machine operator

maintenance mechanic

customer service representative

maintenance electrician

production supervisor

ESAB

Typical day for salaried employees at DC in Roanoke, TX (soon to be Denton, TX) includes 14 hrs of work, never ever less than 12 hrs; no support from upper management in front offices who work far less hrs (8am-5pm); no money in budget to buy any supplies other than tape, boxes, and air pouches; a KPI performance system for warehouse associates that makes no sense and cannot be explained by upper management in front offices; unsafe work environment; not enough RF scanners and handheld printers for the employees; not enough forklifts and other power equipment; the WORST proprietary warehouse management system on the planet; equipment falling apart, out-dated, and unusable; not enough equipment and supplies for employees to be successful.  This is by far the worst company ever.  Upper management misleads/deceives people in the interview process. HR is hands-off everything.  Temps are lied to by HR and the staffing agencies about the schedule (9a-5:30pm) and then quit when they have to work from 9am-10pm or later, causing turnover rate to be the worst I've ever experienced. They announced that they're cutting back on employee benefits, plus not giving any pay raises in 2016.  Upper management has been there for over a decade and they all seem to be pals.  Newcomers to the company are scapegoats for all the problems created and problems caused. STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY AT ALL COSTS!!! IT'S NOT WORTH IT!!!  Your life and personal time are worth far much more than the headaches they'll cause you.  They will work you to death.

There are a lot of smart and extremely hard working people at ESAB, all over the world. It was a good company to work for and to learn from. 
A lot of responsibility is given to the few people remaining after restructuring. This is also a good opportunity to shine with lots of visibility to upper management, but unfortunatelly there are no organizational assets to help drive projects. It is all done by who you know and who is willing to do you a favor as opposed to a properly organized matrix organizational structure. There is also practically no involvement by upper management in the form of true sponsorship of projects. There is unfortunatelly a strong divide between remaining rank-and-file employees and upper management so there is a constant struggle of "They dont know what they are doing/talking about"... There is little communication and no true buy-in for initiatives. Ironically, Colfax motivates employees to take risks and not be afraid to fail, but given the never-ending downsizing, people are afraid to try new things so they get reprimanded for not taking risks!

Although many changes have and are still currently taking place, ESAB remains one of the best places to start and maintain a satisfying career. There are several members on staff with 20-30 years of experience ready and willing to share the knowledge they’ve gathered over their years in this industry. Very few times do you come across a company that pays such close attention to detail. This allows for an excellent work environment and a level of accountability that genuinely brings the best out of you. It’s not about what you can’t do, it’s about what you could do and that’s what the people around you focus on. The company and their employees share the philosophy, “THE BEST TEAM WINS”, and nothing describes the atmosphere better. Everyone working for ESAB is part of the team and no one person is more important than another. It’s a family. It’s true that there are some mistakes or poor decisions that have been made from top to bottom but what company doesn’t have these issues? The difference at ESAB is that they aren’t necessarily looked at as a bad thing, they’re looked at as lessons learn or what we like to refer to as a, “Teachable Moment”.

You better be real desperate before you consider working here. They're liars and slave drivers, full of promises of raises and opportunities they'll never deliver on. The place runs on the sweat of temps, driven by the empty promise of getting hired. It isn't temp-to-hire, I was a temp for a year before getting cut loose due to Covid. It was always "you're next up, don't you worry, next week I'm sure" for months. I was about to quit anyway, I'm not writing out of bitterness for being laid off, my heart goes out to the people still there. They promised to close the doors if somebody got the virus, and somebody did. They didn't give him a sick day, there are no such things as sick days. If you miss three days, you're fired, no matter what. So he kept working, sick, and he got others sick. One of them, a fella loved by everyone, doesn't sound like he's gonna make it. They're still open, after cutting more than half the staff, but expect them to keep up the same back breaking pace, getting the same amount of work done every week. 12 hours a day, every day, seven days a week till you quit, get fired, or die. One of my coworkers got in trouble for telling a new temp "welcome to the bad place". He was a bit of a loon, but he was right, and that temp was right to run. So should you, as fast as you can, from ESAB Welding and Cutting.

