machine operator

operator

warehouse specialist

senior operator

lineperson

Southwire

This was a great place to work in my opinion, but it is a warehouse that is open to outside temperatures. So if you can't deal with cold or stuffy hot weather do not work there. I worked at the in-between of production and distribution so I got to see both sides. Material handlers are worked hard and made less than I did and were expected to maintain a high level of quality, which is understandable. I have heard some stories of unsafe work practices leading to injuries, but any time that happend and the employee was cleared from fault they were allowed time off to recover. Working in the rod-mill you are exposed to extreme heat especially during the summer and are required to wear heavy jackets for protection, but the pay incentive has been said to be worth it. On the distribution side it was much less stressful but if all the required orders were not loaded then you stayed till they were. Some of the supervisors were a pain to deal with but my 3rd shift sup was extremely chill and knew what he was doing. As for the workplace over all it was an extremely goal oriented and safe place to work. While they didn't out right punish carelessness they made sure you didn't make the mistake again or they decided they couldn't keep you. The upgrade to the break room turning it into a mini convenience store was GREAT! The benefits were good, the referral incentives were great and if the location exceeded expectations every employee got a bonus for that quarter. And occasionally the company would pay for lunch for a shift from a local good truck. The safety practices around there were immensely upgraded while ai worked there and you never felt in a position of being in danger of injury unless you were just being stupid. They had water, ice, and vending machines around the warehouse to make sure you stay hydrated. My job as the Scale/Pallet wrapping station was busy during the week but very slow on the weekends, but I kept busy by running a forklift around the warehouse picking up the finished pallets I needed to process and storing the processed pallets in the warehouse. If you want a challenging environment and don't mind the cold or heat then you should work here.

In the position I was in the typical day was stressful and unorganized in how the place was ran for production and timely maintenance repairs. The best this i learned working there is everything is a contradiction to the ways they run the place. One of which, is also the biggest thing they promote is safety. Well thats not the actual case. As an employee you are encouraged to point out hazards. And in being at southwire for 2 years the hardly actually fix any safety observations in my vicinity.  A faulty locking ladder and an automatic conveyor that was never fully automatic so when a feature failed you were stuck struggling with something that was far heavier than what they want you physically moving by yourself. Then a draw box that would spin on its own after you stopped turning the machine possible grabbing your hand if your restringing after a wire break or a change over. Then there was the communication issue. I was physically having issues because of mental stress. So they sent me home. They failed to explain things completely and efficiently so I could return to work in a timely manner. This caused me to lose work hours unnecessarily and when I did get communication they didnt give it to me properly so I could get them the necessary paperwork. Because of the lack of communication I was given 3 days points because they didnt tell me what I needed to return until after I missed the entire 3 days of work. This is because thier P&C doesnt actually operate through the weekend.  All in all I learned dont trust management at southwire. If you thing you share whats going on eith you it may bite you in the long run. Hardest part of the job in my position is the constant distractions over the faulty machine. Leaking water, unreadable sensors, overheating wire,  and youre spread thin over a large area you cant see an entirety of because it so far apart and behind other machines. The enjoyable part of the job? We'll cant say there was much enjoyable after the first year after realizing the whole place is a contradiction and only wanting to protect themselves not actually thier employees.

A lot of pomp and posturing at this place. The CSC manager is arrogant, self absorbed and belligerent. If he doesn't like you, or you don't hang on his every word your doomed to miserable time working there.
You can bust your butt working to move things forward, and he will make it point to bring you into his office degrade you, and make it as though your input, service, and effort is completely useless unless it coincides with his own self promotion.

Change, initiative, values, are talking points not core values......there.
If you expect an employee to do something out of there comfort zone, they will complain , and go to the other supervisors, and soon it becomes an entire plant dilemma.......sooner or later you will be called up , interrogated, blamed , and belittled with no rebuttal or evidence supporting the accusations.

Be wary of your colleagues, if you do something that outshines them, it will be a campaign of denouncement, and criticisms which eventually you'll be punished like a child for being too driven.

However, this would be a great place to work, if you like to curse at management with no recourse, and walk around all day talking about who won the game last night.

If your married, and unhappy, this is the place for you! They have no problem letting Supervisors fraternize with female employees. In fact, a woman can simply ignore any responsibility, and say or do as she pleases.....

Policies are just good ideas, not sound applications, if it is an issue that thwarts upper managements climb to fame, they will expect you to ignore it.

This company also prides itself on a safety program, in theory, not action.
Management confidentiality is a joke. If you discuss something in private, or try to get some feedback, the whole staff will hear about it by the next day........

It has no concern in running a sound operation, only aligning people who are favorites, and destroying the creditability of all who don't share the same philosophy........

A typical day at this company involved doing your work while staying cautious about how things might be interpreted, because the environment often felt unpredictable. I learned how to navigate situations where communication was unclear and decisions didn’t always feel fair or transparent. Management interactions could come across as dismissive, and the workplace culture didn’t match the positive image presented during hiring. The hardest part was dealing with situations that felt unjust or disproportionate, which created a sense of being wronged rather than supported. The most enjoyable part was connecting with a few genuine coworkers, but overall the experience made it difficult to feel valued or secure in the role. There was a noticeable amount of instability in day‑to‑day operations, and the environment sometimes felt uncomfortable due to behaviors that came across as dismissive or targeted. At times, interactions created a sense of pressure or unfairness that made the workplace feel unsupportive.

