Training that Sticks - Georgia Quick Start

Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education
SPRING 2007 • VOLUME 9, NUMBER 1
Training that Sticks
Adhesive-film maker Oracal
speaks Southern with a
German accent
C
Top: An Oracal employee visually
inspects the company’s self-adhesive vinyl film. Center: Christian
Hersacher, Oracal director of
manufacturing engineering.
Bottom: Rolls of Oracal film are
shipped from the Bryan County
facility.
QUICK START IS GEORGIA’S PREMIER SOURCE FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TRAINING
hristian Hersacher, director of
manufacturing engineering at
Oracal in Bryan County, remembers
when he first learned about Quick
Start. Oracal was looking for a site
in the United States, and they came
to see what Georgia had to offer.
“When I first entered the Quick
Start office in Atlanta, it was so different from what I experienced in
other states,” Hersacher says. “All
the technology there and the professionalism of the entire organization
were really amazing.”
Oracal, the U.S. arm of Orafol
Europe, a 200-year-old international
company based in Oranienburg,
Germany, was impressed enough by
the efforts of Bryan County’s economic development team, the Georgia
Department of Economic Development, and the training services
available through Quick Start and
Savannah Technical College, that
they eagerly picked the rural site
and started building their new
facility in 2005.
Continued on page 10
Quick Notes
About this issue: Global Georgia
G
“Quick Start
is proud to
be among
the first of
Georgia’s
economic
development
teams to
work with
international
companies
coming to
the state.”
overnor Sonny Perdue has recently put a renewed emphasis on a “Global
Georgia.” This initiative will help increase the awareness of Georgia in countries and markets around the world, helping Georgia’s businesses expand into
overseas markets, as well as helping Georgia’s communities attract new investment from international companies. We at Quick Start are excited to be a part of
the “Global Georgia” initiative because working with international companies is
one of our specialties.
In this issue of Quick Start’s newsletter, we highlight projects from five different countries. Our cover story is on Oracal, a German company located in Bryan
County, which has built one of the most sophisticated, “green” manufacturing
facilities in the state. In addition, some of our latest projects mentioned in this
issue have been with companies from England, Italy, Japan and Belgium.
Quick Start is proud to be among the first of Georgia’s economic development teams to work with international companies coming to the state. Helping
facilitate cross-cultural communications and train Georgia’s workforce in unique
production processes are just two of the critical skills we’re able to bring to the
table as we all work together to
grow our “Global Georgia.”
Belgium
United Kingdom
USA
Germany
Japan
Italy
Angela Della Costanza Turner,
Honorary Italian Consul of
Atlanta, speaks about the
opportunities Georgia offers
international businesses at
the grand opening of Aquafil
USA in Cartersville.
Jackie Rohosky
Assistant Commissioner
Economic Development Programs
jrohosky@georgiaquickstart.org
Table of Contents
16
3
12
Events Around the State
18
Make the Call
20
Quick Start
Project Announcements
A Fine Polish
Abrasives-maker Glit/Microtron
goes lean, wins big
14
Shifting into Overdrive
16
Progress Reported
ProCore Solutions meets challenges with Quick Start training
Honda Precision Parts of Georgia
revs up with Quick Start
The 13th Annual Manufacturer
of the Year Awards
Spring 2007 • Volume 9, Number 1 • Published by Georgia Quick Start • www.georgiaquickstart.org • Quick Start is a registered service mark
of the Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education – Ron Jackson, Commissioner. Please address comments and questions to:
Rodger Brown, Director of Communications • rbrown@georgiaquickstart.org • GA Quick Start • 75 Fifth St. NW, Suite 400, Atlanta, GA 30308
2
14
Events
From left: Jan Melcher, Quick Start director
of eastern operations; Gordon Cooper, JCB
general manager – manufacturing; and
Dr. C.B. “Bix” Rathburn, Savannah
Technical College president.
Reporting for
Heavy Duty
In 2000, British equipment
manufacturer JCB built its first
“Made in the USA” backhoe at its new North American
headquarters in Savannah. Quick Start helped train the
company’s first all-American workforce then, and again in
2004, when JCB added the Robot skid steer loader to the
line of products manufactured there. Savannah Technical
College has provided additional educational services.
Now, the company is building on the popularity of
its products “Made in the USA” with some “Made for the USA.” In a recent
expansion expected to create about 250 jobs, JCB is adding two new products to its
Savannah line. A High Mobility Engineer Excavator (HMEE) and Rough Terrain
Forklift (RTFL) will be produced specifically for the U.S. military. And once again,
Quick Start and Savannah Tech are helping the company meet the demands of success.
“As JCB expands to meet increased demand for its construction equipment, in
addition to adding these two new products, Quick Start is proud to help the company build and train its growing workforce,” said Jan Melcher, Quick Start
director of eastern operations.
CEDT Panel Meets –
(Clockwise, from top)
John Spoltman, Honda Precision Parts of Georgia vice
president, participates in an economic development
panel for the 12th class of the DTAE’s Certified Economic
Developer Trainer program (CEDT); Spoltman talks about his
company’s relationship with Quick Start at the event, part
of an 18-month certification process for DTAE personnel;
Charlie Gatlin, Georgia Department of Economic Development chief of staff, gives an overview of Georgia’s global
commerce at the event.
Quick Start News g Spring 2007
3
Events
Representatives from the city of Rincon, Effingham County
and state government gather to officially open Flint River
Services’ new warehouse and distribution center.
Teaming Up — Terminix, the largest termite
Have an Ice Day
New employees are coming into the cold at Flint River Services’ newest facility, a
250,000-square-foot warehouse and distribution center in Rincon, Ga., where they’ll
provide cold storage, blast freezing, distribution and logistical services for food processors and manufacturers across the country.
Now the second-largest employer in Effingham County, Flint River Services is
working with Quick Start to build and train an initial team of 100 employees. Savannah Technical College will provide ongoing educational services.
