In the largest quantitative research project of its kind, more than 1500 small and midsized manufacturing CEOs were interviewed (in February 2015) about their greatest barriers, challenges, and fears about growing their companies. The survey was conducted by TR Cutler, Inc., based in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. The results of the Manufacturing CEO Survey were surprising. The greatest pain point causing anxiety, fear, and apprehension about manufacturing growth among these manufacturing leaders was speaking to their employees. More than four out of five (82%) said that speaking to their employees was difficult or very difficult.

1. Manufacturing Executives #1 Fear:
Communication with Plant Floor Workers
Research Study, February 2015 by TR Cutler Inc.

2. largest quantitative
research project
• More than 1500 small and midsized
manufacturing CEOs were interviewed (in
February 2015) about greatest barriers,
challenges, and fears about growing their
companies.
• The survey, conducted by TR Cutler, Inc.
• Based in Ft. Lauderdale, FL
• Founder of their five thousand-member Manufacturing Media
Consortium™

3. The results of the Manufacturing
CEO Survey were surprising.
• The greatest pain point causing anxiety, fear, and apprehension
about manufacturing growth among these manufacturing leaders
was speaking to their employees.
• More than four out of five (82%) said that speaking to their
employees was somewhat difficult or very difficult.

4. Personal and
professional weakness
element in their
leadership style
• Those CEOs with more
general business
backgrounds (many
whom possess an
MBA)
• felt more comfortable
speaking with the
employee workforce
• less so with the shop or
plant floor employees
and shift labor
When digging deeper, the data
revealed that those manufacturing
CEOs with a science, mathematics,
or engineering background (more
than sixty percent of the entire
responding sample) indicated that
they recognized this as a personal
and professional weakness element
in their leadership style.

5. Knowing what to say to manufacturing
employees.
Knowing what to say is important.
Knowing how and how often to communicate with employees are equally
important.
When so many manufacturing CEOs (all with fewer than 250 employees)
report a weekly (in some cases daily) order, inventory, or delivery crisis,
the notion of employee communication quickly takes a back burner.

6. employees are their
most valuable asset
• While the same 90% of these manufacturing CEOs reported that their
employees are their most valuable asset
• few knew how to motivate and inspire employee engagement and
assure employee retention within the organization.

7. Third-party manufacturing
communication solutions
Manufacturing leaders have little hesitation about hiring consultants to:
• provide kaizen events (to generate immediate elimination of wasteful
activities)
• create lean manufacturing initiative (to generate an on-going
program of process improvement)
• best-practice process improvements (to compare against industry
standards)
• outsource safety compliance to third party organizations (because it
is more cost effective and objective)
• outsource payroll, benefits, accounting, legal and other services
(because hiring experts is accepted as the best action plan.)
There is great recognition that this “shortcut” allows the company to
focus on what they do best: manufacture product and satisfy the
demands of customers.

8. According to
PDP Solutions
• Until now, they were
embarrassed,
uncomfortable, or unsure
of the value proposition of
regular, systematic, and
deliberate communication.
• Without a culture of
leadership guiding the
way, employees gossip
and create cliques,
absenteeism increases,
retention decreases, and
great workers take
positions with competitors.
“Only now are manufacturing
executives asking us to provide
regular leadership communication
strategies and content.”

9. PDP Solutions is
proactive in utilizing
technologies on the
plant floor.

10. we create communication content
for manufacturing employers
• “It’s not enough that we create communication content for
manufacturing employers if the employees don’t read, engage, and
interact with the information.
• Data proves engaged employees with communication from
manufacturing leaders
• stay on the job
• stop gossiping
• see themselves as part of the solution
• whole us (employees) versus them (employer) mentality evaporates with
the PDP program.

11. less than the cost of
replacing one employee
The monthly retainer fees to engage PDP Solutions is
far less than the cost of replacing even one employee.

12. Denial of a
leadership
weakness is not
a management
strategy.
• Losing a single valued and
quality employee due to poor
communication defies the
notion of lean manufacturing;
keeping the best people
eliminates waste (of time and
money.)
• If manufacturing executives
have weakness in
communication, it can
become a strength, by
engaging firms like PDP
Solutions, which performs
the function with ease,
expertise, and experience.
• It means making lemonade
out of lemons.