Issue link: http://palletcentral.uberflip.com/i/921113
20 PalletCentral • November-December 2017 palletcentral.com industry has just thrown people at jobs and expected them to figure it out or we'll get another employee. Well, the next one won't figure it out either, so why not spend more resources and set this one employee up for success. In our area (South Eastern, Alabama), the food industry is our biggest competition. The area is heavy in poultry and peanuts, and all the big national brands have processing facilities within driving distance, so our middle management, and even the best of the forklift and maintenance, work there because they offer better wages. There is no magic answer and each region is different. In talking with people across the nation who are having success in finding workers, one solution is locating laborers who themselves are bouncing back in life. But to do that successfully, you can't treat people as numbers, they are people who will need a little extra assistance. They will show up, sometimes because they don't have a choice, but most often because it is their only choice. Keith LaCanne CONTROLLER J&B Pallet Lake City, Minnesota The available workforce in our industry will trend downward as wage pressures continue to increase in our area for less labor- intensive production roles. We're already challenged to fill open positions and anticipate 2018 presenting similar hurdles. Projecting five to ten year scenarios will depend on strategic decisions. The best option for J&B Pallet is to examine all automation alternatives and focus on developing a more nimble, highly skilled employee work force. Primarily, a combination of wage rates and location, as our locale is at nearly full employment, with a broad base of opportunities in production, agriculture and service industry positions, are all factors. This generates upward pressure on starting wage rates, and makes retention of trained employees challenging as well. Wages and the physical demands for many production roles make it challenging to recruit. There is competitive pressure for all roles, mainly from traditional manufacturing facilities, warehousing/logistics opportunities, and agricultural positions. Automation, mechanical solutions, and process modifications to mitigate the physical demands will help. Implementing automation solutions for the future will also drive skill development and opportunity for advancement, resulting in a higher functioning work force in the next 5 to 10 years. LABOR