machine operator

manufacturing operator

engineer

optical engineer

process engineer

SAMTEC, INC

I never felt more appreciated as an employee than at Samtec, or more like I could've risen through the ranks if I'd wanted. I was always taken seriously and my ideas were always considered and encouraged. There were a lot of opportunities, and my co-workers were very nice, even if most of them were not in my age group/didn't seem to share many of my interests outside of work, which is okay because I respect people who come to work just to work. My only issue was that it could be a bit disorganized. I'd be told to do something one way and then told to do it a different way the next day, by a different person. On one hand, it's great that the company is so flexible, and for the most part they hired people who could roll with the punches. On the other hand, it was easy to feel jerked around or as if you were set up for a loss, or to blame for being the victim of the manager's mixed messages. However, my dad worked at Ford Motor Company for 30+ years, and from what I've gathered, as far as factory jobs go, you can't do better than Samtec, and some disorganization and crossed wires is to be expected. I would've loved to have stayed on there, but I had been considering a career in teaching and wanted to give it a try before I returned to school. But I was really blessed to work for a company that paid me really great wages, with bonuses, and offered so many benefits and really seemed to care about me and my well-being, and if it had been an industry I was interested working in for the long-term, it would've been a dream workplace environment. While I was there, I learned a lot about machines and teamwork, job training, computers, tools, fixing things - I really enjoyed working with my hands and being practical.

I genuinely enjoyed the work I did here and learned a tremendous amount during my time with the company. I had opportunities to cross-train in multiple departments, train new employees, and expand my skills in manufacturing and quality-related tasks. Many of my coworkers were supportive, and the work itself was engaging and rewarding.

Unfortunately, my experience with management was very different. I found expectations to be inconsistent, communication to be poor, and policies to be enforced unevenly. Practices that appeared to be accepted within the department were later used as grounds for termination without prior coaching or progressive discipline. This created an environment where employees could feel uncertain about whether they were truly meeting expectations.

I believe employees deserve clear guidance, consistent leadership, and the opportunity to correct mistakes before facing severe consequences. While I valued the work and the relationships I built with many of my coworkers, my experience with management significantly impacted my overall view of the company.

If you’re considering employment here, I would strongly encourage you to document any issues you run into with management. Current management will find a way to throw you to throw you under when you question there practices. Ask for clarification on policies in writing whenever possible, and advocate for yourself if something doesn’t seem right.

Samtec's engineering co-op program seems dedicated to developing engineering students, with a possibility of earning a full-time spot afterward. The company will rotate you through different groups every semester to expose you to the different parts of the company, though most rotations will be either tooling design or product design based. You get a lot of opportunities to learn, build your skill set, and work in a mostly friendly environment. As of 2019 and 2020, they also provided apartments for students during their time with the company. The one downside is the competitiveness of full-time offers. Since they have so many co-ops, only a small percentage of them will receive full-time offers by the end of their co-ops. In my mind, this makes this company better for a first or second internship rather than a final one, since you might be depending on your internship to provide you with a job opportunity once you graduate college. 

For those of you who want to work here be prepared to deal with favoritism. You will not move up in this company unless you are related to someone important. This company says they are family oriented and they are as long as you are ( in the family). And there is no communication here as what was said in a previous post. The supervisors only look out for the ones they buddy up to and not all of the people they supervise. Everyone here is scared to speak there mind cause if they do they look down on you. They change policies and implement new rules without telling there employees so when you make a mistake they can write you up. Maybe it's just my experience working in this department I don't know but I'm not the only one that works here that sees this stuff. This company would be a good place to work if they treated everyone the same and treated us all fairly

The work itself is easy, albeit repetitive and very tedious.  The problem in this company is with the management.  The lazy ones get rewarded while the workers with proven productivity and desire to work are treated poorly.  It really all comes down to who you know in order to get special treatment.  Add to the fact that the management in here is extremely lazy which radiates throughout the entire building.  This leads to poor productivity.  And guess who starts breathing down your neck when productivity gets low?  Management.  The company claims to care about their people, but the supervisors in particular at Samtec will find very subtle ways to bully you if they do not like you.  Take this from a six year employee.

My experience at Samtec was bad.  The elders that worked there were tied in through family, and I did not feel everyone was treated fairly.  I learned very quickly what needed to be done, and went above and beyond what was expected of me to ensure all orders got shipped on time.  Often times I got stuck with the "first time build" orders, which ended up taking excessive amounts of time to make due to no prints being available, in turn making my production rate appear much smaller than co-workers that were constantly building the same parts day after day.  I felt like I got mistreated, and that a lot of un-needed stress was placed on my shoulders because supervisors weren't understanding of what I was really doing.  

I worked for Samtec for five years. I was miserable after about six months. Pay and time off was too low and not enough. They were constantly changing my shifts and hours. Mandatory overtime almost every weekend my entire time there. Others teams almost never worked mandatory overtime, and when I asked to switch teams they kept brushing me off. They hired a mix off good and bad people and treated us all like children because off the bad. The managers for the most part had no idea how to manage. I once was threatened with a write up because I went to the restroom too many times a day. Basically if you aren’t really close or related to someone higher up you are treated like a second class citizen. Hands down the worst job experience I’ve ever had

They pay less at Scottsburg than they do at New Albany. Scottsburg associates also do not receive the bonuses that New Albany does. I would say overall its a great place to work for the money. Jobs are easy and its climate controlled. Can be favorites who get away with anything and don't ever mention dayshift has done something wrong. Feels like the company tried to pay off associates in Scottsburg in hopes to keep the peace and people complacent. Don't get your hopes up for any advancement, unless you have some leverage against management. When I left they basically took every avenue for advancement away and mostly were not allowing department transfers. 

Job can be relaxed one day and stressful the next. Some managers are great, others not so much. Pay and benefits are decent but could be better. 

Major gripe is advancement. It seems impossible to get to the next level without knowing a higher up or have family that works there. Managers will tell you want you want to hear without following through. The nepotism is terrible here. I feel hardwork and going the extra mile without knowing anyone should allow for advancement. Not here.  Also, many departments are understaffed and require a lot of mandatory overtime.

At Samtec, you get a nice mixture of both the comfort of a family owned business with the structure of a corporate environment.  The culture at Samtec is what makes it unique and allows such a combination to succeed.  Based on our Sudden Service business model and dedication to our customers is what has allowed us to grow to over $670 million.  

Working in Technical Marketing is a rewarding position as I get to wear many hats and learn and contribute to Sales, Engineering, Product Management, and Marketing all at once.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Machine operator 16 salaries reported	$22.00 per hour
Manufacturing operator 16 salaries reported	$18.59 per hour
Engineer 2 salaries reported	$95,000 per year
Optical engineer 6 salaries reported	$113,333 per year
Process engineer 5 salaries reported	$102,600 per year

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