Armstrong World Industries Reviews

Pros

good pay, benifits are good too

Cons

they don't promote from within

Advice to Senior Management

promote your good people, and pay better

Pros

AWI has a long history and many employees who have stayed with the company for quite some time. There is a fair amount of pride in the company and can be felt especially at the corporate capus.

Cons

You need to be connected to have the opportunity to advance or be considered for special assignments. There is a sense of "we already know what's best" from management.

Advice to Senior Management

Branch out and utilize the human capital that is around you. Competition keeps chipping away at each business segment, yet there is still the belief that some aspects of the business are beyond reproach.

Pros

Family atmosphere
Flexible time off
Good Benefits

Cons

Uncertainty of future job market

Advice to Senior Management

Enjoy my job

Pros

Pay was better than average

Cons

Beat you up for no reason

Advice to Senior Management

listen and respect the people on the front line of mfg

Pros

consistent
strong training foundation for management basics
respected company

Cons

tolerant of mediocre performers
elitist mentality of some sr Lancaster mgmt

Advice to Senior Management

dont fear the unions

Pros

If you apply yourself, there are opportunities to grow beyond your current responsibilites or career path. Most people here are good people that are helpful and pleasant to work with.

Cons

Lack of direction from senior management

Advice to Senior Management

Need to communicate the strategic goals for the business

Pros

The best reason to work for Armstrong, especially if you have recently graduated from college, is that they are more than willing to hire recent college graduates. It is a great experience and resume builder. This company gets young employees as involved as the employee is willing to allow. Armstrong values knowledge and will invest in the employees to make sure they have the best training and skills needed to succeed. Another benefit is that Armstrong is a very successful company and has remained fairly stable (even through a period of bankruptcy caused by asbestos litigations). I believe that this company will be around for quite some time.

Cons

A downside of working at Armstrong is the fact that the manufacturing facilities are unionized. This can create somewhat of a hostile environment, and can hinder the company's ability to improve at a fast rate.

Advice to Senior Management

The only advice I can give to Senior Management is to value the opinions of their employees.

Pros

It's pretty easy work. In general the expectations are low and there's lots of opportunities to not work really hard. I can schedule a trip just about anywhere and no one really cares. I get lots of frequent flyer miles and the expectations are pretty low. It's hard to imagine leaving and actually having to work for a living.

Cons

Pay is just average and the upper management is always looking to cut benefits. They eliminated the pension several years ago and the health benefits are terrible. Hope you don't get any real dental problems, since the insurance they provide (you pay $15/month too) sucks. Upper management is pretty stupid and loves the six sigma BS. A former GM guy is at the helm and he is a real idiot. He's hated by most people and we are amazed he can still hold a position.

Advice to Senior Management

Treat the salaried people with respect and maybe we could work a little harder and put up some good results. Stop cutting our benefits and giving the farm away to the hourly people. Fire all the HR people and hire some HR professionals, not just up through the ranks IEs.

Pros

As a project engineer in a smaller plant setting, I am exposed all our manufacturing business units. This gives a broad range of experiences - - - no two projects are the same - - - this keeps me going! Also there are opportunities to get involved in other roles for safety improvement/leadership, facilitating a plant module or mentoring less experienced engineers - - - involvement in these roles gives both a sense of responsibility and accomplishment. These, in my opinion, are essential fuels to keep one busy, give you an opportunity to make other people's jobs easier/safer and a chance to test your abilities.

Cons

The projects cover a broad variety of disciplines and areas, but not so much depth. Also, by virtue of the nature of the business, the projects are not 'high tech' - - - automation projects involve some nifty equipment nonetheless. Even though most people prefer to 'abandon' the books after leaving school, I like projects that challenge me to go back to the books to solve an intricate engineering problem. Meanwhile this happens sometimes, I would prefer it did a little more often - - - Generally, with more experience, the projects equally increase in complexity but are limited in depth.

Advice to Senior Management

With due moderation, avoid undermining maintenance's opinions

Pros

Union---Vacations---Medical Insurance--Dental Insurance--11 Paid Holidays--Good Pensions--401K

Cons

I can't think of any downsides to working for Armstrong except that they don't hire quality workers. The best qualified don'y always get hired

Advice to Senior Management

Hire quality people