How Can You Save $ and Increase Productivity by Building In-House Expertise?
Read on to see how CWD developed a Team of Master Welders for ArcelorMittal and United Steelworkers Local 9462
Partnership Overview
ArcelorMittal is the world's leading steel company, with operations in more than 60 countries. ArcelorMittal is the leader in all major global steel markets, including automotive, construction, household appliances and packaging, with leading R&D and technology, as well as sizeable captive supplies of raw materials and outstanding distribution networks. With an industrial presence in over 20 countries spanning four continents, the Company covers all of the key steel markets, from emerging to mature.
In Conshohocken, located just 15 miles northwest of downtown Philadelphia, ArcelorMittal produces world-class steel plate and coil products and is home to more than 330 employees. ArcelorMittal Conshohocken’s customers include the U.S. Department of Defense–the leading supplier of armor plate for mobile troop carriers, tanks and ships, and companies that are working to rebuild America’s infrastructure through rail, bridges and tunnels.
ArcelorMittal Conshohocken’s hourly workforce is represented by the United Steelworkers (USW) Local 9462.
Situation Overview
USW Local 9462 established a local training committee to evaluate its workforce’s internal capabilities. The committee conducted a needs assessment and identified welding as an area to streamline and strengthen. Internal capacity varied greatly due to job consolidations, new hires and lack of systematic training. Most often, the company relied on outside welding providers to address technical problems, thereby decreasing efficiency and flexibility.
Solution
In late 2008, the company and USW Local 9462 partnered with the Montgomery County Community College’s Center for Workforce Development to reduce the need for outside vendors, standardize its welding operations and develop teams of master welders.
Local 9462 created a pilot team of seven steelworkers (called Cohort 1) from its maintenance/mechanical department to participate in a four-part welding program, designed and delivered by the Center for Workforce Development in 2009.
The four-part program is outlined below.
- Multi-Position Plate–Carbon
- Multi-Position Pipe–Carbon
- Torch Brazing Nonferrous Materials
- GTAW Stain less Steel Pressure Pipe
Results
- Cohort I is now certified by the following institutions:
- American National Standards Institute (ANSI)/American Welding Society (AMS) - Structural Welding, Steel.
- American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)–Section IX, Pressure Vessel Code.
- Cohort I is on target to obtain certification in ASME Section IX (Pressure Vessel Stainless Pipe) in April 2010.
- Cohort II, a new training group of seven employees, will begin the program in April 2010.
- The Master Welders program allows Local 9462 the ability to utilize its own employees for welding projects rather than hire outside contractors. By using internal resources, ArcelorMittal Conshohocken and Local 9462 have witnessed increased productivity, improved performance and on-time delivery rates, and an overall cost-savings.
Testimonials
“The Master Welders program has been a very successful part of our training program. The ability to customize the program to fit our needs was key. The delivery and instruction of the course is first class, and the results of the program have already been demonstrated.”
Ron Davis
Training Coordinator/Grievance Chairman, USW Local 9462
“The pilot class of the Master Welders program found the training challenging and rewarding. Our instructor, Bill Heines, is very knowledgeable on all aspects of the course and demanding as to the quality of the welds we produced. The techniques we learned in the class are being put to use every day in our plant with confidence.”
Brian Williams
Facility Maintenance Leader, USW Local 9462
Master Welders Program, Cohort 1
We congratulate USW Local 9462 and ArcelorMittal Conshohocken for recognizing its internal talent and developing this into a rich asset for the company.
We invite you to see how CWD can custom a program to meet your challenges!
Call now or email me for more information or to set up a meeting. See how we'll work with you to develop a custom program with the superior training our customers have come to expect and appreciate.
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CWD and Blommer Chocolate Unite to Meet the ESL Challenge
Blommer Chocolate Company, an international chocolate production company based in East Greenville, PA knows the value of pivotal ingredients. Blommer’s core operation is producing chocolate from the cocoa bean which, in turn, supplies global confection companies most familiar to our collective sweet tooth. This type of global success and reach depends upon a diverse and communicative workforce with English language skills provided for in ESL training through CWD.
The trend in U.S. employment is undoubtedly the various countries of origin of the labor pool. Blommer’s employment base consists of individuals from many cultures resulting in a challenge to mange and to train a workforce capable of common and consistent communication both inside and outside of the plant.
