Serving The SilMan Community
Issue 14
July 2024
Serving The SilMan Community
Issue 14
July 2024
In This Issue
BUSINESS UPDATE
FROM THE FIELD
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
On The Move
On The Move
Business Update
Körber Visicon System during installation at FedEx, Memphis.
The SilMan Business Development team continues to nurture existing clients. Clearly, they are communicating SilMan’s value, and our service teams are backing up the promise of quality. Here are some exciting new projects generated by established relationships.
Tommy and Tom recently visited the Körber offices for feedback and strategy. The meeting generated lots of positive energy for both companies:
- Todd Henry (VP of Parcel Operations) stated that SilMan has provided 200 machines which is 33% of the systems they’ve commissioned.
- Richard (Purchasing) said that we are the easy button for him.
The Körber team was very gracious with their time, signaling interest in fostering the relationship. The conversation focused on new ways of working together and improving the bidding process.
Tommy said, “Overall, it was a productive day of meetings and discussions. The recent Amazon order is a tangible demonstration of the shared success and trusted partnership we enjoy with Körber.”
What is Visicon? Learn more about our national program working with Körber.
From The Field
Daifuku – Honda
Project Launch and Summer Shutdown
Before and After.
Once again, the team is delivering at “personal best” performance levels. The Daifuku-Honda project offers a unique opportunity to celebrate our teammates and be thankful for the opportunity to exercise our strengths.
What are we doing there?
SilMan has been contracted for mechanical and electrical services to modernize the existing assembly line. This project involves replacing the overhead power and free systems, modifying lifters, and installing a new slat conveyor system in an existing pit. [What is power and free?]
Summer Shutdown
As you can see in the photos, the work areas presented an overhead jungle of steel to our team. But height, size, and weight were just the beginning:
Leadership and Support
Drawings: Building on our pioneering “Paperless Jobsite” success at Mebane, Sean Johnson was tasked with drawing management, working closely with the project team. SilMan’s approach is to compartmentalize Procore drawing sets to reduce the number of drawings navigated in the field by team members.
Manpower: Mike Watchers organized all site personnel, tapping into the extensive automotive experience of Local 1102 Millwright in Detroit.
Equipment and Logistics: Richie and Tyler were at the center of the storm, coordinating the availability and transport of physical streaming from San Leandro, Mebane, and Tupelo.
The Project Management team includes Tom, Jeff, and Jim. Kyle Latendresse is the Site Superintendent and Mechanical Lead (reassigned from Hudson’s), the Electrical Lead is Chris Gann, and Tracy is the project coordinator. Dena Gann and Turner Burgess provided 24/7 safety oversight during the shutdown.
Reflections
Mr. Smith shared a few exceptional takeaways from our work so far:
- Excellent collaboration between Team SilMan, Daifuku, and Honda
- Efficiency from beginning to end of the shutdown
- Rapid responses to situations deviating from drawings
- Summer shutdown objectives achieved
- DAC positive feedback on the paperless system
And lastly, “The team has knocked it out of the park and the client knows it.”
Bonus
Closing Time at Mebane
The team’s experience at Mebane was notable for many reasons, including working with two world-renowned companies and touching a lot of team members.
Here is a parting shot of a few team members wrapping up our presence onsite: Greg Meadows, Ronnie Mauldin, Ryan Copeland, John Merrick, and Robert Ambriz.
Team members who contributed to demobilization, but not pictured: George “Bobby” Vansant, Joseph Palmer, Trace Porter, and James Willis.
Community Spotlight
Meet Garrett King
Garrett King leads our Mechanical Engineering Team, celebrating a decade with SilMan.
Garrett was raised in Pascagoula on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi and attended high school in Mobile, Alabama. Growing up, he enjoyed everything outdoors, whether fishing along inland waterways, boating in the Gulf of Mexico, or camping throughout the Southeast. This love naturally led him to the Boy Scouts, achieving Eagle Scout status. Typically, Eagle Scouts leave the organization in the wake of this achievement. Garrett, however, remained active, mentoring and supporting younger boys in their pursuit of the same rank. Early signs of his aptitude for leadership.
In high school, he was an active member of the school choir, which afforded travel for concerts and competitions to destinations in Orlando, NYC, St. Louis, and Atlanta. These early memories form the beginning of Garrett’s love of travel.
