Vantaggi
I got to work on many different projects. I learned many skills in product design, processing, working with lab technicians and machine operators, finite element analysis, tooling design, statistics, and Six-Sigma. I truly did enjoy the challenge of the engineering work itself.
Svantaggi
Top-level management does not recognize the value of its people or the work they do. I saw two separate rounds of layoffs while I was here (almost 4 years), and a "voluntary separation plan" where many of our most knowledgeable and skilled resources were offered improved retirement packages based on years of experience. The company has laid some of the best people off and then hired them as contractors later (lower pay and/or no benefits). My strongest mentor was let go earlier this year. I never saw a single new lab technician hired to replace the 4+ that have left/been laid off while I worked here. Then everyone is told to "work faster" to improve the abysmal time-to-market. At several points I was beyond burnt out, due to the number of projects I was working on. There is a huge disconnect between the R&D office in Crawfordsville, and the Indy office where the commercial team is. Often project timelines are developed with little input from R&D, so the team ends up cutting corners on important parts of the development process. I didn't see much room for advancement in a technical direction.