Milliken Reviews

Pros

Good safety program, options for changing careers from one field to another, new lean initiative was exciting, strong company, corporate headquarters is beautifully lanscaped and nicely remodeled

Cons

Lack of feedback from supervisor - they implemented a new system for review but it was all on paper. My supervisor was able to sign off that we talked without having the meeting to review it with me. New system for review was very time consuming and then they decided we wouldn't have any raises based on it. So why complete it in the first place?

Advice to Senior Management

Change the layoff process and respect your employees who have 20-30 years experience more. Don't just show them the door like they are criminals. Value your employees - Try to be that good to your associates aspect that you talked about so much in all the presentations.

Pros

Very collegial management work force; easy to make relationships; pleasing daily work environment; company well-regarded locally (in its core southeast locations) as a good citizen and community cornerstone; financially strong; likely to remain independent and private for foreseeable future

Cons

Inexperienced leadership team; indecisive on executing growth ideas (the same areas are repeatedly analyzed, rarely adopted but also not rejected, begetting an endless cycle of unproductive evaluations); loathe to make a significant acquisition; disinterest by leadership to take ownership of any idea; unclear growth vs. dividend preference from the Board; little outside company or outside industry experience among business unit heads (for most, entire career there); little authority at the division level; default decision-making appears to come from top leadership group; no COO position; very slow and counterproductive capital allocation process; difficult to fairly evaluate as a great place to work, not bad but not good or even noteworthy in any particular regard; two significant restructurings in last 9 months

Advice to Senior Management

Improve leadership as individuals and as a team; commit to areas of growth and execute larger acquisitions; redefine a meaningful career path for different professional areas; evaluate future direction for divisions

Pros

Since Milliken only hires only top notch associates, has strong training programs and moves associates to many different jobs within the company it is a great place to start a career.

There is a high leve of professionalism of the company.

Cons

Unfortunately the company is currently experiencing a major culture change. The new young CEO is overreacting to the current economic downturn by eliminating scaling back many of the bedrocks of the company such as training programs and pay for performance.

Growth potential is limited since a large portion of the companies products are marketed in mature and declining markets.

Advice to Senior Management

Revive your training programs and evaluate your cost cutting of management associates more in terms of contribution instead of just an associates age or salary.

Pros

Milliken is an excellent place to learn leadership skills early in your career, but has limited options for career growth.

Cons

The culture is risk-averse and insular. Senior managers have little experience outside the company. Milliken prides itself in being ahead of its time in reduction of benefits.

Advice to Senior Management

Vision is required.

Pros

Great Leader (Roger Milliken) A great leader who can motivate people to higher levels of performance.

Cons

Lost their way. Not quick to react to change. Rely too much on old technology IE Millitron.
They may get awards but customers don't buy.

Advice to Senior Management

Fast, Change, Flexible is the order of the day. Don't get lost in your own little world. Seek new opportunities to get back on top. Innovation, Innovation, Innovation.

Pros

Milliken is a very diverse company as far as the products the make. This is comforting in an economic slump. They are very environmentally concious. They have a very professional appearance throughout and have a "good" reputation thoughout industries, their suppliers, and thier customers. They were/are a pioneer in many technical textiles niche markets. They are comprized by many super intelligent people in their development/research division and throughout manufacturing.

Cons

They are going in a new direction that is contrary to thier founding principles. While this could have been a good thing, the reality is that by selling off and shrinking in this economic downturn, they are setting themselves up to be a minor player in many of their markets which will ultimately allow for outside competition to potentially push them out of the scene during a recovery period. Senior management has often boasted about the financial stability of the company yet they are showing all the signs of other major companies (springs, burlington, etc.) that have nearly completly shut their doors. They now seem more concerned with quarter to quarter financials than with the bigger picture. Short term gains have overshadowed employees lives and well being.
Their culture has long since been known as overworking people. There is a tragic dissconect at many levels where corporate initiatives overshadow the true objectives that need to be accomplished to make the company successful. So much work is put on a person from so many angles (supervisors, unreasonable expectations of the job, subordinates, initiatives, etc.) that often times the only way to truly imact a situation that 1) needs to be addressed 2) is what your position exists to do and 3) requires at least some level of concentration, expertise, and consideration is to 1) have a meeting about it to develop a quick fiix and then deligate out the majority of that solution which will likely not be completed in a decent manor due to others duties or 2) stay after hours, work weekends, or do it from home.

Advice to Senior Management

1) Get back in touch with the founding principles that the Milliken family started and, through Mr. Roger Milliken, ran that company by. 2) Allow people to do thier jobs and flex their knowledge and experiance without bombarding them requests for information or initiatives that are of little value. Milliken is notorious for requiring far to much detailed information in too many formats. 3) Facilitate an environment that employees meet with supervisors and are truly able to discuss current issues. Do not allow things to be hiden. If an employee is lagging behind, tell them. Work with them. Do not allow them to be thrown from the boat without providing them a fair forwarning that there is a plank set up for them to walk if things do not improve. Provide positive feedback. Do not make unrealistic goals for people. 4) Always remember that there are things more important than work or a job and view that as a core philosophy. Expect employees to see that and act on it.

Pros

Strong corporate work ethic and culture. A great company to start a career.

Cons

The company continues to have too much exposure to low margin and declining textile businesses. Therefore, if your career is pegged to the low margin businesses, it will be limited.

Advice to Senior Management

The company needs to jettison the texile manufacturing portion that is not returning at least 12% ROI, except the knowledge and technology (K&T) support functions, e.g., research. Research should be leveraged to provide a (K&T) consulting services to the rest of the manufacturing world. Thereby, morphing its K&T funtions into high valued added consulting services as a center piece for the rest of the company, e.g., like IBM has developed into the one of the best research and consulting firms today. Milliken has the discipline, culture, and more importantly the history, including patents, to be successful in making the transition.

Pros

Great pedigree, good people, still has great potential to do good things if allowed by management

Cons

Insecure young executive management does not instill confidence

Advice to Senior Management

This is not a public company, stop cutting to make this period's numbers, as Mr Milliken always says: what about the future?

Pros

Training was extraordinary in its prime 1990's early 2000s. Mr. Milliken, Dr. Malone and Dr. Allen were leaders you would trust and follow direction. You could be very proud to be associated with Milliken for its Quality and Safety record and pace of Innovation.

Cons

Little balance with personal life. Current CEO is incapable of leading company in downturn economy. The Citadel mentality of Command and Control will only constrict what little creativity is left in the company.

Advice to Senior Management

Trust your people to help you solve the company's problems.

Pros

Company is financially strong. Being privately held gives it a competitive advantage. Comapny looks at long term future and not just the present. The company has strong core values in safety and the environment. Physical facilities are very nice with a beautiful out door campus. Company highly respected in local community, state and within the manufacturing industry. New leadrship team is in place that is bringing change for the better.

Cons

Roots of the company are in textiles which continues to be a declining industry in US. Being privately held there is no chance of profit sharing, owning stock etc. Senior leadership is inexperienced.

Advice to Senior Management

Keep the open communication flowing.