Steel Needs Greater Diversity of Ideas

Contributed by Justin Philipp, People Area Director, Pacesetter Steel

It’s no secret that the steel industry is antiquated. Many times, the processing equipment is older than the operator and the same mills have been opened, closed and renamed time and again. Not only is the steel industry plagued by “old” operations issues, the HR issues and ethical problems that persist could come right out of an early ’50s gangster film. In the past, social issues were largely swept under the rug and were only addressed when large-scale problems arose, but this generation is different. Millennials are uniquely sensitive not only to a company’s operational efficiencies, but also its personnel deficiencies. It’s not that these deficiencies are new — they are actually very old — it’s just that the steel industry has been slow to respond and adjust. Reacting to this, the steel industry has tried to make rapid corrections to long-term problems and is paying for it in turnover.