In order to address this challenge, Blommer asked CWD to custom-design an ESL program. This program developed into an on-going curriculum of ESL training for a specific group of employees. Also, programs in Spanish for Managers and Management of Cultural Diversity were provided to enhance promotional opportunities.
The ESL program involved 5-levels ranging from the development of grammar, reading, speaking, and pronunciation skills to accent reduction and finishing with training in writing skills. Goals produced included improved communication, reduction in risk/errors, enhanced employee opportunities and, ultimately, increased productivity. Blommer’s Operations Manager Chris Milligan fully supports the program’s value.
“ESL has been a critical component of our employee development program. We have many strong employees who do not speak English as their first language. This program bridges a gap for our company which creates opportunities that would otherwise not exist,” praised Milligan.
One particular ESL attendee later attended supervisory training. Due to enhanced English skills, he was able to understand the presentations and fully participate in the activities.
“The (ESL) programs gave me knowledge and confidence to communicate more freely with my peers and supervisors. I was able to perform higher level responsibilities and therefore was given the opportunity for my promotion,” expressed Team Leader Ben Polanco.
Congratulations to Blommer Chocolate Company for its positive attitude and progressive philosophy toward developing English language skills for its employees.
For further information on this program and how it could be tailored for you contact Brook Hunt, 215/641-6331 or bhunt@mc3.edu.
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GSI Commerce partners with CWD to deliver “rise” (bringing out excellence in others)
GSI Commerce® is the worldwide leader in e-commerce, multichannel retailing and interactive marketing for great consumer brands. The company delivers customized e-commerce solutions that can be modular or end to end, comprised of technology, customer care, fulfillment, interactive marketing and related services. GSI was established in 1999 and today serves more than 200 clients.
GSI and its interactive marketing services subsidiary, TrueActionTM, are headquartered in King of Prussia, Pa. Its international headquarters are in Barcelona, Spain. The company employs approximately 4,500 people around the world.
The success of GSI is directly tied to its ability to deliver on the company’s vision, mission and values, which includes creating an environment that attracts and retains talented people who do remarkable work.
“The training program at GSI is critical to our managers’ success,” said Michael G. Rubin, chairman, CEO and president of GSI. “For the leadership program, we select the top managers who are going to continue to grow the company to be a part of this important program.”
Led by Karen Fascenda, GSI’s senior director of Training and Development, GSI’s Training and Development team was charged with designing a comprehensive development program for its management staff. Their resulting effort included three new programs.
rise—turning great employees into managers
propel—building leadership at GSI
excel—transforming great leaders into global executives.
In 2008, GSI focused on its
“rise” (bringing out excellence in others) program.
The target audience for this program is new managers who have just transitioned from an individual contributor role to a manager of others role. GSI selected the Center for Workforce Development (CWD) to design and deliver this program. CWD has a strong track record working with GSI to deliver customized training programs.
CWD, using one it’s top trainers, Mike Brenner, worked with GSI’s training and development team to assess the training needs, design a program to meet these needs, and deliver a module-based, 30-hour training program.
The rise program benefits GSI’s emerging leaders in many ways. Managers participate in an interactive modular program that includes topics such as communicating with confidence, the art of influencing, problem solving and decision making, performance management and finding your emotional intelligence (EI). An integral part of the program is the Individualized Action Plan (IAP). The IAP is the participant’s personal development plan that targets one or two skill areas for ongoing development. Participants work directly with their supervisor to identify a path for improving in these skill areas.
Another valuable part of this program has been the opportunity for the participants to network with their colleagues to build more effective working relationships across departments. Feedback has been very positive. One participant, Suzanne Baker, summed it up when she said, “The program has been very effective in how it forced us to look inward and be honest with ourselves regarding our management style so we can pinpoint what things we need to change … and then how we go about making that change.”
The program also incorporated many best practices in training and development. The first was having senior leaders in the organization sponsor the program and share their leadership lessons. The second best practice was to have the participants’ managers play an active role in helping shape the participants’ learning outcomes. “In a high-growth, fast-paced company, time is one of our most critical resources,” said Alissa Becker, GSI training specialist and program manager for the rise program. “It was important for us to deliver the training in a way that fit into participants’ schedules and allowed for the most impactful learning experience.” CWD recommended delivering three (3) hour training modules over ten weeks. This allowed participants to apply the skills they learned at each session and debrief on their challenges and successes at the next module. The final best practice was the reinforcement session where participants shared how they applied their learnings to their daily jobs.