“We had a great experience working with Quick Start when we opened our
Unadilla, Ga., distribution center, and it was a real bonus to find we could do it again,”
said Stuart Geriner, the company’s controller. “Thanks to Quick Start, implementing
and pest control company in the world, recently
entered into an agreement with Quick Start and
Gwinnett Technical College to provide training in
core business and computer skills and in leadership
and human resources development for 90 employees
of the company’s new Norcross facility. Pictured
signing the training plan are, from left: Jackie
Rohosky, DTAE assistant commissioner for economic
development programs; Kevin F. Bock, Terminix
director of inside sales; and Sharon Rigsby, Gwinnett
Tech president.
employee training at this new plant has been smooth and seamless.”
Grateful Tread
Some Quick Start team members
had lunch with representatives from
Toyo Tires recently, as the company
hosted an event recognizing Quick
Start’s contribution to the successful launch of Toyo’s first North
American manufacturing facility.
“Our president and CEO, Mr.
Shozo Kibata, joins me today in
extending our warm appreciation to
the Quick Start team, whose excellent training programs have saved us
at least six months of start-up time,
and which have contributed to this
facility achieving profitability within
a record 18 months of opening,”
said Toyo Senior Vice President Jim
Hawk. “What Quick Start has done
for us is phenomenal.”
Toyo Tire and Rubber Company
opened the facility in June 2004,
after selecting Georgia over sites
4
from China to Alabama.
Today, the company
employs approximately
380 people and expects to
double that number. Quick
Start will continue to
partner with Toyo to ensure
that its successful training
programs continue.
“All of us
at Quick Start
feel like part of
the great Toyo
team,” said Jackie
Rohosky, DTAE
assistant commissioner of economic
development programs. “We are
especially proud of
your rapid success
here in Georgia.”
Above: Staff from Quick Start and Toyo
Tires outside Grand Oaks in Cartersville. At
left: Jim Hawk, Toyo senior vice president,
accepts a framed copy of a Quick Start
News story about his company.
From left: Mike Moye,
Lanier Technical College
president; Ron Baysden,
Impulse Mfg. president;
Jeff Lynn, Quick Start
director of northern operations; Jackie Rohosky,
DTAE assistant commissioner of economic development programs; Russell
Vandiver, Lanier Tech VP
of economic development;
and Bobby Densmore,
Impulse Mfg. director of
operations, tour the metal
fabrication company’s
facility in Dawsonville, Ga.
Acting on Impulse
The baggage-handling system in the Seattle airport, the croquet set on the lawn and
the 18-wheeler on the highway next to you all have one thing in common — they have
parts made at Impulse Manufacturing in Dawsonville, Ga.
The company that began in 1982 as a provider of children’s coin-operated rides in
shopping malls has become one of the most high-tech precision metal fabrication
houses in the country. A recent expansion brought the company to Quick Start for help
training employees in cutting-edge processes. Lanier Technical College will provide
ongoing training support.
“It’s been a great experience working with the Quick Start team,” said Ron Baysden,
president of Impulse Manufacturing, at recent signing ceremonies. “We want to
continue to be a premier metal fabrication house, and to do that, we need the best
people and training possible.”
“We’re honored to be here,” said Jackie Rohosky, DTAE assistant commissioner
of economic development programs. “We’re
looking forward to doing a lot more training
with you as you continue to grow.”
Keeping Their Cool —
Representatives
from Quick Start, Middle Georgia Technical College
and Richmond Cold Storage met recently to sign an
agreement to provide training for the company’s
employees at its Perry distribution center for Perdue
Farms products. Pictured are, from left: Marla Lowe,
Quick Start executive director of economic development programs; Bruce Meilhammer, manager of the
Richmond Cold
Storage facility;
and Dr. Ivan Allen,
Middle Georgia
Tech president.
Got It Covered
Fiberglass specialists L.F. Manufacturing recently
opened a new manufacturing facility in Waycross, Ga.
The Texas-based company will produce manholes,
manhole inserts and wet wells at the 83,000-square-foot
Ware County plant, initially creating about 40 jobs.
Quick Start and Okefenokee Technical College
will work together to help build and train a team of
employees for the company.
“We are proud to be able to offer follow-up training
after the conclusion of the Quick Start customized
training services project that will help to create and
keep jobs in Southeast Georgia,” said Dr. Gail Thaxton,
Okefenokee Tech president, at a recent training plan
signing ceremony. “We look forward to a long and
productive relationship with L.F. Manufacturing.”
From left: Jan Melcher, Quick Start director of eastern operations; David Johnston,
L.F. Manufacturing vice president of operations; and Dr. Gail Thaxton, Okefenokee
Technical College president.
Quick Start News g Spring 2007
5
Events
Creating Super Power
Trojan Battery Company
recently began its sixth Quick
Start partnership. With ongoing
support from Sandersville Technical College, Quick Start will train
employees at the company’s new
140,000-square-foot Sandersville
production facility.
“Quick Start is just fantastic,”
Phil Baker, senior vice president
From left: Leigh Evans, Sandersville Technical
and general manager for Trojan
College vice president of economic development;
Marla Lowe, Quick Start executive director; Phil
Battery, said at recent training
Baker, Trojan Battery senior vice president and
plan signing ceremonies. “They’ve
general manager; and Lloyd Horadan, Sandersville
provided everything from ‘BatteryTech president.
making 101’ to visual aids for our
plant floor.”
The Sandersville site, in addition to existing facilities in California and Lithonia,
Ga., will help the company meet increasing demand for its batteries — used in golf and
utility vehicles, boats and RVs, renewable energy systems, aerial work platforms, and
commercial and industrial floor-maintenance machines.
Aquafil Covers
New Ground
Fifty years ago in Arco, Italy,
Carlo Bonazzi purchased five sewing machines and his family got
busy making synthetic raincoats.
From this successful enterprise, the
Bonazzis expanded into designing and manufacturing their own
fabrics. Today, Gruppo Bonazzi’s
Aquafil division is a worldwide
organization that produces synthetic fibers used primarily in carpet
manufacturing.
Aquafil, which began manufacturing in Cartersville, Ga., seven
years ago, recently dedicated a new,
142,000-square-foot building at the
facility, creating 72 jobs.