I wouldn't recommend that anyone work at Southwire. Pay is not competitive and they refuse to pay more even as goals are reached and cost of living goes up. Leadership is manipulative and vindictive if they decide they do not like someone or they simply want to do things how they want to do them and someone is in their way. They will lie and play mind games and sabotage people without a second thought about that person's career or family, and corporate will support them all the way if they think you don't know your rights or the law because they are leadership.  It is not worth the damage to your mental health, happiness, and your reputation and career to work at this place and I recommend everyone stay away. I'm not saying these things because I'm an angry, bitter employee who was termed. I am still here. I'm saying it because it is true. It seems like there are no ethical and honest people left, especially in corporate environments, and Southwire is no exception. They do have all these "give back" and support programs, and that's great, but all the sugar in the world isn't going to change what's underneath. It just helps to mask it for those on the outside looking in.  

If you enjoy making money and can function while being micro-managed, then this job may be for you. Overall, the company is a great place to work for, but it's something not everyone can handle. Management always changed every 2-3 years and new practices were implemented without much operator feedback. Supervisors sure had their favorites and overtime is forced upon you without much warning if those favorites need a day off. Some plants have too many supervisors on a shift which causes overstepping between supervisors and employees. Sick time is not a thing at Southwire unlike most businesses. Machines constantly getting altered without much operator feedback which turned into a "figure it out yourself" moment. The company brags about "diversity and inclusion", but it only goes so far and not much effort is placed into it as they claim. Employee gossip runs rampant without much supervisor/management intervention. The company does offer incentives when it comes to health and personal growth. You can move around the plant to different machines, but don't expect to move up to any managerial position. Those belong to family and friends of the person hiring for that position even if you have a degree in that field. The health benefits may be exceptional, but you're definitely paying for it out of your paycheck every week.

Great place to start your career, opportunities to learn a lot early on, if you have a good manager. Hard to really advance, or move around, not really mentored because leadership is spread so thin, not an environment that fosters a  meaningful career and skill growth, except for a select few.  Not very diverse in thinking, VERY numbers driven, most people are kept in one place. A few people are selected and moved around. This process is random, no formal process in place where you can "apply" for a management program. You are "chosen" and moved, regardless of if you want to make that move or not.

This company is good to employees on a general level. They have a medical facility, can use your insurance there, get cheap scripts, a free gym and some intramural teams that are also free for employees. paid vacation, paid holiday's, a weeks pay for Christmas bonus, Six Flags day (most years), education reimbursement (although depends on who you are on how much you get), and they offer an opportunity to hear outside speakers  in conjunction with various employee resource groups.

The organization is lean and you work a lot of hours. A bit behind in being a flexible work environment, really behind in the way they label jobs.

They offer both consumer driven health care and traditional, more comprehensive healthcare.

Located 50 - 60 min. outside of the city center, the employee base primarily comes from rural Georgia and Alabama, although some executive level commute from Atlanta area.

Very good to the communities they are located in.

Typical day at work - Your a picker who runs a forklift and builds skids for customers. Or bands and  cradles reels. 



What you believe you learned- This place is toxic and the morale is horrible. It's like going to highschool everyday. And things spread like wild fire. Your coworkers are not your friends. And management only cares about themselves.  Supervisors won't take care of important issues either. They will help you with the work if you have a question. They seems to have their hands tied with things because when things are brought to upper management nothing gets done. That's not how you run a company.  




Management- Probably the worst management experience I have ever witnessed.  Goes for Supervisors too. So much lawlessness around there. Seems like you can do whatever you want and get away with it. It's pretty pathetic. 



Workplace culture- To woke for my blood. If your into the LTBGQ  and DEI this place is for you. But  don't throw it in peoples faces. Seems to care more about the culture then getting actual work done. 


Hardest part of the job- Heavy lifting 40 hours a week. 

Most enjoyable- Being able to work alone.

The work, pay, hour’s are good. But that’s as good as it gets... Humans resources are a bunch of lazy, rude people. Upper management are space cadets. management is clueless and love to harass employees, especially ones that call their faults. They will give you lip service until your content, then actively avoid you until you practically have to corner and demand a answer. when you come to them with a problem, that’s when they stop being friendly, and actively participate in the rumor mill and favoritism is monumental at the Bremen east plant.  The people and culture are even worse than the management... half of them are air heads/ the other half are donkeys.  don’t think you gonna go to work and make friends.... anytime someone finds out something about you, it reaches the entire plant before the end of shift. Just a whole plant fake people, fake smiles, 1 million knives. It should be called cliques-r-us. Everyone would rather stand around, cause issues and spread rumors, instead of actually work. I would wholeheartedly recommend that anyone looking for decent work, keep searching  for another job until the owners pull their head out of their belly buttons  and replace the entire management team from plant manager down to shift supervisors and get new people in there. And get rid of the people causing ethics issues. Then it might be a good place to work. 

If you like working a night and in either extreme hot or cold conditions, then this company is for you.  Managers are out of the stone age and will fire you for any reason if they do not like you.  The VP comes in on your first day and states, "You are on probation for the first 6 months, and we can FIRE you if you slip up in anyway." This dude was a real piece of work and had a superiority complex!  Southwire's management is still living in the 60's and needs to be revamped and start treating is employee with curiosity and respect!  Their style of management is to remind you on a daily basis that you can be fired at anytime and like to keep people in fear of their jobs!  Also, they can put information in your file without you knowing it and then compile a case against you without informing you.  Next thing you know you are in danger of losing your job and you have never seen or heard on any issues!  I would definitely stay clear of this stone aged company that treats their employees like pawns ready to be sacrificed at anytime!  Also, Southwire's entire HR department is a complete joke.  Their is nothing "Human" in the Human Resources department.  They are management pawns and will spy on you and assist in firing you instead of providing an avenue to protect the worker against bad management! Shame on you Southwire!!!!

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Machine operator 3 salaries reported	$23.81 per hour
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