Raises should be brought up during your annual performance review and worked into the annual budget. Keep a record of your successes and try to gain an understanding of how you fit into the company's financial model in order to build a business case for your appropriate compensation. For example, does the company bill fixed fee or t&m? If t&m, what is your FSM vs the company budget? If fixed fee, what is your typical performance related to the project budget man-hours? How does the quality of your work relate to the company average? Re-work costs time and materials and if you have a 97% quality rating vs the company rating of 95% that can mean a lot of contribution to the bottom line in the long run. All of this should play out in annual reviews, don't get ahead of yourself and don't think you're above the economics of the company model.

spoken like a true engineer...

Well a little update. I spoke with the sales guy we have our meetings with. Not about a raise but just chatting a bit and I mentioned some changes about how to increase production and a change to one of our products to make it easier and faster to mass produce with less air and material wasted in a DIY package deal for customers. He turned around a d offered me a position in sales...... I didn't know how to take it I just kinda laughed and told him I'm not cut out to be on a phone and computer all day stuck in a office. Then got to thinking it pays better and they make 15% commission on sales and they have to meet $50,000 a week in sales between the two of them and I would be the third.

Today I worked a little over on a Saturday and the GM came back to help me finish a bench and watch how I spray chop. I brought up the idea of instead of working 4 hours Saturday and only able to do one extra gas box priced at $1500, why not pop the one I do during the day at 130 gel coat it and work 2hrs twice a week giving them two boxes at 1500 instead of one in the same amount of over time worked. This way they pay the same OT out to me but increase production. He loved the idea and told me he wished others would think like that. All I had in mind is hunting season opens next week and I don't want to work Saturday lol.