“The inauguration of this new
plant is proof of Aquafil’s commitment to be here for our American
customers, partners and vendors,
playing by their rules, in their
own backyard,” said Aquafil USA
President Franco Rossi
at recent grand-opening
ceremonies. “The opening of Aquafil USA’s
Cartersville plant is an
important milestone for
us and for other Italian
Carlo Bonazzi (left), Aquafil
founder and chairman of the
board, shows guest Franco
Zanibellato some of the
synthetic fiber produced at the
Aquafil USA Cartersville facility.
6
Keep on Truckin’ —
Blue Ridge Manufacturing recently opened a new facility in Blue Ridge,
Ga., where the company’s flatbed, stake, dump and
landscape truck bodies will be fabricated. Quick Start
will provide training for the new employees, and
Appalachian Technical College will provide ongoing
support. The agreement was recently sealed with a
signing ceremony and a handshake. From left: Charles
Rayside, Blue Ridge Manufacturing president; Jeff
Lynn, Quick Start director of northern operations; and
Dr. Sanford Chandler, Appalachian Tech president.
Franco Rossi, Aquafil USA
president, speaks at the
company’s grand opening.
companies expanding into the United
States, and we must thank Quick
Start for the training that helped to
make this possible.”
“For growing, successful companies like Aquafil, Georgia offers
unprecedented opportunities and
incentives, a diverse population and
excellent market access,” said Angela
Della Costanza Turner, the Honorary
Italian Consul of Atlanta. “It is truly
an ideal place to be.”
Structures
of Olympic
Proportions
The 2008 Summer Olympics will
bring the world to Beijing. And a
Georgia company will put a roof
over their heads.
Rincon-based TEMCOR designs,
manufactures and erects architectural
enclosures, including a structure that
will house an Olympic swimming
complex in Yiwu, China, and several
other domed structures for Olympic
events.
Recently, to keep up with growing
demand for its products, the company installed new, highly automated
equipment. Quick Start’s ability to
work with existing industries that are
upgrading technologies helped make
the project so successful that
TEMCOR now plans to hire 25
additional employees.
“Quick Start is an invaluable
asset to any new company and
any existing, expanding company,”
Leland Sanders, TEMCOR vice
president of manufacturing, told
the Savannah
Morning News.
“Where else can a
company get that
level of assistance
in growing a new
workforce into a
manufacturing facility that uses
processes not necessarily common
throughout the industry?”
TEMCOR was also recently named
Georgia’s 2007 Manufacturer of the
Year in the small-business category
for companies with 150 employees or
fewer (see story p. 16). The company
was nominated by workforce partner
Savannah Technical College.
Top photo: A TEMCOR employee operates a machine press to fabricate gusset plates
used in the assembly of TEMCOR’s architectural dome structures. Bottom photo
(from left): Dennis Hansen, TEMCOR director; Chuck Miller, TEMCOR chairman of the
board; Dr. C.B. “Bix” Rathburn, Savannah Technical College president; Leland Sanders,
TEMCOR vice president of manufacturing; Jan Melcher, Quick Start director of eastern
operations; and John Henry, Effingham County Industrial Development Authority CEO.
Foam Home – Latexco, Europe’s leading maker of latex foam bedding
products, signed a training agreement recently with Quick Start and North Georgia
Technical College. The Belgium-based company is locating a production facility
in Franklin County and expects to employ approximately 40 people to make the
company’s high-end products for America’s consumer market. At the event, Sam
Van Steenbrugghe, Latexco’s plant manager, explained that the company’s advanced products are made through a complex manufacturing process that requires
highly trained associates. “That’s why we’re glad there’s a program like Quick Start
to help our people,” he said. From left: Jeff Lynn,
Quick Start director of northern operations; Sam
Van Steenbrugghe, Latexco’s plant manager; and
Dr. Ruth Nichols, North Georgia Tech president.
Quick Start News g Spring 2007
7
Events
From left: Willis Potts, Greater Rome
Chamber of Commerce; Jackie Rohosky,
DTAE assistant commissioner of economic
development programs; Rep. Paul Smith;
Tom Bennett, Floyd County Commission;
Ronnie Wallace, Rome mayor; Dwight
Stout, Greater Rome Bank president;
Tom Caldwell, Greater Rome Bank CEO/
chairman of the board; Roger Manis,
Scott Logistics general manager; and
Diane Manis, Scott Logistics owner.
‘Mom-and-Pop’ No More
In the fast-moving transportation services business, there are
two choices — speed up or get
out of the way. Scott Logistics is
moving rapidly ahead, having progressed from two phones and two
computers in 1995 to a $40 million company that recently broke
ground on a 24,000-square-foot
office facility in Rome, Ga.
“Quick Start is an integral partner
in Scott Logistics’ growth,” explained
owner Diane Manis. “Before, we flew
by the seat of the pants, but now
with Quick Start’s training programs,
we have been able to transform ourselves from a ‘mom-and-pop’ into a
corporation of professionals.”
Since April 2006, Quick Start has
trained over 100 logistics coordinators, account managers and staff for
Scott Logistics, making use of 23
different training courses. Plans for
growth will continue to keep Quick
Start and training partner Coosa
Valley Technical College on the move.
“Scott Logistics’ rapid growth
and success make it an asset to
Rome and to all of Georgia, which
it represents through its national
and international transportation
operations,” said state Rep. Paul
Smith, who participated in the recent
groundbreaking. “Scott Logistics’
new facility is a proud accomplishment for all of us.”
Pump Up the Volume
Raymond Albritton, WILO-EMU USA production
manager, at the company’s Thomasville headquarters.
8
“Pumpen Intelligenz”
(pump intelligence) is
the motto of WILO EMU,
manufacturer of heavyduty municipal and industrial pumps and mixers. With
its emphasis on “intelligenz,” it’s no wonder that the
German company made the smart choice of turning to
Quick Start and workforce partner Southwest Georgia
Technical College for training assistance when installing new technology at its North American headquarters
in Thomasville, Ga.
