Breaking barriers in manufacturing
| Pages | 182-184 |
| Date | 12 August 2019 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/SHR-08-2019-163 |
| Published date | 12 August 2019 |
| Author | Thomas Shorma |
| Subject Matter | Hr & organizational behaviour,Employee behaviour |
HR at work
Breaking barriers in manufacturing
Thomas Shorma
Located just south of Fargo,ND,
WCCO Belting is a second-
generation, family-owned
company that manufactures custom-
built rubber conveyor belting for the
agriculture, light industrial,
construction, sand and gravel,
packaging and recycling industries
worldwide. Like much of North
Dakota, unemployment rates are
close to zero per cent in WCCO’s
hometown of Wahpeton, which means
the pool of available candidates to fill
open positions on the company’s
manufacturing floor is limited.
Given this challenge, the WCCO
Belting team has had to dig deeper
when it comes to developing hiring
strategies and creating programs to
help retain and engage employees.
The company has honed its first
impression with new applicants,
created a robust training program to
reduce the fear of the unknown for
employees new to manufacturing,
especially women and new
Americans, and opened lines of
communication between employees
on the manufacturing floorand the
leadership team. Today, the company
has a laser-like focus on creating a
workplace where employees can
learn, grow, and be a part of a 65-
year-old family business and its rich
traditions.
Since turning its focus on better
managing its first impression,
employee engagement, trainingand
retention, the company’s turnoverrate
has drastically declined from 25 to 3
per cent, where it has held for the
past three years. What’s more,during
the same period, the company has
increased its revenue and efficiency.
WCCO Belting is shipping 20 per cent
more product with 20 per cent fewer
people.
However, what the company has
learned along the way about
eliminating barriers betweenpeople
has perhaps been the mostimpactful.
The company has systematically
broken-down barriers when it comes
to hiring a diverse pool of employees
for its manufacturing jobs without
compromising safety or quality.As a
result, the WCCO manufacturing floor
now is comprised of men and women,
millennials and Baby Boomers,new
Americans and lifelong North
Dakotans all working side by side to
produce the company’s world-
renowned rubber products.
How has the WCCO Belting team
accomplished this and what
recommendations do they havefor
other companies facing similar
issues?
Breaking manufacturing myths
with a great first impression
Manufacturers are regularly
stereotyped as minimum-wage
employers offering little to no benefits
in exchange for monotonous workon
a dirty, dark, and greasy production
floor. With these myths in mind, it can
be intimidating for job seekers both
familiar and unfamiliar with
manufacturing to not only applybut
also strongly consider the businessa
Thomas Shorma is based at WCCO
Belting, Wahpeton, North Dakota,
USA.
PAGE 182 jSTRATEGIC HR REVIEW jVOL. 18 NO. 4 2019, pp. 182-184, ©Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1475-4398 DOI 10.1108/SHR-08-2019-163
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