March-April_2022 - 31

Johnson said having the staff they need is the one thing that
has been holding them back in the wake of the increased demand.
" The negative downfalls we've seen since probably July, August of
'20 is workforce demand. I mean, you just can't find people. I don't
know where you point the finger at, but I do know there was a lot
of additional unemployment paid out and financial subsidies to
people. And then there was just a lot of people scared to get out and
mix it up still. So, you put all that together with all of our aviation
industry and our blue collar workforce, it left a strain on all of us to
try and find enough people to service the industry, " Johnson said.
He said the issue has improved somewhat since those early days
of the pandemic, but the outlook is still not great. King went from
having 16 open slots to now having five, but has been trying to fill
those for over six months.
The solution has been for shops to get creative with their hiring
and training requirements. Arredondo said they began thinking
entirely outside of the box.
" Early years of my career in aircraft painting, I hired people that
they came from other companies. I found out that they were coming
with bad habits. So, what I did is I started to create my own
painters, " she said. " So now, the solution is, you don't find good
painters, you train them. "
Arredondo has made ArtCrafts' culture into what she calls " a
second opportunity company, " with an eye on employing veterans.
" Veterans are the people, they need a second chance, " she said.
" If there's a veteran that needs a job, they don't go through an
interview. They don't go through nothing. We just say, 'You want
to come and be part of the family?' And they say, 'Yes.' 'Okay. I'll
see you tomorrow at 7:30.' And right when they get here, we slowly
fill out the paperwork and then we go into fun stuff. And then we
do the training. Safety training, and then they go do hands on. "
Prideaux is taking a similar approach to hiring, having to pull
from less experienced workers than he did previously.
" We're trying to share our education, pass down our knowledge.
Starting with younger guys and trying to bring them up. So that's the
thing, just trying to train guys that are willing to work, have a good work
ethic, but they don't really know anything so you're having to step back
and that's going to slow you down just a little bit too, " said Prideaux.
Consistent Clientele, Consistent Equipment
While the increase in business and the decrease in employees may
be new with the pandemic, some things stand the test of time.
Namely, the equipment utilized for the work.
" You know, I'm kind of an old guy and I'm of the school, if it ain't
broke, don't fix it, so we're using water paint guns, HVLPs and the
old trusty Binks 2-and-a-half-gallon pots, and we're getting the job
done, " said Prideaux. " We've tried a couple of the 3M guns, just for
something different. All around, neat guns because you can change
it up. But as far as equipment, that's basically the only thing we've
changed up was a couple of cup guns. "
If it isn't broke, don't fix it is Arredondo's mantra as well.
" This is the way I work. I replace what I need to replace when
it's needed. So, for example, a tool that is needed and used every
single day: the spray gun. I don't replace that spray gun unless it's
not efficient anymore, " she said, adding as long as the equipment
they use isn't putting them at a disadvantage, they have no need
to spend the money on something new.
" I won't replace it because there's a new technology out there
that is going to 'blah, blah, blah,' I always do an evaluation. How
much is it going to cost, how long is it going to take, how much
money am I going to make? " Arredondo continued.
Johnson too said they haven't made any significant upgrades
as of late.
" We have converted to electrostatic paint equipment about a
year and a half ago. That was new to me, I'm old school guy. Our
teammates, younger generation, they seem to like those. Hasn't
really had any negative effect on our quality. It's pretty much across
the board equal, " he explained.
And along with the little change in equipment, there has been
little difference from what the clientle is asking for compared to
non-pandemic years, with customers also taking a, " if it works,
why fix it, " mentaility.
" [It's] pretty much the same. We've taken on a customer that
operates air ambulance, and they are really into SootGuard Clear.
It's a clear that's real easy to clean. So it goes on turboprops to take
care of the soot, and so that's one of the things that we've dabbled
in a little bit this year and last, " said Prideaux.
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March-April_2022

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