“What sets us apart are our values,” shared Carl Czarnik, vice president of operations from Bonnell Aluminum. “Culture matters. It eats strategy for breakfast.”

Czarnik told the story of transforming from reacting to plant breakdowns to increasing preventive maintenance that helps operations run more successfully. A key tool in this was Bonnell’s participation in the Strategic Implementation in Reliability & Maintainability Boot Camp at the University of Tennessee’s Reliability & Maintainability Center. Czarnik told of empowering aluminum extrusion machine operators to take pride in cleaning and preventive maintenance in a way that showed improved productivity on paper along with a safer environment. “It’s a lot of thanks for the folks at the University of Tennessee for helping us on this journey.”

“Every person counts,” stressed Ron Scott, HEB managing director of bakery manufacturing, in his keynote address. Both Czarnik and Scott told audiences they have built better communication within facilities they run that includes team-building, increased leadership roles and clearer promotional pathways for their maintenance personnel. Scott stressed the need for feedback from everyone on the plant floor and a respect for what they can contribute, even as leadership works to align the team with the company’s goals and purpose.

Scott said, “it’s not just work for pay. It’s everything we do to create a great work environment.”

The RMC Center at UTK offers year-around education and support for manufacturing businesses on various levels. The MARCON conference is in its 29th year and attracts companies from around the U.S., including multinational corporations with U.S. facilities. Klaus Blache, director of the RMC, noted that leadership requires technical experts bringing formal education to the plant floor, while also bringing what he calls practical intelligence and other soft skills – so they are able to apply critical thinking and motivate others.

Is a transformation like what happened at Bonnell and HEB facilities able to happen quickly? These leaders admit it can take years. “It’s a process,” said Czarnik. “But man, the results pay!”

Scott told a room full of reliability & maintenance professionals, “assess your teams, identify areas of improvement … pick a strategy to start with and implement it … and then share your journey.”

Anne Brock is marketing coordinator for Solar Alliance, which provides professional Commercial Solar services to businesses, utilities and nonprofits. She can be reached at abrock@solaralliance.com or 865-221-8349