“The new assembly processes require testing for
all pumps and mixers in the new test facility,” said
Dr. Glenn Deibert, Southwest Georgia Tech president.
“This new testing area utilizes new technology consisting of variable frequency drives
for motor operations, PLC-based pump controls and data collection.
“Most of the jobs that develop within our state are expanding positions with existing
companies,” Deibert added. “We’re really happy to have Quick Start help us with that.”
Making a Good First Compression
Ancient ritual stood alongside
the latest advanced manufacturing
technology when TD Automotive
Compressor Georgia LLC (TACG)
held its grand opening in November.
Matsuriza, an ensemble performing traditional Japanese drumming,
was the highlight of a ceremony that
included TACG President Masaharu
Suzuki, TICO President Tetsuro
Toyoda, DENSO President Koichi
Fukaya and Georgia’s Lt. Gov.
Casey Cagle.
TACG’s 344,000-square-foot facility in Jackson County, Ga., has the
capacity to produce 2 million auto
compressors a year.
During the ceremony, Quick Start
was recognized for its contribution
to TACG’s success. Training courses
have included subjects ranging from
“5S - The Visual Workplace,” to
safety, refrigerant circuits and compressors, and “Working with the
Japanese for U.S. Americans.”
“Georgia’s Quick Start program is
a tremendous asset in these projects,”
said Cagle.
Left: Matsuriza, a traditional Japanese drumming
ensemble, performs at the TACG grand opening.
Inset: Masaharu Suzuki, president of TD Automotive Compressor Georgia LLC, presents DTAE
Assistant Commissioner Jackie Rohosky with a
plaque honoring Quick Start’s contribution to
TACG’s workforce training. Quick Start Training
Coordinator Paul Helton stands at left.
Clear Sailing in South Georgia
Grady County recently netted 60 new jobs when
Seminole Marine expanded the Cairo facility where its
popular Sailfish line of saltwater fishing and pleasure
boats are made. The company added two new 30-foot
vessels to its fleet, and turned to Quick Start for
training assistance and Southwest Georgia Technical
College for ongoing educational support.
“Since Seminole Marine has expanded rapidly, the
requirement for trained employees and documented
formal training procedures has become paramount,”
said Dr. Glenn Deibert, Southwest Georgia Tech president. “In order for them to maintain their high quality
standards and still meet increased demand, assistance
from Quick Start was needed.”
“I think the Quick Start program is a
From left: Paul Hoppes,
Seminole Marine president;
great tool for Georgia,” said Paul Hoppes,
Dr. Glenn Deibert, Southwest
Seminole Marine president. “It gives the
Georgia Technical College
employer an advantage by having available
president; and Joe Bailey,
the training you need to be in business and
Quick Start director of
western operations.
to get employees that you can retain.”
A Seminole Marine employee
applies caulk as a finishing
touch on one of the company’s
saltwater boats.
Quick Start News g Spring 2007
9
Cover Story
Continued from page 1
Rolls of high-quality
paper are the first ingredient in Oracal film.
Below (from left): Uncut
rolls of film; an employee
removes rolls of film that
have been cut and are ready
to ship; Quick Start PLC and process training helps employees run
and maintain high-tech equipment;
Oracal’s Black Creek, Ga., facility.
10
“We’ve been working very closely
since the beginning with the officials
of Bryan County, and there’s never
been a ‘no’ or ‘we’ll put you on hold,’”
says Hersacher. “Everybody tries to
solve the problems and tries to help
you. This makes a big difference.”
Today, the 260,000-square-foot
facility has approximately 85 permanent employees, and the machine
operators have gone through Quick
Start training, which has ranged
from quality and safety to Siemens
PLC and manufacturing process
training. Now, as the growing
company’s hiring shifts into a new
phase, the training needs have also
shifted. One of Quick Start’s latest
projects involves developing a company orientation video that can be
used as individuals are added to the
Oracal team.
“At the moment, we’re hiring two
or three or five operators at a time,”
says Hersacher. “An orientation video
helps to provide consistent training
to get them up and running.”
Film stars
Orafol, Oracal’s parent company,
is a global leader in self-adhesive
PVC graphic film manufactured for
uses such as reflective signs on the
highway, billboards, and the faux
paint jobs on today’s race cars and
emergency vehicles.
To make its signature product, the
company first coats high-quality
Oracal films can be digitally printed and used
to make signs (top photo) or wrap vehicles like
these Fire Department of New York emergency
trucks (bottom photo).
paper with silicone. Then the silicone
paper is coated with adhesive and
laminated with film. The laminated
film is then wound on a roll, cut to
the customer’s specified size, wrapped,
packaged and shipped — all within
24 hours of receiving an order.
The operation runs smoothly
thanks in part to Quick Start training.
As the company expands, with plans
to add another line every year, Quick
Start will continue to provide programs specific to Oracal’s equipment
and processes. In fact, new technology
is scheduled to go online later this
year, and plans are already in the
works for Quick Start to help get a
new team up to speed.
“We really love the way Quick
Start comes up with ideas — they
think along our lines and have an open
ear for our needs,” says Hersacher. “All
of the training material they’ve pro-
duced for us is so high-end. We’re very
happy with Quick Start.”
And Bryan County is happy with
Oracal, which has taken extra effort
to make the plant environmentally
friendly. It is a self-sufficient facility,
using a limited amount of natural gas
to start the process. The plant then
creates thermal energy by incinerating
nearly all of its own emissions.
“By burning our own exhaust, we
use no natural gas and release only CO2
and H2O into the air,” says Hersacher.
“The air coming out of this plant is
actually cleaner than that going in.”
“Oracal represents everything that
is desirable in an economic development project,” says Dr. C.B. “Bix”
Rathburn, president of Savannah
Tech. “Oracal is the kind of corporate
expansion every community in the
country wishes it could attract.”
“Bryan County and the state of
Georgia have proven to be excellent
partners in realizing our vision of
manufacturing in the United States,”
says Ben Philips, president of Oracal
USA. “The Quick Start program is
an ideal resource that we are blessed
to have available to us to help make
Oracal’s rapid growth sustainable
over the long term.”
