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Triax Industries is Building a Stronger Future with Arizona MEP’s Help
With the help of: Arizona Manufacturing Extension Partnership (Arizona MEP)
About
The Challenge
Arizona MEP provides training that is relatable to manufacturers and offers knowledgeable advisors who are invested in our company’s success and want to help us grow. They educate on government programs that offer tax credits and other opportunities, so they have your company in mind as new programs become available.
MEP's Role
The company began working with Arizona MEP by taking its Basics of Lean Overview and ISO 9001:2015 Standard and Internal Process Auditing workshops in 2020. Since then, Triax has completed Lean Green Belt workshops to help sustain lean activities at the company and employees promoted from product to supervisory roles have gained new skills in the leadership development class.
Three employees who worked in production were promoted to supervisory roles needed to develop with the soft skills necessary to manage people. “We needed training that could equip employees who have been promoted through the ranks with the right tools to transition these individuals from thinking like an employee to evolving into a leader,” said Gray. Arizona MEP's Leadership Development program addressed this need, offering practical skills for managing teams and navigating the complexities of supervisory roles. The three employees who attended the class returned excited to implement what they learned. The leadership development program is specifically designed for manufacturing companies, not only does the schedule accommodate people who are currently working but more importantly attendees are able to talk with and hear from people in similar situations and realize that many newly promoted supervisors have the same questions.
When an employee who had risen through the ranks was promoted to Quality Manager to replace a long-time manager, Arizona MEP’s ISO training class was the first step taken to get familiar with the requirements. Additional people were also sent to the training to bring everyone up to speed. Arizona MEP’s ISO expert also assisted the quality team with audit and project to streamline some of the processes.
Triax Industries' collaboration with Arizona MEP has been pivotal in fostering a culture of continuous improvement throughout the organization. By investing in leadership development and Lean training, the focus on ongoing improvement ensures the company remains competitive and responsive to market demands but has also led to annual cost savings.