Updated compensation range, benefits package to retain existing talent and attract new employees for their growing workforce.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — June 9, 2021, Minneapolis, Minn. — This month Kurt Manufacturing announced a significant increase to its salary structure for employees at its hydraulics facility in Lyman, NE. On June 1, 2021, Kurt raised the minimum starting pay for unskilled workers to $15 an hour. This shift in employee compensation offers employees a more competitive starting wage and access to growth opportunities in a manufacturing career. Kurt expects the new policy to benefit existing workers as well as attract talent for its growing team.
With some of the best benefits in the Scotts Bluff valley, Kurt Hydraulics is a great place to plant roots and build a career. Full-time permanent employees qualify for health, dental and vision benefits along with an employer match for health savings accounts, 3 weeks of paid time off, and tuition reimbursement. Second shift pay premium also gives second-shift workers an additional 20% increase in pay.
“Kurt already offers a great benefits package to all full-time employees, and we’re an ESOP company—100% employee-owned,” said Kelli Watson, Chief Administrative Officer. “The pay increase makes us an even more competitive employer. We also offer on-the-job training for most jobs, so we really are putting out the welcome mat for everyone in the area.”
Kurt is employee-owned, which means that every employee receives yearly stock shares in the company as part of their benefits package. Employee-owned companies offer owners an opportunity for greater equity and a share of the wealth that a company generates. According to a recent article in the Harvard Business Review, ESOP companies are also are more productive, grow faster, and are less likely to go out of business than their counterparts.1
Kurt Hydraulics produces a complete line of hydraulic hoses and couplings for the industries like farming, heavy machinery and marine applications. The Lyman facility covers 85,000 square feet and houses the hydraulic coupling manufacturing operation. Employees own the manufacturing process from the initial raw bar stock to finished bulk couplings. All in the same facility, Kurt has multiple screw machine stations, CNC and machining stations, brazing and assembly lines, integrated automation, plating, engineering, production, and shipping and receiving.
“It’s sometimes surprising to find out that folks don’t even know we’re here in Lyman. But at 81 employees,we’re a good-sized employer in the area,” said Jay Dietz, Division Manager Kurt Hydraulics. “We currently have job openings for everything from a Shipping and Receiving Clerk to a CNC Machinist to an Operatives Supervisor. There’s really a lot going on here right now, and we’re worth the drive from Scottsbluff or further.”
With the manufacturing sector on the rise, Kurt is investing in the region and expecting to employ and train the growing number of local residents and help expand American manufacturing with jobs, experience and training. Currently, Kurt has entry-level and experienced job openings. For anyone interested in joining the Kurt Hydraulics team, have a look at kurt.com/current-job-openings.
About Kurt Hydraulics
Kurt Hydraulics is 100% employee-owned and a division of Kurt Manufacturing Company, based in Minneapolis, MN. Kurt Hydraulics operates in Lyman, NE in an expansive facility making American-made hydraulic couplings to serve a broad range of industries. Facilities include multiple screw machine stations, CNC and machining stations, brazing and assembly lines, integrated automation, plating, engineering, production and shipping. Employees own the manufacturing process from start to finish. For over 70 years, Kurt Manufacturing has set quality and reliability standards with multiple divisions serving contract machining, workholding and gaging, die casting and hydraulic hose and coupling needs. Kurt offers employees the opportunity to invest in a career and own a piece of U.S. manufacturing.
Media Contact:
Paul Carlsen
Email: paulc@kurt.com
Ph: 763-572-4429
Contact to request interviews and additional high-resolution images and company logos
Kurt Hydraulics
302 Jeffers Avenue
Lyman, NE 69352
Ph: 308-787-0127
Toll Free: 1-866-257-7995
Fax: 308-787-1281
Website: https://www.kurthydraulics.com/
References:
1. https://hbr.org/2021/05/the-big-benefits-of-employee-ownership