowledge of what management wants you to know even though they failed to train you. Majority of the employees here do not speak English so it’s hard to learn from them if you don’t know Spanish as they may be your shift lead, Depending on your position the pay can be good but the hours are grueling, 50hrs minimum per week, employees here also love to steal and due to the high turnover rate and no cameras good luck reporting it and having anything done about it. The company is ran very old school and the management that has been present 20+yrs seems to think they rule the plant even though they’re as easily replaceable as anyone else, they don’t understand work life balance and think that all the world has to offer is ds smith. Would never go back to this place if they offered me any amount of money. It’s not worth your sanity. 

Horrible company to work for. Not only is the upper management incompetence impead the success of the production team as a whole. It also jeopardizes the safety in this plant. This plant has no structure and changes based on when corporate management  is present. There is an deep culture of shifting blame, and a complete lack of concern for what happens on the off shifts. You work here you will be sweet talked into taking the job and given none of the tools support or training to be successful. But you will immediately be blamed for everything and will be threatened to perform other duties not in your scope, work an erratic schedule and long hours. Upper management style is to put team members against each other driving resentment and distrust. You will work all weekends and holidays. Operations manager is more worried about appealing to female coworkers than being commited to the success of hi is team members.


Pay is good here. Even has good benefits. But the work life balance isn’t good at all. Management is not up to par. Little to no communication and poor training is often given to new hires. Sometimes management can be disrespectful, treat you like you are beneath them. They always let you know when you do bad and they aren’t appreciative either. They don’t really care about the employees here. Favoritism is is sometimes shown to if not most 1st shift while everyone else gets scraps. No one is held accountable for their jobs unless you’re an operator. Supervisors get hired from outside while you on the inside have to train them. They always expect miracles out of thin air but never take the necessary precautions to prevent the things that happen. They don’t fix anything until it’s completely not operational. If you want to make money this is the place to be. If money is no concern to you and you’re looking to for a peace of mind this is not your place of employment. 

The culture at DS Smith is the worst I have seen in my career. Everyone is very unprofessional and unwilling to help. They offered a book on the history of corrugate to use for my training. 

When I approached others for help they made me feel stupid and only helped me to get me away from them. The entire leadership team lacks a solid plan to deal with all the many issues facing the company. Their strategy is to capture market share in an industry in which the biggest player only has 5.6% of the market share. 

They have no plan for the future and are declining rapidly… Each time leadership tried to fix an issue it rapidly worsened 

There is no consistency between locations and no standard procedure they follow. This leads to many many issues when trying to complete projects. 

I would stay away from this company unless you absolutely have no other choice. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
My coworkers and supervisors were excellent and their commitment to safety was top-notch. It's like the Cadillac of manufacturing plants when it comes to keeping us safe. I really miss working there.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Trying to set up each new job as quickly as possible. I wouldn't say it was stressful though. More like just feeling rushed. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Everyone is very pleasant and professional, and the pay is great. I really have no complaints about working there. A bunch of us were laid off so that'sthe only reason I don'twork there now. If they start rehiring, I'll try to get my job back. I've worked at other manufacturing plants and this place really was top-notch for everything. Benefits and pay are great, too.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The atmosphere, good people doing good things. Plus the money is a bit more than everyone else is paying. It's not heaven on earth, you still gotta work  hard. 8 straight hrs so breaks are shorter, that makes ya feel like not much rest, but you get used to it soon enough. 
Better than average pay and decent retirement. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Getting pushed into being quicker, faster, and better. Some things fall under supervisors job that gets pushed off to you. And 1 bad day could really cost ya.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Decent place to be, they will give you freedom to do your job, just has to be done right the first time. They give ya all the tools ya need just have to stay focused and motivated. You have to want it.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Lots of walking, and can get hot. People are great.

I worked their for 7 years before DS Smith purchased it. The work/life balance is unacceptable. I would start at 7am and most nights be there until 6pm or later. Management kept putting more and more on my already overwhelming workload. They said they always hire from within, that was a lie. They hired an outside person because they were "moldable", but I was expected to train them. That didn't happen either! I stayed 14 months after the purchase, but things only got worse, not only for me but for everyone including the shop-production employees. I gave a 30 day resignation notice, without even having another job elsewhere. Two days before my time was up they thought I was kidding and really wasn't quitting. They now have three people doing what I was doing....Not a real good environment to work in, too stressful and too many long hours/days.


Working at DS Smith Vineland was the most stressful atmosphere I’ve ever had to work in. Management will work you like a dog, complain about anything they can, expect you to want to work 12+hrs 5 days a week for barely decent pay, and threaten to fire you under any circumstances. Human Resources here is the biggest joke I’ve ever seen as they do next to nothing to actually help employees when they have legitimate issues with management. Majority of your co workers do not speak English which will make it hard for you to be properly trained if you’re not bilingual however as stated before management will not care if you’re properly trained or not, they will simply fire you for not understanding what you’ve been told by someone who doesn’t speak English and move you onto the next one, they have a massive turnover rate (especially in production).

This company is the worst company I have ever worked for! They do not care about you or your family. When you first start they will sell you on the fact that it’s laid back environment and SOME Saturday work! LIES LIES LIES they require you to work 12 hours on Saturday. So the only day you spend time with your family is one day and sometime they make you work Sunday too! YOU WORK ALL HOLIDAYS! Yes even Christmas Day!!! This company won’t ever be straight until they fire the management! You can never get a straight answer from upper management at all. No Christmas bonus, no quarterly bonuses, or any company events. They work there employees so much everyone is always walking around like zombies. It makes for a bad work environment. THIS COMPANY WANTS YOU TO SACRIFICE YOUR TIME WITH YOU FAMILY BUT DOESNT PROVIDE ANY LOYALTY OR APPRECIATION! Do not work for this company

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Entry level machine operator 1 salary reported	$22.50 per hour
Machine operator 2 salaries reported	$21.31 per hour
Maintenance technician 2 salaries reported	$27.50 per hour
Forklift operator 3 salaries reported	$22.50 per hour
Print operator 1 salary reported	$24.50 per hour

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