Here are some results of a survey of plant engineers and managers by Reed Business Information taken last month. Results are listed in decreasing order of frequency of response:
- Increased Operating Costs
- Keeping Qualified Employees
- Downsizing
- Environmental Concerns
- Finding More Qualified Employees
- Customer Demands
- Manufacturers Moving Off Shore
- Outsourcing
- Manufacturer Consolidation
- Supplier Competition
- Mergers and Acquisistions
- Other
What surprised me was no mention of access to credit, hurdles to continuous improvements of process, nor mentions of maintaining safety and morale among the remaining employees.
The above list looks to me like respondents were very much concerned with “defense,” not “offense.”
How about you? What are your top concerns?
Are you puzzled that “Keeping Qualified Employees,” “Downsizing,” and “Finding More Qualified Employees,” all made the same list?
What does that say about our industry these days?
Photo credit.
