The Problem

When Cooper Johnston acquired his CNC machine shop two and a half years ago, he inherited more than just equipment and customers - he also inherited the challenge of modernizing an aging workforce. As retirements loomed and cultural changes prompted additional turnover, Cooper found himself struggling with the same recruiting challenges that plague many small manufacturers.

"I probably tried what most people try, which is throw up a job posting on Indeed or ZipRecruiter," Cooper recalls. "I can't even remember if I hired a single machinist through those platforms. If I did, it was a very low percentage of the applicants, and it was just a money pit and time suck."

Running a 14-person shop means wearing multiple hats. Between managing operations, handling customer relationships, and overseeing finances, Cooper couldn't afford to waste time sifting through unqualified applications. He needed a more efficient way to find skilled machinists who could operate his specific equipment and programming software.

The Solution

The breakthrough came when Cooper discovered FactoryFix's talent search functionality. Instead of passively waiting for applications, he could proactively search for candidates based on exact technical requirements. "Where FactoryFix has been massively differentiated in my mind is in the search functionality and the response rate, which is likely because it's a text message, not some junk email," Cooper explains.

The results were immediate. Within hours of activating his FactoryFix account, Cooper had sent a dozen outreach messages, received two responses, and scheduled an interview. This was a dramatic improvement from the weeks it typically took to find qualified candidates through traditional job boards.

Perhaps most importantly, the platform helped Cooper connect with passive candidates - skilled professionals already employed but open to new opportunities. "I've had way better luck just interviewing people and having good conversations with people who are already happily employed and maybe would consider a change under the right circumstances," he says. 

For small manufacturers like Cooper, every hire is crucial. With limited workforce redundancy, bringing on the wrong person can have serious consequences. The ability to precisely target candidates with specific technical skills and stable work histories has transformed his hiring process.

Lessons Learned from a Small Manufacturer

Today, Cooper continues to use FactoryFix's talent search as his primary recruiting tool, appreciating how it allows him to be proactive rather than reactive in his hiring efforts. His advice to other small manufacturers? "Make sure you have good people and make sure you take care of the people. In a small business, you're reliant on people."

Cooper's success mirrors what's happening across the manufacturing sector, where companies of all sizes are finding that traditional hiring methods no longer meet their needs. From small machine shops to Fortune 500 manufacturers, the challenge of finding skilled technical talent remains universal. While large enterprises might have more resources, they face the same fundamental problem - connecting with qualified candidates who have specific technical expertise.

Yet size doesn't determine success in today's manufacturing talent landscape. Small manufacturers like T&D Machine are competing effectively for talent by adopting modern recruiting approaches. By focusing on quality over quantity in candidate outreach, even small shops can build the skilled teams they need to thrive. As Cooper's experience shows, the key isn't having the biggest recruiting budget - it's having the right tools to reach the right people.