Obviously, Oracal has found a
permanent home in Bryan County
and is making it stick.
From left: Barry Grove, Quick Start training
coordinator, presents samples of safety posters
to Christian Hersacher, Oracal director of
manufacturing engineering.
The Art of Training
Nearly all Quick Start projects require
the production of high-quality, effective
visual materials. To ensure that these
training products are custom-designed
for each client company, the five Quick
Start offices around the state have teams
of graphic designers, illustrators and
desktop publishers that produce materials
tailored for a company’s exact needs.
At Oracal, for example, Quick Start’s
Savannah office created a series of posters to help bring training messages onto
the plant floor.
“Training aids like banners, displays,
brochures or these posters are powerful
tools to reinforce the message that the
trainers are delivering,” says Luis Gaybort,
Quick Start senior graphic designer. “They
provide simplicity, association, repetition
and communication of the key messages
from the classes.” ■
Metal and Plastics Sector
A Katy Company
W
hen Rayne Johnstun took charge as general manager at Glit/Microtron
in Wrens, Ga., he knew he had his work cut out for him. The business
was losing money. Nearly 300 jobs were at risk.
“There had been a lot of turnover in management over the previous few
years,” Johnstun recalls, “and a lot of newcomers needed to get on the same page.”
The problem wasn’t in the products made at the plant. Glit makes abrasive
pads for the industrial market, in addition to a range of consumer products
such as abrasive sanding items, sponges and scouring pads.
The problem was that production processes for making the popular items
— from ordering the raw materials to labeling the end products — lacked the
right amount of efficiency for the company to turn a profit.
Johnstun knew what had to be done: Go lean!
Johnstun decided to perform a complete assessment of all the factors shaping the company’s processes. He called Quick Start for help.
“We began our lean journey by coming up with an
overall vision of where we needed to go,” Johnstun explains. “We charted our long-term objectives and linked
those to what we needed to accomplish in 2006.”
To track their progress on the lean journey, Quick Start
helped Johnstun’s team equip themselves with such tools as
Microsoft Excel. The company refurbished rooms at the
plant to serve as “command centers” for holding meetings
and posting charts and graphs to track performance.
“If you’re not keeping score, you don’t know how
you’re doing,” Johnstun says. “We had to start tracking our processes to get the data so
we could measure performance and
Future State Non-Woven (Hand, Floor Pads- GAF)
Value Stream Map
success.”
They then began training the team
on the various conceptual tools needed
to execute a lean manufacturing strategy: 5S, Six Sigma, and — central to
their process — kaizen, the philosophy
of “continuous improvement.”
“We presented the kaizen event
process as a tool and vehicle for rollCustomer
Product
Demand
TAKT
Business Case
From top center: Glit/Microtron’s Wrens, Ga.,
facility; color samples of Glit’s nylon buffing
pads; Glit’s kaizen team leader Patrick Lee
outlines the “current state” value stream map
of Glit’s production processes; the “future
state” value stream map illustrates the
number of inefficient activities eliminated
through ongoing “continuous improvement”
kaizen events.
12
PRMS
Value Statement
Key Requirements
PRMS
PRMS
Measurements
Ideal State
PRMS
RF
PRMS
PRMS
RF
Supermarket
Barnyard -50%
Supermarket -50%
Put full loads
Pallet, trolley
Into footprint
Milk Run
Forklift
Forklift
Forklift
Pull to
Truck
RF
Forklift
Pull
order
Supermarket
Boxes
ing out changes,” Johnstun says. “But we didn’t know where
to start. We didn’t want a shotgun approach to doing things.
There’s a better way, and that is to map the process and identify
what you want to target. This is one of the first things we did.
From there we created the value stream map.”
Value stream mapping is a key concept of lean manufacturing
— users create a diagram to illustrate the flow of materials and
information through the process. Glit’s value stream map identified all the spots in the process where value was added to the
product, and, in turn, where there was wasted effort.
Once the company knew where they wanted to go, Quick
Start helped them get there.
“We did a project study last April and began training at the
end of that month,” says Eddie Fite, Quick Start training manager. “We sat with them for a whole week before we got started to
see what we needed to include in the training in order to prepare
them the best for the kaizen events to come.”
A series of “kaizen events” was held to focus on different
areas in the production process. An essential part of the analysis
is based on measuring performance metrics on a regular basis.
“We explained to
our team that we
measure performance
every hour because, if
you hit your target
every hour, you’ll hit it
for every day, then for
every week, and then
hit it for the month,”
Johnstun says.
And hit the target
they did.
In 2004, it took
Glit/Microtron General Manager Rayne Johnstun
21 days for an order
reviews the improved steps in the process for making
to ship. By the beginlabels for the facility’s wide variety of products.
ning of 2007, it was
down to five days. In 2005, the company was losing money. In
2006, they broke even. Today, they’re making money.
The improvements were so dramatic that Glit’s parent company
moved the operations of another separate plant to consolidate with
the Wrens operation.
“Quick Start has been a tremendous help getting our people
ready to make these changes,” Johnstun says.
He concludes that the ultimate measure of success is that
Glit/Microtron is still in Wrens, and still thriving.
“Looking back at where we started, we see that we might have
had turnover, but now we have improved productivity,” he says.
“Today, we have 270 secure jobs, rather than 320 jobs
at risk.”
Right, from top: At Glit’s Wrens facility, nylon is first spun into
large rolls; a Glit associate inspects the product for flaws; pads
are cut, stacked, packed and shipped to customers.
Quick Start News g Spring 2007
13
Automotive Sector
Shifting into Overdrive
Honda Precision Parts of Georgia revs up with Quick Start
“Contamination is the enemy,” says
Jennifer Kemp, human relations
administrator at Honda Precision
Parts of Georgia (HPPG), as she exits
an air shower — a booth of air jets
that blow any loose debris from the
hair, clothes and skin of entrants to
the company’s assembly line, which
is a clean-room environment. “A
little speck could contaminate the
transmission and prevent proper
operation and shifting.”
