project manager

intern

senior manufacturing engineer

electrical engineer

electrical assembler

Powell Industries

It started out great until they decided to changed the way thing work. They use the phrase "Knowledge, Skill and Ability" if you want to get better pay or move up. In reality the person who would let you move up the supervisor of each department. From the first day I was interviewed, I was tested on just tools and nothing on Powell products. Even if you have a degree in the field of switch gear you will still get paid low. They only promote people within and only if you are will the company for 10+ years. A person working for Powell for 6 years only gotten paid $12.50 and this is a person only doing wiring and nothing else. The title that you get has been downgraded to wireperson instead of Wire I, II, or III. IF they have a class for you department and you want to take that class you will not get picked. It's all based to favoritism. Supervisor does not supervised instead go around talking to other people in other department and make an excuse saying they are busy. Your only supervisor is your leader. Leader get paid a low as well no more than $12 an hour. same as other co-worker. If you plan to work in weekend you will not get a lunch break and you will only work 8 hours. Overtime are only picked if the supervisor likes you. They will not train you. Supervisor will not trained you nor anyone. If your job require you to push, pull, or lift you will have to do it and also assisting female co-worker even though they have the same position and same pay as you. You will work twice as much as others and the same pay level. Newcomer beware, you will work more than those who been there for more than 1 year. They will walk around while you end up doing all the work for those who been there for a long time. They will not get fired because they are supervisor favorite.  

Only thing good is the benefit and 104K. Benefit kicks in when are with the company a month. Even with that you will get an occurrence if you miss a day of work. They will only give you 3 strike. So be sure that if you have doctor appointment that you doesn't affect your work. 104K they will match what you put in. Always after 6 months with the company you will get 1 week paid vacation. 

Conclusion, Good for people who are 18-25 and 50 and up. Why? young people who doesn't know what they want to do can start here. 45 and up are those who are ready to retired. Other than that, if you work in the office you are set. 

Note:
The pay it not based on Knowledge, Skill and Ability but how much upper management get in there pocket before everyone does. This was supposed to be my future with company but it seem that what they told me seem like there are no future for me with the company.

HORRIBLE management, High turnover because the plant manager/supervisor are on a power trip and expect far too much. Literally go work anywhere else. I seen ATLEAST 10 PEOPLE GET FIRED, working there for 8 MONTHS! And those were just the people I knew there and talked to! They do not give you a chance to succeed, they give you minuscule training and think you’re ready to take on thousand dollar tasks by yourself. I’ve literally seen a diabetic get fired for leaving work to go the hospital because they were feeling light headed. The supervisor will constantly remind you that he is not PC and it goes to show. They will overload you with projects with unrealistic due dates. The engineers will make numerous mistakes on each project you work on, and you’ll have to figure out a way to make it work. This place is majority contractors because they pay the contractors about $4 more then Powell employees. Supervisor went out of his way to try to hire in all the contractors at a $3 hire rate then the Powell employees because they were so low staffed and wanted to ensure they’d stay. Co workers were great though! Probably the only reason I stayed as long as I did. Trust me this job is not worth it, I’d rather work at Walmart, they pay more and it’s easier work. This place is a joke.

A typical day at work began at 3:30 pm in the evening when the second shift at this workplace was set for. An assignment was given to the assembly team for building doors regarding electrical equipment. So the team would briefly discuss the assignment for that day before getting to the production stage. During the manufacturing process, the team would gather the components,equipment, and tools needed to fulfill their particular task with safety as the first priority and a great reliance on God. When the product is made, it is tested for its purpose by installing it on a door frame. There are breaks in between and the work is done at 12:00 am at midnight.
What I learned at the job was to perfect the product to utmost precision needed so it wouldn't break down over it's course of use.
Management was good and supportive.
 Workplace culture was very productive enthusiastic. The hardest part part of the job was the rework of the same job due to some alterations in specification and designe of products.
 The most enjoyable part of the job is the teamwork.

Powell itself is positioned to be the top of the class for electrical controls and service. However old-school business thinking continues to hold back its potential. I personally know Powell has lost numerous quality candidates because it won’t allow a remote work\office work hybrid. Powell continues to rely on business relations built in the 70s and 80s that revolve around oil and gas but the future is not oil and gas and Powell does not seem to be adjusting. As far as other aspects, the culture of Powell all depends on the department. Some departments would be more productive and efficient if their managers stayed in bed while others need direction and none is to be found. Rework is the word of the day for the shop because either engineering messes it up or production does but neither takes responsibility. Overall Powell is a great place to start, but with the business mentality being what it is, you probably won’t end your career there.

