production technician

chemist

customer service representative

delivery driver

chemical operator

Vantage Specialty Chemicals

I worked at the Carnegie location for approximately 3 years. The work is not bad. My coworkers, for the most part, are good people. Vantage, on the other hand, is a company that leaves a lot to be desired. I’d like to be more descriptive but I’d like my review to finally be accepted.

If you end up responding to the $19/h ad (which they post all the time because their entry level employee retention rate is abysmal), you’ll be a “Production Technician C” worker. The title used to be called “sanitation.” Basically, just as it sounds, you’ll clean stuff up. You’ll basically do the work that all the guys with time in &/ or that are on 1st shift don’t have to ever do. It’s the most tedious & unrewarding work imaginable. On the other hand, it’s easy. So at least there’s that. But you’ll also be watched like a hawk by one of the many cameras they have installed throughout the facility. So try & occasionally look busy.

There’s literally no growth opportunities for any newcomers at all, though. So get used to sweeping & mopping because it will be your life there. You’re also looked at as being a lesser employee than those on 1st shift. You will also constantly be talked down to & looked at as not as capable as those on 1st. 

The union in Carnegie is based out of Ohio. So good luck getting them to help you with anything. Also, the current steward is as helpful as the non-existent union. I’d again be more descriptive but I’d like this review to finally be accepted. 

-RT

Worse experience I have had. I was hired as a chemist here. Initially, I was excited. However, as soon as I started I realized this job is NOT for a chemist. It’s a lab technician role that does not remotely require a bachelor degree in chemistry to do. It’s basic elementary chemistry. The chemical operators (with HS diploma) are paid way higher than the Chemists. The turnover rate is high for a reason. If you cherish your time, please do yourself a favor and seek an actual chemist position. Also, the shifts are 10.5 hours! And the schedule changes every 3 months. So one month you could be working from 7am-530pm and the next you could be working overnights from 7pm to 530am. No one has a solid shift except for management and R&D. Also, there’s mandatory overtime. If you have a life, beware of this job.  

Company is owned by private equity and Vantage leadership team on the corporate side is unrealistic. They like to buy a chemical plants that need a lot of revamping and that’s where the money goes. The plants that turn out the bulk of revenue for the company continue to get screwed as do the employees raises and bonuses. Money is always tight but profits are high and expectations even higher. Aside from upper level leadership, the site works together as a whole and most of the union employees are decent workers. Work force for the most part is well tenured but retirements from attrition and turnover seem to be on the rise. Very stable work environment for agreement and non-agreement employees, don’t expect to be ever higher than meets expectations.

Used to be a great place to work, good overtime and pay. Also great incentives. Then they took away the overtime, took away some benefits, and told us if we dont like it we do not have to work there. Things break all the time, yet they push and micromanage to say get it done faster( with broken equipment). Hours are 12 hrs day and night shift every 8 weeks you switch from day to night. Also they do not pay when promised. They say after 6 months after you are hired you get a raise. Yet I have had to fight for guys for years to get their raise at six months. I met the next qualification to get my raise 3 years ago and they still have not given it to me. Leadership is toxic and lacks common sense. Completely incompetent. 

The work was interesting, I liked it but their hiring methods are terrible. They trained me for 6 months to fire me for a mistake I made about 2 months into my training. Moral of the story is nobody will take the time out to see if you progressed or not.Your final judgement is based solely off the mistakes you make while still learning the job and it's alot to learn. For the first like 2 months you will barely understand what being talked about. I was reliable, dedicated and very hardworking. By the last month I worked I wasn't having any issues.i was learning the advanced work in my department but that wasn't good enough.

Found that the supervisor and other employees would not train new employees how to do the job Safely.  Worked half of the day in a wet environment cleaning old product, which made my pants drenched with water. Then after that I was made to mix bags of product into a mixer from a ladder. Needless to say by the end of mixing all 6 bags my clothes were covered with whatever product was in those bags. Within 30 mins my legs had started to burn. Maybe if I had seen the right way of doing all tasks I might still be working there now.

This company is horrible to work for. I did multiple positions at the Gurnee Illinois facility and each one was horrible in its own way. The older employees are extremely territorial and don't like new people. I was being harassed by co-workers and nothing told my boss that this was happening and nothing was done about it. There was a bunch of politics throughout the whole facility and everyone treated you like garbage unless you were a veteran employee. DO NOT work at this place. Don't let the good pay fool you!!

Vantage offers an environment of dynamic transformation, abundant with opportunities for substantial personal and professional growth. With a keen focus on fostering individual development, Vantage is committed to augmenting your skillset and cultivating practical knowledge. This commitment is evident through the empowerment it provides for you to broaden your horizons by embracing expanded responsibilities and diverse experiences. 



I had the opportunity to experience technical service, process engineering, production, and sales and marketing department during my time employed with Vantage.  The friendly and collaborative environment makes for an enjoyable workday.  Many people have worked at that location for many years and it has a family feel as a result.  The work has adequately challenging which allowed me to improve my skills.  The smaller size of the company allows for cross functional teams to be very productive.

Vantage used to be ok to work for, but there has always been issues. QC and QA receive little to no support or opportunities for growth. We are currently shortstaffed and instead of hiring another tech, the company is biding their time trying to get this location sold. This means we are stretched paper thin and still expected to maintain the same levels of productivity. Honestly, it feels like everyone is about to jump ship.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Production technician 11 salaries reported	$26.88 per hour
Chemist 8 salaries reported	$28.69 per hour
Customer service representative 11 salaries reported	$42,432 per year
Delivery driver 2 salaries reported	$16.00 per hour
Chemical operator 6 salaries reported	$23.83 per hour

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