CAREER
OPPORTUNITIES
Welcome
Welcome
to the Career Opportunities section of the OPMFA
website. Whether you are an upcoming school graduate
exploring a career, have already graduated, or are
seeking information on a possible career change,
we are glad you are here.
Industry
Overview
The
precision sheetmetal industry is one of the most
challenging areas you will work within the metal
industry. Clientele most often consist of high tech
companies serving the computer, telecommunications,
technical instruments, and the medical/dental industry.
Products produced for these customers, by our industry,
are built to close tolerances, generally less that
.015. Cosmetic requirements are also very demanding.
Basically, it has to fit right, look good, be cost
competitive and delivered on time.
Products
that we make can take many shapes and sizes. They
can range from small finger size brackets to hundreds
of individual parts assembled into large computer
frames complete with exterior doors.
Typical
products of our industry are made of various materials.
The most common are cold rolled steel, aluminum,
and stainless steel. Covering these products, to
avoid rust and corrosion, is often zinc plating
for steel, etch and chromate conversion for aluminum,
and passivation for stainless steel. In addition,
parts are often painted to high cosmetic criteria
using solvent based and water based paints, or powder
coated. To further enhance the appearance and utility
of the part, many parts are then silk-screened with
customer specified lettering and designs.
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Industry
Changes
Over
the years, the industry has changed dramatically.
Most metal fabricating equipment today is computer
numerically controlled (CNC). With these changes,
accuracy and repeatability has greatly improved,
as well as the skills of the individuals needed
to operate the equipment. It is not uncommon for
operators to be running equipment worth over a million
dollars.
In
addition to advances in the state of the art of
equipment, the method in which the industry processes
customer orders has changed. It was not long ago
that customers ordered specific sheetmetal parts
for a product they were building. So, the provider
would ship many individual parts. The customer would
then perform mechanical assembly followed by electrical
assembly to create their final product.
At
almost the identical period of time, many customers
came to the realization that it no longer made sense
for them to receive and inventory so many parts.
In addition, they were required to staff an assembly
department and cost overhead structure to assemble
them. In most cases they did this at a higher cost
that the sheetmetal provider could do.
So, the process shifted. Instead of ordering many
individual parts, many customers switched to ordering
more pre-assembled parts from their precision sheetmetal
vendor. They not only reduced their overhead costs
in doing so, but also significantly reduced their
inventory and the cost to maintain and keep track
of it.
As
the evolution of this assembly process transfer
continued, it became apparent that the precision
sheetmetal provider could also perform additional
mechanical and electromechanical assembly. This
then allowed the customer to concentrate on the
high level proprietary integration where more of
their core competency rested.
The
result in this transformation process was to add
an assembly operation department to most precision
sheetmetal providers. This again, like with advanced
equipment, put additional skill responsibilities
on the employees of precision sheetmetal companies.
They changed from fabricators to integrators, companies
that performed fabrication as well as value-added
integration.
With
the advancements in industry equipment technology,
coupled with the move to more value-added integration,
the quality bar was definitely raised. To accommodate
this change and also have a quality system that
was universally recognized and certified, the popularity
of being ISO certified became important. The ISO
9000 standard is a universally recognized world
standard. It requires a stringent total quality
management system comprised of a quality Manual,
operating procedures, work instructions, controlled
forms, and internal audit process that insures conformance
to the ISO quality standard. Many companies have
adopted and been certifies to this standard. So,
to manage this change, the industry also needs trained
quality assurance personnel.
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Challenge
for the Future
With
increased competition, whether we want to acknowledge
it or not, we compete in a world economy. To be
successful in our industry, or any industry for
that matter, requires employees who are loyal, hard
working, trained, and willing to keep on learning.
For those types of individuals, there is plenty
of opportunity waiting.
From
this introduction, we hope you have seen the increasing
and challenging demands of our industry. We serve
leading edge companies and we are also required
to keep pace with leading edge transformations in
our industry.
As
we move on in our exposure to you of career opportunities
in the precision sheetmetal industry, we will look
at various positions that are standard in the industry.
With each position we will provide a description
of the position and skills required along with photos
showing work activity.
We have also attempted to classify each positions
general compensation range into categories of low,
mid, and upper. Wages obviously differ from company
to company, but it is generally felt the amount
in the lower area is around $8.00 per hour plus
to the highest range of around $25.00 per hour.
Our goal is to provide you with a good understanding
of these positions and the skill requirements they
need. In addition, at the end of this section, we
have answered anticipated questions, FAQ, you may
have regarding the industry.
Typical
Industry Positions
The
following are typical industry positions. You may
click on each position and it will take you to a
page with a job description for that specific position.
CAD Programmer
Shear operator
CNC punch operator
Laser operator
Pressbrake operator
Hardware insertion
Finishing/Deburr
Welder
Spotwelder
Painter
Silk-Screener
Assembly- Mechanical and
electromechanical
General Shop
Quality assurance inspector
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Common
Job Description Requirements
Qualifications
To perform the jobs covered successfully, an individual
must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.
The requirements listed in the previous job descriptions
are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or
ability required. Reasonable accommodations may
be made to enable individuals with disabilities
to perform the essential duties.
Reasoning
Ability
Ability to define problems discuss and provide
input to solutions.
Ability to interpret a variety of general technical
instructions in mathematical or diagram form.
Safety
Responsibilities
Follows all applicable company and customer safety
requirements.
Attends safety training and meetings as required,
and actively participates in identifying and resolving
safety issues.
Leads by example to promote and encourage company-wide
safety.
PC
/ Technical Experience
Ability to read, understand and utilize a computer
in order to enter and maintain job travelers, time
and attendance requirements.
Physical
Demands
The physical demands described here are representative
of those that must be met by an employee to successfully
perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable
accommodations may be made to enable individuals
with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee
is frequently required to stand, walk, sit, kneel,
lean, reach with hands and arms, talk, see and hear.
The employee is constantly required to use hands
to finger, handle or feel; reach with hands and
arms; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or work in tight
spaces.
The employee will lift and/or move up to 50 pounds
on an occasional basis.
Specific vision abilities required by this job
include close vision, distance vision, color vision,
peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability
to adjust focus.
Work
Environment
The work environment characteristics described
here are representative of those an employee encounters
while performing the essential functions of the
previously described job. Reasonable accommodations
may be made to enable individuals with disabilities
to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of these jobs, the
employee usually works near or around moving machinery
and equipment.
The noise level in the work environment ranges
from low to moderate to high depending upon position.
Personal protective equipment may or may not be
required.
Position is subject to inside working conditions
however, temperature changes vary depending on outside
weather conditions.
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