One of the key findings of the annual Top Shops surveys conducted by Gardner Business Media is that the higher performing CNC shops invest more in employee training than their counterparts. Like any other business CNC machine shops must invest in continuing education to stay abreast of current manufacturing practices and technologies. Here are 7 reasons to invest in employee training:
- Improved Productivity. Advances in machining methods and equipment happen every day. Learning new hard turning methods, techniques for machining exotic alloys or how to speed up changeovers, for example, can reduce process times and labor cost-per-part.
- Better Compliance. Employees are more likely to follow ISO, your own and customer standards when properly trained in these processes. This is especially important when certification is required for aerospace, medical and other industries.
- Reduced Supervision. When employees are well trained they become more self-reliant and capable, thus requiring less supervision. This frees managers to work on other aspects of the business.
- Greater Employee Retention. A Harris Poll survey found that 41% of employees in companies that offer little to no training were likely to leave within a year, as opposed to only 12% of employees in companies with ongoing training programs. Employees want and need continuing education to feel confident in their work.
- Workplace Safety. Following established procedures for operating machinery, moving and loading materials and how to handle emergencies is proven to reduce workplace related injuries and illnesses. Therefore continuous safety training is just as important as technical or process training.
- Satisfied Customers. By improving the efficiency of your shop through ongoing training you can more readily meet or exceed customer demands for product quality and delivery. Plus, a well-trained workforce enables you to compete more aggressively for new business.
- Competitiveness. An efficiently run, highly productive CNC machine shop – thanks to ongoing employee training – reduces operating costs so you can be more competitive when bidding on jobs. Moreover, gains in employee productivity translate into more available spindle time that expands capacity without investing in additional equipment.
Gosiger offers both technical training and applications assistance that can help your staff get the most out of their CNC machines. Contact Gosiger to learn more.