Eaton Corporation of Roxboro Receives Manufacturing Excellence Award

October 9, 2017

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Eaton Corporation’s facility in Roxboro, NC recently received the North Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NCMEP) Leadership Award for Manufacturing Excellence. The NCMEP, a public-private operating alliance of programs working together to help manufacturers become efficient and well positioned to grow profitably, formally presented the awards during a ceremony on Sept. 20, 2017.

“Our state’s manufacturers continue to expand and excel in performance, leading to sustained customer satisfaction,” says Phil Mintz, NCMEP Director and Executive Director of NC State’s Industry Expansion Solutions. “It is important that we continue to nurture and recognize the contributions of smaller plants as they lead the way in manufacturing growth and innovation throughout North Carolina.”

image From left to right, Brenda Roberts (machine operator), Lori Boswell (machine operator), Mitch Poole (machine operator), Roy Cooper (Governor – North Carolina), Abhijeet Joshi (Eaton Plant Manager, Roxboro, NC), John Loyack (VP, Global Business Services with the Economic Development Partnership of NC), Phil Mintz (Director, North Carolina Manufacturing Extension Partnership)

To be eligible for an award, the applying organization must be a manufacturing facility located in North Carolina, and must have fewer than 500 employees. Eligible applications are judged based on measurable results in each category (i.e. cost savings, jobs created/retained, etc.), and program initiatives within these areas must have been established at least two years prior.

“Our long-term vision here in Roxboro is to be a World Class Manufacturing plant. Winning the NCMEP Leadership Award for Manufacturing Excellence is an important milestone and validation for the plant on this journey to World class,” said Abhijeet Joshi, plant manager, Vehicle Group North America. “This award is a direct result of the hardworking and engaged employees here in Roxboro and their belief in the long-term vision.” Roxboro’s Eaton Corporation demonstrated exemplary practices across all areas of manufacturing, earning the organization the Manufacturing Excellence Award.

Eaton, Roxboro produces complex and highly engineered products that require special competencies and experience; to keep those skilled jobs in Person County rather than outsourcing them, Eaton partners with “Tooling U” and Piedmont Community College to train employees for on-the-job, technical and leadership development. Additionally, a paid education incentive is offered to all employees for university education.

Several of the company’s employees have recently won patents on new engineering designs, including one that enhances fuel economy. By effectively managing power to reduce fuel consumption, emissions are cut, leading to more sustainable outcomes. The company has been active in pursuing sustainability within its own walls as well; from 2014-16 Eaton reduced its water consumption by 50 percent, or seven million gallons; 2017 Eaton Roxboro became a Zero Waste to landfill site.

Eliminating wasted time, labor and resources has also been an area of focus for Eaton Roxboro. The company employs a Six Sigma approach to control process variation, Focus Factory teams to drive specific improvements by product lines, and Rapid Improvement Events bi-monthly.

Eaton Roxboro is a credit to its community, with a $20M annual payroll for its 290 full time and 120 contract employees. The company is a consistent top contributor to the local United Way, and gives generously to schools, theaters, libraries and help centers in its area. This week's post was submitted by Eaton Corporation as a press release. For more information, please visit their website.


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