senior manufacturing engineer

manufacturing engineer

production technician

assembler

cnc machinist

MKS Instruments

Management was very approachable for issues or situations that needed to be resolved. Respectable, but limited in capability. The fact that corporate has such an edge in the functionality of the plant, lowered both plant production output and lowered employee moral. 

Times existed when people of many years or temps were laid off for sometimes circumstances of lowered demand in outdated market non-competitive product or generally poor employee ethics. People got away with stealing hours for nearly half a year at least at a time, before being let go for example. 

I learned as much as I could working there, yet it seemed like no one was very aware of my skills or capability to get product out the door. Job was also very dirty and handling of cancerous chemicals should be expected. Not much was done to improve poor work conditions, (ventilation, etc.), it seemed all that mattered was maximizing product distribution out the door. With no concern for quality up until there is actual significant fault in the products released.

Not much sense of accomplishment of being able to do everything in a line, without being looked upon as trivial or in better terms, replaceable and expendable. When going above and beyond, all it appeared to seem like all that I was working was for just a check, but not a long term career. Other than a yearly bonus, there really was not much room to earn more wage wise, unless you work for years to get only dimes for a raise at a time. This made me sad working there and looking to leave. There really was no system in place for assisting employees with career advancement opportunities.

What made me happy working at MKS was some of the employee population, which made light out of the poor work conditions I faced. Sharing food coming to common realizations, about how many puppets were controlled with strings.

What to expect:
Typical corporation that aims to maximize profits, while minimizing costs, even if it means not looking out for employee interests. People were very sad to work here, and in certain cases where if they transferred to certain departments, they would say they would quit immediately even if they were full time.

 Basically I felt like the company did not create or have much incentive to work hard or even learn. Somewhat a toxic work environment at times, especially if favoritism takes an edge upon the expected quantity of work from person to person.  Whether you were the best or average, it really did not make much difference as your career lacked the ability to change the company for the greater good.  

People with higher wages and seniority often did not have to work as hard, if liked by supervisory personnel, where as lower paid workers were told to work harder with the least amount of hours and higher product output. They often wanted numbers but wished to avoid costs as much as possible. Maybe for market conditions or poor top level leader ideals. But hey million dollar salaries, are way more important to ensure than mere rat race thousand yearly salaries. Or in better words, give scraps to the cannon fodder, whose daughters will give birth to more to replace the others.

Through daily interaction World Wide IT personnel, the management of LAN, WAN, Network, Domain Security and Virtual environments in multiple locations in US, Canada, Germany, Mexico and South America I became adept in working with varied levels of support, remote and local requirements, a wide range of customer (company employee) support, training, educational and experience levels and different cultures and languages.

Regularly initiated and management of IT related projects, following standard practices of both Company and Project Management guidelines resulted in successful modification, upgrade and full provisioning of new technologies and operations. 

Though I did not directly manage other IT staff, I was internally trained on methodologies, personal interaction, and interpersonal relationships.

My coworkers were receptive to new ideas, though some required additional motivation to do so, and the relationships we shared were both interesting and beneficial to us and the Company.

The most difficult part of the job was the time difference he cultural differences shared between Central IT and HQ in Berlin Germany . That said, my  relationships with Central IT personnel were productive, informative and mutually enjoyable in nearly every case.

The most enjoyable aspects of my job were not only working hands on with all aspects of tasks specific to my training and experience, a field I've always enjoyed working in, I also had many an opportunity to learn more about the Company from individuals directly involved with metallurgy, chemistry and practical applications, nano-scale engineering, R&D and how all of these aspects did and could impact our world. Also, I was able to travel to different countries which proved to be enlightening and pleasurable.

Document review from 5:30 - 7:30 AM. Check emails from 7:30 AM to 8:30 AM (ave, 110 emails at this time). From 8:30 am to 2:00 PM (on ave.)  action items from emails. 2:30 PM to 8:00 PM my work agenda. From 1:30 AM to 3:00 AM (3X per week) communicate with with our supplier Malaysia regarding quality issues. 

Learned a new industry and what it takes to survive in a high tech, fast paced, corporate culture. Achieving Green Belt certification

There were different levels of management you're involved with on a day to day basis. Management styles varied from excellent to not so good.

Work place was fast paced and quality driven. A QE's dream come true. The work force was extremely diversified with as many as 15 different cultures. The interaction on a daily basis was unbelievable. I appreciated the insight into their individual customs.

The hardest part of the job was the long hours and controlling maw materials from Malaysia and finished product from Mexico. In both cases, we heavily relied on real time video.

Again, the most enjoyable part was the diversified work force and the Quality Culture. It was a pleasure and a lot of fun implementing what was learned in school.

To start with the positives, the people at the Rochester location are absolute sweethearts. Most of them will invite you to hang out outside of work, and socially this company is amazing. I'd say the pay is competitive and fair at the time you're hired. Mid to Low tier health insurance options. 

Most manager's at the Rochester location are lax and understanding when you suddenly need a day off.


