Barry-Wehmiller

Pros: It's nice they offer a hybrid model for a large corporate environment. As an Engineering Project Manager, I could mostly work from home a couple days a week in the St. Louis office. This flexibility helps a lot with personal appointments.
Cons: The 'hybrid' part isn't always consistent, especially if you're heavily involved in manufacturing operations or capital equipment projects. There's a strong expectation for in-office presence for team collaboration. Remote options are limited for many roles in this global company.
Advice to Management: Try to make the hybrid model more consistent across different departments and clarify expectations for in-office time. Some teams have more freedom than others, which can feel unfair.

Pros: I found the work-life balance decent as a Controls Engineer, especially with our hybrid work option. You can usually get your 40 hours done without too much trouble, which is good for the manufacturing industry.
Cons: Sometimes project deadlines mean longer hours, and it's tough to say no to that. There isn't always great work flexibility if you need to adjust your core hours often, especially in the St. Louis office.
Advice to Management: Try to offer more consistent work flexibility across different departments and project teams.

Pros: I felt pretty secure in my onsite Manufacturing Engineer role for a while. Barry-Wehmiller has a really diverse portfolio in capital equipment, so they can usually weather market changes. It's a big corporate structure, so that helps with stability too.
Cons: Job security can be a bit tricky if your specific division isn't doing great. There's not always a lot of cross-division movement, even in the St. Louis office. Layoffs aren't common but they do happen in struggling segments.
Advice to Management: Try to improve internal mobility between divisions when one area is slowing down. It would help retain talent and increase overall job security.

Pros: It's a pretty stable corporate environment, especially in the St. Louis office. As a Manufacturing Engineer, I always felt secure with the long-term projects in packaging solutions.
Cons: Career growth here can feel pretty slow, so it's not a place for rapid advancement. There aren't many opportunities to switch departments easily.
Advice to Management: Think about creating more clear paths for internal promotions and cross-functional moves. It would help retain talent in engineering roles.

Pros: I've learned a ton about manufacturing solutions here. The teams are really supportive, and it's a generally positive environment. As a Process Engineer, I got hands-on experience which was great.
Cons: Work flexibility is pretty tough. It's largely an onsite model, even when tasks could be done remotely. There aren't many hybrid work options, especially for engineering roles, which can be frustrating.
Advice to Management: Consider more hybrid work options for roles that don't require constant plant floor presence. It'd really help with employee retention.

Pros: The overall company culture is pretty decent, which makes day-to-day interactions good. As a Project Engineer in the St. Louis office, I did get some flexibility for personal appointments when things weren't too crazy.
Cons: Work-life balance here can be tough, especially in the manufacturing industry during crunch times. It's common to put in over 50 hours a week, and sometimes even work weekends, which really impacts personal time.
Advice to Management: Try to staff projects better and set clearer boundaries for work hours to prevent burnout among Project Engineer roles.

Pros: Some senior leaders really walk the talk and are invested in team members. There's good emphasis on safety protocols, especially in our packaging machinery industry. You feel supported if you have a great direct manager.
Cons: However, leadership above that level can feel detached and slow to act. Career growth for Manufacturing Engineer roles often stalls without internal advocates. It's tough navigating the bureaucracy in this big corporate environment.
Advice to Management: Focus on developing middle management to align with the company's stated values. There's a gap between the corporate message and daily reality for many teams.

Pros: I liked the focus on a 'truly human' culture. Senior leadership really tries to live it, and that's good to see in the St. Louis, MO office. As a Manufacturing Engineer, I felt valued at times.
Cons: The problem is, that culture often doesn't trickle down to middle management. It makes implementing changes for industrial packaging projects tough. Leadership can feel a bit disconnected from our day-to-day on the factory floor.
Advice to Management: Train middle management better to embody the company's stated values. Bridge the gap between the corporate vision and the realities of production for technical roles. Listen more to those actually doing the industrial automation work.

Pros: They really emphasize "Truly Human Leadership." It's cool when it works, fostering a pretty supportive vibe. As a Manufacturing Engineer, I felt my input on our industrial automation lines was respected, which is a big plus. You often feel part of a bigger global manufacturing company trying to do good.
Cons: Sometimes the "Truly Human" aspect feels a bit performative. There's a lot of focus on stories, which can distract from direct operational challenges. For technical roles like mine, it sometimes felt like form over function, making it tough to push through changes.
Advice to Management: Keep emphasizing your core values, but make sure the "Truly Human Leadership" philosophy translates consistently to all levels. Focus on practical application in day-to-day operations and problem-solving, especially for engineering roles working on industrial automation. Don't let the focus on culture slow down necessary process improvements.

Pros: Work-life balance as a Manufacturing Engineer is usually pretty good. We stick to 40-hour weeks for the most part, which is a big plus. It's nice to have evenings and weekends free, especially in the St. Louis office.
Cons: Sometimes project deadlines for our packaging solutions can be super intense. You'll have periods where you're putting in longer hours, which can be tough. The corporate environment can feel a bit slow sometimes too.
Advice to Management: Try to smooth out the workload spikes for Manufacturing Engineers. Better project planning would really help us avoid those crunch times.