by Desiree Schnoor

In a market with so much competition, how does a company gain the attention of potential employees and customers? And how can they differentiate themselves? Let’s take a look at how Virtual QE and their Video Work Instructions offer companies a leg up on the competition.

Firstly, Video Work Instructions help a company stand out among potential employees. Not only does the nature of video training attract a certain demographic of new hires, but all of our brains learn better using video over text. So, whether new hires know it or not, training and working using video will afford them better, safer and faster task execution.

Secondly, managers and trainers can do their jobs better because of Video Work Instructions. Video significantly reduces training time and increases training effectiveness.  It also makes identifying and implementing cross training opportunities for employees seamless. Also, when workers know exactly how to do their jobs and are more confident because of video, manager-employee relations are improved.

How can Video Work Instructions set a company apart with its customers? They give a company the ability to share its best practices with its customers, increasing customer relations, while building trust and loyalty. Since Video Work Instructions can be accessed at any time, by anyone, companies can use them to show their customers how they have used video to improve quality scores and on-time delivery or reduce production errors.
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Finally, Video Work Instructions can make the auditing process much smoother. A distinguishing compliance characteristic of Virtual QE’s Video Work Instructions is the document control aspects they provide. Auditors look for work instructions to be in place, up to date and used properly. The nature of Video Work Instructions ensure these criteria are met. Some companies can fall short here, especially when it comes to revisions and other upkeep required for traditional work instructions. 

by Desiree Schnoor

Manufacturing tradition often places new hires with experienced technicians to train on new tasks. While this is tradition, it is not the most efficient, and now, not the only way, to train. Virtual QE recently rolled out Video Work Instructions, a way for companies to disperse expert tribal knowledge to all new hires, instantly, using video tutorials. Instead of a lead technician training one or two people at a time, in person, efforts are instantly multiplied using Video Work Instructions.

Every shop manager knows that every good lead technician houses an immeasurable amount of intangible knowledge and experience. Many are the longest standing or more versatile employees, causing them to be leaders in more than just a “knowledge” or “skill” sense. Many are loyal to their companies and want to see them do well, even after they are gone.

Now the question is, how can Video Work Instructions free up lead technicians to further impact their companies? Many of these techs have been working at plants for many years, and may only have a few left before they retire. How can companies best utilize these information powerhouses? What more could lead technicians do if they didn’t spend their time training one-on-one?

A unique feature of manufacturing is its workforce demographic. On either end of the spectrum there are older generation workers on the verge of retirement, on the other, millennial new-hires. Not only does experience level differentiate these two, but also age, maturity, and differing work and life values and expectations.

What could a mentoring relationship between lead technicians and millennial new hires look like? Mentoring millennial workers is of great importance. Not only will providing direct input attract more young workers, but it will also retain more of them.

The opportunities for connection and learning are endless. For example, senior techs can show their diverse skill set while work with millennials by cross-training them at new stations for new challenges, and understanding why task illegibility is important for them. 

How could your veterans and new hires learn from each other’s patience and perseverance, and fast, changing and creative work preferences?

by Desiree Schnoor

“From 2007 to 2017, unit labor costs increased in 80 of the 86 manufacturing industries”.  Understandably, the big question manufacturing companies want to solve is “What could I accomplish if labor costs weren’t an issue?” Said another way, if there was a way for companies to fill workstations, increase yield and reduce turnover, they could spend resources on actually growing their businesses.

Virtual QE, a quality engineering company, understands the need and sees the solution. Video Work Instructions, video training tutorials, replace traditional work instructions and have much larger implications for finding a solution to the labor issue.

Firstly, the leading need in manufacturing today is finding qualified people to perform highly specialized tasks; labor availability. Video Work Instructions hurdle over the experience prerequisite, because they automatically allow inexperienced workers to perform liked skilled ones, speeding up training by providing first-person video instruction our brains prefer.

Speaking of training speed, Video Work Instructions drastically reduce onboarding time. Once job positions are filled, training is faster and easier with video. One of the metrics Virtual QE measures is the speed an individual can do a new task while making no mistakes. In over 8 manufacturing demonstrations alone, employees have performed first-time tasks over 10 times faster using video instructions, on average, than the time it would take them if they were being traditionally trained.

Finally, there is the supply and demand aspect of labor.  As long as there is a labor shortage, cost of labor will be high. Video Work Instructions provide the ability for companies to reduce their skill requirements, in turn increasing, the number of qualified applicants, the available supply. When supply goes up, labor cost goes down. This provides immediate relief to the company by reducing labor costs.

These factors and others not only meet the issue of labor costs head on, but are improving manufacturing companies as a whole. 

By Desiree Schnoor

In the manufacturing industry, many open positions have been left unfilled because managers can't find applicants with the skill level necessary for the job. Not only does this mean slower production and empty workstations, but also companies sometimes having to forego bidding contracts because they don’t have anyone who can produce the product. This need to match open skilled positions with suitable employees is called closing the skills gap.

Traditionally, companies hire skilled, experienced employees to do high level, skill-specific tasks. But there are a few reasons this hiring method isn’t working as well as it once did. Firstly, there are less skilled workers in the manufacturing sector then there once were. To make matters worse, of the skilled technicians already working, a large number are retiring every year.

Unfortunately, it would follow then, that the skills gap will probably widen over the years, unless something changes.

Virtual QE, a quality engineering company has a revolutionary solution. Joshua Schnoor, their Business Development Manager, explains it like this. “Traditionally the industry has tried to bridge this skills gap by hiring more skilled employees or increasing the knowledge and training of current employees, to get these really complicated tasks done. But when it comes to job specific, part specific tasks, everyone has to learn on the job. We are saying what if there was a way to reduce the amount of skill or knowledge needed to accurately perform a task? That’s what we have done in Video Work Instructions. We are saying that if you put the task on video, anyone can do it accurately. Essentially, we are bridging the skills gap from the other end of the space."

Mr. Schnoor is talking about the company’s premier product and service; Video Work Instructions. These work instructions replace traditional work instructions and automatically level the playing field for new, inexperienced employees to be able to perform tasks quickly and correctly, just as accurately as experienced technicians. From watching a first-person video, new hires can easily train to complete new tasks faster and more effectively, increasing yield and standardization and reducing error.