The events of 9-11 have rocked this country tremendously. The
tremors caused by the attack have touched us all in one way or another. A pending recession was nudged into reality. The resulting reality being many jobs lost, a slew of chapter 11 filings and the collapse of a energy giant, among others.

The automotive industry has been hit rather hard. Many suppliers can no longer keep the ship upright and some of them and a few OEM’s are closing plants, cutting the workforce, stripping benefits and literally trying to survive.

I was just curious as to how the events have had an effect on your professional lives. Do you wonder, like me, if the day is coming when your told your services are no longer required and to pack up your belongings? Does your job suddenly not feel as secure as it once did?

After 24 years in the automotive sector, I have ridden the roller coaster many times. This time it feels different. You know things are not quite right when your boss asks you to come up with some numbers to “justify” your position within the company. How do you contribute to the bottom line?


Any thoughts and comments? I’d like to hear how everyone else is coping. :confused:

Intersting idea for a thread. Thanks for starting it Ken.

We use a large number of temps in our facility. Many of them have been with us for a while, and are good, hardworking people. We did have to let a few go, but to save the rest, we cut their hours from 40 per week to 32 per week. They are not real happy, but are grateful to be employeed. Most of them figure 32 hours is better than zero hours. So far, this plan is working.

Regards,

CarolX

P.S. Ken -

You know things are not quite right when your boss asks you to come up with some numbers to “justify” your position within the company. How do you contribute to the bottom line?

Have you seen American Beauty? You Rule!

I can relate to what you are going through. My company is 70% supplier to Automotive. Our work force is expected to be cut in half. So I wonder what will happen to me. I have over 20 yrs in Quality but I'm not sure that is where I will stay. I use to be a class room teacher and never want to go back to that. But the climate seems to be changing. The events of 9/11 and everything after that have had a profound affect on the world as whole. We may have to make adjustments on the way we see Quality in our companies. Or maybe how we conduct our businesses will change.
I just hope I am smart enough to see where everything is going and am able to make the ajustments.

Mooser

I probably shouldn’t share this but……..
I’m a consultant (I rarely admit that in public). This kinda puts me into a different boat, but we are in the same water. I noticed things slacking off just before Y2K! Folks put things off until after they could see what the impact would be. Then manufacturing started to slide. January through April was the worst I’ve ever seen for consultants. Slowly, things began improving, and then fell again in September and October. But they have steadily improved ever since. This month and next month are the busiest I’ve been in about four years.

This is good, not just for me, but it also shows that manufacturing IS improving! Even in the Detroit area. I am confident about the future.

I agree with DB that things are picking up. Last February I ran out of clients at my last consulting firm and ended up unemployed. A month later landed at the firm I am with now, but it was slow all year. I the last couple weeks we have launched several new clients and things are picking up considerably. I think the new automotive requirements for 14001 and ISO 9001: 2000 for suppliers is also helping.

It kind of sucks right now. Some business I was to be doing canceled out because of the economy and I'm actually looking at having to go back to work for a full-time employer.

14K business is really slow especially here in So. Cal. I've called every QS registered company within 150 miles of me and asked about there EMS programs with varying results, but no takers.

Registrar work is non-existant also, at least for me. If I was a quality auditor along with the EMS thing I'd probably have work. There is a real good possibility I'll be on the road next month doing some registrations in TX and LA, but that isn't guaranteed yet.

The small consulting company (like me and Marc) is having to compete with the bigger ones that have more resources and it's tough. I've got a million $ worth of potential work in partnering with some environmental consulting firms, but thats all speculative. I've been invited to Memphis, Little Rock, San Diego and a couple of other places in the last few weeks laying groundwork. There have been some good lunches but no cash flow. Believe me, when I ask if you need assistance I'm not joking.

My company is tightly tied to oil and gas and telecommunications, so when we see the price of gas go down ( I typically fill up at $.87/gallon), we worry. Our job security depends on the pipelines.

Anybody could lose their jobs, but mine is definitely more expendable than everyone else who actually "works" in the day to day running of the company.

No problem, I have a golden parachute. I passed my real estate licensing exam last weekend and can always fall back on that if need be. Woo hoo!:vfunny:

My company is into software development, Training and Consulting. I find myself in the same boat as db. The auto industry which was in the dumps seems to have begun looking up. But even when they were not doing well, we could focus on other industry segments like pharma, chemical and food. So times were a bit tough but not completely hopeless for us. I think its the flexibility and readiness to change/adopt that helped us.

There is an interesting thread 'Who moved my cheese' on change management here in the Book Revies section.
-Atul.

I live in a rural area and recovery for us is always 3-6 months behind what anyone else sees. We have had places just lock up and leave in the past month. Other places have cut back a lot. I'm worried about my job and I know I'll have to move out of the area if I get the ax.
Maybe I'll checkout Real Estate business.

Mooser

I expect to be laid off by the end of the month along with about half the people here, 700 or so.

I did see it coming and have interviewed at about a half dozen places since November. My Six Sigma training (I know, I know) has played a key role in getting me in the door.

All of the interviews have been either in consumer products or defense; most have been in the area of supplier quality. Initials offerings validate it is a buyer's market.

Ben

I relate to your posts guys,
I am employed by Ford in Canada:bigwave: and, I have noted that all of the internal functions have been effected by the results of the down turn in the global economy and the effects of 9/11.
I have seen major internal shifts taking place at Ford, one in particular is the quality function opperations being merged with other business functions and, the six sigma initiatives being put on the back burner, there's been quite a few of the quality staff move on to other employment opportiunities that are a world appart from the QMS world, Many of the quality folks at Ford have expressed their dissmay at the lack of job opportunities within the quality world and many are now considering moves into alternative employment, seems a shame doesn't it, that many highly trained and experienced quality folk are being lost to the economic down turn.
Wallace.

