18 MiMfg Magazine November 2017
2017 MFG Innovation Excellence
Rapid-Line
Rapid-Line
Rapid-Line Inc . is an employee-owned manufacturer of quality metal components . The company engineers , designs , assembles and packages manufactured metal products for a variety of industries and can integrate plastics , wood , fabric , cork and glass into finished products .
excellence
AWARDS
For Rapid-Line Inc . in Grand Rapids , boosting innovation depends on something as simple as a “ Thank You ” board posted prominently near the employee restrooms and something as complex as a plant-wide system of rewarding attendance .
As the 2017 recipient of the MFG Innovation Excellence Award , Rapid-Line has spent the last year struggling mightily to change its corporate culture of the past 90 years to reflect the new owners — the employees themselves .
Rapid-Line President Rick VanDis is the first to concede that “ some days are better than others ” when it comes to ushering in a new corporate philosophy at the full-service metal fabricator and contract manufacturer , which employs about 115 . Innovation is one byproduct of a healthy corporate culture built on respect , he said .
VanDis and Chief Financial Officer Mike Helms point with pride to a tangible result of shaking up the status quo : the first Rapid-Line branded product called MyLine , a line of commercial-grade , custom indoor / outdoor aluminum furniture that can be easily customized with made-to-order logos and designs . MyLine debuted in September at the Casual Market Chicago show at the Merchandise Mart .
“ The MyLine product is actually a culmination of the change to the culture ,” Helms said . “ If we hadn ’ t changed the culture , we couldn ’ t have produced MyLine . It ’ s a result of trying to implement ownership mentality here , where employees work not just for a check , but also because the company is theirs .”
VanDis said the future well-being of the employees is intertwined with the drive to innovate at Rapid-Line . “ Our goal is to have people retire from here , well off ,” he said . “ And the only way we can do that is with everyone ’ s ideas and input to make Rapid-Line better .”
He said the company is also very enthused about a height-adjustable leg invented by a Rapid-Line engineer that is now covered by three patents .
Rapid-Line promotes a “ hierarchy of employee attributes ” that includes collaboration , trust , passion , innovation and agility , in that order , VanDis said . To encourage recognition of those attributes , the company installed a whiteboard and dry-erase makers at a prominent location near the restrooms with the hope that individuals would write thank you notes to co-workers for jobs well done . The names are recorded and entered into random drawings for lottery tickets .
“ We started in January , and it ’ s caught on to the point that it ’ s not management writing the notes , but people on the floor ,” VanDis said . “ I was really pleased this morning ; there were three names on the board last night , and this morning the board was almost full .”
The board has had a definite impact on employee morale . In one case , an employee on third shift worked particularly hard to get parts through his station and ready for the 8:00 a . m . shipment to a customer .
“ The employee was a little down when I first saw him ,” VanDis said . “ But he searched the board for his name , and I literally saw his shoulders straighten up and a big smile break out on his face when he saw it . His whole demeanor changed — he looked like he was floating two inches above the ground .”
Rapid-Line also re-evaluated how to handle problems with attendance . “ Attendance is a problem in today ’ s culture and , in the old days , you only had a punitive system ,” VanDis said . “ When you racked up too many points for missing work , you were escorted to the parking lot .”
But the company implemented a program that also rewards good attendance . Employees get -2 points for every month of perfect
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