COIMBATORE: Several small engineering units producing metal components have cut down night shift due to shortage of workforce to operate the Computer Numerical Control machines used to automate the precise and shaping of cutting metals, in Coimbatore.
Operators say that most of the workers are not willing to come for the skilled work comprising setting and operating of designs in the CNC machine. This growing shortage of CNC machine operators leads to inability to run all the machines despite pending orders.
M Karthikeyan, president of Codissia said, "Most of the small engineering units are struggling to finish the orders due to the shortage of workforce in CNC machine operation. Consequently, many small units have cut down their night shifts."
J James, president of TACT, said, "After the programming of engineering component design, CNC machine operators handle the machine and set up the design through the machine.
As the skilled workers need some elementary knowledge, migrant workers will not be involved in the work. Setters are paid an average of Rs 800/shift. Due to growing demand for the setters, many units are hiring on an hourly basis to finish the orders."
M Surulivel, former president of Cosiema said, "The shortage in workforce for CNC machine operation started after the covid pandemic and has increased for the last two years.
Despite making the migrant workers learn the machine operation, they are not sustaining in the work for more than two years, resulting in induction of workers and train them. This needs a minimum of six months." He said that many small units will shut their operation if the situation persists.
M Saravanan (53), a CNC operator who has been in the work for more than three decades said, "The wage for the CNC operator will be given up to Rs 20,000/month. Most of the units force them to work up to 12 hours.
In small units, where I am working, I am only carrying out setter as well as operator work. For the setter work, a worker is paid up to Rs 1.5 lakh abroad. So, after learning to work in domestic units, 8 out of 10 workers prefer working in units abroad. This is the primary reason for the workforce shortage."