The automotive environment is a
fast-paced one. Hours after assembly,
Kemp says, the transmissions being
made in Tallapoosa, Ga., will be sit-
ting inside Honda Odyssey minivans
and Pilot SUVs in Lincoln, Ala., 60
miles away.
“Honda chose Tallapoosa for
this facility only partly because of
its proximity to the assembly plant,”
Kemp adds. “Another reason is the
really capable workforce here that
was created by the textile industry.”
The company opened the
Tallapoosa facility, Honda’s 13th in
the United States, in 2005, and chose
Quick Start as a partner for building
and training its team.
“Quick Start … made their
programs specific to our
operations, which helped
immensely.”
– John Spoltman
HPPG Vice President
Since then, Quick Start has trained
HPPG associates in core skills like
safety and blueprint reading, jobspecific skills like the assembly process and operational procedures, and
advanced manufacturing techniques
like PLCs and robotics. But employees have also practiced collaboration
skills and received quality, productivity and leadership training running
the gamut from diversity in the
workplace to lean manufacturing.
Even the people-oriented, softskills training has paid off, according
to John Spoltman, HPPG vice president. “Thanks to the support we’ve
Top photo (from left): Honda Precision Parts of
Georgia associates Jewell Stephens and Bobby
Graham install parts on a Honda transmission
as it proceeds down the assembly line. Bottom
photo (from left): HPPG associates Dacha Beal
and Marcus Ware work in the company’s third
clutch install process area.
14
HPPG associate Billie
Florence on the company’s
transmission assembly
line, which is a clean-room
environment.
“We try to make very clear
up front what each associate
can expect when they come to
work for Honda,” says
Spoltman. “Quick Start really
supported that and made their
programs specific to our operations, which helped immensely.”
Into the future
gotten from Quick Start, we feel very
confident in our associates’ capabilities,” he says. “Their knowledge of
transmissions and the function of the
mission in some cases is better than
the associates at our parent facility
in Ohio — just because we go
through the extra steps of the softside training.”
Meanwhile, in a classroom away
from the assembly line, other HPPG
associates are manipulating animated
robots on a computer screen. But
they’re not playing video games.
They’re taking part in a Quick Start
Robot Operator Training class,
learning to take a part-moving robot
through its paces in the classroom
before moving on to the real thing
on the plant floor.
These associates will work in
a new area about to go online at
the facility. An aluminum processing department is being created so
the company can manufacture four
of the more than 400 parts in its
transmissions.
“We bought our robot, and Quick
Start developed training based on that
specific robot,” says Spoltman. “That’s
the kind of thing that’s stood out for
me the most throughout this partnership — how Quick Start has been able
to tailor classes to meet our specific
needs. Quick Start’s support has really
helped us build a team of knowledgeable, capable associates.”
From the beginning
Quick Start’s involvement with
the HPPG team began even before
the first associates
were hired.
Top left photo:
“I never anticiHPPG’s Tallapoosa,
Ga., facility. Top
pated what a benefit
right photo (from
the pre-hire training
left): Associates
was for the job canCharles Windsor
didates,” says Kemp.
and David Herndon
operate virtual
“When I first heard
robots during
about it, I could only
Quick Start’s
think of the benefits
Robot Operator
Training class.
to the company from
Bottom photo:
spending more time
HPPG associate
with the candidate;
Adam Rowell
operates the real
but after I saw it, I reversion of the
alized that it gave the
leak-testing robot
candidates the ability
simulated in class.
to better choose their
next employer.”
Before being selected for employment at Honda, candidates not only
got a classroom introduction to Honda
and its mission and philosophy, they
also participated in a hands-on transmission assembly exercise and
team-building exercises.
Quick Start News g Spring 2007
15
State Celebration
Progress Reported
The 13th Annual Manufacturer of the Year Awards
M
anufacturing is alive and well in
Georgia, still the bedrock of the
state’s economy. That was the message
at the 13th annual Governor’s Awards
Luncheon held this past April at the
Cobb Galleria in Atlanta.
“[T]hrough integrity, innovation,
commitment and — we often tend to
overlook this one — good old-fashioned hard work, manufacturing can,
does and will continue to succeed
in Georgia,” Master of Ceremonies
Wes Sarginson said to an audience
of more than 1,200 friends of manufacturing, one that counted among
its distinguished numbers keynote
speaker, Gov. Sonny Perdue.
“Georgia manufacturers don’t
just watch progress take place,” said
Perdue. “You’re some of the ones
who make it happen.”
Ron Jackson, DTAE commissioner, introduces the
2007 MAW Governor’s Awards Luncheon.
16
The luncheon, co-hosted by
the Georgia Department of
Technical and Adult Education
and the Department of Economic
Development, was the main attraction of Manufacturing Appreciation
Week, which is held each year to
show support for Georgia’s manufacturing sector.
At this year’s event, Richard
Kopelman, a partner with accounting firm Habif, Arogeti and Wynne,
presented the findings of the firm’s
biennial manufacturing survey. The
results showed optimism among
Georgia manufacturers.
“Ninety percent of respondents
said Georgia is a great place to conduct business,” said Kopelman. He
added that respondents indicated the
state’s greatest strengths were in its
transportation network and low cost
of labor.
The highlight of the Governor’s
Awards Luncheon was the announcement of the 2007 Manufacturers of
the Year, beginning with Rincon’s
TEMCOR in the small company category (150 employees or fewer).
“I’d like to thank you for your
recognition of TEMCOR as a world-
From left: Ken Stewart, Georgia Department of
Economic Development commissioner; Gov. Sonny
Perdue; and Mr. Eui Hwan (Eddie) Jin, Kia Motors
Manufacturing Georgia senior director.
‘Georgia manufacturers
don’t just watch progress
take place ... they make
it happen.’
– Gov. Sonny Perdue
class manufacturer,” said Leland
Sanders, TEMCOR vice president of
manufacturing. “I’d like to thank the
Department of Technical and Adult
Education, particularly Assistant
Commissioner Jackie Rohosky, Jan
Melcher, and the rest of the Quick
Start staff, for your continued efforts
to support TEMCOR.”