King had long involved himself in technical things, including two hot Mississippi summers framing houses. These interests led to the Mississippi State University Engineering Department and an interview with Tom and Ian following graduation.
Fresh out of college and receiving offers, Garrett was looking for more than just a paycheck – he wanted a place to grow alongside a rising company. His experience in the construction business had imparted a desire to build something from the ground up, a blank slate. So, when he accepted an invitation to a passion-filled hour with Tom and Ian in an unfinished building, that was all he needed. Mr. King wanted in!
Today, Garrett thinks of himself as more of a traffic controller and mentor than anything else. Directing resources, ensuring the right people are in the right spot, and helping new team members find a path for growth at SilMan.
What is your favorite part of working at SilMan?
“The people I work with and the constant opportunity to grow. I also love our flexibility – the way we do things is not set, unlike large corporations, where policies and processes stand in the way of progress. Our Senior leaders will not stand idle and are always willing to listen to each of us to find ways of improving the company.” – Garrett
Scott Cully, Mr. Hole in One.
Sunday Golf: Justin, Scott, Brad, Hayden
WASPO in May.
WASPO in July.
Snow Cone Day at WASPO.
The power is on at WASPO!
Getting Loose.
Team WASPO.
Safety Tip
SPECIAL EDITION
How a Teen Laborer’s Death Sparked National High-Heat Protections
Leading up to Independence Day, on July 2, the Biden Administration and the DOL (OSHA) proposed a new Heat Illness Prevention rule for all US employers to protect indoor, outdoor workers from extreme heat. At the time of this article, the rule is still in the initial proposal and public commenting phase.
Although this rule is extremely late for a “national” standard, SilMan has been ahead of the curve for over a decade. California already led the nation with the first Heat Illness Prevention standard back in 2005, signed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger after five farm laborers died from the heat in less than a year.
How we got here
In May 2008, a 17 year old farm labor worker, Maria Isabel Vasquez Jimenez, and her unborn child, died 2 days after she collapsed from heat exhaustion while working as a field laborer in Modesto CA. The employer did not provide shade or water, did not call 911, and told her fiancé to take her home.
This event, along with five additional farm worker heat-related deaths in 2008, sparked a massive outcry and a UFW-led “March for Fallen Farm Workers”, from Lodi to the Capitol in Sacramento.
Between 2008 and 2011, three executives from the farm labor contractor were charged for involuntary manslaughter, fined $263K by Cal OSHA, and lost their contactor license. Doroteo Jimenez, Maria’s uncle, continues to fight with the UFW and the State to protect farm laborer’s safety.
No doubt, we are all experiencing extreme heat and humidity in nearly every location across the country. This is not just a California issue. Global warming or not, extreme heat affects everyone in nearly every workplace in the US.
Heat stroke is no joke! Please be extremely cautious while working – or playing - in the heat. And always remember the basics:
Team Member Jams,
curated by the Safety Team
Matthew "Ryan" Copeland
Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me) by Train
Ryan Copeland is a Millwright leader out of the Southern region and began his stint with SilMan at UPS Mebane, North Carolina in early 2023. During this project, Ryan has proven great leadership qualities and was advanced into a management role as one of our core Mechanical Leaders.
Off the job, you can find Mr. Copeland kayaking or fishing at any local water hole, battling futuristic enemies on his PS5, or shopping for some of his favorite “tools of the trade”.
Although Ryan loves alternative bands like Nirvana and Everlast, "Drops of Jupiter" is one of his favorite songs.
“I have a lot of favorites! I don’t know why it jumps to the front of my mind, but it’s a great song.” - Ryan
Foundations
Reflections On The Way We Work & Connect
Now more than ever, we need to be vigilant in our awareness of the ones we work with each and every day…our Team.
There’s that old saying, “One rarely sees what is right in front of them.” As our daily workload continues to increase and become ever more dynamic, it is easy to overlook what may be impacting the ones around us, at work or at home.
Our Team is the most valuable part of our daily activities and has shown us that we are capable of many challenging tasks when we work as one. Taking the time to be aware of the ones we work with will allow us to continue our journey together.
We are more than just “workers.” We are creative individuals with talents, abilities, and sometimes, struggles. If someone is not happy at work, it will eventually affect their home; and the reverse is true. When we are committed to each team member as an individual, we become stronger as a team. This is what separates SilMan from the rest, but it takes all of us.
May we all work together at not just the work at hand, let us work at building on the one thing that has allowed us to grow, our Team.
