Excellent place to start designing. Can get hectic, but you're in great company.
Design at American Axle is a great place to work with just about any co-worker or manager eager to work with you. However, this being a rapidly expanding Tier One supplier, expect your workload to fluctuate over the course of a week. It's not unusual for certain tasks to come up suddenly, but if you can stay focused and well-organized, and communicate with managers and project teammates effectively, these can be managed effectively.
The management staff is extremely knowledgeable about their respective programs, and are very easy to work with, as they communicate their intentions clearly and are willing to work with you. They are the definition of good leaders. They will also gladly help guide you towards furthering your knowledge and potential.
The design team is also friendly, highly talented with the ins-and-out of design, and are more than eager to share their knowledge with you.
The workday on the design floor starts at 7am and ends at 3:30pm, yet can be highly accommodating to academic and personal needs. Typically, you will work on part designs for one or two programs, communicating design and drawing changes with the engineers and checkers. Sometimes, you will need to modify and transfer data in PLM, create spreadsheets to study and keep track of various aspects of a product's development, or perform special request work as requested by a manager.
Interning at American Axle was a huge eye-opener for me as a college student. Expect to learn a lot more than
ProsExcellent on-site cafeteria, good pay for college students, supportive management and staff, priceless industry experience, attractive and well-maintained campus
Cons30-minute lunches, some projects face aggressive deadlines
An interesting work environment with a competitive nature
All in all, American Axle is a solid work environment with a plethora of employees from different backgrounds. The departments are extremely competitive with not only the manufacturers outside the building but within as well. However, from an honest stand point I can't say American Axle is necessarily the most balanced of workplace. The reoccurring issue of the company is its lack of proper communication channels. This is not a demerit at the establishment, just an observation given the over abundance of office and management positions that have difficulty relating to the working force. Granted communications are trying to be established via multiple attempts, though none seem fruitful at the moment. My typical work day is that of high paced repetitive movement that at times can be a tad overwhelming. This stems from having to perform multiple jobs/tasks to compensate for co-workers whom have slowed down in a way that would effect our daily performance. The problem being is this is now expected of me by my new supervisor whom is my age and lacks experience. I mean no disrespect to him but he lacks both direction and adequate leadership qualities. His inability to assess the situation and react swiftly with decisions and disciplining employment staff that do not meet work expectations greatly hinder my department's overall performance. From a learning point, I now understand manufacturing competition and the many layers of management as well as their interactions. The hardest
ProsHoliday Pay, Overtime if you need it
ConsInconsistency of hours at times, poor communication
I am currently here as a temporary employee, and have only been here for two weeks. This company uses three different staffing services because they can't keep employees in the door very long, and there's some very strong reasons as to why.
First, orientation is a joke as they rush through it with zero preparation and care in only 2 hours. Second, the entire place reeks with the smell of raw sewage due to weeks old coolant in addition to being absolutely dirty and disgusting and covered in grossness. I consistently come home looking like I've crawled out of a cave, and also come home with metal chips in my shoes (I do wear steel toe by the way). Third, the overtime is absolutely LUDICROUS. They are and have been working employees for 19 day stretches for over 8 months, and there's zero forgiveness for that.
Fourth, the requirements of employees on a daily basis are absolutely ridiculous. They have these thirty-thousand dollar machines that are supposed to take accurate measurements of the pieces you produce, yet these machines do NOT work 50% of the time and you can never locate an engineer or quality team to fix stuff. So you're literally expected to hard gauge nearly every single piece that comes out of the machines...oh yeah, did I mention the machines I've worked on also are down nearly 50% of the time too? Not to mention how even when your pieces are in tolerance apparently that's not good enough and different shifts expect you to make it perfect? Especially with
This Company has been growing so fast and providing a lot of jobs to the community and surrounding areas.
American Axle & Manufacturing in Minerva, Ohio is a Company that I love going to work for everyday! I am currently a Journeyman Quality Analyst there and I love my job!
