Dustin Lee, sales manager, has helped Morrison Container Handling Systems, Glenwood, Ill., build its first direct sales personnel team, while also working with local colleges to recruit and retain prospective employees.
PP-OEM: What are some prominent trends you are noticing in the industry?
One of the most common trends is custom equipment that is highly focused on unique and different product lines. We are getting a lot of requests for custom versus standard equipment, which requires more engineering attention. We are trying to build equipment that is complex by nature, but also requires a less skilled person to run it. The biggest thing that the industry is lacking is qualified people. So customers want simple machines that can do complex things, which is our challenge.
PP-OEM: How can OEMs address this challenge?
Education is so important. We are seeing more and more issues with OEMs and CPGs struggling to find more qualified people. So we need to determine what educational programs could be beneficial. The owners at Morrison saw a need years ago and worked directly with Purdue University Northwest (previously: Purdue University Calumet) to help develop the curriculum for the mechatronics program. If companies and organizations are able to find a local technology school or college that has engineering or trade departments, that are willing to partner with them, it is a huge opportunity.
PP-OEM: How do you help Morrison bridge the skills gap?
I became the sales manager at Morrison in February 2015, and it’s been a great opportunity for the company, as we never had a lot of direct sales personnel. For many years, Morrison strictly used independent representatives, but when we made a jump to have more direct sales people, I had a great opportunity to build a new sales organization and train people from the ground up. We have a lot of young people on our staff, all of whom who have been with the company for less than a year, along with many veterans.