Lawrenceville’s Ricoh Electronics
won the award in the medium
company category (151 to 749
employees). Frantz J. Pierre, vice
president of toner business operations and plant systems management
division, accepted the award. “We
Sponsors
are honored, but more importantly,
we are humbled to be the recipient of
this prestigious award from our beloved state of Georgia,” he said. He
added that Quick Start was instrumental in Ricoh’s choice of Georgia
for a facility. “I hope that Ricoh’s
partnership with Georgia Quick Start
will last for many years to come.”
The prize in the large company
category was captured by Perry’s
Perdue Farms Inc. facility. “It was a
great decision on our company’s
part to come to Georgia,” said Jim
Perdue, company chairman and
CEO. “This facility is quickly becoming our flagship operation, and we’re
in about 14 states.”
“We’re really not in the chicken
business, we’re in the people business; we couldn’t do it without our
associates,” Perdue added. “Quick
Start has been a tremendous tool
to help us get our associates fully
trained before starting their jobs.”
In the student design contest,
nine students received scholarships
for their artwork in placemats,
posters and t-shirts depicting their
vision of Georgia’s manufacturing
community. Kolyse Eliza Wagstaff
from Covington won first prize in
the placemat competition; Justin
Dunbar from Watkinsville took
the t-shirt category; and Jackson’s
Tyler Van Dusen won the poster
division. Each was presented with
a $500 scholarship. Second place
winners of $300 scholarships
were: Tywun Jackson of Americus,
placemat; William Richard Craven
of Conyers, t-shirt; and Caroline
Penhallegon of Thomasville, poster. In third place, Haley Noelle
Almodovar of Martinez, Amanda
M. Wilson of Barwick and
Brittany D. Meeks of Soperton
each received a $100 scholarship
in the placemat, t-shirt and poster
categories, respectively.
Triple Crown Winner
ackson’s Tyler Van Dusen ought to be on a first-name basis with Gov.
Sonny Perdue by now. The 14-year-old took first place in the MAW
student design competition for an unprecedented third time this year.
In 2004, he won the placemat competition, and 2005 marked his first
victory in the poster competition.
Presenting Van Dusen with his second first-place award for poster
design, Jerry Silvio, vice president of Pattillo Construction Company, noted,
“With four more years left in high school, he should be able to accumulate
enough scholarship money to pay for at least his first year of college.”
With plans for a career in architecture, Van Dusen, who currently
attends Henderson Middle School, should be able to put his three $500
first-place scholarship checks to good use.
“Georgia manufacturers are appreciated,” Van Dusen says of his
dedication to the MAW design contest. “It’s like I said the first year in
my art, ‘God bless Georgia manufacturers.’” ■
From left: Ron Jackson, DTAE commissioner; Jim Perdue,
Perdue Farms chairman and CEO; Richard Jamison,
Perdue Farms complex manager; Richard Rateau, Perdue
Farms director of operations, prepared foods; Gov. Sonny
Perdue; and Ken Stewart, Georgia Department of
Economic Development commissioner.
From left: Ron Jackson, DTAE commissioner; Frantz J. Pierre,
Ricoh Electronics vice president of toner business operations
and plant systems management; Terry Herbert, Ricoh Electronics vice president of thermal media group operations;
Gov. Sonny Perdue; and Ken Stewart, Georgia Department of
Economic Development commissioner.
From left: Ron Jackson, DTAE commissioner; Jorge
Sepulveda, TEMCOR shipping operations and training specialist; Leland Sanders, TEMCOR vice president
of manufacturing; Mat Carmichael, TEMCOR shipping
supervisor; Gov. Sonny Perdue; and Ken Stewart, Georgia
Department of Economic Development commissioner.
J
Above (from left): Tyler Van Dusen, poster design
winner; Gov. Sonny Perdue; Justin Dunbar, t-shirt
design winner; and Kolyse Eliza Wagstaff, placemat
design winner. At left: Van Dusen in 2004 and 2005.
Quick Start News g Spring 2007
17
Service Industry
Make the Call
ProCore Solutions meets challenges with
Quick Start training
I
n a Chattahoochee Technical College classroom, students
bound around the room waving sheets of paper.
“Three P in a HG? Anyone got three P in a HG?”
someone calls out. “Who knows 26 M in a M?” asks
someone else.
Sounds like a bingo game gone awry, but it’s actually a
puzzle-solving exercise that helps newly hired, front-line
call-center employees for ProCore Solutions learn the
value of teamwork. The students are among the more
than 100 employees hired recently after the company
won a contract to handle inbound sales and customer-
“ ... what Quick Start did in designing
and delivering a training program has
literally saved hundreds of thousands
of dollars.”
– Greg Steele,
ProCore Solutions President and COO
ProCore Solutions employee
Timothy S. Edwards takes a
customer call.
18
Greg Steele (far right), president and
care calls for utility
COO of ProCore Solutions, praises
provider Gas South.
a successful training partnership.
Front row (from left): Sandra Morris,
“We can already see
results in quality thanks Quick Start director of performance
technology; Alex Ferdinand, Chatto the Quick Start
tahoochee Technical College vice
training,” says Lauren
president of economic development;
Jackie Rohosky, DTAE assistant comSlaughter, ProCore’s
missioner of economic development
director of training and
programs; and Mary Fornoff, Quick
development. “Quick
Start training coordinator. Back row:
Lauren Slaughter, ProCore director
Start spends a lot of
of training and development, and
time talking about
Derrick Williams, ProCore training
handling the customer,
specialist.
being customer-focused.
We’ve seen direct, solid, positive results in that customer
experience area. I attribute that to the training.”
Training at work
At ProCore’s state-of-the-art Marietta call center
one week later, the situation is similar to that in the
classroom — only no pseudo-bingo. This time it’s for
real. As the new employees take calls from customers and potential customers of Gas South, they find
themselves occasionally putting their heads together
to solve problems handling everything from billing
to how to sign up for Gas South service.