As far as overtime, there is all the overtime that you want available. Some overtime is mandated if you didn't sign up for the weekends, but you do get days off. I usually work 56 + hours a week which includes some 12 hour days (when required) by my choice to sign up for overtime.
Our Quality Department is always busy and I love what I do!
Fortunately this is a very busy Company!! You can make a very good living here. Management is very supportive and very helpful to everyone. It is a very clean, climate controlled environment to work in with a lot of great coworkers that are willing to help you.
They have a great Safety Program which all employees attend Safety Meetings every Monday at the start of their shift. (Safety is #1)
This Company focuses on Safety, Quality and Production.
There is a lot of room for advancement into skilled trade positions which is based on seniority. Some job bids are for Journeyman positions and some are for Apprenticeship positions which are always posted when available. (Maintenance, Quality Assurance, CNC Tech)
For Apprenticeship Positions, they will train you on the job as well as send you to School to obtain your Journeyman's Card in the Department that you bid into.
The Medical, Dental, Prescription,Optical Benefits are great at a weekly low cost.
I do not want
Production employees are great. Upper management and HR are terrible.
It was a great place to work, but recent management changes have greatly increased the stress levels in the plant. If it's not making them money, they don't care. The machine broke down? You should have fixed it faster. You have an illness or family issue, too bad for you. That doesn't make them money. The turn over in the front office for the last few years has been just absurd. The culture that is prevailing now, is one of backstabbing to make one self look better than a fellow worker, in the eyes of the upper management. All the good mechanical and quality engineers, have left, or do not stay because of the toxic work environment. They post open job positions, for jobs that are currently filled by salaried employees, and hang that over their heads.
The crew out on the shop floor are in general a decent bunch of people. They work hard, and work through the struggles of aging and obsolete equipment, that frequently breaks down, to try and meet production goals. Company has new equipment sitting around, but refuses to replace the aging equipment, because it's paid for already. Even though it frequently costs them thousands in repairs and or overtime to make up for the downtime. In the last year, the company has spent thousands on painting poles and equipment, but does not want to spend money to actually fix or replace the worn out equipment.
I do not see this plant being around in another 3-4 years, at the present rate it is going.
ProsHourly employees are great.
ConsNew management and current HR department are terrible.
I'd like to start by saying that I've heard other AAM locations are better to work at than where I work, so this may not apply to everywhere.
The management at this place is terrible. There's huge turnover in hourly associates, but certain departments have high turnover when it comes to management as well. Production trumps everything, quality can't properly do their jobs, finance is ignored. There is only one manager here and one non-manager salary person I would ever willingly work for or with again. The bad attitude and regular ignoring of processes by management trickles down and makes the whole place dysfunctional. Some hourly associates are allowed to slack off and spend all day on their phones with seemingly no consequence while employees who are known for being hard workers are expected to pick up that slack while also being given all the extra work. Favoritism is a huge issue. Don't expect to move up or be taken seriously unless you are a butt kisser right from day one. If you like overtime there is always a lot to be had, if you don't like overtime you don't really get a choice about it. Management and some of the supervisors seem to have never heard of the concept of morale, let along understand how important it is.
Prosbenefits, meet some good people, can learn a lot depending on your position and if they like you
Consmanagement, overwork good employees, only the favorites advance
Being employed at this location has been a difficult struggle for the past two years. With a Union there that doesn't protect the good workers, and management that does not handle the poor workers, you find yourself working harder for no extra benefit.
A typical day for an employee who comes to work to work, and go home, you find out quickly that most management is ill informed on their departments, whether it's maintenance required on machinery, or mandatory/voluntary overtime until the last minute. Although most other Union Shop workers wish to work and go home, you will find stragglers who wish to make friends with management to avoid working.
