Skilled maintenance trades under lean manufacturing: Evidence from the car industry

Abstract

This article explores how skilled maintenance trades have fared under lean automotive manufacturing, a cohort of workers relatively neglected in the literature. Historically, such trades possessed a distinct 'craft consciousness' derived from apprenticed-acquired skill, autonomy in job execution, strict job boundaries and relative occupational status and prestige. The article assesses how lean has impacted this craft tradition over time, drawing on a case study of one UK car plant to assess its trajectory across three decades. Four different skilled cohorts-electrical, mechanical, control engineers and die maintenance fitters-are examined to gauge respective trends in skill, autonomy, demarcation and status. While the study finds variation in experiences across different trades, the general trend points to a deterioration in work conditions on all four benchmarks of assessment. The article concludes by inferring implications for the future trajectory of skilled trades considering recent accounts provided in Industry 4.0 narratives.

The significance of general skills training for early career graduates: relationships with perceived organizational support, job satisfaction and turnover intention

“…Our study examined only general skills and future research could examine both specific and general skills comparing distinctive occupational, organizational and industry contexts (Roberts and Cullinane, 2023). Zenner-Höffkes et al (2021) found in survey studies on employability that employers rate soft skills more highly than do graduates.…”