Lunch given when a big job is complete.
Good with PTO.
If you need a hand with a job /project someone will help you.
The pay was reasonable.
Some supervisors should not be in that position.
Some employees were not doing what they were hired for.
Some supervisors in shop were not helpful and did not know what they were doing, so shop employees would go to other shop employees for help.
General manager would leave or lock his office when customers would visit to look at there product being built.
Back in the day when I started everyone new there job along with the supervisors. 
As the years went by all of the hard working people started to retire and we started to get a new breed of worker, that were hard to work with, did not want to learn anything, and would not show-up to work.
The company started to go down hill, sorry to say, what a shame we were the best in the business.

The workflow is steady but not overwhelming. True there's plenty of work to be done complete with deadlines, but the people that work for this company are friendly and team-players; they'll work with an individual who is struggling or falling behind. At the same time, if an individual starts improving and becomes more efficient, there is recognition and praise. The comraderie is one of the best that I've observed from different workplaces; there's an overall peaceful vibe and every person has a voice that is heard. Since working for this company, my AutoCad skills have soared - increased speed, accuracy, and productivity. I've also learned how to develop and troubleshoot programs in AutoLisp. The hardest part of the job at times is getting down to what people really need since there are cases of miscommunication. The most enjoyable part of the job is the friendliness. That creates a much calmer workplace which boosts morale, improves efficiency, and produces better results.

What is the best part of working at the company?
You get paid weekly, great benefits & working in a climate-controlled facility.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Working with butt-kissing, spineless, backstabbing beaurocrats who are in it for themselves with little-to-hardly any training, subpar quality, horrible communication & a toxic culture.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Horrendous, you're always walking on egg-shells.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Show up to work, follow the script, accused of not meeting unrealistic goals & expectations because it is never enough while the lazy, good-ole boys skate on by because of politics & the hard workers get scroutinized, critiqued & ridiculed for making them look bad & are targeted for more work & get shunned when addressing inventory/part shortages, tranparency & lack of tools neccesary to complete the products of the highest in quality assurance.

This company is stable and your guaranteed 40hrs a week w/ little to no overtime. The wages are very low and the turnover rate is insanely high.
The company promises you 2 weeks of PTO but you are only given 1.5hrs each week. There are also mandatory shutdown during holidays where you have to use your PTO in order to get paid or you will be unpaid. 
Don’t let a disaster happen because you will not be paid. 
 The leads and mangers are poorly assigned, you have to know somebody in order to advance. 
The HR in this company is not there to help employees but to help the company. 
Raises are 1%-2%  raises ( not even $1). 
When you fight for more money due to a promotion, it’s either take it or they will find somebody else cheaper than you. 
Nobody gets paid enough and the work and attitude show for it. 
Most employees are temps because the company doesn’t want to invest in the employees. 

Clocking in for 6:30 am .Joining my work team having a toolbox meeting at the start of the day  ,learning the safety topic of the day and what job needs more details before it is tested by Quality Control. Had the harness to back pan . Check for changes and changes from  the Build Of Material to  ensure everything is correct . I have learned to be patient and check all that requires with my task to be safe on a daily basis. My co-workers and I work together to get the job done on time , helping each other if need it. The hardest part is when the work load is low and you have to work slow just to look busy . When your used to a steady fast pace. Being on the Safety Quad and knowing we all are getting the job done while being safe on a daily basis, while also receiving the lowest of Osha incident rates.

A typical day at work starts out with a toolbox meeting. in this meeting we talk about safety and any other department issues.
It’s like a family here at Powell where all of my co-workers are nice and try to do the best job they can. The management here is flexible and will allow you to learn each and every station of your department so you have a lot of knowledge when and if you move to other departments. You learn a lot about Oracle, our current MRP that's being used and inventory control. The hardest part of this job is making sure everyone else is on the same page but is also happens to be the most enjoyable part as well. I love the art of negotiating and coming up with creative ways to fix common opportunities.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Project manager 7 salaries reported	$82,486 per year
Intern 3 salaries reported	$18.33 per hour
Senior manufacturing engineer 3 salaries reported	$81,667 per year
Electrical engineer 3 salaries reported	$95,333 per year
Electrical assembler 3 salaries reported	$13.33 per hour

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