The big picture
If you work in a plant making bits of aluminium that will wind up in a vast array of products far “downstream” from you, it’s hard to see the big picture.
But a special network of employees at our extrusion operations in the United States gives employees greater insights into what they’re doing.
The network, called “Beyond Nashville,” in reference to a kick-off gathering in Nashville, Tennessee, visits customers and other Hydro plants to learn about products and processes and to share knowledge.
Dan Garrison, a 24-year veteran of our extrusion operation in Monett, Missouri, remembers a breakthrough moment when a customer representative was invited to bring around some examples of his products – in this case, recreational boats.
Dan Garrison from our extrusion plant in Monett, Missouri, in the U.S.
The idea was that the plant employees could learn more about the business, and it would give the customer a chance to meet his supplier in a new way.
A revelation
It was a revelation. “To many of us, the aluminum was just a bunch of sticks out there until then,” explains Garrison, who is a die repairman. “Then this customer came in and showed us how it all went together. He was so passionate about his products. It really changed the way we looked at what we were making. We treated aluminum as a product in its own right from then on.”
The Monett plant is making the customer visits a regular habit. One good example is a visit from WinTech Windows, a window manufacturer in Monett. Every employee involved with this customer in the press, paint line, packing, and so on, got to watch the presentation.
The WinTech representative actually gave two presentations – one on either side of the shift change – so everyone had a chance to learn.
“People told me afterward that they thought it went pretty well. If anything, they wished the customer had brought even more products,” Garrison says.
About the Nashville Network and Beyond Nashville
In late 2007, several dozen Extrusion Americas employees from all levels – fork-lift drivers, operators, packing workers, and many others – were invited to Nashville, Tennessee, for a two-day meeting.
They learned a lot about the markets, the customers – and most of all, each other. What the other plants produce, how they can share ways of doing things, how they can help each other.
The Beyond Nashville network is a way to keep up the momentum from that first gathering. Dan and dozens others like him across the U.S. are keeping in touch with each other – and our customers.
