Page 26 - MetalForming Magazine May 2023

Special Section
FABRICATION
24 MetalForming/May 2023 www.metalformingmagazine.com
OJT Press
Brake Training
ELEVATED FROM THUMB TWIDDLER TO RULE OF THUMB
In looking to its internal DNA of workers to fill job openings in a growing press brake department, metal fabricator the Metalworking Group turned to the National Institute of Metalworking Skills to help develop and implement a new pay-for- skills program based on three specific roles.
Training, or the lack thereof, is a universal business conversation that comes with a certain amount of hand wringing and shoulder shrugging. Can any company really know if its employees are well-trained?
For the Metalworking Group (MWG), a sheet metal and plate fabricator based in Cincinnati, OH, this question has been a hot topic for some time. “We’ve found over the years that we can find pretty good machinists,” says Bill Mondillo, MWG’s safety and facilities manager. “Where we’ve really struggled
is with press brake operators.”
Among the firm’s resume of process- es offered: laser cutting, CNC press brake forming and punching (augment- ed by automated sheet loading and pal- let changing), precision CNC machin- ing, arc and resistance welding (including robotic welding), mechanical assembly and hardware kitting, and
inhouse powder and liquid coating. While Mondillo emphasizes the struggle to find skilled brake operators, also of note: Fabricators with skilled operators on their teams typically work hard to keep them, making it challeng-
ing to pry them away.
Recruiting Internally, and Training
As an alternative, MWG decided to look at its internal DNA of workers to fill the gaps in its press brake opera- tions. In doing so, the issue of training quickly became front and center as it recruited workers with good skills and a desire to learn. However, as it ramped up press brake training with its new team, a conflict arose, which quickly began to fester.
“Because the new press brake-oper- ator recruits were hired initially for dif- ferent jobs, some of them came to the press brake department making more money than did the seasoned opera-
tors,” explains Mondillo. “Our produc- tion supervisor went to our CEO, Doug Watts, to discuss the tension caused by the pay gap.”
Watts, who immediately sought a way to even-out the pay gap in a quan- tifiable way, felt that handing out merit increases would create additional resentment, unless everyone under- stood the justification for their pay grades. After discussing the issue with National Institute of Metalworking Skills (NIMS) senior advisor Cathy Met- calf, Watts immediately felt that NIMS could help.
“I understood what they were going through,” recalls Metcalf. “We’ve helped many companies with the same issue, so I knew that we could help them.”
A Five-Step OJT Process
NIMS, Fairfax, VA, helps companies enhance their on-the-job training (OJT) by taking them through a five-step employer-engagement process to help discover their ideal training behaviors and learn how to apply what NIMS refers to as smart training solutions (STS). This is a framework of training methods based on three pillars: smart standards, smart performance meas- ures and smart training principles. The goal: build a bridge between educators and employers, and help firms mod-