PBN 2023 Manufacturing Awards
EXCELLENCE AT A MIDSIZE MANUFACTURER: Groov-Pin Corp.
WORKING IN MANUFACTURING fills Lauren Ciuba with a very real sense of purpose. Ciuba, marketing specialist for Smithfield-based engineered fasteners and components manufacturer Groov-Pin Corp., says she’s always amazed to learn new applications that utilize the company’s parts.
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That sense of purpose permeates Groov-Pin, where innovative ideas are not only welcomed but encouraged. The inclusive nature, Ciuba says, creates more of a feel of a big extended family all working together toward common goals.
Further supporting this philosophy is Groov-Pin’s implementation of “kaizen” – a concept of Japanese origin that refers to business activities designed to improve upon all functions while involving every employee.
“Kaizen encourages continuous improvement of working practices and efficiency by improving communication and reducing wasted effort,” Ciuba said. “Continuous improvement is an idea that we have incorporated into our company values. I appreciate the way everyone is willing to help each other out regardless of what department they work in. You’ll never hear someone at Groov-Pin say, ‘That’s not my job.’ ”
Along with hosting many wellness challenges and events that serve as team-building opportunities, Groov-Pin also holds weekly and monthly activity challenges that create fun competition and help team members feel connected. Some of the events are much more personal.
One of the most meaningful events Groov-Pin employees participated in was the Free to Breathe Lung Cancer 5K in Rhode Island in 2019, Ciuba said. Many team members came out and we walked to support a co-worker named Joanne, who has since died from lung cancer.
“Joanne also attended the walk with her family, and it was incredibly meaningful for me to be able to come out and show her love and support,” Ciuba said.
This year, Groov-Pin initiated Cheers for Peers, an employee recognition program in which each month employees can nominate their peers for an award based on different categories, including “Team Player,” “Fast Learner” and “Problem Solver.” Winners are announced at monthly production meetings and given a prize box and certificate.
To further support the company’s lean management efforts, Groov-Pin seeks ways to save time and increase productivity, including moving to a paperless system that will eliminate waste and provide more floor space. Another area of improved efficiency is the company’s in-house tool room, which provides production tools for its operators.
“We have established a simple ordering system to communicate needs from operators to the tool room and vice versa,” Groov-Pin Sales Manager Mark Ciuba said. “We are taking a proactive approach to ordering tools to avoid machines being down waiting on tooling, which increases productivity for the shop.”
He also described an ongoing project seeking to refine the flow of material through Groov-Pin’s finishing department – where 99% of items the company makes flow through – with the goal of reducing paperwork and processing errors, as well as eliminating transportation and motion waste within the department.
An upcoming project, headed by Groov-Pin’s lean steering committee, will establish a training program for the shop to ensure everyone is performing tasks to company standards. The program will be set up as a tiered system for employees to go from simple machine operation, such as checking parts and stocking the machine, to completing a full setup and troubleshooting any production issues.
Mark Ciuba said each Groov-Pin employee has “bought into” its customers, noting the staff explains where the parts the company makes are going and why the component is important to the application. Employees also offer their time to provide customers with tours of the shop floor when they visit the Smithfield facility.
“Our customers sense the commitment the team puts into making their parts,” Mark Ciuba said. “Honest, transparent and reliable communication sets us apart from our competitors. Our customers rely on us to provide quality parts, delivered on time. I am passionate about how our team comes together every day to make that happen.”