“If your people are confident, they’ll take on any
challenge you give them; and when this group sat
down, they were confident,” says Tyndall Chapman,
ProCore director of client services. “They had good
“We can already see
results in quality
thanks to the Quick
Start training.”
Members of the ProCore Solutions team participate in a Quick Start class in
“Managing Difficult Situations.”
employees through Certified Customer Service Specialist
courses,” says Alex Ferdinand, Chattahoochee Tech vice
– Lauren Slaughter,
ProCore Solutions Director of
president of economic development. “In fact, ProCore was
Training and Development
the first time we offered CCSS classes specifically for one
company — something we do all the time now.”
At one time, more than 60 percent of ProCore employtraining and they knew that if anything came up, they
ees were trained through the CCSS program. Attesting to
could handle it.”
its value as a retention tool, many of them are still with
And they did. According to Greg Steele, comthe company.
pany president and chief operating officer, ProCore
“You can definitely see the results of the CCSS trainSolutions almost immediately began outperforming
ing in lowered attrition; many of our customer service
Gas South’s previous call center on both percentage
representatives who went through the program are still
of sales made per call and amount of time spent on
here,” says Slaughter. “Many of them went on to take
each call.
leadership roles because they have solid quality metrics
“A shorter time per call tells us our employees
attributable to that program.”
went through training and know how to handle a
Ferdinand agrees that investments in training pay
customer,” says Steele. “On their first day, we went
off. “Retention is largely based on how employees
from eight minutes per call to six and a half. With
perceive the investment of a company back into its
3,000 calls per day on average, what Quick Start did
employees,” he says.
in designing and deliverAt a luncheon the
ing a training program has
company held to show
literally saved hundreds of
appreciation to the Quick
thousands of dollars.”
Start team, Steele summed
Tradition of training
up what the relationship has
meant to him. “We’re proud
Chattahoochee Tech and
that our employees were
Quick Start have been parttrained through Quick Start.
ners with ProCore Solutions
It’s a sense of pride for me
ever since it began and grew
that we have this relationfrom about 11 to nearly 300
ship,” he said. “What Quick
employees.
Start has delivered was
“The company was formed
above our level of expectain 2000, and almost immeProCore’s Marietta, Ga., facility.
tion. It worked.”
diately they began sending their
Quick Start News g Spring 2007
19
Ron Jackson, Commissioner
Georgia Department of Technical
and Adult Education
www.georgiaquickstart.org
DELIVERY SYSTEM
33 Technical Colleges With Multiple Campuses
4 University System Colleges With Technical Divisions
Quick Start Project Announcements
... Serving communities throughout Georgia
Atlanta: Barbour Corporation is creating
25 jobs at a marine extrusion facility.
Augusta: Automated Data Processing Inc.
(ADP) is building a new customer solutions
center, creating 1,000 jobs.
Lithia Springs: Office furniture company Steelcase is hiring
100 new employees.
Rock Spring
Ball Ground
Flowery Branch
Duluth Suwanee
Atlanta
Monroe
Buchanan
Rockmart
Bainbridge: Manufacturer of residential and
industrial storm windows TRACO is hiring 125
new employees.
Lithia Springs
Newnan
Lincolnton
Covington
Warrenton
Newnan: Retailer PetSmart is creating 300 jobs
at a facility for warehousing and distributing
pet products.
Sandersville
Ball Ground: Transtechnik, a manufacturer of
power distribution systems, is creating 50 jobs.
Statesboro
Perry
Black Creek: Oneida Limited is opening a new warehouse for its stainless steel flatware and tabletop
products, creating 150 jobs.
Buchanan: Japanese steel manufacturer and processor Suzukaku is creating 50 jobs at its facility for
manufacturing handlebar assemblies for Yamaha.
Monroe: Leggett & Platt is expanding its facility for
producing mattress springs, creating 18 jobs.
Swainsboro
Black Creek
Savannah
Homerville
Bainbridge
Columbus: Beverage bottling company Buffalo Rock is
hiring 30 new employees.
Perry: Richmond Cold Storage is creating
120 jobs at a new food distribution facility.
Rock Spring: Manufacturer of automotive
brake assemblies Nissin Brake Georgia is
hiring 80 new employees.
Rockmart: Engineered Fabrics Corporation,
maker of fuel tanks for aircraft, is creating
100 jobs.
Sandersville: MeltBlown Technologies, manufacturer of meltblown polypropylene, is creating
90 jobs at a new facility.
Covington: C.R. Bard Inc. is creating 45 jobs at a medical devices
distribution center.
Savannah: Retailer IKEA is creating 125 jobs at a new warehouse and
distribution center.
Covington: Oldcastle Glass, maker of windows and doors, is creating
50 jobs.
Statesboro: Viracon is expanding its facility for assembling highperformance fabricated glass windows, creating 70 jobs.
Covington: Saint-Gobain Desjonquéres is expanding its glass-blowing
facility, creating 30 jobs.
Suwanee: Maker of automotive electronic safety systems Elesys North
America is hiring 50 new employees.
Duluth: Pharmacy benefits management company Cypress Care is
creating 60 new jobs for an expanding customer service facility.
Swainsboro: Vista Window Company is hiring 55 employees at a new
facility for manufacturing vinyl windows.
Flowery Branch: TRW is creating 125 jobs at a facility for machining
and assembling caliper brake systems.
Warrenton: Maker of corrugated plastic drainage products Plastic
Tubing Industries Inc. is creating 30 jobs.
Homerville: B-Way Packaging, maker of specialty cans, ammunition
boxes, paint cans and steel pails, is expanding, creating 58 jobs.
Warrenton: TRW Automotive is creating 197 jobs at a new facility
for manufacturing automotive brake drum castings.
LaGrange: American Home Shield, the leading company for home
warranties, is adding 75 new jobs this spring.
Waycross: L.F. Manufacturing Inc., maker of molded fiberglass
components, is opening a new facility, creating 40 jobs.
Lincolnton: Medac, an anesthesiologist billing specialist, is building a
customer service center that will provide 100 new jobs.
Georgia Quick Start • Centergy One • 75 Fifth Street NW • Suite 400 • Atlanta, GA 30308