84 stories
Twenty-Two years without a lost-time accident. Six-and-a-half million safe hours worked. These are some of the accolades for the AFL Accessories plant in Duncan, South Carolina. What makes this particularly impressive is the nature of work performed at this facility. Eric Borowicz, general manager of the 150K sq. foot facility affectionately refers to his team […]
Most manufacturing companies care about their employees. Their leadership realize that an engaged workforce is fundamental to achieving their objectives whether those goals are operational, technical, financial, or societal. This essential engagement has been particularly evident during the recent workforce crisis. Manufacturers with an engaged workforce have weathered the “great resignation” and even attract more […]
The Fourth Industrial Revolution is progressing rapidly. Manufacturing companies are incorporating new technologies involving robotics, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality, just to name a few. There is a heightened sense of urgency for companies to get on board or be left behind. Most South Carolina manufacturers already have an active and developing continuous improvement program […]
Labor Shortage – What do we do? The current workforce labor shortage is pervasive. From recruitment to retention, from basic skills training to leadership development, workforce development has never been more challenging. Potential candidates “ghost” scheduled interviews and new hires do not show up after a lunch break. Long-term employees are leaving and changing career […]
The final OpExChange plant visit for 2021 took place at Sulzer Pumps in Easley, SC. Sulzer shared their recently implemented digital platform for work instructions along with an in-depth tour of their factory. Thomas Holcombe is their Managing Director and hosted the event. Value Stream Manger, Robert Yoder, joined in the discussions and assisted with […]
Savannah River Remediation (SRR), located in Aiken, SC provided a report-out to the OpExChange on November 2, 2021. The magnitude of the service they provide is worthy of high recognition. Their purpose is to manage and eliminate “the most significant environmental hazard in the state of South Carolina.” Their mission is to safely disposition liquid […]
AMBAC International achieved a huge turn-around at their Elgin, South Carolina plant. This 100 year-old, employee-owned facility already had great talent but they were struggling financially. In 2018, their CEO, Robert Isherwood, implemented a new management operating system which not only engaged the workforce but also unified them working toward the same goal. In an […]
The OpExChange closed out Q3 of 2021 with a visit to Stanley Black & Decker’s (SB&D) state-of-the-art facility in Fort Mill, South Carolina. Several peer OpExChange members traveled from across the Carolinas to participate. In addition to sharing their Industry 4.0 progress they also provided guidance to companies just getting started and lessons learned from […]
Within the OpExChange, our companies are all at some point of a continuous improvement journey – striving to improve both their bottom-line and top-line results by reducing waste and increasing value for their customers. Many are now incorporating industry 4.0 technology as a strategic part of this journey. The webinar last week with Gemba Systems was […]
As manufacturing companies across South Carolina are racing back into normalcy, they are finding that things are not quite the same as prior to the pandemic. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show that the number of job openings has reached a series high point (the term “unprecedented” has been used). Approximately 78% of employees […]
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