Manufacturing plant sets record with 2.5 million hours worked without lost-time incident
ABB's New Berlin campus and Fort Smith Drives Center are central to the company's focus on promoting safety, ABB said.
By exceeding 2,500,000 hours without a lost-time incident at the ABB New Berlin campus and Fort Smith Drives Center, the drives business of ABB in the U.S. has proven that these two key characteristics drive bottom line performance. The quarter-billion number sets a record at the campus, and is inclusive of the drives business unit, along with six additional business units located there. 
At the company’s New Berlin facility, the number of employees has increased to more than 100 volunteers serving on numerous Safety committees. The strong emphasis on "safety first" helped the campus be the first ABB facility in North America to achieve the OSHA VPP Star Level of performance. In the Fort Smith, Arkansas facility, ABB employees are reportedly engaged, and actively volunteering in the Safety programs. Support for, and active engagement in, the whole Low Voltage Drives Management Team also is helping to create a Safety Culture that translates directly to performance.
Visual reminder – and thank you
As a visual and practical reminder of their safety consciousness, ABB is presenting to each employee at the New Berlin campus, and employees at the Fort Smith and Greenville Drives facilities, a sun visor to assist in keeping their automobiles cool and safe during the summer heat.
George Lord, managing director of Operations for the New Berlin and Fort Smith campus, notes the safety imperative that challenges, constantly, employees to be creative in making real and practical ABB’s Environmental, Health and Safety culture. The Change Excellence team came up with the idea for the visors as a continuing reminder of safety both at work and home, he said. The visors have a red ABB logo and banner which says, “Continue to Shine in Safety.” Aaron Aleithe, vice president and general manager of Low Voltage Drives states the mantra clearly: “Our goal is to make the New Berlin Campus a flagship for Safety for all of ABB.”
ABB Group
- Edited by Chris Vavra, Control Engineering, www.controleng.com
- Related News:
Software platform compatible with vision sensors - 01.12.2011 09:07- Multiple hop radios have I/O connections - 30.08.2011 21:27
- Baldor to sell ABB low-and-medium voltage motors - 01.08.2011 07:58
- Baldor-ABB Gives $1 Million to UA Fort Smith - 29.06.2011 14:59
- Extender kits for ABB industrial control networks - 24.05.2011 16:01
Case Study Database
Get more exposure for your case study by uploading it to the Plant Engineering case study database, where end-users can identify relevant solutions and explore what the experts are doing to effectively implement a variety of technology and productivity related projects.
These case studies provide examples of how knowledgeable solution providers have used technology, processes and people to create effective and successful implementations in real-world situations. Case studies can be completed by filling out a simple online form where you can outline the project title, abstract, and full story in 1500 words or less; upload photos, videos and a logo.
Click here to visit the Case Study Database and upload your case study.
2012 Salary Survey
In a year when manufacturing continued to lead the economic rebound, it makes sense that plant manager bonuses rebounded. Plant Engineering’s annual Salary Survey shows both wages and bonuses rose in 2012 after a retreat the year before.
Average salary across all job titles for plant floor management rose 3.5% to $95,446, and bonus compensation jumped to $15,162, a 4.2% increase from the 2010 level and double the 2011 total, which showed a sharp drop in bonus.