Please take a moment and take a read through Quality Specific Job Sites and Resources (http://Elsmar.com/Forums/showthread.php?t=4253)

Thanks!

The knock on effect of the Enron collapse is worrying also.

I can't personnaly relate to what you guys are saying about slow work flow. Since the attacks in September, it seems our business has been booming.

Given mostly to our product line I'm sure. With security being a huge issue right now. We manufacture the domes used in department stores, casinos and etc. for the CCTV industry.

Since the attacks we've accumulated a few new customer's along the way.

However, I live in a very small country town about 2 hours south of Atlanta. Thomaston was mostly a Mill Town for years and years. Within the past year we've had two mills close in town. Thomaston Mills has filed backruptcy and the other, well I don't really know why they did. The real only other industry in town is Quad Graphics. They make the magazines you see in the store and they too have had their difficulty. Oh, wait there is one other company in town called Dister. They manufacture all the plastic cups, etc. for the airline industry. They have had 3 layoffs since December and last I heard were expecting one more in a few weeks.

I pray everyday that things will improve for everyone!

Contemporary thoughts?

I have worked for the past 6 years in the automotive industry for 2 different (Large) tier 1 suppliers (Program Manager). I was let go from 1 due to business conditions. During the last 3 months I have been offered several good jobs within the automnotive sector for some very reputable companies. I elected to stay out of the field due to a myriad of circumstances. Current situations at GM, Delphi, Dana, and a few more is sending shockwaves thru the industry. Gas prices are affecting supplier logistics costs and thus are forcing re-quotes. We just went thru this with steel prices not to long agao. I just didn't feel that the security was there to risk another venture into it.


Murph

My job security at Hanford, with its declining federal budget is actually pretty good. I am taking on corporate projects and other sites. My methods have been used in Fluor contract bids at other sites, and we are in the running for Los Alamos. If we get that contract, then we will implement the SPC based dashboard down their.

I met with a friend last night who I have been mentoring for several years. Here is currently looking for a job. He just got a call from someone saying "you know Steve Prevette, right?". Yes, he replied. Well, apparently my name is making the circles at Los Alamos, and they want to interview my friend for a job on the basis that he is familiar with my methods.

So, at least for now, Fluor and I are making a good team. They are selling, and I am providing. But it is looking like I am getting at the limit of what I can personally do, and the company is getting a little fearful that they have no backup for me. So, maybe in the next year something will break loose.

As for City University, I am the only person locally willing to teach the math intensive courses (and am able to get the students through it) so all is quite rosy here for me in Pasco Washington. And I owe it to following a Deming philosophy, knowing statistics and data processing, and good exposure in venues like the Cove.

I work for a Tier II/Tier III supplier, precision stamped metal components, focusing primarily on seating and occupant restraint systems.

I have been with the company for almost 12 yrs (anniversary in January), most of that in QA. I have risen as high as Assistant Quality Manager (the position phased out during a restructuring), and am now Senior Quality Engineer.

Unless there is a drastic change in our customer base (and unfortunately 1 of them just shut down for 3 weeks due to a 'suprising' downturn in Ford SUV sales) I have no doubt that my job is secure for as long as I want to continue working there.

I have been actively recruited by several other companies, but none have offered the combination of factors that I am looking for (and no, $$$ was never one of them). Not to say that I would never leave, but it would have to be something 'special' to induce me to do so.

We got pretty slow for awhile after 9/11, but the war has turned it around. As unfortunate as it may be, the war is the best thing that has happened to our company. We are an industrial coatings company and we are bursting at the seams with Military work. It may be short term, but it has forced us to upgrade our equipment, staff, and quality system which can only improve our customer base.
p.s. Love the Cove!

I work in a tier 1 supplier which has plants throughout the world. The company has no shortage of orders but is moving the work to low labour cost countries, mainly Poland and Romania. Consequently job security in those countries that actually buy the cars is non existent. For some reason there are no plans to move our corporate head office to Romania. I wonder why.

I thought that the following article might tie in well with this thread, and believe that it might be of interest to the readership here at the cove.

Survey finds 65 percent of workers looking around Mon Jan 30, 8:43 AM ET

Economic growth coupled with increasing employment options have led 65 percent of U.S. workers recently to consider launching some sort of job search, according to a survey released on Monday by salary consulting firm Salary.com.

The survey of 14,000 workers and almost 400 human resources managers also revealed that bosses haven't caught up with the changing mind-set of employees who are enjoying more options.

"The economy getting better has opened a door of opportunity to consideration," Bill Coleman, Salary.com's vice president for compensation, told Reuters.

"I'm not saying that everybody is going to jump ship, but they are thinking," Coleman said. "It doesn't prove intent but it does demonstrate a disposition to look."

Employers still think workers will quit only if disgusted by poor management, and don't grasp the extent to which employees are contemplating the increased salary, opportunities for advancement, recognition and excitement that might await them in a new job.

Most workers planning a job search cite inadequate pay as the reason, according to the survey, conducted online last October and November.

"It is a challenge finding more people to staff," Richard Slack, president and CEO of Bolo Systems, told Reuters. A Denver-based back-office firm, Bolo participated in the Salary.com survey and is trying to become a more attractive employer despite the tightening job market.

The company is about to hire its first human resources director, is offering a new 401(k) plan and is considering the expansion of other benefits, Slack said.

"It is probably feasible to make an employee happy and stay at a much lower cost than it would take to replace that person," Coleman said.

A 10 percent raise would compensate for dissatisfaction with working conditions, corporate mission, discrimination, lack of advancement and impact on health, the survey said. A 12 percent raise would make up for inadequate benefits