Although the Physical Labor of this job isn't difficult, you will find the hardest part of the job being the mental stress it can give you. Mental stress can come from many things from working here. Examples of things that can cause mental stress include but are not limited to : Machines breaking down, being bumped from your shift or department, changing shift time, duration, and schedule, working mandatory seven days a week for months at a time, etc. etc.
Although you can find it a struggle to work here, it is a job nonetheless, and when you receive the paycheck from working, you will come back the following week knowing that you will still have a job. That would be the best part about working at American Axle.
If you or your relatives don't know anyone in management you'll be stuck doing whatever job you're put on till they blame you for something and fire you or you quit.
The operator "yearly" pay raise was hardly ever actually followed through. The tech pay levels are a joke. On paper it looks fine but in reality they never cross train to get you those level ups despite the BS they feed you when you hire in or what's said in the handbook. The most used excuse when you ask for a level up is "you don't meet the req's" but there are quite a few people max level who aren't even close to meeting the req's required for that level of pay.
There was a head of HR that liked to leak info to management about your financials and break pay confidentiality. On two separate occasions, I had a few people in management slip up mentioning something about my financials that only hr should know about which then was used in their petty games as ammo to cut my hours and deny me OT. Management/hr made a "clerical error" on pay raise paperwork which took them 2 months to "find" with me bugging them about the missing pay. They then back paid it a week because their "mistake" was somehow my fault nulling the first 7 weeks.
I could go on for ages but I think this is enough to show how much of a joke this place is/has become.
tl;dr This place is a joke and has only gotten worse over the years. Don't waste your time.
Amazing first shift co-workers, HORRIBLE managment.
●Management was horrible, they for sure had their favorites.
●Treated their temps like garbage.
●HR was horrible. She is not equipped for the job.
●Plant manager is very unprofessional. He uses profanity like it's his second language. He runs his employees ragged and tired.
●Constant overtime, with 1 day a week off. (If you're lucky!)
●Every single shift has a quota they need to reach daily. Supervisors and management, print off "Ghost Tags" to reach the daily quota. Then they use the tags on the weekends, to make it look like their quotas were met through out the week.
●Breaks are horrible, and really short.
●Third shift supervisor is a woman hater. If you're a female, good luck!
●Cleanliness is horrible. Metal chips, oil, coolant, and nasty water everywhere.
●Finally, they brag they're a multi-billion dollar company, but they pay their employees very low! People with years of experience, doesn't matter! Everyone as a machine operated starts off the same. And HR announces that to everyone in orientation!
●Overall, a horrible company to work for! Change HR, plant supervisors, and plant Manager, I'm sure it would be a better place to work. Would not recommend anyone to work here, and be treated like garbage, and belittled.
ProsSome Co-Workers.
ConsManagement, short breaks, horrible pay, and some co-workers
American Axle was a great place to work. The co-workers were great. Management was not to different from the average manager. Also, a day working at the Axle would be full.
The people that you worked with became your second family. That helps the day go bye. You go out with each other. The home family get to know some of the work family. You talk and lean on each other. That was the best part of the job.
Management was not so bad either, but they would have their moments. The one thing that was unpleasent was for the supervisors to just stand over you and watch you work. If they would go away and let you do your job that made the day smooth.
The days would be full of work not a dull moment. The quota had to be made or there could be mandatory over time which was not so bad. There was over time somewhere in the building. The job would have you sore and tired. When Friday came nothing really mattered.
