IndustryWeek July 25, 2017

For more information on SMT’s manufacturing skill solutions, please click on the links below.

• Company Overview Presentation
• Partial Client List
• Client Testimonials
• 46 year chart of Manufacturing Skill Assessment data
• Training Grid: Outlining targeted skill training based on assessment data
• Six-Page Capabilities Review Assessments & Training

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The post The Most Important Manufacturing Skill… Trainability appeared first on Scientific Management Techniques, Inc..

We, at Scientific Management Techniques, decided to pull together data from our forty-six years of mechanical hard skills assessments into a simple but effective chart.  The results demonstrate a clear, steady decline in mechanical troubleshooting skills over the past four and a half decades.  And we don’t need the data to know this, we hear it from the ground every day from our global manufacturing clientele.

Used to collect the data, the Standard Timing Model (STM), our mechanical skills assessment tool, is used to identify mechanical skills and competencies when hiring Maintenance Professionals, Machine Operators, Electro-Mechanical Personnel, Assemblers and Technicians. There are varying degrees of assessment difficulty depending on the position you’re hiring or evaluating.  In addition, the STM is an effective tool for determining mechanical aptitude and determining training needs.

Our assessment programs have been validated thirty-eight times at the Ph.D. level, proving their effectiveness at identifying the most skilled, most capable, and most trainable candidates and incumbents.

The end result is that the manufacturing skills gap is real, and it will continue to significantly impact the bottom line of manufacturers globally.  What has led to this skills gap could be debated at length, but we believe it is critical to move forward with a solution-based skills strategy to embrace your manufacturing workforce pipeline.

If you’d like to know more about the unique, hands-on skills assessment and training solutions we offer, please contact us, we’d welcome the opportunity to customize a program for you and your team.

The post The Manufacturing Skills Gap – A Look at the Hard Data appeared first on Scientific Management Techniques, Inc..

Any type of workforce skills gap is often the result of many forces that have evolved slowly over time, intertwining to create a complex social, political and economic problem.  Therefore, constructing arguments based on survey data (realistically, only a snapshot based entirely on perception) can be unreliable.  Both sides of the manufacturing skills gap argument have used survey data to frame their conclusions.

In the article, one of the authors even states this himself, “The claims and the data sets that are out there often don’t involve the direct measurement of skills, so people are looking at vacancy rates across the entire economy or all manufacturers,” he said. “There’s very little data in which people go in at the plant level and measure what skills U.S. workers need to have.”

How do you make conclusions about the hard skills of the US manufacturing workforce without actual skill data from US workers?

Since 1971, Scientific Management Techniques has been measuring and recording hard skill data using our Manufacturing Skills Assessment Programs across many manufacturing industries and geographical areas.   SMT’s assessments have been delivered millions of times over the course of this time period.  These programs utilize Validated, Hands-On, Performance-Based Assessment Machines that identify the most skilled, most capable, and most trainable candidates and incumbents.  In other words, our assessment programs directly quantify the hard skill levels of the manufacturing workforce.

From our decades of data, we have seen a sharp decline in overall assessment performance in the last 15 years.  We consistently hear about the struggles of manufacturers to find the right talent, and that is why they come to us for a solution.  Our manufacturing clients (such as Unilever, Colgate-Palmolive, Pfizer, Honda) deploy our Skills Assessment and Training Solutions because they know that without them, the impact of the skills gap to their bottom line would be significant enough to stifle productivity and profitability goals.

Clearly, we can assume the skills required by the manufacturing industry has not declined, and with the acceleration of technology and automation, they have in many areas increased.   With labor skills declining and the required skills increasing, a skills gap has developed.

This is not a judgement on the worthiness of the US workforce as one author states in the article.  This is the result of many socio-economic and political forces aligning against the manufacturing industry and the skills needed to see it thrive through the next century.

