The workforce is still a challenge for many manufacturing companies. John Oswald, President of Mills Manufacturing in Woodfin, shared that this is not a new issue, nor is it unique to any industry. While Oswald said he could increase his staff of 120 by 30 percent to meet their current demand for cargo parachutes for the U.S. government, he found one way to slowly add talent to their own workforce.

“We have to cast a wide net to look for people with aptitude for the appropriate skills,” Oswald said. “We’ve always had a diverse workforce here. We work with several associations and organizations that support immigrants in their processes. These connections allow immigrants from places like Ukraine and Moldova, or even Afghan refugees, to know that we are here and have opportunities available.”

According to Oswald, not only does this process help increase their number of employees which helps them keep up with the demand, hiring them also helps these immigrants to connect with others that speak their language to learn the job, learn about each other’s culture, and to feel more comfortable as they integrate into a new culture. “We learn and understand our cultural differences and celebrate the things we have in common.”

Oswald said that this process is helpful to not only new employees, but his existing workforce as well. “We were awarded two long-term contracts before the pandemic. In the early stages of Covid, we had to tighten labor so that we could keep everyone safe while we kept operating,” Oswald said. “A lot of pressure was on us, and existing employees had to fill in where we were short. The team was and is very strong in that aspect, and the company is grateful for that. It has been a challenge to grow since then.”

In the company’s 70 years of operation in WNC, the company has grown and evolved in other ways as well. “We strive to evolve toward efficiency,” Oswald said. “While the company used to focus our staff to do as much as they could as quickly as possible, we have restructured pay rates as well as the facility’s organizational structure toward more lean manufacturing, not wasting energy on non-value processes. Now these processes are more standardized and streamlined. They have to be so that there is consistency in these handmade items.”

Many manufacturers have moved toward highly-automated procedures, and while some portions of Mills Manufacturing products are automated, the majority of them still use handmade work processes.

“It’s really a craft,” Oswald said. “Textiles are affected by different factors and environmental conditions. There is even a difference in how the material behaves when the humidity is high or low. Our operators use feel and skill to make sure each product comes out just how it needs to be. It’s not something that can be pushed through a giant machine.”

Oswald said that these procedures and processes are constantly evolving toward increased efficiency, better balance, and less bottlenecks.

“We take feedback from our operators as well,” Oswald said. “They are the ones on the lines every day, so they see the problems that come up and where improvements are necessary.” Oswald also said that they do their best to match the people and their skill sets to the positions that best match their capabilities.

Thorough training for new hires is also a critical component of their efficiency goals. Oswald himself said that he personally meets with each employee to discuss the company’s mission and values. The facility has large banners throughout in multiple languages to reiterate these. “No matter what language an employee speaks, it’s incredibly important that each individual represents these values,” Oswald said. “Without this, we can’t do anything.” 

Bilingual trainers also work with each new employee in a separate training space. Oswald said that this one-on-one time with the trainers helps employees to learn the skills without the pressure of being out on the floor with the flurry of activity happening. Trainers can also help to identify skills and better match employees with current available positions

“Even if there were more availability in the labor market, hiring still has to be slow and methodical,” Oswald said. “It’s crucial that each new hire spend time with the trainers to gain the support and the time that they need in order to be successful.”

Looking ahead, Oswald said that Mills Manufacturing will grow the workforce to meet the demand and be where they want it to be. “We just have no idea how long that will take,” Oswald said. “We could easily double in size in the next three to five years if the area workforce could support that. We need to focus on taking stress and pressure off existing workers while being careful not to push beyond our capacity.” 

Oswald said that across the WNC community as a whole, there are pressures of available land space, office space, and manufacturing space. “Labor is tight and housing is tight,” he said. “We as a community are going to have to get creative on how we use the land. Policies have an impact on what we are able to do with our lands. If we increase the density, we could reduce the pressure on transportation and on the lands themselves. We need to encourage development that fits with the community, its workforce, and their needs. We need to look at communities that are a few years ahead of us and learn what has and what has not worked from them, and apply viable solutions to our own region.”