I got to reading about Ruger starting up production of Marlin products again in the near future. You know how that goes, on the internet it leads from one thing to another. Which included reading employee reviews on sites such as Glass Door and Indeed. It was interesting to read what employees making guns thought about the company and their jobs there. Some were on-board employees, many were former employees.
I began by reading reviews left by employees at the Mayodan, NC plant. Which is where Ruger has relocated most of the former Marlin parts and equipment, and apparently where they will re-start production of that brand.
There were a number of common themes in these reviews. One that stood out to me is that of high employee turn-over, oft-mentioned.
The starting pay for machine operators (not "machinists") was $12 / hour or a bit less. Granted, this is in North Carolina, a lower wage area than "up North" and a major reason many gun and ammo businesses have relocated into this region.
Mandatory overtime in the plant is common. Some employees complained of not having enough time off to "have a life."
Lots of complaints that all work in the assembly and finishing jobs is all standing or walking with two short breaks and a half hour lunch.
I don't have a clear mental picture of how the plant might be set up. But Ruger doesn't use a line system for assembly. They have what employees refer to as circular loops, and a single employee might have to work at as many as 4 to 9 different machines in the loop.
Several comments were made that the Ruger factory discount on guns (granted after six months of employment) is very generous.
My take-away. CNC machining is common in gun manufacturing these days; for some time, I thought this might be a process that reduced errors in how things are made. Then I started seeing goofs on Smith & Wesson products that are made this way. Now I'm starting to understand how the human end of CNC work might result in some careless work. In particular, high employee turn-over as mentioned at Ruger can't be good for any process.
New thought: I didn't know that in addition to gun making, Ruger has a foundry business in several locations. Naturally enough, they got started on this in order to make their own cast steel parts for guns. They also do outside contract work for other firms. They have a titanium foundry and at one time, made golf club heads out of this metal.
The Ruger factory in Prescott, Arizona, includes Ruger Investment Casting - Prescott Division, and these facilities are located right next to the airport there. Perfectly located for fast shipping. And receiving warranty work?
I began by reading reviews left by employees at the Mayodan, NC plant. Which is where Ruger has relocated most of the former Marlin parts and equipment, and apparently where they will re-start production of that brand.
There were a number of common themes in these reviews. One that stood out to me is that of high employee turn-over, oft-mentioned.
The starting pay for machine operators (not "machinists") was $12 / hour or a bit less. Granted, this is in North Carolina, a lower wage area than "up North" and a major reason many gun and ammo businesses have relocated into this region.
Mandatory overtime in the plant is common. Some employees complained of not having enough time off to "have a life."
Lots of complaints that all work in the assembly and finishing jobs is all standing or walking with two short breaks and a half hour lunch.
I don't have a clear mental picture of how the plant might be set up. But Ruger doesn't use a line system for assembly. They have what employees refer to as circular loops, and a single employee might have to work at as many as 4 to 9 different machines in the loop.
Several comments were made that the Ruger factory discount on guns (granted after six months of employment) is very generous.
My take-away. CNC machining is common in gun manufacturing these days; for some time, I thought this might be a process that reduced errors in how things are made. Then I started seeing goofs on Smith & Wesson products that are made this way. Now I'm starting to understand how the human end of CNC work might result in some careless work. In particular, high employee turn-over as mentioned at Ruger can't be good for any process.
New thought: I didn't know that in addition to gun making, Ruger has a foundry business in several locations. Naturally enough, they got started on this in order to make their own cast steel parts for guns. They also do outside contract work for other firms. They have a titanium foundry and at one time, made golf club heads out of this metal.
The Ruger factory in Prescott, Arizona, includes Ruger Investment Casting - Prescott Division, and these facilities are located right next to the airport there. Perfectly located for fast shipping. And receiving warranty work?
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