I miss American Axle. The work was great and it kept you moving. Management was cool. They can't make everybody happy all the time. The co-workers had an important part in your life. They are truely missed some more than others but missed all the same
Prosbeing able to provide completly for the family
Consworking afternoons and missing the children
5.0
Coordinador/a de manufactura | Silao, Gto. | Dec 12, 2016
Ambiente agradable con mucha personas con grandes capacidades
Llegar 15 minutos antes para recibir turno ver todos los indicadores si hubo problemas y la solución ponerme al corriente sobre la situación en el área checar los objetivos producción cuanto falta , checar los equipos, y la disponibilidad de los mismos Ver como van los nuevos proyectos o modelos revisar documentación en cada una de las estaciones de trabajo,reportar problemas de mantenimiento si los hay, hacer un reporte de cada una de las actividades para registrar en bitácora Realizar auditoria de seguridad o calidad segun sea el caso Junta de entrega de resultados .AAM es una empresa con un ambiente de trabajo agradable, donde aprendes algo nuevo cada día. conoces personas de las cuales aprendes mucho. La empresa te da las facilidades de desarrollarte profesionalmente te aporta las herramientas necesarias para ser mas productivo en cada una de las áreas. Lo mas complicado es podría ser enfrentarse ideas distintas para solucionar una dificultad, pero esto no lo es con la buena comunicación y los buenos acuerdos.Lo que mas me gusto es los logros que realice los reconocimientos, los diferentes cursos a los que asistí, todas las personas que he conocido, compañeros de trabajo y jefes.
ProsSeguro Medico, Programas de Desarrollo Culturales, Capacitaciones, Eventos Familiares
inicio meus trabalhos 6:25 da manhã.Logo no começo do meu turno faço liberação da minha maquina,converço com o operador do turno anterior para saber informações de como o processo esta até aquele momento.começo minha produção,lá por volta das 9:00 horas vou tomar café(15 minutos de intervalo).Durante meu turno eu faço trocas de ferramentas quando a quebra ou fim da vida util da mesma,set up quando vai trocar de produto e correções no programa da maquinas(trabalho com centros de usinagem).As 13:30 vou almoçar(o almoço é bom) o intervalo é de 1 hora.términio do meu dia de trabalho 15:40 h.
Aprendi que o trabalho em equipe pode ser mais facil se todos trabalharem com seriedade e com foco na produção e na qualidade.
Minha gerencia é sempre presente,comunicativa e foi muito paciente no inicio de meu trabalho periodo dificil para todos os colaboradores.
Meus colegas são pessoas ótimas,me ajudam sempre que tenho dificuldades no dia a dia,são amigos.
A parte mais dificil é levantar cedo,tenho mais facilidade em trabalhar a noite.
A parte mais agradavel é quando mue trabalho esta fluindo com tranquilidade quando tenho um tempo pra poder converçar com um amigo desde que não atrapalhe minha produção é claro e nem a dele.
Prostransporte fretado, alimentação no local, convenio médico
Consplano de carreira.
Questions And Answers about American Axle & Manufacturing, Inc.
What is the most stressful part about working at American Axle & Manufacturing, Inc.?
Asked Nov 22, 2016
Very frustrating and stressful
Answered Jun 21, 2020
Very mismanaged. Managers really don't care if your machine is broke down. Walk and clean what u can then twiddle your thumbs because no one will tell you anything or what else you can do.
Answered Jun 21, 2020
How are the working hours at American Axle & Manufacturing, Inc.?
Asked Aug 18, 2016
8-12 hrs. Mandatory overtime at end of shifts with no notice an 7 days a week.
Answered Jun 21, 2020
Full time also I follow the schedule
Answered Oct 13, 2018
Do you accept felons?
Asked May 25, 2017
Yes they do, only people they can get to work for them.
Answered Oct 30, 2019
Yes they do
Answered Oct 26, 2019
If you were in charge, what would you do to make American Axle & Manufacturing, Inc. a better place to work?
Asked Jan 21, 2018
Better time off schedule for people I worked there for four years and only had two weeks of vacation that I earned and one personal day for the four years I worked there on my 4th anniversary is when I got my second weekend it personal day to use
Answered Aug 30, 2020
Get rid of all the office people. Its a huge click
Answered Mar 10, 2020
What is the hourlt pay for a machine or press operator
Asked Jan 4, 2017
It is $13.50
Answered Feb 21, 2020
$16.33 an hr. Plus shift differential for 2nd and 3rd shift.