Of course, the solution required is multi-faceted, and certainly, coordinating supply with demand is at the heart of the issue. Outside of industry, SMT regularly partners with community colleges and workforce development initiatives to align their offerings to this goal.

If you are interested in more information about our Manufacturing Skill Programs or want to discuss skill data for your region or state, please contact me at ebarksdale@scientific-management.com.

The post Manufacturing Skills Gap Doesn’t Exist? It does, and here’s how. appeared first on Scientific Management Techniques, Inc..

Before we apply a training program, it must be comprised of the following basic elements, all of which are tightly interwoven:

1. Effective – In order for training to be meaningful, it must translate directly to the bottom line. Workers must be able to apply what they learn to their operations, improving productivity.
2. Efficient – Training programs must be designed to be efficient in their time delivery. Taking staff off the production floor while maintaining full operations is challenging.  It is not that programs must be delivered quickly, but the time allotted for training must be maximized.
3. Easy to comprehend – Like any training curriculum, it must be easy for students to understand. None of the above is possible if material cannot be understood and applied.

The above elements can only be achieved if employees are only given the training they need.  A “shotgun” approach, while seemingly easier, will only end up costing more in the long run.  Not only is it more expensive, but employees are more likely to disengage if they feel they are not learning.

At Scientific Management Techniques (SMT), we have developed a unique Demand-Driven Training System that targets training specifically to the needs of the individual based on their real, hard skill levels.  We accomplish this by cataloguing their current skills through our Hands-On Skills Assessment Programs.  These validated assessment machines are designed to evaluate the skill levels of both potential new hires and incumbent employees.

By creating standardized benchmarks and analyzing skill gaps, we then develop a customized curriculum unique to the individual.  Along with a host of pre-determined operational metrics, we close the circle by administering post-training assessments to determine the effectiveness of the training, readjust and reapply.  SMT’s skill training system has been utilized to train thousands of Fortune 500 manufacturing employees in 38 countries.

When done properly, skills training is a fundamental building block for any growth oriented organization.  Not only does it help improve the bottom line, but gives employees a sense of purpose, growth and loyalty integral to any company’s success.

The post A Manufacturing Dilemma – Who Needs What Training? appeared first on Scientific Management Techniques, Inc..

One of the most difficult tasks for hiring managers in the industrial space is getting a true read on the hard skill sets of job candidates. Difficulty finding qualified labor to fuel that growth threatens to negatively impact manufacturers well into the next decade.

A candidate can interview well, even post good scores on a pencil & paper test, but without physically putting their troubleshooting skills to the test, there is no real way to know what level of performance you are getting. Scientific Management Techniques, Inc. has developed a series of five, completely unique, validated Assessment Machines for exactly this purpose.

Our most widely used machine is the Standard Timing Model (STM); a mechanical assessment device used by many Fortune 500 manufacturers across the globe for over 40 years. The STM assessment protocol combines a series of standardized faults that the candidate then has to troubleshoot in order to achieve a time. This time can then be compared to others to create a ranking.

Testing Job Candidates

The STM has 3 primary applications when used in the hiring process:

• Maintenance level assessment: Identify and measure a “pre-existing” skill set for an experienced maintenance professional. Someone that will be productive immediately.
• Operator level assessment: Identify and measure a “pre-existing” skill set for an experienced/trained operator.
• Identify mechanical aptitude/instinct: in individuals you know have not been properly trained, or perhaps have never worked in a manufacturing environment. For this we administer the “operator level” assessment but have a different score expectation. Our clients use this capability when they are hiring individuals they know they will need to train. Someone with mechanical aptitude is significantly more trainable than someone with little to zero aptitude.

Testing Employees

Additionally, the STM and other Assessment Machines can help to quantify the skill sets of existing incumbent personnel. This could be done to:

• Deliver highly targeted training. This is essential to maximizing both financial and operational efficiency. The less time spent training, the less time spent away from normal job responsibilities.
• Training Post-Assessment: Gauge the effectiveness of training delivered.
• Target promotions or pay raises to those individuals with the most advanced sets of skills.