“We continue to deliver this training as our standard management development program,” explained Jim Flanagan, executive vice president of Human Resources for GSI. “Our objective is to turn great employees into great managers, and great managers into great leaders. Learning on the job will always be the primary method for doing this, but you need to supplement that with programs that give employees the tools to grow. Our rise program fills that need.”
Fascenda added, “CWD’s partnership with us has been invaluable. Their design and delivery expertise has been crucial to growing our training function.”
For further information on this program and how it could be tailored for you contact Brook Hunt, 215/641-6331 or bhunt@mc3.edu.
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CWD Revitalizes Met-Lab Potero’s Safety Program
Met-Lab Potero is a leading heat-treating company. Based in Wyndmoor, the firm has a rich history. Founded in Philadelphia in the early 1900’s Met-Lab and Potero, Inc. were competitors. In the early 90’s, the two saw complementary synergies and merged. Today, the firm is doing around $6M in sales and employs 38. Its markets include defense, industrial, aerospace and the growing wind energy industry. Customers include The Timken Company, US Dept of Defense, manufacturers of large gears, as well as international manufacturers.
CWD first began doing business with Met-Lab in 2002. It has delivered custom programs including Management Development, Print Reading, Excel, Quality Improvement and most recently Industrial Safety. These have earned CWD a preferred supplier status.
When the merger took place, management was confronted with a number of challenges. #1 was the integration of two workforces. Jim Conybear, Co-Owner, a strong supporter in employee development, knew he had to meld two different cultures. One strategy to accomplish this was skill development. He identified three (3) areas: Management Development, Technical and Safety.
In manufacturing, safety is #1. It’s even more critical in a heat-treating operation. Operating furnaces at thousands of degrees, working in confined spaces and moving lots of material presents formidable safety challenges. When Conybear bought the company, safety was not a priority. A safety committee existed in name only. Injury levels and insurance costs were high. Morale suffered—all effecting productivity.
Conybear is a staunch believer in safety and employee empowerment. He recalls saying "Under my ownership, I never want to have someone get seriously hurt." He’s always felt the way to accomplish this was through developing a pro-active safety committee made up of employees and management.
In Fall, 2008, Met-Lab engaged CWD with the charge to develop in a 12 month period a safety culture. CWD, with its lead safety expert, Rich Ng laid out a two-part strategy: (1) Re-energizing the safety committee and (2) Skill training. The target employees included the safety committee and three other groups of employees, a total of 25.
To accomplish the first objective, CWD’s plan included an assessment of the current state of the safety committee and safety program. A SWOT analysis to identify Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats was completed. The result was that the safety committee was able to objectively evaluate the safety program and determine the direction where it needed to go. In addition to the multitude of safety issues that needed to be addressed, compliance employee training was prioritized.
The second objective focused on technical training. Four (4) tailored programs were delivered. MSDS materials were incorporated into the training. Each had a key deliverable.
Forklift Training and Licensing: OSHA - 29CFR1910.178
Recertication of all forklift drivers, issuance of licenses and certificates.
Confined Space: OSHA - 29CFR1910.146
Recognition of permit confined space hazards, use of applicable gas meters, application of entry permits and reclassification of confined spaces, specific duties of entrants, attendants, supervisors and rescue personnel.
Lockout/Tagout: OSHS - 29CFR1910.147
Identification of equipment and machinery for lockout/tagout, application of locks and tags to equipment and machinery, identification and isolation of energy hazards, shut-down and start-up procedures, group lockouts.
Hazard Communication: OSHA - 29CFR1910.1200
Identification of chemical hazards, knowledge and application of MSDSs, use of proper personal protective equipment, labeling of containers and piping, toxicology of chemicals, industrial hygiene.
CWD completed the work in July 2009. In September, Rich Ng conducted a follow-up to measure the project’s impact. He interviewed several managers and # of employees.
Charles Williams, USW Union head and member of the safety committee said: "The training was very informative and helpful. The trainer made the programs understandable and applicable to our work. We now have a better awareness of safety. We look forward to the next program."
Jim Conybear commented "CWD did a great job in both consulting and training. This program has strengthened our safety commitment and has had a positive impact in the workforce. Our safety committee has been reenergized. Even our customers have noticed a change in the workplace."
For further information on this program and how it could be tailored for you contact Brook Hunt, 215/641-6331 or bhunt@mc3.edu.
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