DETROIT ? Although thousands of people are worried about their jobs in the auto industry, that industry is actually hiring. Engineers are desperately needed by a long list of companies as evidenced by the help wanted signs hung at the SAE World Congress Career Fair this week in Detroit.
The Career Fair featured a dozen companies that want to hire engineers. Honda R&D Americas, Nissan North America, and Toyota all participated in the two-day Career Fair. Recruiting companies such as AISIN World Corporation of America, Calsonic Kansei North America, Delta Staffing, Federal Association of Financial Services and GE Plastics all were looking for auto engineers.
Take Hella, a German-based company that is one of the 100 largest industrial companies in that European nation. The company employs 24,000 people in 65 production facilities. Hella is a global supplier for the automobile industry, developing and manufacturing components and systems for automotive lighting and electronics.
Hella North America needs engineers with experience in the auto industry and is hoping that some of the engineers who recently lost their jobs at General Motors, or might lose their jobs at Delphi, will re-start their careers at Hella North America.
?We are hoping that some of those good folks are going to be out there looking for that next opportunity,? said Hella Human Resources Manager Steve Williams. ?And, we hope that Hella can provide that opportunity. Despite intense competition, layoffs and downsizing in the auto industry, Hella is growing. And, we are hiring.?
Hella has 120 engineers on its payroll at the company?s North American headquarters in Plymouth, Michigan. Williams said Hella needs to hire another 50 lighting and electronics engineers by the end of 2006.
?We have a fairly aggressive growth strategy,? he explained. ?We expect to double our global sales from $3.8 billion in the next six years.?
Hella has taken some strong steps down that path already this year. The company has received new business from General Motors and has also been chosen by Ford as a strategic supplier for exterior lighting.
Williams said that along with experienced engineers, he hopes to hear from some recent engineering college graduates. ?Particularly those with ?hands-on? experience in the auto industry,? he said.
?Hella is a great place to work,? he said. ?We are a growing and stable company, yet we are still small enough to recognize and encourage individual accomplishments. We want to hire people who can help us grow and provide our automotive customers with exceptional service.?
Hella will accept resumes online at Hella.Com/JobsUSA
Resumes will be accepted online at or be e-mail at [email protected]
This story was written by Mitechnews.Com staff writer Rod Kackley, who covers Southeast Michigan. If you have story ideas for Kackley, you can email him at [email protected]
