Tag: modern manufacturing

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Faces of Manufacturing

Ellwood Aluminum employee touts WorkAdvance for life-altering career change in manufacturing

To most people watching, navigating a larger-than-life Caterpillar wheel loader would be intimidating.

 

Add trails just wide enough for the machine and towering piles of aluminum, it would seem a nearly impossible task.

 

Bernard Jones Jr. makes driving the wheel loader look easy.

 

It’s one of his responsibilities he looks forward to performing at Ellwood Aluminum in Hubbard.

 

The company produces large-diameter aluminum ingot and billet, rectangular slab and cast plates.

Taking care of the “work family”

When Jones gets out of the wheel loader and stands near the piled scrap, everything looks scaled to match him.

 

Standing at around 6’8” tall, his enthusiasm for work matches his stature.

Bernard Jones stands with equipment.
Bernard Jones Jr. learned to operate a wheel loader while working at Ellwood Aluminum in Hubbard. For most people, working the wheel loader is intimidating. Jones took the responsibility and embraced it.

The furnace operator began working at Ellwood in March 2022.

 

He learned the basics of the manufacturing industry through WorkAdvance after being recruited through the National Center for Urban Solutions.

 

WorkAdvance prepares inexperienced individuals for entry level positions in advanced manufacturing; positions with MVMC member manufacturers that include career growth opportunities. NCUS is a community grassroots recruiting partner of MVMC.

 

“Going through the training to work at Ellwood, it was very helpful,” Jones said, adding he was transitioning from another job.

 

At Ellwood, everyone has to be responsible and it’s taught in the training, he said.

 

Safety is among the largest responsibilities stressed, Jones said.

 

“When you’re responsible for others along with yourself, that makes it along the lines of a family rather than just an employee.”

 

Training is an important component of working at Ellwood.

 

“With the type of work we’re dealing with, we have to have that extensive training,” said Hank Stull, HR manager.

Don’t think twice about WorkAdvance

Jones, Stull and Steve Page, general manager at Ellwood, have advice for anyone thinking about completing the WorkAdvance program.

 

In two words: Do it.

 

“The more education you have coming into this field itself, the better. Listen to what you’re learning,” Jones said. “Any type of work advancement lets you be better than you were before.”

Bernard Jones Jr. stands in front of scrap aluminum.
Enrolling in WorkAdvance has provided Bernard Jones Jr. an opportunity to learn the basics of manufacturing.

 

Folks interested should be willing to learn, ready to work, Stull added.

 

WorkAdvance helps people “understand what’s needed to succeed in manufacturing,” said Page.

 

“It’s a great way to get hands-on experience but also decide which aspect of the industry – or if at all – is the right fit,” Page added.

 

Jones offered a bit more guidance: “Just be patient.”

 

When Jones isn’t working as a furnace operator, he’s a motivational speaker and works on a nonprofit he’s putting together: Rehabilitation to Revitalization.

 

Its focus is to bring individuals who were incarcerated to get together and help clean Youngstown.

 

From his nonprofit to his work at Ellwood, a common theme for Jones is sharing knowledge.

 

“You have to have a passion for what you’re doing and respect the energy being passed on,” sharing what you’ve learned with those around you, Jones said.

Categories
Member Manufacturers

New owner focuses on future, company honor at Dunaway

Tucked off Leffingwell Road in Canfield near state Route 46 is a 40-year-old manufacturing company undergoing some changes.

 

One of those changes at Dunaway Inc. is the transition of ownership.

 

In March 2021, Jason Markijohn purchased the company from founder Mike Dunaway.

 

Hearing Dunaway was considering selling, Markijohn sprang into action.

Dunaway owner Jason Markijohn.
Jason Markijohn is the new owner of Dunaway Inc. in Canfield.

 

“I’d always wanted to own my own company, and the opportunity presented itself,” said Markijohn, who has an engineering background.

 

Dunaway Inc. is a newer member manufacturer of MVMC.

Everything to everyone

Founded in 1981, Dunaway Inc. has historically been associated with maintenance and field service, as well as being a machine shop for aluminum extrusion.

 

Over the years as services and demand grew, so did the building to its current 25,000 square feet.

 

Throughout everything, Dunaway himself “was the company. He was everything,” Markijohn said.

 

To continue the integrity Dunaway is known for, Markijohn recently hired an experienced engineer to ensure operations run smooth.

Building a support system

For 2022, “it’s a transition year,” Markijohn said. “Year one was me being here and trying to understand things, trying to learn as much as I could from Mike.”

 

Now, it’s letting Dunaway retire.

