Solutions to Specialized Engineering and Technical Staffing Challenges

Finding a suitable resource for the myriad of today’s complex engineering needs can be a daunting task. From research and development (R & D), manufacturability, prototyping, to finding the required skilled workforce to accomplish those tasks can seem nearly impossible. What if there was somewhere you could go to find all of these services in one place? 

When companies are looking for a design, they typically go to a design firm. When they are looking to have an idea developed into reality, they go to an R & D lab. When they need drawings completed for manufacturing, they have those done by still another entity. And where do these companies find the talent they need to accomplish all of these tasks? They go to a staffing agency such as Elite Force Staffing. In today’s development, design and manufacturing environment, a company wanting to take a product from inception through manufacture would most likely have to deal with three to six different companies. What if that company could deal with only one company and have the entire process be almost turnkey; and that same entity could also provide you the very important project managers needed to coordinate the entire effort from beginning to end?

Effective Project Management

One of the two most important keys to a successful engineering design and manufacturing project is the management or design methodology. The methodology must address hundreds of variables that permeate every aspect of the process including risk management, availability of good information, and application of quality standards. Many of these variables are unpredictable. In their article “The Role Of Project Management In Achieving Project Success,” Munns and Bjeirmi, submit that a project’s success or failure, among other things, is dependent on setting realistic goals, having the proper talent in key roles, commitment to the project, and top management support. Using engineering staffing agencies, especially those that have the total breadth of knowledge and experience in all aspects of development, design and manufacturing is an excellent idea. Not only will you find the talent you need in each discipline, but that talent will have experience working in the very type of engineering environment for which they are needed. Who better to judge an engineer’s qualifications than another practicing successful engineer? This is a great reason to use an engineering centric staffing agency.

Technical Skills Gap

Another very important part of a successful engineering design and manufacturing project is locating the type of talent needed. The more complex the project, the more skilled and experienced people that are needed. The larger the project, the more personnel you will need and for a longer period of time. Highly-skilled, experienced workers such as mechanical, electrical, chemical and civil engineers, Computer Aided Design (CAD) Operators for drawing development, etc, .are very often not easy to find and require dedicated and aggressive recruiting. With the emphasis on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) curricula in secondary and post-secondary education, more students are graduating with technology-related degrees so there are more people with engineering and science degrees available to fill engineering jobs, but they do not have the applied, practical experience employers want. Alan Brown makes that point in What Engineering Shortage? He contends that there exist enough of the correct skills available, just not enough with experience, but that dynamic will correct itself over time.

Specialized engineering projects are by nature complex things. Companies are always looking for ways to streamline their processes in order to improve the bottom line, shorten the time from inception to launch, and of course mitigate risk; and all of this without jeopardizing their product quality and the company’s brand. Finding a company that can address unique staffing needs by providing well qualified and experienced workers would be valuable to any engineering development, design or manufacturing company.

Adam Hansen
 

Adam is a part time journalist, entrepreneur, investor and father.