Most importantly, the ROI of SMT’s Assessment Program Exceeds 100% the first year of deployment. The assessment program stops the “bad hire”, those individuals that may interview well but you recognize quickly that he or she does not possess the skills they represented.

How many “bad hires” did you have last year? Over the last 5 years? What would the impact have been if all these hires were top performers? Turnover has hefty realized and unrealized costs. That is the impact the assessment program delivers.

SMT has over 35 validation studies and 40+ years of data proving the efficacy of the skills assessment program. It just flat out works, adding performance and profitability for any business unit that has deployed and used it according to our methodology.

There are four other skill assessment machines offered:

• Electrical Skills Test Device (ESTD)
• Programming Logic Control Test Device (PLCTD)
• Computer Numeric Control Test Device (CNC)
• Process Control Test Device (PCTD)

Identifying and measuring skills prior to hire is the single most effective means to insure a quality, highly productive hire in manufacturing.

The post The Standard Timing Model – Quantifying Industrial Skills for Hiring appeared first on Scientific Management Techniques, Inc..

Manufacturing is fundamentally a hands-on, product/good creation enterprise.  It would naturally follow that training, too, should be a hands-on experience in terms of maintenance, production and operations.  Theory and tactical knowledge is important, but only truly learned when applied through practice.  One of our largest and most successful manufacturing clients recently told us, “As we prepared to put this (training) in place, we did some research and found that our mechanics wanted hands-on training, not just to sit in front of a computer or read a book.”

As we all know, training factors such as time and cost play a dominate role, as they always will.  Yet, ROI and training effectiveness should always dictate decision making.

It can be difficult and time consuming to formulate proper evaluation methods of training.  Time is always in limited supply, especially when it takes portions of the incumbent workforce off the floor.

Scientific Management Techniques has devised a unique system of training that utilizes our Hands-On Assessment Machines and Methodology to quantify individual skill sets pre and post-training.  Pre-training assessments allow Fortune 500 manufacturers to customize highly targeted training to the individual, giving them the training they need, and nothing they don’t – minimizing the time they are off the production floor.  For post-training analysis the incumbents are re-assessed to evaluate the effectiveness of the training, and where adjustments can be made.  A virtuous cycle is created.

SMT’s Manufacturing Training Curriculum is 100% demand-driven, based on the ever changing needs of the manufacturing industry over the last 40 years.  Troubleshooting is the heart and soul of the program and utilizes over 200 Hands-On training aids.

The result of these unique assessment and training systems when applied together is powerful.

The post Training Effectiveness in a Manufacturing Environment appeared first on Scientific Management Techniques, Inc..

Gregg Gordon describes Lean Labor Practices in this article on Manufacturing.net.

He states, “It is important for manufacturers to increase productivity, control costs and optimize labor resources and align them to the most important project or goal. Conceptually, all of this sounds good, but for many manufacturers, the question remains: How?”

Manufacturers often find themselves with incumbent skill sets that have been formed to a particular process or processes over time.  This allows them to operate effectively in a static environment with a predictable set of obstacles.  However, inefficiencies are exposed when change is implemented.  Sure, some of this is unavoidable, but hiring and training the right skills sets will allow greater flexibility when adapting to market changes in demand.

Scientific Management Techniques’ skill assessment and training programs allow manufacturers to acquire/develop the skill sets needed to implement a lean labor practice.

SMT’s Validated, Hands-On Selection-Evaluation program, using portable assessment machines and a non-written, non-verbal, task-oriented methodology, identifies the most skilled, most capable, and most trainable candidates and incumbents. It solves the question of who needs what training, eliminating wasted time and cost.

