Our challenge has been finding workers who come to us with hydraulic experience. Typically, we find shop workers with tool skills and mechanical skills and then need to train them on hydraulics. Finding good, relevant training in hydraulics locally has also been a challenge for us. Our hiring pool is further restricted by location as we have hired at least three workers who seemed to fit the bill with their level of experience, but lost them all due to commute distance. We need to hire local candidates who have mechanical background and then train them in hydraulics.
Having a value added service, such as repair, helped our company weather the recession. We found that our customers appreciated having the option to repair rather than replace during difficult financial times. Our effort went to positioning Wojanis as the PREMIER fluid power parts and service provider. While, like most other companies, our sales were down through the recession, the impact was minimal. We did not have to downsize or cut wages due to the fact that we offered a wide range of parts and service – all under one roof. It is critical for us to have an informed, well-trained sales and service staff. We value continuing education and used some down time to step up our skill level and continue offering superior service.
WEDnetPA was a tremendous help to us. WEDnetPA funding helped us pay for training during the downturn while we may have had the extra time to focus on training, but less funds to supply it on our own. Our partner institution couldn’t have been more helpful in providing custom designed training to meet our specific needs. It was wonderful to have training that was entirely relevant and provided in our own facility. The instructors were able to tailor their program and respond to our real life workplace needs. We would highly recommend WEDnetPA and encourage others to investigate their website, contact a partnering institution, or feel free to contact us with any questions. Our WEDnetPA experience was great in all aspects – the funding opportunity, the custom designed training, and the partner institution that was always available to assist in any way.
