by Erin Vadala of Warner Communications

'Be All You Can Be' In Manufacturing

Who's not looking for a few great men and women these days? The old Army ad copy fits with today's manufacturing environment too. Imminent baby boomer retirements and fewer apprenticeship programs have created a perfect storm where federal forecasters predict approximately 40 percent of the skilled labor force will retire soon-guaranteed to hit American manufacturers' bottom lines.

But manufacturers looking to hire skilled workers, and particularly the multicrafted employees needed for today's more sophisticated factory environment would do well to recruit from the armed forces. More than 16,000 former military are streaming into the workforce each month. Eleven percent of former military qualify immediately as electricians and information technology technicians. Up to 15 percent possess the elite skills required to perform maintenance on plant equipment. And the 12 percent holding combat specialty training provide a valuable source of leadership.

These are skilled people who embraced the military's aspirational "Be All You Can Be" campaign and are achieving professional goals every day, goals that make a factory run better.

Former Marine Sergeant Bill Boyer joined Advanced Technology Services (ATS) less than five years ago. Since then he's catapulted from a factory floor mechanic to management. Today, as a site manager, he oversees more than 90 employees who repair and maintain equipment in two Caterpillar-owned production plants. One facility builds transmissions for trucks and tractors while the other assembles the tractors.

"When my dad left the military, he did very well in the business world," Boyer says. "I figured if I joined the Marines as well, I would absorb some of the same intangibles-especially leadership and discipline-that could help me find civilian success."

"Know what military skill helps me every day?" Boyer continues. "The ability to lead by example. I started at ATS as a factory mechanic and moved up through the ranks. The people on the floor want a manager who can get dirty with them, not just stay closed up in an office. Working with your troops is something I learned as a Marine."

Boyer is hiring other veterans for his team.

"We recruit the heck out of veterans," Boyer says. "When I left the Marine Corps, I was concerned whether I would find the same structure and discipline at a civilian company. ATS-from the leadership to the floor-is committed to the mission of serving our clients. Veterans can really thrive here."

Veterans make up nearly 25 percent of the employees at ATS. The can-do attitude that may be difficult to find in the civilian sector is found here, and the veterans often have had to learn a job very quickly where failure wasn't an option.

After finishing basic training in 1992, Boyer spent his eight-year military career at Camp Pendleton and Twenty-Nine Palms as a welder/machinist with the 7th Engineer Support Battalion.

Transitioning from the military to business came naturally to Boyer as it has for many veterans. The main benefit of the military background lies in one's advancement potential: "As a civilian, you can chart your own destiny. I started out as a mechanic, worked hard and was promoted fairly quickly. It's all about how much you want it."