nuts & bolts
a quarterly newsletter for the employees of Tennsco Corp.
volume 10 issue 1
Winter 2006
Tennsco adopts drug free workplace rules
Photo below shows overhanging light. See tilted lower shelves in photo at left.
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he statistics are...well, sobering. • 60% of the world’s production of illegal drugs is consumed in the U.S. • Nearly 70% of current users of illegal drugs are employed. • Nearly 1 in 4 employed Americans between the ages of 18-35 have illegally used drugs in the past year. • One-third of employees know of the illegal sale of drugs in their workplace. • 20% of young workers admit using marijuana on the job. According to the Tennessee Department of Labor, substance abuse in the workplace has a real impact on the bottom line. Substance abuse drains more than $100 billion from American businesses every year in worker’s compensation claims, medical costs, absenteeism, lost productivity and employee turnover. To head off these problems, Tennsco became a Drug-Free Workplace in May 2005, an official certification bestowed upon entities by the state’s Department of Labor’s DrugFree Workplace Program. The organization must adopt drug-free and other employment policies and train supervisors and employees on the signs of substance abuse and how to access help. There are benefits to the employees and the company. Employees are more productive and have better morale when their health and safety is
Flexible, quality work earns library kudos
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ennsco recently closed the books on another “game maker” job - the massive renovation and new construction within the library system of Jacksonville, Florida. Tennsco supplied shelving for 13 different library buildings scattered around the city. The crowning piece, the main library located in downtown Jacksonville, opened in November 2005. It has 300,000 square feet of made-toorder Tennsco’s Estey products - steel, cantilevered library shelving. The renovation of six branch libraries, the construction of six additional branches (10,000 to 50,000 square feet of floor space in each) and the construction of a massive main library were part of a $2 billion infrastructure improvement called the Better Jacksonville Plan. “One of those (projects) a year is the object of the game,” for Tennsco,
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nuts & bolts
Latest and best
Plant 2 replaces paint booths with new generation systems
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The clouded look in this booth is powder paint being electrostatically drawn to the charged parts. Powder that doesn’t adhere to the part is pulled back through the system by a vacuum.
aster. Better. Less expensive. You could argue that this is the motto of every American manufacturer—make your products more efficiently, continuously improve and save resources. Tennsco certainly works toward those goals as it tweaks everything from procedures to packing to keep a competitive edge. After 10 years of experience painting metal parts with powder paint, Plant 2 is moving to the next generation of powder paint booths. In mid-October, crews switched from Iontech paint booths and installed a new Wagner paint system. In mid-January, employees began dismantling more of the old booths and planned to install another Wagner by the end of the month. The new system features vacuum technology and quick color change capabilities. Plans are to replace the four older paint booths with two Wagners. Shift manager Steve McClurkan said the new system has several advantages: Less energy use. It’s expensive to supply power to the booths and maintain the environmentally controlled work space the paint booths need. Eventually, Plant 2 will run two paint booths rather than four, McClurkan said, and the room could be reduced in size.
Quicker color changes. The older
booths require two to three employees working up to five hours each cleaning the inside of the booth of excess paint that didn’t adhere to parts. With the Wagner, there is Winter 2006 2
almost no excess paint in the booth because it has been reclaimed through use of a powerful vacuum that sucks the excess into a reservoir. Air guns and hoses automatically blow out the excess powder, cleaning themselves in the process. Employees can change colors in the Wagner in 15-20 minutes. McClurkan said this is where the switch is generating the greatest savings. Better paint transfer efficiency. The paint booths operate on basic physics. The powder paint is given a positive charge as air blows it out of the paint nozzle. Parts being conveyed into the booth are negatively charged. The paint is electro-statically drawn to the parts. This isn’t new technology; Tennsco’s current paint booths operate this way. But there is a drastic difference. The Wagner booths are made of plastic, not metal, thereby reducing the amount of paint electro-statically drawn to the walls. They are wiped down once a week with special cloths to reduce their static electricity. McClurkan said tests showed that 65% of a pound of paint is transferred to the part as it moves through the booth. He’s uncertain of the specific improvement but speculates it could be a 20-25% improvement. The remaining 35% of the paint is automatically cleaned from the bottom of the booth through use of a vacuum that draws the excess into what is called the cyclone. The cyclone moves the particles around at a speed of 18,000 cubic feet per minute, separating and reclaiming 95% of the paint at this step. This reusable paint is pumped back into the color cans for use in the paint booth. The unusable paint is discarded. The Wagner features “eyes” (called a light curtain) that scan a part as it enters the booth and determine its size and the spacing between parts. This information is immediately transferred to the paint nozzles to maximize coverage. There’s even something called a Z-axis gun (think three-dimensional geometry) that follows the contour of a part, like the bottom of a shelving unit, and paints those hard-to-reach places.
