New D.C. Opens
At age 26, James Joseph Haverty launched his Atlanta furniture business by investing $600 in a 1,875-sq.-ft. store. That was 1885.
In August 2002, the retail chain opened a distribution center in Braselton that boasts 511,000 sq. ft. Called the Eastern Distribution Center, the facility has the potential to expand to 932,000 sq. ft. to service stores in 11 of the 14 states where Havertys operates.
“With the combination of a stateof- the-art information system and this facility, we will be able to shorten our just-in-time delivery to customers while reducing warehouse inventory,” said Havertys President Clarence H. Smith.
The
facility currently employs 100 people but by spring 2003 will be fully
operational with 300 employees, all Quick Start-trained. In conjunction
with Quick Start, Lanier Technical College is providing its Certified
Customer Service Specialist (CCSS) program to call center employees, and
its Certified Warehousing and Distribution Specialist (CWDS) program to
warehouse employees.
Lanier Tech has also brought the CWDS program into Jackson County High School, where the curriculum accommodates local industry. Such an initiative not only trains high school students for local jobs but also ensures that labor is available long-term for Havertys.
“The
reason we located the distribution facility in Braselton is because of
Quick Start and Lanier Technical College,” Smith said.
Set to Grow
Toccoa Metal Finishing is adding two lines and providing 25 new jobs in Stephens County. In its first venture into subassembly, the company is producing the CAT1 electrical connector used in Ford autos. Its other new line is battery coating.
Company President David Weaver, whose father started the metal coating business in 1988, recently signed a training agreement with Quick Start and North Georgia Technical College. New employees will receive training in industrial safety and manufacturing technology, among other topics.
The firm has won Manufacturer of the Year and was awarded the job of coating the metal cauldron for the Olympic flame. Not resting on past laurels, Toccoa Metal Finishing is reinventing itself by adding these two new lines.
Dr. Ruth Nichols, North Georgia Technical College president, noted that the firm sets a fine example for any organization adapting to change. “We can learn from this company how to grow and not remain in a set mold,” she said.
Tech
College
Alum Signs Plan
Just two decades after graduating from North Georgia Technical College, Harold Jordan has returned to his alma mater, only this time as a successful business owner signing a training agreement with North Georgia Tech and Quick Start. Jordan’s company, Meadowbrook Machine and Tool, maker of machined parts for electric motors, is hiring 25 additional associates to accommodate its growing business in Toccoa.
Quick Start and North Georgia Tech are elping the company in its move toward Lean Manufacturing, conducting a lean assessment and providing training in productivity enhancement and advanced manufacturing technology.
Pictured
at the recent training plan signing ceremony are, from left, Jeff Lynn,
Quick Start director of northern operations; Harold Jordan, Meadowbrook
Machine and Tool president; and Dr. Ruth Nichols, North Georgia Technical
College president.
Manufacturer
Adds New Line, Jobs
Promoting such forward-thinking principles as Lean Manufacturing, continuous improvement and workplace diversity, Gill Industries is expanding its Georgia operations and will receive Quick Start training for 28 newly hired employees. The Michigan-based firm manufactures mechanical and welded assemblies for automakers, and designs and builds tool-and-die systems.
Its plant in Trenton, Ga., ships products just-in-time to OEMs and major Tier 1 customers. The facility, called Gill Manufacturing – Georgia Inc., is now making front suspension modules for Club Car utility vehicles and golf cars.
Together
with Northwestern Technical College, Quick Start will provide equipment-specific
training in the operation of a robotic welder, as well as a laser alignment
system for the new line. Productivity enhancement training will consist
of Lean Manufacturing concepts and ISO 9000.
Representing the Georgia facility at the Sept. 26 training plan signing was Don Daniel, operations director. Also signing was Northwestern Technical College President Ray Brooks, who said, “I am excited to be working with a world-class company like Gill. Gill Manufacturing provides great jobs and is an excellent community citizen.”
Gill Industries is headed by CEO Rita Williams, whose husband and brother founded the company in 1964. The family business has garnered recognition in the industry for its quality standards, and Automotive News named Williams as one of the 100 leading women in the automotive industry.
After taking classes for nine months, more than 50 employees of Caterpillar in Griffin recently became Certified Manufacturing Specialists (CMS), top photo, or Certified Warehousing and Distribution Specialists (CWDS), bottom photo. The certification programs were conducted by Griffin Technical College, which taught classes onsite at Caterpillar’s facilities. DTAE’s Certified Workforce Development Programs — CMS, CWDS and Certified Customer Service Specialist (CCSS) — illustrate the partnership between the technical colleges and local industry in developing a better-trained labor base.