Page 19 - MetalForming December 2011

Pridgeon & Clay\Workforce Development
www.metalformingmagazine.com MetalForming/December 2011
Pridgeon & Clay CEO Bob Clay describes the early days of the compa- ny as one managed by just a few key people at the top. When the industry transitioned (some 20 years ago) to higher levels of technology and to lean manufacturing, built on the concepts of team leadership and empowerment of frontline workers, Clay says that’s when management made a long-standing commitment to upgrade its workforce.
caveat: “Training in the early days of the company focused primarily on the floor leaders and not as much on the frontline workers. When my brother (Don) and I took ownership (in the early ’90s), we felt we had to move beyond that level of training and find ways for all of our employees to improve themselves.
“The company once was managed by a few people at the top,” Clay con- tinues, noting its strong commitment to its employees in terms of wages and benefits. But he and his brother noted a real transition occurring in the auto- motive supply chain in the early days of their company ownership. This tran- sition—to higher levels of technology and to lean manufacturing built on the concepts of team leadership and empowerment of frontline workers— fueled the company’s commitment to upgrade its workforce.
“We found that we couldn’t become truly lean without educating our workforce,” Clay says. So, he and his brother initiated a program to fully reimburse workers who invest- ed their own time and money toward higher education.
(Editor’s Note: According to the Precision Metalforming Association’s Annual Wage and Benefit Report,
only 37 percent of metalformers fully reimburse employees for tuition).
During this same time period, in the mid-’90s, the company also fired up its research and development cen- ter and Advanced Engineering Labo- ratory, “another motivator to upgrade our workforce,” says Clay.
Recognizing Loyalty as a Two-Way Street
How does all of this workforce development parlay into the com- pany’s success? “People see the way to the top, and they get there, using what tools we provide them,” Clay says. “This, in turn, creates loyalty to the company. Our employees appreciate the opportunities we pro- vide, and in turn they bring their cre- ativity to work every day, in addition to their physical labor.”
Clay’s views mirror those of experts that closely follow the U.S. manufac- turing industry, where the shortage of skilled workers has been well publi- cized. U.S. manufacturers need front- line workers who can solve problems on their own, and also can make sound business decisions. Says Emily Stover DeRocco, president of The Manufacturing Institute, in an inter- view with the University of Phoenix:
“Manufacturers must stay com- mitted to research and development, and engage a talent pool with the right skills to drive innovation and invention within our manufacturing economy.”
Pridgeon & Clay is flush with inde- pendent thinkers—workers that have learned in structured classes as well as from each other on the plant floor. “Everybody here is a teacher and a leader,” says director of operations Dan Swiger. Of the 650 employees in Grand Rapids, 75 percent are pro- duction workers—machine opera- tors, die setters, etc., and 75 percent have taken advantage of inhouse training programs such as automat- ic press operator (APO) and on-the- job training programs. Thirty-two employees have taken the APO train- ing, while 480 employees have been
through on-the-job training since 2009. Another several employees have taken advantage of the firm’s reim- bursement program to, on their own time, gain outside skills training. Its latest success: training 12 employees in leadership development. Says Swiger:
“As we’re growing, we’ve become focused on creating the next set of team leaders, business-unit man- agers, etc. We’re excited at the enthu- siasm and commitment the partici- pants have shown.”
Finding and Nurturing Leadership Potential
Swiger is a stunning example of how the company recognizes lead- ership potential in its frontline work- ers and helps them realize that potential. He began his career at Prid- geon & Clay in mid-1992 as a utility apprentice in the company’s tool- room. Following his apprenticeship, which included four years of part- time college classes, in 1998 Swiger became lead person in the toolroom. In 2003 he climbed to business unit manager. He attained a bachelor’s degree in 2009 and was named direc- tor of operations in 2010.
“All along the way,” he says, “I have had very open relations with my supervisor, which I credit with tran- sitioning into a manager myself. And I’m still learning.”
Swiger says his primary responsi- bility as director of operations is to find and train his successor. He man-
“Everybody here is a teacher and a leader,” says director of operations Dan Swiger. “We want our employees to be able to work individually, to make deci- sions on their own.”