Here are some of the ways in which the assessment program can be used:

• In the hiring process; to identify and measure the skills required to operate, maintain, and troubleshoot a manufacturing facility.
• For promotions; using the assessment program ensures you promote the most skilled incumbent.
• To identify skill gaps/training needs. When you assess your workforce you identify the “specific” training needs of all employees. With this data you can deliver highly targeted training.
• To measure the effectiveness of training delivered.

SMT’s Industrial Skills Training curriculum is a 100% demand-driven program. It is highly customizable to fit only the specific needs of the client utilizing well over 200 training aids. This curriculum has been built by and for industrial operations professionals over the last 40 years.

Gordon summarizes, “While it is true that it is extremely tough to compete in the manufacturing industry today, Lean Labor can help. With Lean Labor, manufacturers gain a proven way to gain new efficiencies, reduce and control costs, and increase overall productivity. In turn, this allows them to focus on revenue-generating activities, strengthen the bottom line, and increase their overall competitive advantage.”

The post Implementing a Lean Labor Strategy appeared first on Scientific Management Techniques, Inc..

Large Fortune 500 manufacturing companies have a vast workforce, and it is not always easy to maintain an accurate picture of the skill development of their employees.  This is where our clients see the many benefits of implementing a Hands-On Skill Assessment Program.

Scientific Management Techniques has developed 5 skill assessment machines for the selection and evaluation of roles that include maintenance mechanics, machine operators, industrial electricians, PLC technicians, electro-mechanical personnel, process control technicians, and CNC operation personnel.

The SMT Skill Assessment Program has been developed and utilized for over 44 years and has 38 validation studies to support the efficacy of the program.

There are many benefits of assessing the skill levels your incumbent workforce.  The ability to identify skill gaps and training needs is often the most highly recognized.  However, clients have provided feedback that by using SMT’s Assessment Machines, they have discovered they had entry level operators with potential far beyond their current role.  These individuals were perhaps hired to fill an immediate need on a production line, but had high levels of mechanical aptitude and were destined to become highly accomplished senior maintenance staff.

These individuals become the backbone of any manufacturing organization.  It is critical for productivity and profitability of every organization to recognize, train and promote these types of skilled individuals as they become increasingly rare.

SMT’s Skill Assessment machines not only allow for manufacturers to identify and hire the most highly skilled individuals, but allows for easy identification of incumbent skill levels for training, promotion and workforce development.

The post Finding Hidden Talent in your Manufacturing Workforce appeared first on Scientific Management Techniques, Inc..

• Six out of 10 manufacturing positions remain unfulfilled because of the talent shortage.
• 82% of executives say the skills gap will impact their ability to meet customer demand.
• 78% of executives indicate it will be hamper their ability to implement new technologies and increase productivity.
• Two million workers will be needed to cover the projected shortfall as only 1.4 million out of 3.4 million positions are expected to be filled over the next decade.

There is a solution to curtail the problem immediately.  At Scientific Management Techniques, we implement a 2 part, Hands-On manufacturing skills program that helps manufacturers and community colleges to address the manufacturing skills shortage. Fortune 500 manufacturers have been using this solution for decades including Unilever, Diageo, P&G, Mars/Wrigley, Reckitt Benckiser, Coca-Cola, Cummins, Merck, Alcoa, AstraZeneca and many more.

It utilizes one of a kind, Hand-On Assessment Machines to identify manufacturing skill sets both for hiring and for identifying skill gaps/training needs.  The efficacy of the assessment program has been confirmed by over thirty validation studies conducted by Industrial/Organizational PhD’s and by over forty years of success driving productivity in the field.  Here are a few of the benefits of the assessment program:

The second part of the skills program includes a 100% demand-driven curriculum. The curriculum has been built by and for industrial operations professionals over the last 40 years.  It involves over 200 Hands-On training aids and a curriculum that is constantly evolving to meet the needs of industrial clients.

Put these two unique solutions together and any manufacturing community or stakeholder can solve their skills shortage.

The post Solving a Crisis: Closing the Manufacturing Skills Gap appeared first on Scientific Management Techniques, Inc..