On to the bad:
Raises are not competitive regardless of performance. Those with bad performance reviews and those with great ones both received a 2% raise in 2024, even after Corporate delayed all raises by 4 months. No CoL adjustment. Minimum bonuses. 

Constantly forces you to take your vacation during scheduled "shutdowns" regardless of your position. For example, Research & Development  stops due to Manufacturing shutdowns. Halts progress in a company that relies on it.

Corporate IT is blind to all issues, has an awful turnover rate, and constantly becomes inaccessible unless your project is considered high priority. 

Little to no training available to introduce you to the company. No onboarding besides safety videos. Unless your in a software team or a manufacturing team, you're pretty much on your own to figure things out.



MKS has consistently proven to be a standout company in the tech industry. From my experience, their commitment to innovation and excellence is unmatched. They offer a diverse range of cutting-edge technology services that cater to both small businesses and large enterprises. What sets BrightFuture apart is their exceptional customer service; their team is always responsive, knowledgeable, and willing to go the extra mile to ensure client satisfaction.

The company culture at MKS is another highlight. They foster a collaborative and inclusive work environment, which is evident in the positive attitudes and high morale of their employees. The leadership team is forward-thinking and places a strong emphasis on professional development, offering numerous opportunities for growth and advancement within the company.

Overall, MKSis a reliable partner for any organization looking to leverage technology for business growth. Their expertise, combined with a client-centric approach, makes them a top choice in the industry.

There is no room for growth unless you are on the supervisors good side. You are micromanaged all day long, and timed for how long and how often you go to the bathroom. Leadership is horrible. You will not get far here. Stress levels are high. You get pushed to work fast but yelled at for mistakes. People are always quitting, even long time workers. That says a lot. Supervisors are not good to their workers at all. Very rude and tells you this company doesn’t need you and if you want to leave, the door is right there. They expect you to do more than the required job, and if you don’t, they gossip amongst the manager and supervisors and they all frown upon you. This place is literally a high school where gossip goes around fast. HR does absolutely nothing to defend you as workers, and everything you report, they tell the management who reported them and on what, so retaliation happens. All and all, I do not recommend working here. Leaving this company was the best decision I’ve ever made.

I worked here 2 years as the only Software QA Eng on staff. I was asked by senior mgmt to inplement a QA policy, implement a QA test strategy, and implement a QA automation test framework. 

The position was later absorbed into the DEV group, when senior management received a promotion. 

DEV management and the DEV department refused to follow the same QA policy that I was previously asked to implement. Zero cooperation or collaboration from the developers who’s software I had to test. Clarification questions for how features were implemented were flat out refused. Requests to adhere to a standard web app development structure so that I could automate it were flat out refused. 

I tolerated this for 2 years, and with zero support,  I quit without notice. The Company didn’t desire their work to be tested by QA, clearly, and I didn’t have any support from management to enforce anything at all.

If you want a job where you will push a button and do nothing else, this is it. If you want to listen to a bunch of old men argue about how you need to do more and do it quicker, this is the job for you. If you want to quietly watch a bunch of immigrants be taken advantage of, this is the place to be. If you want to never move up in the ranks, this is your company. If you would like yearly raises that will never amount to more then 15 to 30 cents,  this is the shop for you. 

Everyone has a different experience, and this company has some positive benefits, but as a Machinist you will not grow here. The manufacturing supervisor, manufacturing specialist, CNC programmer and team leads/seniors on the floor do not work together and distort communication between employees. The company cycles through human resources reps quicker than the weather changes. 

job was really easy but repeptitie, training was hard because the person had a very bad accent and i couldnt understand a word but i did try my best by watching what he did, and it was easy. the work is easy, depending what station your doing, all i did was blow air at metal to check for leaks for the whole shift. got paid good, but got fired because of miscommunication from management during the pandemic, i followed protocol to call out each time i got sick or if my temp was high as it scans you when you enter the building. They are strict about it but got fired because i was sick often (not because of covid) No advancement but easy job, but sucks because overnight pays the most, the other shifts dont, and overnight is much more flowing and no one on your back. Paid lunch depending what location ur working at.

The camaraderie among coworkers was the saving grace in an otherwise challenging environment. Unfortunately, the management was ineffective and unsupportive. My manager's lack of assistance during critical times, coupled with the tendency to speak negatively about employees behind their backs, created a toxic atmosphere. Additionally, frequent changes in processes without team consultation only added to the frustration. Micromanagement in other areas and unprofessional behavior from colleagues further contributed to a difficult work environment. Despite raising concerns to HR and meeting with them to discuss my resignation at their request, my experiences were dismissed as "just business," leaving me feeling unheard and my former coworkers unsupported.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Senior manufacturing engineer 6 salaries reported	$112,153 per year
Manufacturing engineer 1 salary reported	$30.00 per hour
Production technician 5 salaries reported	$19.90 per hour
Assembler 11 salaries reported	$20.72 per hour
Cnc machinist 5 salaries reported	$26.91 per hour

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