cnc operator

assembler

mechanic

field service technician

manufacturing engineer

The job was easy. While it may have been just as difficult as any other job working with assembly lines, it was fairly easy, at least by how they designed the lines it should have been. 
I believe I learned about how company politics truly work, as well as what happens when you're not your manager's favorite employee.
Management (as I will outline in my cons heavily) was not up to par and did not portray what a superior should act like in any work-place environment. Where safety is concerned, I would give negative stars if I could. When it comes to filing anything through HR, HR buries any report because it makes them look bad to their superiors when somebody files a complaint.
Workplace culture was very much in the hands of your fellow employees. Most of them were great people and fun to talk to and work with.
The hardest part of the job is knowing that you don't get weekends and you can't call out even if it's an emergency. Your voice is never heard and you aren't treated equally.
The most enjoyable part is the people you meet along-side you. 
Since you're not allowed to have more than 10 cons according to Indeed, here is my actual Cons list:
Lunches were not free; quite the contrary they were MORE expensive than retail by at least $2 per item (a hot pocket costs $6 on a good day), breaks were short, management plays favorites, there is no upwards mobility, you do not get time off, you do not gain sick leave unless you're hired onto the team (and that's entirely up to their discretion), PTO will get you fired (IF they notice; they barely keep track), they do not tell you until after you start working that you work 48-hours a week MINIMUM but you don't get overtime pay because they set their time-clock computers to reset the week on your sixth day every week, you might never see your single-day weekend because management said your department needs to work more, management is lazy and does not take proper steps to ensure safety, if the shift before you leaves a mess, it's YOUR responsibility to clean it up meaning: YOU have to clean up after the previous shift everyday and keep up with the production line. The workplace is filthy and you're working with explosives all day. The annual ATF inspections are not honest; management tells them that lines are not running, they shut them down for the day, then once the inspector leaves, they run the lines again (screams 'safe working environment' to me!) The machines are buggy, broken or so dilapidated and outdated that they cause frequent issues and frequent shut-downs that management blames you for, it's NEVER the line's fault.

If you want a life, do not go to work for this company. Supervisors and team leads focus only on quantity verses quality which contradicts ever aspect of what is told when your are oriented to this company. Provides no employee handbook so you have nothing to refer to when in question. Their so called "training" is a joke. I am currently an employee and have been there a couple of months and have been told to use parts that were not adequate for the job, to simply "make them work" by the supervisor. It is a very unprofessional environment with poor leadership. Their thoughts are working employees 7 days a week will increase their numbers, when in fact, it sinks employee morale. When I started my orientation, we had 21 in my class. There are only 4 of us left. That tells you all you need to know. To my knowledge, this is a common accurance. Orientation needs to be more truthful as to what hours are worked. Quality is stressed in orientation but I have not witnessed any regard to that on the acutual job. Quantity, Quantity, Quantity, that is all that is important. I have witnessed teamleads screaming at employees on the floor, degrading them. A professional company would take an employee behind closed doors, however, I don't think a lot of the employees realize that it is not only embarrassing to them to be yelled at in front of coworkers, it is also defainment of that persons rights and character. Personally, this has never happened to me, and if it does, I will take legal action.

The work environment is generally positive, with a team that is welcoming and supportive. However, the benefits package is not particularly competitive, and compensation is average. Over the past few years, employee morale has declined considerably, largely due to a growing lack of confidence in the company's strategic direction. Despite being consistently encouraged to enhance profitability and efficiency, employees have not seen these efforts reflected in meaningful bonuses.

During annual meetings, management often emphasizes the company's profitability, yet simultaneously mentions that the company is facing challenges, which has led to a halt in promotions and limited opportunities for career advancement. Additionally, a hiring freeze is currently in effect, and the company is not refilling positions when employees leave. Instead, these roles are being outsourced to lower-cost nations such as Mexico, India, and China.

The PLM systems in place are inefficient and problematic, and feedback regarding these issues is often disregarded by those in decision-making positions. The primary factors retaining employees are the supportive lower management and the hybrid work policy, which currently allows for two days in the office and three days remote. However, this policy is changing to require three days a week in the office, with indications that further increases may be implemented, much to the displeasure of an already discontented workforce. As a result, overall morale is at an all-time low.

It is probably the most mismanaged manufacturing plant in Lafayette, probably in the United States.  Very unorganized and the supervisors have been promoted off the floor with very little technical, communication, or professional skills needed to make a proficient supervisor.  They often make remarks and harassing comments that do not fit in today's culture workplace settings.  Training is poor and often new employees quit because they have not been properly trained on their job, which adds to the chaos especially in the stock and shipping area.  Stock and shipping is a disaster with no standard operating procedure and an inventory system that does not work.  There is no designated areas for inventory so they just put it everywhere cluttering up work cells.  Employees spend half their time trying to find missing parts which is the reason for production inefficiencies
Now with that being said it could be extremely profitable business, but it is being ran into the ground and I am not sure that ZF Corporate is totally aware of the situation???  Employees there have poor moral and do not enjoy coming to work and that is why the attendance, and the retention of new employees basically sucks.
The HR dept is basically impersonable and seem to be ignorant and unhelpful when it comes to the benefits that the company offers.  They seem to care more about the disciplinary aspect of the job rather than the human relation part. 