A CNC machine operator works on a project at Dunaway Inc. in Canfield.
Founded in 1981, Dunaway Inc. is a machine shop for aluminum extrusion.

“It’ll be a big gap to fill,” but Markijohn will be able to call Dunaway up with any major questions.

 

There’s also focusing on the field service part of the business, which Markijohn said was well-established.

 

In the meantime, Markijohn is also busy surrounding himself with “knowledgeable people,” which weighed into the company joining MVMC.

 

He wants to learn from other business leaders what they’ve done to build and maintain a lasting company.

 

“This is a big undertaking, and I want to have a supportive team around me.”

 

Categories
Member Manufacturers

Austintown manufacturer promotes trainings for employees to grow

MVMC member manufacturer Xaloy LLC in Austintown is building a stronger culture by improving communication skills of team leaders within the company.

Thinking before talking

 

Jesse Shaffer is a production supervisor covering the second and third shifts at Xaloy.

 

He manages about 30 employees, taking care of timecards and executing plans set by the day shift leadership.

 

He’s been participating in the Leadership Essentials program, a six-part training series to better communicate with employees.

Jesse Shaffer talks during a training session.
Jesse Shaffer, a supervisor with Xaloy LLC in Austintown, shares insight during a training session on how it’s helped him learn to communicate with his team.

“It’s been a lot about communication” and learning about generational habits, he said.

 

For instance, Shaffer has learned to ask open-ended questions to elicit more information as well as provide an opportunity for an employee to share something he didn’t think to ask.

 

The training has also taught Shaffer to assess what he wants to say during a conversation.

 

“I can take a step back and think about how I’m going to say something,” he said. “Sometimes, how I think it is going to come across isn’t going to be the same as how someone will receive it.”

 

He’s also learning how to interact with and guide different generations, from Baby Boomers to Generation Z.

 

Shaffer’s goal in his leadership role is to help his team work cohesively.

 

The training gives him a chance to work on his leadership. “It’s always going to be a work in progress, but it’s very useful” to have this knowledge and awareness, he said.

Investing in the workforce

The leadership essentials program was built especially for Xaloy through the Center for Corporate and Professional Development at Kent State University.

 

There’s a certificate for participants after completion, said Trudy Cheney, global human resources director for Xaloy.

 

“This training gives our employees the tools they need to draw on when they run into challenging situations,” she said.

 

Kamal Tiwari, CEO of Xaloy, also “made it very clear” that training of all types is important to him, Cheney said.

 

By investing in employees, they can develop and grow along with the company.

 

Shaffer agreed that Xaloy creates chances for employees to evolve.

 

“I started as an entry-level employee. One of the positions someone can get coming off the streets,” he said, adding he was able to work his way up in several years due to all of the training company offered him. “Being given the opportunity to advance and have career development is refreshing.”

 

Xaloy LLC has been an MVMC member since 2018.

 

Calling on resources through the partnership with MVMC was one of many benefits of joining the coalition, Cheney said.

Categories
Faces of Manufacturing

Shop foreman at Livi enjoys close work ties, reliable life provided by manufacturing

Walking into Livi Steel in Warren, there’s a close bond that is obvious as soon as you walk in the office and shop doors.

 

One of the reasons it’s a familiar atmosphere is due to the shop foreman, Michael Simmons.

 

Overseeing day-to-day production of the 16-crew shop, Michael enjoys his work because he likes spending time with his coworkers, but he also enjoys manufacturing.

Michael Simmons verifies markings on a steel beam.
Michael Simmons, shop foreman at Livi Steel, has worked with the company in Warren for about 25 years. His father was also shop foreman.

“My favorite part of my job is loading all the different trucks and helping coworkers solve problems,” he said.

 

Michael keeps track of inventory in the shop, along with what is being shipped and received, and anything involving the trucks delivering and taking steel.

 

He’s been with Livi Steel for about 25 years.

 

Adding to the family atmosphere, Michael’s father, Charlie, was shop foreman for 35 years.

 

“He taught me how to do this job,” Michael said.

 

Also working in the shop is his uncle Dave, a fitter, and previously uncle Bob, also a fitter and first responder.

 

Working his way up the ladder with Livi, Michael encourages anyone searching for a solid career to check out manufacturing.

 

He started as a laborer and after learning every role at Livi, he is now the shop foreman.

 

“Working here means a steady paycheck and good benefits,” he said.

 

In addition to being a leader at Livi Steel, Michael enjoys riding motorcycles and watching sports.

 

He roots for the Cleveland Browns and Ohio State.

 

Most important and the most fun, though, is spending time with family, especially now that he’s a new grandfather.