Norwalt Design Finds Time for Employee Upskilling Amid Rapid Growth

Norbert Seitel and Walter McDonald founded Norwalt Design in Whippany in 1971, before expanding and moving operations to Randolph in 1988. Since Norwalt’s doors first opened, they’ve dedicated themselves to producing machines of unparalleled quality, offering superior customer service, and consistently pushing the boundaries of innovation through cutting-edge design. Over the years, their commitment to excellence and continuous growth has positioned them as the preferred and trusted provider of elite automation machinery. From the initial design phase to the final build, they relentlessly challenge limits and overcome barriers to deliver the most efficient and innovative solutions.

With the rapid growth that Norwalt has been experiencing comes its own set of challenges, most notably in facilitating programs like employee training and upskilling. In the wake of COVID, where Norwalt’s production was increased significantly to keep up with demand for COVID Test Kits and other essential goods, the Norwalt team needed assistance in the way of training facilitation. Mike Seitel, CEO of Norwalt and second-generation executive, says that they try to implement training whenever feasible, but due to the amount of business growth the company has experienced in the past year, it’s been difficult to dedicate the time. Norwalt knows, however, their company can always count on NJMEP, part of the MEP National Network™.

“We were doing LEAN 5S training there [at CCM] and we went through the state, where you got money back for the training, and we worked with NJMEP on that,” says Seitel. And that’s where the relationship between Norwalt and NJMEP began. So, with a need for training and not a lot of flexibility to implement, Norwalt reached out to their account manager at NJMEP again to get some training done for their operators—this time it would be for Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing training, an essential skill for an operator at Norwalt working with the latest technology in machine design and production.

The course provided Norwalt’s operators with uniformity in drawing specifications and interpretation, and geometric tolerancing to reduce controversy, guesswork, and assumptions throughout the manufacturing and inspection process. Operators learned that when GD&T is used properly it will improve communication and result in better product design, and can also increase product tolerances, saving the business time and money.