fireplace installer

assembler

installation technician

press brake operator

material handler

Hearth & Home Technologies

Starting at 6 each day with a daily department meeting and short excise program always give you a fresh start to a new day.  This was repeated after lunch, during this time we are kept up to date on quality issues, what we may need to improve on or a job well done. Operating equipment such as large roll formers, spot welder, unitizers for making stove pipe for fireplaces.  Doing a quality check on our products once every hour enabled us to ensure we were making a quality product for our customers. Being a member of the RCI team where we worked with operators on way to improve their work cells, and helping them work ergonomically making it a safe place to work.  
Learning to thread a seam-welder was one of my biggest accomplishments, it made me feel good knowing I could thread one and help out other co-workers when they needed help.
Having management jump in and help when our work load got heavy was very impressive, it really meant a lot knowing they understood when we as operators were doing our best to keep up with a busy schedule.
My co-workers were a great team; they really knew what the T meant in TEAMWORK, not only working well together but having an enjoyable time while working.  Celebrating birthdays once a monthly was one of everyone highlights with treats make by everyone to share.
Some days could be very long working 10-12 hours during our busy season was probably the hardest knowing you had to go home with so much to do.  Some days you wondered if there was light at the end of the tunnel.
Being one of the groups always made my day, everyone was important; we were like family if one of us needed anything we knew our work family would be there for us.

I have been working with HHT in Lake City for over 5 years.  I started as a Production Tech. 1 through an employment agency and was offered 'core' position after 4 months.  The work is fast paced and flow is continuous.  The management and business philosophy is very well explained through the orientation and frequently through goal updates.  The jobs on line can be physically demanding but the company is very careful with people who are experiencing pain and difficulty, they will be pro-active in moving you temporarily to a different area with different physicalities.  There is a lot of focus on the goals but the benefits of meeting them soon pay dividends.  After one year as a core member I got profit sharing.  I have had this every quarter since I became core.  A sign that the company is well run.
Over my time there I have had various promotions.  The company encourages this and they have development plans that allow you to focus on key areas of improvement.
On line you are trained in various work cells/stations, rotating every two hours with breaks in between. In an 8 hour day you get 2 x 10 minute breaks and a 30 minute lunch.
The tough part is that it can be physically demanding.
The good thing is that team spirit is great and you get help from co-workers or line leaders.

Everyday was a little different. I never knew exactly where I would be working or who I would be working by, but it always started with some stretches a pep talk from our group lead. He'd let us know how many units we had and how we did the day before. I learned that its important to help people around you because there will come a time when you need help as well and youll be counting on them. This job really taught me how to work with a team and the importance of being at work every single day. My co-workers were my favorite part of the job. Made a ton of friends and worked with a group of people who were not afraid of a little hard work and always helped and taught you knew things when they had the chance. The hardest part of the job was learning new areas or cells. Getting good at a new spot and being able to preform the tasks needed in the  given amount of time over and over again for two hours at a time is a challenge. But once you get one spot down the other ones get a little easier. My favorite part of this job was my co workers and being able to do something as a team and see the outcome of what working together can really do.

The only biggest con about this place is they are all about numbers.... numbers.. numbers... if you don't work fast and keep on pace you will hate this place and will walk out. Co workers joke about numbers everyday and talk bad about work culture. You get 40 hours at least every week if you want them. You are free to move around the company if you don't like where u are but unless you are a forklift operator expect to go home sore from how fast the pace is. Company pays decent but profit sharing doesn't start until you have been there a year so most be hires don't work fast or care much because of this. Management does seem to care about members (employees) but to an extent if you are a problem they will show you the door. Not a bad factory job but not for life, especially if you keep working on the floor.  Also 10min breaks and u are expected to be back working before breaks are over most people only take a 6min break. Also expect to leave late if you don't get your production out.

This is a company comprised of a lot of real engineers. Not much about keyboards and mouse clicks but hands on process and design improvement. The work life balance is decent, I think there should be more flexible days for sick day or personal time off. Your vacation days are your sick days.

Everyone does a good job holding each other accountable and while we have defined roles there is a lot of lateral support, meaning everyone helps out where they can and not just where they are required to. 

Some of management has blinders up, only seeking to satisfy their own goals and metrics no matter what customer experience they may sacrifice but that is balanced by many level headed, intelligent and rational decision makers that lead the organization. 

There is a lot to be learned here so long as you make yourself present and get involved. The company culture can be difficult to get along with if you are more of a corporate type.

Few leaders there are greatly structured but the face in the seats are for their money. 

Honestly its a great company to work for but you are mainly learning on your own the spare enough details to get u started but u are still unaware of many things so basically training isn’t a priority but most employees will love to help.  Holidays u get 2 days off mostly You get comfortable with the group of people u work with. In the summer u might get off early some days winter u will be there overtime almost every day 5am to 5 pm. It’s drama they’re hidden not to know in that area. There communication with employees need to better other than that u really go in do your work go home. Free coffee but the water taste bad most times. It’s different groups so if you are a couple starting in different area which is most likely to keep u focus you will be getting done at different times.

There is potential to grow in the company if you are willing to work hard and then go even harder. It is very fast paced and many of the employees feel that quantity supersede quality. The expected daily rate is expected no matter the obstacles faced mechanical failure due to poorly maintained equipment or the body fatigue of the workers. Every station has multiple task that is expected  before the unit is sent to the next station with no breathing time in-between. The pay is above average, but you will earn every bit of it. The production floor management is awesome, they are willing to jump in and work as needed. But upper management hold the idea that more work with less people is a winnable goal. The 4 day work week is great and working everyother friday is ok, but this writer is too fatigued to interact socially on days off.

We've been working every Saturday since late September. When I brought up concerns about how people feel like we're here more than we are at home with our families, my supervisor told me "This job is optional" so I've been applying anywhere else since. Their promise of "safety first" and "we care about our employees" is a completely baseless lie since we've been working 6 day work weeks, 9-10hrs a day, since September. This place DOES NOT care about you. The pay is decent but money isn't everything. Everyone is burnt out, everyone is stressed, tired, and you would think the top producer of fire places in the world would have paid sick leave or covid pay where we get a fraction of our wages but we don't. They work us like dogs and just throw money at the problem. This place does not care about you and it's easily one of the worst jobs I've ever had.

The majority of workers are good people, all in the same boat. Specifically speaking there are some that butter upper management's biscuit. Always seems to play hero to save the day. Inadvertently creating difficulty within the welding line and working process. Management caters to those who lick boots. Management and corporate are very tyrannical in regards to people under them. It seems like we as employees are treated like mushrooms. Kept in the dark and fed feces. No sense of honesty within the company and management. Dealing with layoffs and lies along with not keeping their employees in the loop of plans and operations.  Leaves us alot of wondering as to what the future will hold. Unfortunately it's not looking good, more Dysfunctional at best. All of this comes with regret, I had strong hopes for the company.

there was no "typical" I learned to address issues as they arose, and prioritize for the company's best outcome. Most of our management were intelligent "team players"  culture high output production facility.

The  hardest part was "making the call" on machine operation or lockout when things were unsafe, and upper production management wanted to continue running without repairs. this resulted in a lot of stress.

 The most enjoyable part was the opportunity to design, build and prove out new machines or innovations.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Fireplace installer 23 salaries reported	$103,261 per year
Assembler 9 salaries reported	$18.71 per hour
Installation technician 2 salaries reported	$22.50 per hour
Press brake operator 1 salary reported	$23.00 per hour
Material handler 11 salaries reported	$19.14 per hour

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