maintenance technician

associate

assembler

ZF Transmissions

The pay is very fair for the work done.  The benefits are excellent.

Management is absolutely horrendous.  That's not to say they aren't friendly, but rather they make very bad business decisions.  They will instruct the line to keep running even with known bad parts, all to meet a quota of numbers.  Their philosophy is, "Run it, rework will fix it".

It's because of that very attitude that ZF is about to lose its business with Honda.  They almost lost the contract with JLR, but just barely got back into their good graces.

Moving ahead in the company is simple:  treat people badly.  If you want to advance, treat others like garbage.  Seriously.  The more you talk down to others and belittle those under you, the more likely you are to receive a promotion.  The more you produce, regardless of the quality, the more pats on the back you will receive.

None of that is an exaggeration.  I have been there several years and have seen the same pattern through several departments and managers.

If you simply want a paycheck and don't mind being treated like a child or producing bad parts, this is the company for you.  If, however, you desire to work at a company where you actually produce quality parts, then look elsewhere.

Working at ZF has presented international challenges such as language and business philosophy differences, I have and still enjoy my daily work in assisting with the launch of a 1.5 million square foot manufacturing facility which manufactures a 8 speed transmission and a brand new 9 speed transmission which has never been built anywhere else in the world. ZF afforded me the opportunity to expand my manufacturing background by moving into the Environmental Health and Safety Department. I am currently responsible for all environmental aspects of our facility as well as supporting safety in the aspect of machine safety qualification and creating and managing OSHA required safety programs.

Mostly everyone needs to work in today's society, but the pay for what you do is to me pretty low. I have never worked 12 hour days so the first week of so of just standing is/was pretty brutal on my feet after that  I just get use to. The team lead managers for the company want you to feel like your family since we work together a lot see each other as much as we do. The project manager usually talks with the people that he is cool with "does all the work for him so he doesn't have to." I feel as though favoritism is a role playing in any job, but this one is so evidently clear its kinda sad. Money is ok if your single, having a family you surely have to pinch pennies as much as possible.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Standard 90 day probationary period with very strict attendance, so don’t plan on getting sick while you try to get hired. Timed assembly of products they call cycles. Good pay and benefits if you can deal with the rest. Openly lean towards hiring Hispanics over other ethnicities.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Timed parts of the job. Parts were expected to be assembled in a minute and 30 seconds.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Teamwork but overworked expect to live there and visit home.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Rotating between two general stations while having to endure snippets of music they play continuously without ever changing it.

ZF Transmissions is overall a decent place to work. The most important thing I learned at ZF was the emphasis on attention to detail. Everything we made had to be within very tight tolerances so it was of the highest priority to make sure that everything was in the right place. The workplace culture was not the best environment as often times, upper management did not consider the opinions of their employees very much. Line management was fine for the most part. The hardest part of the job was adapting to consistently changing up the processes on how to perform tasks. The actual job itself was not difficult to perform however. The most enjoyable part of the job was the flexibility to move around; was not in a confined space.

This company offers a lot to people who are just starting out their manufacturing careers.  You can advance in a year or two which makes a great place for hard workers who feel like they've been held back by their past.  

There is zero work life balance.  You are a cog in the machine and while there are absolutely supervisors who value you as an individual make no mistake about it the system is designed to not stop churning if you leave.  If you are needing a place to advance or just a place to make money (the work isn't hard and there seems to always be mandatory overtime) ZF is a great place for you.

There is a definite ceiling if you do not have a degree.  You can make it to supervisor, but no farther.

ZF is a start up company with many obstacles to overcome.  The problem with this company is it's management.  They have the wrong people in the wrong places.  Decisions made are completely arbitrary and uneducated. If they don't make changes,  failure is inevitable. I believe in the idea of this company.  I believe in it's ability to be successful with ideas in place. But I lose confidence in the ability to succeed every time I step through the door.  Complete discontent instead of encouragement,  awaits at every team meeting.  Incompetent leadership will eventually evict positive notion.  I only speak of immediate leadership.... Not the senior management being appeased with deception.

Zf has offer plenty of opportunities to me.  I have been with the company for 11 years holding several positions.  I have seen the decline within the company from moral all the way to experience.  Many of experienced employee have left leaving the company with many unqualified people in all areas.  The big reason is management.  I believe any manager should have servant leadership.  Many of the managers see all the employees as replaceable and don't value what each individual brings to the table.  I am a supervisor, so I see this firsthand from meetings and interacting with different managers and directors.  The job and work load itself is wonderful and the pay is competitive.       

The job is very easy, you switch to different machines in your zone 3 times so you’re not stuck on one all day. 
Supervisors are helpful
Almost everyone is flirty but if you show you’re not interested they back off (usually) don’t be dumb they’re not interested in real dating
Coworkers are very helpful and team players but sometimes there can be small drama. 
Frequent pay advances
Point system sucks. You only have 9 points total, even with a doctors note you get a point. If you’re late or leave early you get a point depending how late it’s 1/2.  In a year you can accumulate only 1 week of paid vacation

What is the best part of working at the company?
This company has air conditioning on the factory floor. Beyond that you can’t really say anything good about working here. You are nothing but a warm body to them. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
They don’t make rational decisions and their late notice of overtime, scheduling changes and general manufacturing schedules is terrible. Plus they don’t care about their employees. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The physical work environment is fine but the way they treat you is horrible. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Come in get 💩 on for hours clock out and go home. Rinse and repeat.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Maintenance technician 1 salary reported	$24.75 per hour
Associate 1 salary reported	$35,000 per year
Assembler 1 salary reported	$16.91 per hour

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