{"85541":{"#nid":"85541","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Silver Lining: Productivity Improvements Help Attract Purchaser for Plant Being Closed","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe story began in the spring of 2002, when top management at Black and Decker announced that its Waynesboro Kwikset facility was being evaluated for possible closure.  Local managers began a battle to turn the plant around, and with help from Georgia Tech, made significant improvements in safety, quality, cost, service and productivity.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nDespite these improvements, however, Black and Decker decided to close the plant due to excess capacity at its lockset-manufacturing facilities.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nBut the story has a silver lining.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nAs a result of improvements made through the plant\u0027s partnership with Georgia Tech\u0027s Economic Development Institute, the Georgia Department of Industry, Trade and Tourism, QuickStart and the Development Authority of Burke County -- among others -- the facility proved attractive to a muffler manufacturer that has announced plans to purchase the plant and retain part of Kwikset\u0027s work force.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nFleetguard, a subsidiary of Cummings, Inc., produces mufflers and other small parts such as tubing, frames for motorcycles and parts used in small engines, RVs, ATVs and personal watercraft.  The company expects to employ about 100 workers initially and up to 400 within a five-year period.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\nDavid Gill, Fleetguard\u0027s director of global manufacturing projects, said the training Kwikset\u0027s employees received from Georgia Tech influenced the company\u0027s decision to locate in Waynesboro.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n\u0022When we were looking at facilities around the Southeast, we were looking for more than just the land and a building.  We needed a location near our customer base and we needed a culture that viewed work force skill development and training as important,\u0022 Gill noted.  \u0022The level of training provided by Georgia Tech to help develop the work force at Kwikset was influential in the decision to locate in Waynesboro.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"Georgia Tech assistance to improve productivity at a Waynesboro manufacturing facility was crucial to attracting a new purchaser when economic factors forced the plant\u0027s original owner to close it.","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":"","uid":"27304","created_gmt":"2003-01-28 01:00:00","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:03:41","author":"Matthew Nagel","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2003-01-28T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2003-01-28T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.edi.gatech.edu\/articles\/articlesans.cfm?ID=118","title":"Georgia Tech is key"}],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cstrong\u003E \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/contact\/index.html?id=\u0022\u003EContact  \u003C\/a\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}