More consistent paint thickness/less hand painting. The Wagner allows for finer control
of the paint’s thickness through more sophisticated electronics. McClurkan said the control is programmable, allowing the employee to save the settings to a computer file and reload the settings the next time that same part is painted. Better automatic painting reduces the need for manual touchups.
nuts & bolts
Main Library, City of Jacksonville, Florida.
Library
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said Chris Blankenship of the company’s sales staff. “We’re constantly looking for that next big one.” The Jacksonville job is a textbook example of how networking, flexibility and exceptional production response won the contract and garnered raves for Tennsco’s work. The story really began with the opening of Nashville’s Main and branch libraries in 2001. Tennsco supplied 12 tractor trailer loads of shelving - 90% of the total - to the main library alone. Fast forward to 2004. Jacksonville city leaders decided to model their main facility after Nashville’s and tapped the same architects (Robert A.M. Stern Architects) and same project manager (Heery International). “The facility is almost a mirror job” to the Nashville project, Blankenship said. Tennsco got invited to bid on the project due to the success of the
Blankenship said. “That’s how you sell these. You do what they ask.” Once Tennsco landed the job, the company impressed the planners with its flexibility. “You all really came through,” said Alice Jones, library project manager for the City of Jacksonville/Better Jacksonville Plan. “It was terrific.” She cited Tennsco’s special production runs, coordination of extra needs that were communicated to the company late in the project, and product quality. “I was never bothered with a list of Nashville project. missing or defective parts,” Jones Jacksonville planners had specific said. “You all must have your act requests for the shelving: Bottom together. This was one of the easiest shelves that tilted the books up for things we did.” easier viewing of the spine and lights Jones was especially proud that a atop some shelves that would illumiTennessee company performed so nate the books and back light a sign. well. She’s a native of Erin, in nearby “We had seven Houston to eight meetings County. down there going Blankenship through product said Tennsco development,” adapted to Blankenship said. Jacksonville’s Tennsco’s --Alice Jones, situation, engineering, tool Library Project Manager particularly design and after three production hurricanes departments created a sloping, slowed construction. Then, when the adjustable shelf with end bracket and project needed to be hurried, a light with an acrylic cover. Tennsco’s Plant 5 trimmed produc“They didn’t want it outsourced.” tion time from six to three weeks. They wanted one company to supply Jones held out a carrot that Tennsco the shelving and the lights, he said. might expect more business in the “We did everything they wanted us area. “We’re also going to do a to do. If it wasn’t a standard product courthouse later,” she said, adding for us, we created it. Those were the that Tennsco’s local dealer representanails in the coffin for everyone else,” tive was expected to bid on the job.
‘(Tennsco) really came through...You all must have your act together.’
