In This Issue
BUSINESS UPDATE
FROM THE FIELD
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
On The Move
On The Move
Business Update
Did you know SilMan has installed over 200 Visicon systems? Here’s how it works.
The “BizDev” team continues to explore a multitude of opportunities coming through our doors. Here are some recent engagements.
From left to right: Logan, Harrison, Ian, John, Tom, Tommy, Jeff, Garrett, Shellia, Mike (Jensen), David
ProMat 2025
Members of our System Integration group attended the MHI ProMat Conference in Chicago in March. This event is held on “odd” years, alternating with MODEX in Atlanta on “even” years. These tradeshows draw leaders from every aspect of material handling and warehousing, creating a unique opportunity to connect with clients and partners, and stay up-to-date on trends and technologies.
The conference’s crowning event is the bi-annual SilMan ProMat Bash. This social gathering has developed a loyal following over the years. Check out images from the event here.
From The Field
Depth of Performance
ASR Hopper Conveyor Project. Click image for full screen view. (Photos: Shane Benson)
ASR Hopper Conveyor
The Team is working to remove the existing Screw Feeder system, which transports raw product into the facility, and replace it with a conveyor solution. Two of the three lines are complete. Angel Huerta, the team leader for ASR projects, said, “The client is very happy as the new system is running better than expected.”
This effort is just one project within a stream of services provided to this valued customer.
AMZing
This new eight-site project includes engineering, permitting, demolition of existing conveyor/utilities, installation of footings, conveyor, power, pneumatics, and data infrastructure drops for both the in-feed conveyor and robotic cell.
Site Team members were grouped and deployed onsite to complete site investigations to obtain data needed for the engineering team to create the drawing package.
The Engineering Team has completed a preliminary mechanical and controls drawing package. They received high accolades and recognition for a job well done from the client’s mechanical and control leads. Team included
Argus @ OAK
The scope of work for this project is to demo and replace an existing vault lid, differential thermal relief (DTR) valve, rebar, and concrete installation. Details of the work include draining 8500 gallons of jet fuel and replacing DTR, Stem Extension, Actuators, and electrical equipment to power all devices.
The team has completed the demolition of the existing vault in preparation for Mechanical and Electrical vault modifications with assistance from Safety.
Community Spotlight
Meet Farley Young
Farley Young is a junior project manager focused on project execution. He was initially brought onto the SilMan team back in 2016 as a project engineer/superintendent and spent his early years with SilMan at KAAP, coordinating daily site activities and client relations.
He has been riveted by building since boyhood. Farley worked the summers with his father, a carpenter, until high school, when he accepted a part-time job with a local home builder. During high school, Farley was captain of the trap shooting team, where he met fellow team member and future wife, Whitney. After high school, Farley turned his attention to Western Kentucky University to pursue a degree in Construction Management and accepted a part-time position with a local residential electrical contractor. He also volunteered at the Habitat for Humanity “Re-Store” while attending WKU.
In his final year at WKU, Mr. Young accepted an internship with a heavy civil contractor, specifically in the mechanical division, where he built pump stations and renovated water treatment plants.
With only a month remaining before he received his bachelor’s degree, Farley received a call from Ms. Pam Richardson. She had contacted WKU seeking potential SilManites, and the Department Head referred Farley. Only 3 weeks after graduating a semester early in December 2015, he started work with SilMan in January 2016.
Born and raised in Bowling Green, Kentucky, Farley and his wife are now rearing their two children in his beloved hometown. He takes full advantage of rural life, enjoying hunting, fishing, gardening, and the occasional round of golf.
What do you love best about SilMan?
“SilMan gave me the opportunity to see a whole new facet of construction. Over the past 9 years, I’ve been able to make mistakes and learn from them without fear of ridicule. I think most anyone can relate to the fact that as a young person trying to get your foot in the door, the greatest struggle is finding a company that is willing to foster growth and endure those growing pains. SilMan invested in me when others did not, and in return, I am fully invested in this company and its team members. Accountability, communication, and teamwork are SilMan’s core values, and with those values, I believe the possibilities are endless.” – Farley
Lifting Safely
In our previous edition, we discussed Overexertion, a close cousin of Risky Lifts.
For those of us in construction and material handling, lifting and carrying items is common, often in awkward circumstances. However, it does not need to be detrimental to our health. In fact, safe lifting lies at the heart of personal responsibility on a job site.
Improper Lifts
Improper lifting is one of the most common side effects of overexertion-related injuries. Serious injuries to the back, torso, and spine can have life-long debilitating consequences, potentially leading to a shorter lifespan.
How to Lift Safely
By overlooking safe lifting techniques and practices on jobsites, you may be setting yourself up for painful, recurring soft tissue injuries that can impact the rest of your career, even after missing an average of 2 weeks of work (per injury).
Safe Lifting Techniques/Practices:
The Dangerous Allure of Risky Lifts
Good intentions can easily disguise bad habits.
For instance, the most common culprit is time. The pressure to save time and money is a noble impulse. However, twisting at the waist, throwing heavy objects, over-reaching, hyper-extending, or simply rushing through the task all contribute to unsafe circumstances.
There is also the myth that holding your breath while lifting produces more power, which raises the threat of a hernia.
And lastly, there is the issue of inattentive action, such as blocked view by the objects carried, working in poor light, or failing to use assistive tools.
Stand up for yourself and your teammates and start practicing Safe Lifting Practices today.
Slow Down. Lift Safe.
Team Member Jams,
curated by the Safety Team
Hayden Wirth
“Nose to the Grindstone” by Tyler Childers
In this edition, UOR readers are treated to a “twofer,” with Mr. Wirth submitting two #1s! Both selections reflect the sentiment of the hard-working men and women who have built our society but are often overlooked. These songs intimately reveal the impact of workplace accidents, which is a perfect fit for our team.
Hayden is a Millwright currently working on a SAPS project. He graduated from Brentwood High School in the San Francisco Bay area and is in his fifth year in the Trades.
Off the job site, Hayden is an avid competitive wakeboarder. He goes to contests most weekends, likely already passing on the passion to his 4-year-old son. He and his wife have another boy on the way.
Here is the other blue-ribbon winner: Keep the Wolves Away” by Uncle Lucius.
“I love these songs because they express the feelings of the daily grind. My dad turned me on to this music as I was growing up, so it connects me to family as much as my own path.” – Hayden
Foundations
Reflections On The Way We Work & Connect
Let us find that spark in others…
I’m not often one to quote another, although Cus D’Amato said it best.
Someone comes to you with a spark.
Feed the spark and it will become a flame.
Feed the flame and it will become a fire.
Feed the fire and it will become a roaring blaze.
When you fight your entire life, this motto drives you forward. You are constantly seeking the opportunity to make a difference. In business, this motto has the same effect and provides bountiful results.
You have the power to excite the flame.
I guarantee that you are within earshot of someone with a question or idea that could drive the next wave of innovation at SilMan. But we must be awake to hear it. With the wide diversity of background and experience on our team, we are surrounded by opportunities where we are able to fuel the sparks flying around us, waiting to become a roaring blaze that propels us forward.
How do we recognize the spark and fuel it to the next level? We can start now by listening with openness and encouraging the next idea or thought we hear. Just say “tell me more…”
It has worked well for me, and I encourage you all to open your heart and feed the next spark.
UNDER ONE ROOF
Please direct your questions, comments or ideas for future stories to newsletter@silmanindustries.com
SilMan Industries is committed to Creating a New Kind of Industrial Experience that delivers the power of multiple specialized service groups in a single touch. Our inviting, collaborative culture fuels this vision and is reflected in the team’s slogan, “Let’s Get to Work”
