Mutual Support: AMT’s Culture of Excellence and Retention
Originally featured in Control Global, Jim Montague’s recent article Mutual Support - Inside and Out: AMT Lives and Breathes Respect, Integrity, Support and Excellence spotlights how Applied Manufacturing Technologies (AMT) is setting the standard for culture-driven retention and training in the field of automation.
In an industry dealing with a persistent skilled labor shortage, AMT’s culture helps to attract and retain top talent. Based in Orion, Michigan, AMT’s 100-person engineering team is split between contract engineering services and systems integration, with a focus on advanced material handling and end-of-line solutions.
Chief Knowledge Officer Diane Haig credits AMT’s ability to retain talent to a deeply supportive work culture. “We support each other like crazy,” Haig says. “If one person is out on a job, there’s always a group of colleagues available to assist them.” This collaborative spirit has been present ever since CEO Michael Jacobs founded AMT in 1989, and is carried forward by President Craig Salvaggio, who has been with the company for 22 years.
To reinforce its culture, AMT trains new hires through its internal Automation Academy, a six-to-eight-week program that instills technical skills and core values: respect, integrity, support, and excellence (RISE). These values are celebrated through an annual RISE Core Values Award program, where peer-nominated employees are honored with recognition and prizes.
Beyond internal development, AMT actively builds relationships with local colleges like Lake Superior State University and Oakland University to fuel its talent pipeline. “We just held an event for local Lake State alumni, and the university invited prospective engineering students to attend,” Haig said.
AMT’s client relationships also benefit from this internal strength. “Many integration companies just focus on designing, building and installing systems,” Haig explains. “However, we also concentrate on maintaining a strong aftermarket presence.”
Click here to read the full article as originally published in Control Global.