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Ricky Vaughn strums his banjo at right; group’s CD pictured above
Wellness fair March 9-11
Mark your calendars for Tennsco’s Spring Wellness Fair. The fair hours will be: Thursday, March 9 1 to 5 pm Friday, March 10 1 to 5 pm Saturday, March 11 8 to 10 am Winter 2006
icky Vaughn has a time capsule. Yeah, it’s a piece of art crafted from wood, thin strands of steel and embellished with some inlaid mother-of-pearl...it’s a banjo. But, when Vaughn puts on his picks and strums a bit, he is instantly transported back to the $50 guitar he started out with 20 years ago. When Vaughn, a fabrication supervisor at Plant 2, starts to talk about why he likes and plays bluegrass music, he’s transported even further into the past. “It’s just holding on to the past and not letting it fade away. Flatt and Scruggs, the Stanley Brothers and others blazed a trail and I want to keep it going,” Vaughn said, referring to legends in country music. “I love (bluegrass). It has a great message about love or despair...the harmonies, the nonelectric instruments...it’s just a part of the past.” Vaughn and the Dickson group he plays with regularly, have “no aspirations of making the big time. We like being home every night,” he said with a laugh. But, “I am serious about it. I am very serious. If I didn’t thoroughly enjoy it I wouldn’t do it.” Most weeks, the quintet jams at Bill’s Tire Service on College Street in Dickson. Bill Littleton, owner of Bill’s, sings and plays mandolin. Ken Johnson sings and plays guitar as does Kevin Crabtree. Fred Mayberry sings and plays bass. Vaughn plays banjo and stomps his foot. “I just play. If I do sing, it’s where nobody can hear me,” Vaughn said. Sometimes the group is joined by
Supervisor helping preserve bluegrass past
award-winning dobro player David McMillen, a Dickson resident. Vaughn has made quite an investment in his hobby. He’s on his sixth banjo, a Gibson Granada Mastertone. The cost? “You don’t want to know.” The banjo is a new model based on the one Earl Scruggs once played. When he strums the strings, the rich, twangy sound fills the room as though it’s plugged in. The group has done some recording. “When it started, we were just going to make a CD for everyone” in the group. So many folks have asked for copies, the group has pressed sets of CDs two additional times. The group, called Bluegrass Overdrive, has a local following. For three years, the group has played at the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life event. For the last two years, the guys have entertained at the folk festival at Montgomery Bell State Park. They have also played the Charlotte Festival. Vaughn said bluegrass music has enjoyed renewed popularity through the movie, O Brother, Where Art Thou? Through recordings and videos from artists such as Patty Loveless and Allison Krauss, “people are really interested in it. There’s just a harmony to it that draws people.” If you’re driving through Vanleer, and you hear haunting strains about good ole boys, moonshine or old horses wafting through the trees, you’re probably near Vaughn’s home. “I get it on satellite. When everybody’s gone, I pump it up.”
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nuts & bolts
Die designer keeps soccer kicking in Hickman
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ou could say Tennsco’s Gordon family has established a soccer dynasty. Plant 1 Tool Room Supervisor Billy Gordon first brought soccer to Hickman County in 1986. Son Wendell Gordon, die design engineer at Plant 5, carries on the tradition, currently serving as president of the East Hickman Buford McCord Soccer League. The league serves more than 100 children from three to 16 years old and it’s growing. The recreational league is based in Wrigley just off Highway 100. In addition, Gordon coaches a team and takes his turn officiating at games. His involvement comes from sheer love of the sport, and kids. “I love soccer and the kids needed somewhere to play (his own son and daughter play). The league needed a president. It was going to go away if someone didn’t volunteer.” Gordon sees his program helping the public school teams, too, serving as a training ground for the county’s varsity sports. The younger Gordon started work at Tennsco in 1989 as a part-time AutoCad employee in engineering. He went full time in May 1992 after graduating from the University of Tennessee at Martin. Gordon is using his management degree from Martin to help oversee projects at Tennsco and run the soccer league. “Yeah, I use it in juggling Tennsco projects. I have to...there’s a lot going on.” With the soccer league, “I have to have the money right. I have to make sure there’s enough money to pay the referees, buy trophies and pay fees,” Gordon said. He hasn’t experienced any of the horror stories of fans getting unruly with referees. “I’m the only adult ref. The rest are teens. These kids are exceptional. The league couldn’t function without them. “I tell every coach to keep their (team’s) parents in line. When I get a complaint, I’m ready to hand (the complainer) the whistle,” Gordon said. There’s plenty of fundraising - 25% of the league budget has to be solicited from contributors. The remaining three-fourths comes from Wendell fees. “We try to keep fees Gordon down so families can afford to play,” Gordon said. Gordon’s been involved in soccer since he was a child. Hickman County didn’t have a high school team, so Gordon played in the recreational league his dad established. He earned a spot on the UT Martin soccer team for two seasons and also coached and officiated there, too. He said he enjoyed games against the more well-known Southeastern Conference teams. While the league plays a fall season and a spring season, Gordon’s volunteer job is year round. He’s in his second year as league president. His hardest task, he said, is finding enough time to get everything done. “Sometimes, I’ll be on the phone all night scheduling teams and refs,” Gordon said. There are always new teams to start up and new referees to train. His most time consuming chore? Cutting grass on the three soccer fields and trimming the fence rows. Even with some other volunteer help, Gordon estimates he puts in eight to 10 hours a week for the league. He’s dreaming for bigger mowers to make the grass cutting go faster. Gordon is hoping to fulfill the dreams of some future soccer players. He’s going to start a program to provide equipment for those who can’t afford soccer balls, shin guards and shoes. There’s an upside to all the grass cutting and refereeing he does for the league. He usually loses a few pounds during soccer season - which gets him in shape for the adult softball league he plays in at Tennsco’s softball park! 5
They got bonuses
The following employees received a $50 cash bonus as of Sept. 30, 2005, for perfect attendance.
