Have you hired any military veterans lately, as have many component plants across the country? You will find that they generally have gained the skills, work ethic, and leadership for your supervisory and technical positions. But you will also encounter plenty of competition for the good ones, and you will have to pay them well. Soldiers or airmen who finish a four-year enlistment and have earned a sergeant’s rank may earn a base pay equivalent to about $15 per hour, but with food and housing allowances that translates to $25 per hour or $53,000 per year. Commissioned officers earn the equivalent of $83,000 per year after 4 years of service. Normally only those honorably discharged from the services should be considered (verify this by examining their DD214 form and steer clear of those with General Discharges).
Most adaptable to the factory floor are veterans from the army’s combat arms, particularly the infantry. They are trained to manage people and to produce results. Most are willing to do any job, especially if they are learning a valuable skill that translates into a career. Seek especially those who have been deployed overseas and have been exposed to pressure and turnover, not unlike what they will experience as a supervisor on the floor of your plant.
Veterans from any of the services are generally more reliable workers and have learned to “get along” with diverse groups of people. The best place to find them is the nearest military base, or those returning to home bases near your business. At our truss plant in San Antonio, for example, we found that rare individual, Mike Evans, who didn’t fit into the military at Lackland Air Force Base, was willing to start on the plant floor amongst an all-Hispanic work force, and quickly earned his way into becoming one of the best truss designers in my experience.
Vets from the technical (enlisted or warrant officer) ranks of the Air Force and Navy are good candidates for maintaining the automated equipment found in today’s component plants. Army techs from the helicopter or missile maintenance specialties should also be considered over wheeled vehicle mechanics.
Former military officers from all of the services have been trained to work well with people of all ranks, and often have been responsible for the maintenance of sophisticated equipment. A multi-plant CM successfully engaged a 20-year “retiree” as plant manager who had little manufacturing experience, by committing one of his experienced GMs to mentor him onsite. Another large manufacturer has recruited several Military Service Academy graduates (West Point, Annapolis, etc.) and successfully transitioned them into GM positions. They have become excellent, mission-oriented managers who are anxious to improve their operations, and have little tolerance for outdated or inefficient practices.
Too often we assume that only veteran trussers have the skills needed for supervisory roles without realizing the value of sophisticated software, like Sapphire Management and MVP. These programs aggregate the technical details and present actionable data that can be understood by a generalist with good people skills and good training, like those who have served us in the military. Don’t forget, hire the vet!
Joe Kannapell
Former Captain, U.S. Army