Swissturn USA Success Story

Swissturn is one of the most modern Swiss screw machine shops in the United States. All of their primary Swiss screw machining is done on Star CNC Swiss screw machines with secondary capabilities (slotting, cross-drilling, cross-tapping, back drilling, etc.), automatic bar loaders, and high-pressure coolant units. This gives Swissturn the capability to operate “lights out.” When their employees go home at the end of the day, the machines keep running all night and often all weekend. Swissturn is an ESOP (employee stock ownership plan) and as of December 2021 is 100% employee owned. In 2020 Swissturn was recognized with the Workforce Development Award by the Worcester Business Journal.

Swissturn had a few employees in supervisory roles who had never had any formalized supervisory training and those employees found the day-to-day managing of people and operations extremely challenging. When supervisors do not have the confidence that they need to deal with situations due to a lack of training, they may ignore the situation and become frustrated with themselves, the job, and the company. When supervisors lack confidence in their position, they typically do not engage their team members as they should. Supervisors should consistently work on building positive relationships, providing direction, mentoring and consistent follow-up with their team.

Through their relationship with MassMEP, part of the MEP National Network™, Swissturn heard about front line supervisor apprenticeship training. The HR manager stated that this was the first program that Swissturn has seen that provided in depth knowledge of how a business is run from a variety of perspectives including safety, operations, planning, materials, and logistics. The training provided the full scope of what a new supervisor or future leader needs to know about the way a company is run.

The training also focused on employee engagement, discipline, working with employees, communications – all attributes that an individual needs to be a better supervisor. When supervisors have management/supervisor training, it also creates a healthier environment for the employees. The employees know there is support and guidance for them. They recognize that if they make a mistake, their supervisor will discuss it with them in a professional and positive manner with a focus on their development to become a better employee.