// CASE STUDY
From Two Months to Two Weeks: Swiss-Tech’s Time-to-Productivity Transformation
Inconsistent training was leaving new hires overwhelmed and taking up to two months to become productive. Swiss-Tech partnered with WorkForge on a manufacturing onboarding software, cutting time-to-productivity and training costs by 62.5%
// CASE STUDY
From Two Months to Two Weeks: Swiss-Tech’s Time-to-Productivity Transformation
Inconsistent training was leaving new hires overwhelmed and taking up to two months to become productive. Swiss-Tech partnered with WorkForge to standardize onboarding — cutting time-to-productivity and training costs by 62.5%.
How Manufacturing Onboarding Software Cut Swiss-Tech’s Time-to-Productivity
Founded in 1965 in Delavan, Wisconsin, Swiss-Tech, LLC’s 105 employees manufacture the highest-quality Swiss precision-machined parts for critical applications in the aerospace, medical, defense, and other high-end industrial sectors. Swiss-Tech is ISO 9001, AS9100, ISO 13485, and ITAR certified in CNC-CAM, CNC, Milling/Turning, Finish/Deburring/Polishing, and Prototype Cell methods.
But maintaining that level of precision depends on consistent, well-trained operators, and Swiss-Tech’s training process wasn’t keeping pace with that standard.
The Challenges
Inconsistent Training: Because training varied from trainer to trainer and there was no standardized method to rely on, new employees were overwhelmed and confused.
Slow Time-to-Productivity: New hire development and time-to-productivity could take up to two months. As a result, there was a significant delay before a new employee contributed real output.
Operational & Financial Impact: The lack of standardized training caused decreased production volume, increased machine downtime, increased material waste, and decreased employee retention, creating both financial and operational strain.
“We created a core competency assessment to outline the skills needed to efficiently perform responsibilities and realized very quickly that we needed proper training and implementation.”
Rachel Repinski
CNC Machinist Programmer Supervisor, Swiss-Tech
The Solution
Assessing the Gap: First, upon assessing and auditing Swiss-Tech’s talent development program and processes, WorkForge supplied manufacturing onboarding software, complete with a library of online skills training modules and operations support.
Building One Unified Platform: Pre-existing, shop-specific training modules and materials were merged with WorkForge content, resulting in a single platform with built-in metrics tracking and record retention. Together, this replaced the inconsistent, trainer-dependent approach with one standardized system.
Before vs. after
| Pre-Adoption | Post-Adoption | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Pay | $15/hr | $15/hr |
| Orientation & Training | 8 weeks x 40 hrs/wk | 3 weeks x 40 hrs/wk |
| Investment Before Productivity | $4,800 | $1,800 |
Overall, this reduction in classroom onboarding and orientation time resulted in 62.5% cost savings (related to employee onboarding and orientation training expenses), roughly $3,000 saved per new hire.
“The process didn’t take a lot of effort to make it work, and WorkForge made it smooth and easy. They also continue to follow up and help us constantly improve and build onto our program.”
Rachel Repinski
CNC Machinist Programmer Supervisor, Swiss-Tech
Looking ahead
Swiss-Tech’s investment in manufacturing onboarding software turned a slow, inconsistent ramp-up into a standardized program that gets new hires productive in weeks, not months. As a result, the company cut onboarding costs by 62.5% while improving production output and reducing downtime and waste.
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