How Plastic Training Impacts Workforce Requirements
January 31, 2008 9:12 pm BusinessAn unintended side effects of plastic training on the overall labor pool in the plastics industry has been a reduction in the overall number of people employed in the industry. There is simply not as great a need for the numbers of workers that were previously required to do a given amount of work. Some of this effect is due to technological advances, but another factor is the ability of a more highly trained employee to produce more output than a less capable person. Yes, there is some irony in the fact that by becoming better trained as a whole, the industry doesn’t need as many "pieces", but it is just a fact of life. While the majority of the decrease in labor needs is and probably always will be due to technological advances, training plays a role and it is important to understand the dynamics behind this role.
The process runs something like this: Better trained, higher skilled employees are capable of running more than one primary machine. It is not uncommon for one technician to be easily operate 4 or injection molding machines simultaneously, for example. Better trained employees also tend to produce a higher quality of finished product. This decreases the requirements in the quality control department. Lastly, better trained employees tend to make fewer of the kind of major mistakes that cause equipment damage. This reduces the need for maintenance personnel who repair and maintain existing machniery.