Colfax purchased ESAB in 2012 and instituted a sound plan to make ESAB lean and more profitable.  In 2014 Colfax purchased Victor Technologies and has revamped the plan, which has spelled doom for the Florence, SC site.  People being laid off dept by dept.  The writing is on the wall for those of us still here, find something before they find you with a lay off notice.  Although this is all done in the name of profits and ROI plus shareholder value, the disregard for the people that have poured man hours and sweat equity into the Florence site is overlooked.  Current employees were not even given an option to relocate to the newly acquired facilities in Denton, TX or Mexico (and possibly St. Louis), instead posting our jobs there at lower compensation.  Our badges say "The ESAB Way", when it should read "Greed Is Our Need". This is not the ESAB of old, but one of chasing nothing but the almighty dollar.  Don't look for any of the companies that Colfax owns to make the list of the Top 100 or even Top 1,000 companies to work for.

I love this company for its global footprint, culture and people. There is a lot to learn as company’s focus area i.e., line of products is huge. If you can adapt to changes, work hard to prove yourself, are tactical then this is a place for you. 

Company is often constrained with resources and there is a huge pressure of doing more with less. Monthly, quarterly and yearly revenues, margins, and sales volumes are always the focus for managers. Cost reduction besides vitality metric is yet another critical area. Vitality focus drives NPD or product innovation. Cost reduction focus drives footprint consolidation, jobs reallocation and export to low cost countries, etc.

Company is ever changing - management changes, foot print changes, strategy changes are too frequent. Company is also looking for inorganic growth by acquisitions. Acquisitions often mean additional shifts and adjustments. If you like and thrive in uncertainty then this is a great place to be. 

the company places emphasis on managers but not enough on actual laborers. this top-heavy business structure results in a massive separation between top and bottom tiers of employment. this distance insulates the top from any meaningful input from the bottom and creates a corporate echo-chamber that navigates the organization blindly through the industry. 

the lean manufacturing initiative focuses on removing waste from the business system, but it only seems to apply to middle tier management and below. employees above a certain threshold can justify any expense with enough corporate buzzwords and handwaving.

the company's pride and joy is the colfax business system, which is a spin-off of the toyota business system, only with the added emphasis on employee competition and stock-holder interest. this system fosters a cult-like work culture that is not unlike that of a multi-level marketing scheme. 

Really, it depends on what you are looking for.  If you want a job jus to have a job, it's a decent place.  If you are in a leadership role, you HAD BETTER be a 'yes' man/woman or you will not go anywhere except away.  They talk about leadership, but you are only allowed to do it if it agrees with their way.  Oh, be used to hearing them constantly complain about money and inventory mishandling, but seeing instances of it continuing all around you.  They do not want change, they want unthinking robots.  Also, don't think that either ESAB corporate or Colfax has your back...they don't.  They put it back on the local folks to handle situations even though they are usually involved in them.  My advice is to look elsewhere.  I was almost from the start.

Hands on supervision of hourly work force provided much interaction and leadership opportunities to grow my subordinates.
I learned team building skills provide stronger results to the overall benefit of the employees and the company financial objectives.
My peers are talented and the next higher level managers are good mentors. However, the career advancement potential is limited.
The hardest part of my job is the communication gaps found in a 24 hour operation. At times, the various shifts do not all communicate the same or detailed, which is cumbersome at times.
The best part of my job is when we get customers who send us letters telling us how good our products are.

Good schedule, and decent pay. Benafits are bare.
The work envoroment is decent, but dirty, and no air flow, lost of dust, and chemicals in the air. Out of date equipment and tools, and they are stingy on buying any and seriously go out of there way to make it problem when you ask for proper equipment and tools. (Get it done with what you got mentality)

Management is toxic, lots of narssassism, and have loads of no accountability. They will throw you under the bus the first time you question anything they do, and will stack any and every little thing they can against you to hold over your head to get the desired compliance out of you, or termination. Lots of ethical issues with HR and sweeping issues with management under the rug to save face. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Machine operator 1 salary reported	$27.59 per hour
Maintenance mechanic 11 salaries reported	$32.80 per hour
Customer service representative 1 salary reported	$52,294 per year
Maintenance electrician 1 salary reported	$57,980 per year
Production supervisor 6 salaries reported	$73,982 per year

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