Business View Magazine - October 2016 181
that all employees are going through for gauge train-
ing – that’s critical to understanding how to measure
parts specifically because some of the tolerances are
very tight and you want to make sure that each em-
ployee is measuring in the same way. We also have
an expert that we contracted with just on the extrusion
process - to go through the intense training on tool-
ing, how to process different materials, how to use the
equipment, the settings of the extruder, and so forth.
We’re at the leading edge of the technology, and we’re
making a lot of investments into state-of-the-art and
advanced equipment. So when you’re dealing with a
lot of those specialized pieces of equipment, you need
a trained staff.”
“We also offer apprenticeship programs in our com-
pany” Thompson adds. ”A lot of that is geared toward
our maintenance and tool-room employees. We’re
also trying to set those things up for our employees
on the manufacturing floor who run the products, ev-
ery day. The other thing we emphasize is going back
to school. We help our employees with their continu-
ing education in something that may be applicable to
our manufacturing process, here. We work closely with
the University of Wisconsin in Madison; we have a very
close relationship with their polymer science depart-
ment, getting employees connected there who want to
advance their education, whether it’s the engineering
side, or just increasing their knowledge of plastics -
and also with our local, Baraboo College.”
“And we’re working with the local school districts to
bring high school students in here to show them the
manufacturing plant,” Thompson concludes. “There
are a lot of kids that go through high school who maybe
don’t want a four-year degree, or are looking for some-
thing else. So, we’re trying to give them a path where
they can maybe take a technical college program for
a two-year degree and come work for us in a specific
area and make a good living. So there’s a wide range
