Serving The SilMan Community
Issue 07
May 2023
Serving The SilMan Community
Issue 07
May 2023
In This Issue
BUSINESS UPDATE
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
FOUNDATIONS
On The Move
On The Move
Business Update
Pictured: OnTrac, Buckeye, AZ. This is one of five systems designed for the parcel carrier in the last two years by SilMan, including San Diego, which was wrapped up earlier this year.
Working with a Market Leader
Despite all the industry news that the world’s leading fulfillment provider is retracting, our business development team has landed three new projects, updating the IXD (cross-dock) sites in California, Indiana, and New Jersey. A true testimony of the quality and service provided by Team SilMan.
These new “Decant Bypass” projects allow the client to divert 25%+ of incoming goods from vendors directly to order processing. This decrease in handling means packages reach consumers faster than ever.
Key team members for these new sites are David Rebata, Tommy Ethridge, David Birmingham, Josh Eversoll, and Kevin Jackson.
Additional Material Handling updates:
On the SAPS side, the parking package created for IFS Bank (Boston) has been expanded to include EV Chargers and a Centralized Kiosk. This is a significant expansion to the original scope of work and provides additional system enhancements and benefits for the owners and users of the system.
From The Field
Reunited with an Old Friend
TABC (Toyota Auto Body California) is a parts manufacturer which supplies Toyota’s manufacturing and service operations in North America. It was the first Toyota plant in the US, established in 1972.
Team SilMan first worked at TABC in 2009, equipment relocation from Long Beach to the HINO Truck manufacturing plant in Mira Loma, California. ITS was the client, and Jeff Piazza was the site leader. Project number 0941, if you need to know.
We have worked with the esteemed automaker many times since then, including the history-altering NUMMI project which led to the establishment of the Tupelo office.
Back to Long Beach
In this most recent project, our Site Services team was engaged by TEMA, Toyota’s engineering and construction division, to install a new multiple robot operation involved with manufacturing back panels of Toyota vehicles.
What has made this project a unique challenge? Receiving the purchase order one week before the project was scheduled to begin.
You might say to yourself, “One week…what’s the big deal.”
Well in this case, the project was accompanied by a 315-page document, the Body Weld Installation Manual (BWIM), which outlines every aspect of “what and how” the project will be completed.
But the Mechanical Electrical team has risen to the moment and has provided a powerful reminder of what Team SilMan can do for Toyota on the West Coast.
[And of course, our Tupelo Team has been keeping Toyota happy in their neighborhood for years, as well!]
Scope of Work
The project involves the installation and energizing of robots and Weld Fixtures.
The installation also including piping for compressed air, which holds the parts in place during the weld-up. Our own pipefitter, Josh Muniain, fabricated a manifold from 2” pipe in the SilMan shop.
The project presented a number of challenges throughout the course of construction. For example, in addition to the highly detailed work, the Back Panel Weld System is a tightly packed area, which restricted workspace and access as cells were added.
Seeing is believing! It is worth a trip to #4009 on Procore to see the photos.
Click the images to view full screen.
Jeff said:
“The startup for this project was challenging from the word “go” – a double whammy of highly complicated equipment and very short planning and execution timelines. It felt like the team digested Toyota’s requirements overnight, and a week later we landed on the ground with a plan! It is a real testament to the integrated service we are always talking about – Mechanical, Electrical, Piping, California and Mississippi all working as one team to serve our clients.”
Community Spotlight
Meet Justin Green
Justin Green joined the SilMan engineering team in January of 2023. If the name sounds familiar, it might be because he participated in two internships while a student at Mississippi State University (2021, 2022). Garrett is his mentor.
Justin grew up in Mooreville, Mississippi, a suburb of Tupelo. He always loved math so pursuing an engineering career was a no-brainer. He was also active in sports. His first love was soccer and was recruited by the football team as the kicker. He remains an active sports fan and plays golf whenever he can.
And if landing his first job isn’t enough news for 2023, Mr. Green will be married this Summer.
Green has been assigned to the Mebane project. He appreciates the opportunity to be onsite each month, along with the amazing learning opportunity of working with veteran pros Todd Sadler and Jeff Porter,
What is your favorite part of working at SilMan?
“I love the openness of the company and especially the engineering team. There is a lot of variety and teamwork, and it is always great to see team members from across the country working together and being so well connected.” – Justin
Tim Chase on Day One with Garrett
Michael Bautista on Day One with Jessica
Shane Benson and Hayden Wirth at Bloom Energy
Hudsons team in action
Good morning, San Diego
How to host a team meeting in Mebane, NC
ICYDK: We are also “installing some doors” while the team is in Detroit
Safety Tip
Plan for Success
- “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” – Benjamin Franklin
Summer is almost here! That means many of us have already begun to think about our much-needed recreational activities. We’ve learned that with proper planning, everything goes smoother so you can focus on what’s truly important.
Lets’s apply this same thinking to our daily tasks at SilMan. Here are four benefits that you can achieve today with smart planning.
Maximum Productivity and Profitability: It is clear that thoughtful planning helps to discover time and cost-saving solutions. The result is enhanced productivity, minimized project delays, and overall safety and success for our team.
This Summer, let’s make pre-planning a standard practice and prioritize safety in all our endeavors, on vacation, and at work.
Team Member Jams,
curated by the Safety Team
Farley Young
Time by Pink Floyd
Farley Young is a SilMan road warrior, based in Bowling Green, Kentucky. He loves time with his family, golf, gardening, kayaking, and fishing. But when it comes to music, “Time” by Pink Floyd goes to the top of the list.
Farley keeps the classic rock and roll cranking on the road, burning through countless albums in his travels.
However, he always returns to the legendary album “Dark Side of the Moon” by Pink Floyd. And “Time” is Farley’s prime cut.
“It’s timeless,” he said with a wink.
Foundations
Reflections On The Way We Work & Connect
We can do just about anything… although, at the end of the day do they like us?
We often don’t think about the outcome of our interactions and whether our clients will like us at the end of the day. Work tends to be the place where we focus on the task at hand and not the outcome of our interactions.
Being thoughtful with our daily communications will help us create positive experiences. Letting our clients know what to expect, know where progress is each day, know our challenges, and know our proposed solutions will make them a part of the process and part of the solution.
Think about how our daily interactions will be received. Treat our clients like part of our team. After all, we are all in this together, and we all want to be proud of our work and hear others sing our praises.
Take an extra moment to see situations with empathy, and be thoughtful and kind. This will pave the path to building a thriving business, and we’ll have more fun at work. Remember, for others to trust us… they need to first like us.
Be likable!
