With many online retailing businesses currently in a state of hyper growth, the demand for UK automated distribution centres has increased significantly over the last 10 years.
The Midlands is now home to many global players such as Amazon, Hermes, DPD, Shop Direct, Aldi, Wayfair, M&S and TNT. The list goes on!
The talent pool for experienced Distribution Centre Maintenance Engineers has been exhausted and HR/Recruitment teams are thinking outside of the box to attract good people. Large sign on bonus’s, discount vouchers, gym facilities and rewarding shares in the business are a few great examples of this.
Here are three things to consider before taking an engineering job in the Distribution Industry.
1) Don’t get used to a team
If you are a Maintenance Engineer with a few years under your belt, by now you have probably experienced the joy of working with a great team of people and developing strong/trusting working and personal relationships with colleagues. Maintenance is a very team based job role which can be a large part of the reason people enjoy it so much!
However in Distribution the retention rates in Maintenance regardless as to how good the company is, are extremely low. This is due to companies opening up new sites across country which means people leave to join alternative sites for promotions or a more convenient commute. In addition to this, competition are offering unbelievable benefit packages such as permanent day shifts, higher salaries and instant promotions to entice engineers over to their teams.
2) Seasonal peaks – Christmas time!
If you have had the privilege of working in a non seasonal business you will probably have enjoyed a two week shutdown or extended holiday time to relax and enjoy the festivities over Christmas with your family/friends.
Upon signing a contract in Distribution the likelihood is regardless as to your usual contracted hours, at Christmas you will be working 12 hour shifts on Days/Nights and weekends all over this period. The good news is that you will be very well compensated for that in earnings, but this is something to consider as your holiday quota won’t necessarily cover you over this period!
3) High pressure targets
The next best hunting grounds for engineers in this industry are the Food/Automotive sectors. Why? Mainly because they are used to working in the most time pressured environments.
Many online retailers are promising customers next day deliveries, which means inside these Distribution centres you are on constantly fighting the clock. You will need to get used to ambitious targets, high pressure to keep machinery downtime low and we have had reports of running in between breakdowns!
This is also a large benefit of the industry as it keeps your skills challenged and makes the days fly by!
Auxtronic completely supports the distribution industry and we have had first hand experience of seeing the way it can fast track careers and boost earning potential. If you are interested in learning more about this as a career option please get in touch with us to hear about some of our clients and their current job openings.
If you enjoyed this content and want to see more please feel free to follow our LinkedIn page and check up on our website