A typical day at work provides you with work to do.  Sadly many people take advantage of not working.  Don't get me wrong there are many men & women who work hard at this company but there are others that leave a sour taste in your mouth by just sitting around.  The numbers don't lie.  When one can put out over 100 parts and others only make 30, this is sad.  Then management will yell at those who are already working to keep working.  At times we are told to run from one machine to another to work. This is to keep the lines running while the nonworkers sit and fight over who's not going to jump on the line and work.   Management does nothing about it.  They are closing this plant,of course. There are many other locations but they won't even transfer us to another location. By the way, this company uses the title of TRW but they are truly Kelsey Hayes!   There is bullying in this work place. Inappropriate language and behavior.So if none of this matters and you would like a job this will work for you.  My salary only increased a little over $3 in the 7 years I worked there.  I did love all the different machines I got to learn while I was there.  I was sad that they thought I was just a shop rat instead of someone who came there with a degree.  They classified me like everyone else forgetting how many educated people have been displaced from work in previous years.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Challenging work. You can learn a lot   

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Promised an advancement. But big bean counters decided if you  were already fixing things on your own too get numbers on the products and repairing everything thing else. You didn’t need too advance on pay and a job title that every other shift had but yours. Because you did for free. Had team leaders and matinance recommended me for a pallet tech. Let alone I could fix most problems without tech support.  Worked the night shift on weekends. But amazing how our numbers were better than the other three shifts 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Team leaders were awesome. Then upper management stuck there finger in. And laid off or fired a lot of the higher paid people to make there books look good. Lost a lot of great and knowledgeable people for some profit

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Start my day getting there early and talking to the machine operators and find out about the current quirks. Clock in and go to the team meeting. Then start machines. Fine tune the others in the room. Then start on mine. We clicked pretty good in das 1 and das 2. If was assigned to das 2. I would go fix das 1 first

I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to take a moment to share my thoughts regarding my recent experiences with the HR department, as I believe constructive feedback can contribute to ongoing improvements.

While I appreciate the efforts of the HR team in supporting employees, I have encountered a few challenges that I feel warrant attention. For instance, communication has often felt unclear and inconsistent, leading to confusion regarding policies and procedures. Timeliness in responses has also been a concern, as delays in addressing inquiries can create unnecessary uncertainty.

Furthermore, I have noticed a need for more proactive support when it comes to employee concerns. It would be beneficial for the HR department to enhance its approach by actively reaching out to staff and fostering an environment where individuals feel comfortable voicing their issues without hesitation.

I understand that the demands on HR can be significant, and I want to acknowledge the hard work that the team puts into their roles. My intention in sharing this feedback is to encourage a dialogue that may lead to positive changes, ultimately benefiting both employees and the department as a whole.

Thank you for considering my perspective. I look forward to seeing how the HR department evolves and improves in the future.

It’s a place to earn a paycheck. Their technology isn’t all that impressive. It could use some upgrades or replacing. The assembly line always seems to be going down every few minutes. We’re there to make sure they don’t do that too much but it’s a little wishful aiming when they wanna get at least 700 parts made per hour when the same machines keep going down every other minute. The training for new hires could use some more professionalism. I was often hounded by my “superiors” for not knowing how to do something after only doing it a couple times. Not to mention there’s a lot of tech jargon that sounds like gibberish to the average newbie and they fail to explain what all those new terms mean. If you ask them what something means they seem to get annoyed. I’m not sorry that I need practice before I can become efficient. It’s a lot to learn and it’s kinda difficult when the trainers use fear tactics to try to get you to learn. It’s not rocket science but even rocket scientists were once clueless. A little more patience and a little more thorough training would be nice. I’m definitely learning but I can be a less pain in the you know what if I had a little more intensive training. 

Assembly line easy.  People are mostly not friendly and ratio about 2/10 of people who will even speak to you.  Team Leaders are very unprofessional and show favortism even though they were on the line before they become team leads and only make a few dollars more than you.  They will talk down to you in front of coworkers, talk about you behind your back and them turn around and smile in your face like theyre your friend.  They put on a front in front of Supervisors and lie to make their selves look better.  Shift Supervisors are Awesome... Mostly everything they tell you in orientation is lies and they wont approve your vacation unless you put in a year advance, etc... and still expect you to work seven days a week.  Overall,  If you go to work and dont talk to anybody and do your job you will be fine.  But putting your faith in these people are a waste of time.  The Tram Leads is what threw me for a loop!  I would never mistreat my coworkers if I was in a lead position!  Nor would I lie and fake my way to be in control of a line you cant even control!  It has a mind of its own and it WILL have a GAP in it from time to time.  No need to holler and scream at people because the line stopped or is backed up.  Being calm and treating people with respect will get them going Alot faster!  Bet!

Everything runs 'Just in time mode', which causes a lot of hard feelings. Machines get bandaids a lot which contributes to unpredictability. Which makes jobs run hot, which makes people make mnistakes or take shortcuts.
Used to be a much nicer place when we 'Banked" some parts to be used as a buffer. Benifits are being cut to the quick. Company/Union outings are gone. New people are being paid low wage. Instead of competing to see how many parts can be put out in a day, now its see if we can keep the line down on maintenance time where we can account for production loss and still make our remaining numbers.
Internal air quality gets really bad at times. Paint fumes are the worst. Bacteria from uncleaned parts washers and wet cell dust collectors is next. Cast iron from dry cut machines is bad enough to make you blow black chunks out your nose at times. Anti rust sprays are labeled 'Do not inhale' we use in mist bottles or in mist machines that paint your face when you walk by.
Other than that its a fairly clean place. The fourmen come out of the office when things are broke down or they want to stare at you from afar. Front office joins in when we dont make corporate values.
There is no pride to be had at TRW.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Cnc operator 21 salaries reported	$25.84 per hour
Assembler 15 salaries reported	$21.56 per hour
Mechanic 4 salaries reported	$23.44 per hour
Field service technician 1 salary reported	$23.50 per hour
Manufacturing engineer 5 salaries reported	$72,427 per year

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