The senior management are the least qualified to run the organization. A bunch of self-taught amateurs who are barely qualified to run a convenient store. They claim lean manufacturing principals, but will not allow them to be instituted. They have created a culture of deceptive practices and zero-accountability. Their focus is on the quantity of parts manufactured and not the quality. They consider the Quality Control Department a "necessary evil". They refuse to evolve with the times, or their competitors. Quality, Safety, Culture, Environment, Morale are only considered during audits. The departments only exist to keep the wolves from the doors. This is a main reason why their employees have a dismal morale and why they have a revolving door in as far as employee retention is concerned. Middle management is only used as scape-goats. None are empowered and are rarely allowed to have input in corporate decision. This is the model of Ivory Tower, silo management.
They suffer multi-million dollar annual losses year after year, which has caused them to reduce the staff (the people who do the the work). But have not managed to increase productivity. In 2012, FIC had 650 employees, but by May of 2013 the number was 300. The company is in crisis mode, meanwhile the senior management continue with their "let them eat cake" attitude. All workers are treated as a number, easily expendable. Their is no respect, recognition or reward for their workers. They run 2 twelve hour shifts with mandatory overtime and work every weekend. If you want time off, you are threatened with replacement. The majority of their workforce (greater than 70%) are temps. Their training is nearly non-existent. Thus the turn-over. They are known in the local manufacturing industry as the trainers for their new hires. Typically, people stay only long enough to gain the skill and time on a machine to go out into the area and get a real job, paying real wages. The wages at the worker level are less than at WalMart. Meanwhile, the wages for department managers and above are in the upper 3 percentile, with senior management in the upper 2 percentile.
The is no long-term viability for this manufacturing location. They are in the last throws of a slow and agonizing death.