Plant 1 Ricky L. Parchment Jimmy L. Winters Plant 2 Raymond O. Boone Sandra D. Cotton Gerald L. Curtis Garry A. Donegan Kenny H. Forsee Walter Dean Proctor Plant 3 Harold L. Givens Roger D. Hollis Larry D. Stafford Juan Valdez Billy W. Vetter Plant 4 Thomas A. Buttrey Plant 5 Gary D. Bailey Charlotte A. Roberts James R. Tate, Jr.
The following employees received a $50 cash bonus as of Dec. 31, 2005, for perfect attendance.
Plant 1 James M. Carpenter Raleigh E. Davidson Harry Harry, Jr. William P. Mays Rickey L. Story Plant 2 Gene C. Alderidge Eric M. Brake Thomas E. Fambrough Howard C. Forsee Leonard A. Jackson Leonard Modena Lonnie G. Parker Billy D. Sensing William H. Smith Plant 3 Onetta Fern Arnold Brenda L. Capps Darrell Davis Lannon A. Gladden Ben G. Harper Robert N. Rodgers Plant 4 Douglas Edward Parker Plant 5 Jason W. Corbin Plant 6 Shannon L. Fambrough
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nuts & bolts
See anything unsafe? Report to plant committee
S
ee anything unsafe happening around you? Bugged by a nagging feeling that your work can be done a little safer? You have a place to turn to - your plant’s safety committee. The committees’ structure is simple, but the work is serious. Committees serving each plant meet quarterly. The panels review all OSHA injury/illness records for their particular plant, discuss each accident or injury and find ways to avoid future accidents. “These individuals have very good insight into what happens,” said Tennsco Safety Director Woody Adams. “Most of the people have worked years in that particular department. That’s where you get ideas from.” The committees look for trends and make suggestions on how to make their facility a safer workplace. For instance, a couple of years ago, Plant 5 had three eye injuries within a year. After some study, it became mandatory for all Plant 5 paint line employees to wear goggles. “Since that started, there have been no more eye injuries,” Adams said. In March 2005, a new coolant begain causing eye irritation. The safety committee looked into the situation and recommended changes. Tennsco changed vendors, got a different product and there have been no more eye irritations.
Thank you for calling Tennsco
Stephanie Tidwell has joined the Tennsco staff as the Main Office receptionist.
Vending machine costs up
Into every life eventually must come...a price increase. Employees have probably already noticed vending machine prices have gone up by a few cents.
Old price New price
Tennsco Safety Director Woody Adams, is the chair of each plant’s safety committee. Following are the current members of the committees: Plants 1&4: Management Member - Dennis Wilson; Hourly Representatives - Robert Donegan and Ricky Parchment. Plant 2: Management Members - Mark Holland and Wayne Hargrove; Hourly Representatives - Kevin Ellis and Dowell Jones. Plant 3: Management Members - Jewell Loggins and Gary Carlton; Hourly Representatives - Corey Madden and David Finch. Plants 5&6: Management Members - Robbie Alberd and Kenny Stone; Hourly Representatives - Gary Sugg and Shannon Fambrough.
EMPLOYEE ANNIVERSARIES
five-year interval.
