New Flatbed Owner. To hire or not?

[iprint]

This is probably in the wrong forum, but I would mainly like to hear from other flatbed owners.
First a little history...
We recently purchased our first flatbed and it is getting installed in a couple of weeks. Prior to this we have done everything R2R and all of our signage has been print>laminate>trim>mount>trim. My designer and I have always handled the ripping and getting the files printed and my production guy has handled the finishing. My production guy doesn't really have a lot of experience with computers and I am unsure as to how he is going to fit into the new equation.
Being such a large investment, I am hesitant about putting my inexperienced production guy in charge of operating the new printer. So the question.
Should I hire an experienced press operator to run it and handle the finishing or should I at least try to train my current production guy? If I were to hire, where should I focus on looking for someone with experience? Monster.com? Local newspaper? Here?
My current production guy is very versed at what we do currently, but at the same time he is kind of flaky which is where my concern stems from. Also it should be noted that he is not a permanent employee, but a stage hand that I keep in the shop virtually year round. Kind of a permanent temp that I can let go when times are slow, which is basically 4-5 weeks a year.
Any and all input is greatly appreciated.

 

[trik]

You know your employee better than any of us. If he has worked for you for a year and knows how "YOU" like things to be ran, and has been flexible with time off, I am thinking I would train him. I believe in treating my employees the way I would want to be treated, it always seems to get the best out of them, maybe I have been lucky, but it has worked for over 20 years. Just let him know the importance and responsibility this new machine requires, the investment you are making in the machine and more importantly the investment in him!

Good luck!!!

 

[Ponto]

.......equal opportunity and then make the call after a period of time....

JP

 

[OlsonSigns601]

Good Help is hard to find.

If you've found someone you can trust, can work easily with and you know they are going to be with you when times are tough like those 4-5 weeks a year, then train them if you think they can learn.

Sometimes you cannot teach an old dog new tricks and sometimes you can. Depends on the dog and or the teacher.

If anything keep the current help that you've called "Flaky" away from this forum.

 

[iprint]

If anything keep the current help that you've called "Flaky" away from this forum.

In all honesty, no ill intentions were meant by that. It is really tough to convey the working relation I have had with this guy. He is definitely someone that I can trust to get the job done correctly as we are currently operating. But on the other hand, not being an actual employee, I don't feel that he has our companies best interest at mind, and having him in charge of operating a piece of equipment that costs over a quarter of a million dollars is something that I am having a hard time swallowing. I am probably worrying about nothing, but it is good to hear from others. Keep it coming, I will be back on later. Thanks again!

 

[HulkSmash]

Have you thought about training him? All my production/design can print with all our printers. It's best to have it that way.

 

[SignManiac]

Both my printer and CNC gurus are cross trained. Each one is a little better than the other in their respective rolls, but in the event one guy is down, I'm not SOOL. I'll be hiring another guy soon as a back up for both of them.

 

[cdiesel]

If you're looking to hire a full time employee, why not make the guy you already have a full timer and train him accordingly?

Experienced print operators are hard to come by. It's much easier to find the right person and train them than it is to hire the wrong person who knows what they're doing.

 

[iprint]

I wish it were as easy as just hiring him full time to be my press operator/production guy. We are a non-union shop that uses some union labor from a local union which he is a member of. Unfortunately today he sealed his own fate with concerns to his chance of being a part of my team. I am not going to go into details, but it is no longer an option and am now in a position to hire someone.
So now my question has changed a little. Should I hire someone with experience or just find someone with a good work ethic and train? I have a feeling that the consensus is going to be just train but would like to hear regardless.
As stated previously, all input is appreciated.

 

[rjssigns]

FWIW I would hire based on attitude, appearance and drive. I can train for what they need to know. Sometimes it is best to have an individual with no prior experience. You won't get the dreaded" "Well I used to do it this way". Hmm...is that why you are now looking for a job Mr. Know It All?

Check your local technical college for an intern. They will have a decent education with "no priors". LOL And the instructors will steer you towards the kids that are in class everyday and knock out the work.

 

[Gino]

Ippie………….

Your profile is very vague and so are your questions….. and then things have been decided for you in your favor and you’re still asking cryptic questions. You’re back here in the ‘Premium’ section where you can ask freely what you want to know, but it’s hard to answer someone that isn’t giving all the facts.

Trying to be as helpful as possible, hire the best man/woman for the job description and hope for the best. Looking for someone with good work ethics is always a good idea, but perhaps you shouldn’t trust them either with a ¼ million dollar machine if they have no idea at all what they’re doing. The best intentioned person could really fowl up a machine if they don’t have experience.
On the other hand, if you find a qualified operator and pay him/her well, you might gain a loyal employee if you’re worth working for.

Someone that tends to hold back pertinent information for something they seem to over-value is not quite my cup-a-tea kinda boss. I’d always be afraid you were gonna pull the rug out from under me.