A Co-branded Hiring Campaign Helps Automaker Overcome Unpredictable Labor Market

Client Profile

Our client is one of the largest and most prominent automakers in the industry with over 12 manufacturing plants in North America. They are known for producing reliable sedans, vans and sports utility vehicles. Recently, they have gained attention for their innovation in the electronic vehicle space. 

The Challenge

In 2020, our client was facing major staffing challenges at their plant located in the Southern United States. These challenges were attributed to several factors including COVID-19-related labor market volatility and a lack of available workers near their rural location. Furthermore, the industry-wide shortage of semiconductors made maintaining a production schedule and estimating the number of workers needed extremely difficult.

After adjusting their existing workforce, our client needed to hire at least 50 new production workers to prevent delays in production. They also needed a staffing partner that could implement the client’s pre-employment process. Aerotek’s existing partnership with the client spanned over the previous 20 years and gave our team valuable insights into the client’s unique hiring procedures. After a selection process, Aerotek won an exclusive bid and began applying the necessary workforce solutions. 

Aerotek's Solution

Our client’s manufacturing plant is responsible for the production of several marquee vehicles. Their staffing challenges had already resulted in production delays, and they needed to find quality workers quickly to ensure they met their goals. By creating a co-branded hiring campaign, optimizing the hiring process and deploying a team of dedicated recruiters, Aerotek was able to quickly find the workers our client needed. 

Co-branded Multichannel Marketing Campaigns

Our client is one of the most well-known automotive brands in North America. Despite their popularity, they were initially hesitant to allow Aerotek to use their name when marketing the open positions. By consulting with the client, Aerotek highlighted the key benefits a co-branding hiring strategy could yield. Not only would it make their marketing efforts more effective, but it would also assist in Aerotek aligning their strategy to work alongside the client’s pre-employment process. 

Aerotek promoted the positions through traditional and digital advertising and held several job fairs and hiring events. Through these efforts, Aerotek generated over 40,000 applications over the course of the partnership. 

Hiring Process Optimization

Although our client is a prominent employer in the area, their hiring process needed to be updated to meet the conditions of the labor market. One of the primary concerns was how long it was taking them to hire a new team member. The job market was highly favorable for workers, who could explore numerous job opportunities simultaneously and find work quickly. By creating a timeline of their hiring process and highlighting exactly when and why our client was losing candidates, Aerotek convinced the client to adjust specific elements. This resulted in a reduced time-to-hire and higher wages for new hires.  

Strategic Recruiting Centers

Like many of our automotive clients, this company’s manufacturing plant is in a rural area. These locations can be difficult to staff given their distance from large population centers. 
Along with a dedicated staff of local recruiters, Aerotek used their Strategic Recruiting Centers to contact workers in areas outside of the client’s immediate reach. By contacting potential candidates in other areas and time zones, Aerotek quickly sourced and vetted workers who were willing to travel to the client’s plant. 

Results

Through a strategic hiring campaign and specialized recruiting efforts, Aerotek was able to meet the client’s original goal of 50 new hires within 30 days. Since this initial campaign, Aerotek has brought in approximately 1,550 new hires to this plant.  

After completing the original project, our client decided to replicate our hiring program to staff two other manufacturing plants in the United States. To date, Aerotek has provided over 3,000 workers for this client and we continue to partner with them on several different initiatives.