■ This listing of employee anniversaries includes those celebrating a
NO. OF PLANT NO. OF NAME DATE YRS
35¢ Coffee 40¢ 70¢ Candy 75¢ 70¢ Pastry 75¢ $1 20 oz drink $1.10 $1 20 oz water $1.10 25¢ Soup crackers 30¢
October - December 2005
2 2 2 2 3 3 3 5 5 7 LOWE, HALLIS R. PORTERFIELD, FRANCES I. SMITH, WILLIAM H. THOMAS, MICHAEL S. GRIFFIN, SHANNON R. LOGGINS, JEWELL OVERTON, LORRAINE G. GEARY, DEBBIE REYNOLDS, BRANDON S. 10/26 11/28 11/8 12/18 10/20 10/1 11/14 10/9 11/29
PLANT
NAME
DATE
YRS
Off Off Off Off 1 1 1
BARKLEY, BRANDY FREY-MCCALLA, SANDRA MCCALLA, HAROLD R. YOUNG, JANET M. ELLER, CHRISTOPHER M. RYE, DARRELL T. WEAVER, DERRICK R.
12/4 11/1 10/1 11/20 10/5 10/9 11/2
5 15 15 5 10 15 10
5 5 5 5 10 25 5 10 10
Small bags of chips at 50¢ each were removed and replaced with “Big Grab” bags at 75¢ each.
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Drug free
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protected from the increased dangers and risks that substance abusers present in the workplace, according to information from the state. The program allows substance abusers to voluntarily enter treatment. If they successfully complete a treatment program, they are reinstated to
Families growing
Three Tennsco families have celebrated the arrival of babies over the last few months. Newborn babies of Tennsco employees receive a $50 savings bond from Tennsco. Haiden Brent Bates was born to Brent Bates and Stephanie Browning on 10/3/05. He weighed 6 lbs., 12 oz. Rebecca Ann Shear was born to Peter and Kelly Shear on 9/ 20/05. She weighed 7 lbs., 6 oz. Courtney Jade Williams was born to Timothy Williams and Amanda Alderidge on 12/14/05. She weighed 7 lbs., 1 oz.
Benefits explanation coming 1x a month
Changes have been made to statements detailing employee medical benefits. Health Cost Solutions, the administrator of Tennsco’s health care plan, has consolidated its reporting to employees into a Monthly Family EOB (explanation of benefits). The data had been reported to employees and dependents on a per claim basis. Karen Sanders, Tennsco’s account manager with Health Cost Solutions, said the monthly statement will summarize in one location and at one time all family claim information and out-of-pocket responsibility to service providers. Those with questions can contact Tennsco’s Benefits Coordinator Martha Vaughn at 326.0633 or Karen Sanders directly at 1.800.526.3919, ext 1141.
Happy birthday, nuts & bolts
With this issue, nuts & bolts begins its 10th year of telling the Tennsco story. It’s been a decade filled with stories about new products and processes, the challenges of the economy and profiles of the interesting people who make up the Tennsco family. Thanks to all who give of their time to tell about their work, hobby or fundraiser that Tennsco’s involved in. My appreciation goes to those who patiently explain things, sometimes several times. And to those who smile when the camera flashes...bless you. --The Editor 8
their former job with all associated pay and benefits. As an employer, Tennsco will: • receive a five percent credit on its insurance policy; • have the authority to discipline or discharge an employee for cause, or refuse to hire a job applicant, found to be in violation of the Drug-Free Workplace Program; • be released from the responsibility of paying a worker’s compensation claim if an injured employee tests positive for illegal drugs or alcohol in a post-accident drug test, or refuses to take the test. Safety Director Woody Adams said the one hour of training for each employee and the two hours for each supervisor were educational and informative. He said the amount of paid work time devoted to the 30-plus training sessions demonstrated the company’s commitment to having a drug-free workplace. The union representing Tennsco’s employees, Local S-234 of the Allied Stove, Furnace and Appliance Workers, Divison of Boilermakers, also signed off on the program. Adams said the company got the union’s cooperation before taking the proposal to the entire workforce. While Tennsco hasn’t detected a tremendous substance abuse problem among employees, there are isolated incidents throughout the year, Adams said. Since the training began in May, Adams said two or three employees have admitted they have a drug or alcohol problem. Each year, an average of eight to 12 individuals show positive for drugs either through pre-employment testing, post-accident testing or testing done due to suspicious activity.
Tennsco Corp. 201 Tennsco Drive, Dickson, TN 37056-1888 615/446-8000 Stuart Speyer ................................................ President Phil Corbin .......... Vice President, Human Resources Gary Fouts .......................................... Editor, gf grafix
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