• Thank you for visiting HeavyEquipmentForums.com! Our objective is to provide industry professionals a place to gather to exchange questions, answers and ideas. We welcome you to register using the "Register" icon at the top of the page. We'd appreciate any help you can offer in spreading the word of our new site. The more members that join, the bigger resource for all to enjoy. Thank you!

Cat looking for help

old-iron-habit

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 22, 2012
Messages
4,233
Location
Moose Lake, MN
Occupation
Retired Cons't. Supt./Hospitals
I had posted this on the Youth Entering the Work Force thread but thought some folks looking might have a better chance of seeing it here.

Had lunch with a assembly supervisor yesterday and learned that the Cat Asphalt Paver/Roller assembly plant in Minneapolis area is looking to hire 21 more welders and also some assembly people. They have been looking for a while now and are not getting them. If you can weld it could be a good chance to get the all important foot in the door.
 

Truck Shop

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 7, 2015
Messages
16,535
Location
WWW.
Not to sound negative but every dealer and diesel repair shop are looking to hire. The two closest Cat repair centers are having major trouble finding and keeping
a mechanic-not a tech. And Cummins closed one of it's repair centers in Pendleton, Or.

Truck Shop
 

JD955SC

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 13, 2011
Messages
1,349
Location
The South
Our branch manager said a couple of weeks ago that there are an average of 29 positions open for each heavy equipment mechanic in the workforce
 

walkerv

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 21, 2016
Messages
1,125
Location
wingate nc
my local cat dealer had 5 walk out the other week , and i cant even waste my time appliing there unless i have quit my job for a year as we are a corporate customer/they are a national acct to us
 

kshansen

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 11, 2012
Messages
11,128
Location
Central New York, USA
Occupation
Retired Mechanic in Stone Quarry
my local cat dealer had 5 walk out the other week , and i cant even waste my time appliing there unless i have quit my job for a year as we are a corporate customer/they are a national acct to us
Sounds like the situation a guy I worked with for several ears was in even if he did not know it.

Some one pretty high up at the local Cat dealer mentioned to me that this guy had applied for a job in their shop but the dealer was afraid to hire him despite knowing he was a good wrench.

This guy I know was still working for the company I did and the dealer was afraid of bad blood from the company if they did hire him.
 

old-iron-habit

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 22, 2012
Messages
4,233
Location
Moose Lake, MN
Occupation
Retired Cons't. Supt./Hospitals
Don't know the wages. I'm sure they are competitive. They hire thru a temp agency so the employee gets paid by them for the first few months and then Cat hire the keepers direct. If a good hand comes along they hire direct sooner than the normal period.
 

walkerv

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 21, 2016
Messages
1,125
Location
wingate nc
Sounds like the situation a guy I worked with for several ears was in even if he did not know it.

Some one pretty high up at the local Cat dealer mentioned to me that this guy had applied for a job in their shop but the dealer was afraid to hire him despite knowing he was a good wrench.

This guy I know was still working for the company I did and the dealer was afraid of bad blood from the company if they did hire him.
im to the point im about ready to go flip burgers for a year took me 2.5 years to get cat et saved a ton of company money doing stuff inhouse been asking for help for over a year have over 35 peices to maintain and repair not all heavy equipment but it all takes time , i may actually email the ceo he is cool guy just have to do it from my unknown personal email , i know finding mechanics is hard i dont even need a full on mechanic a young one that wants to learn would be awsome if i could get the boss to quit dragging ass about it i figure if he posted job today it would take a year to find someone
 

John C.

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2007
Messages
12,865
Location
Northwest
Occupation
Machinery & Equipment Appraiser
Five mechanics leaving a Cat dealer all at once is a sign of company problems no one really wants to be part of. Before thinking about a move like that you need to do your home work to find out what is going on.
 

Birken Vogt

Charter Member
Joined
Nov 30, 2003
Messages
5,305
Location
Grass Valley, Ca
Five mechanics leaving a Cat dealer all at once is a sign of company problems no one really wants to be part of. Before thinking about a move like that you need to do your home work to find out what is going on.

And get agreed to a higher rate of pay than normal before you step in their door to compensate for any hassles you might run into!
 

DMiller

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2010
Messages
16,424
Location
Hermann, Missouri
Occupation
Cheap "old" Geezer
All the shops in the greater St. Louis area are in a bind, one, two, sometimes three week backlogs. Was talking to the Hydraulic shop I deal with, they need twice the shop space but if move cannot retain EPA grandfather rights, if hire more people have no room for them so continue down a narrow path of lots of put off work.

Cat has had a head hunter search going on for almost five years and in the same boat as above, afraid to hire away from customer shops also have a production rate issue in house as the hours do not reflect actual work conditions for in field or having to work thru years of trash and buildup or corroded components. So they 'adjust' the billing somewhat.
 

walkerv

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 21, 2016
Messages
1,125
Location
wingate nc
And get agreed to a higher rate of pay than normal before you step in their door to compensate for any hassles you might run into!
looks like i wont have to play this game yet boss is in process of hiring last operator position we have open to a young mechanic , he wants to split his time between working with me on equipment and doing operator jobs around site not sure what that means yet , unfortuently i probably wont get to meet him till he is hired . I told boss well i guess i dont have to finish that email i was writing now ( he looked at me funny on that one ) but to be honest i was going to update my resume the first of the year and get some offers going and give him the choice of getting me help or getting a whole new mechanic who will also need help . Im still getting phone calls from 10 months ago when i last updated my resume so finding work will definatly not be a problem for me the problem would be finding the right employer as im getting picky as i get older . :cool:
 
Top