Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/328680
Safe Place to Work Peterbilt is presently in p h a s e 2 o f 3 p h a s e s r e q u i r e d t o a c h i e v e certification in OSHA's V o l u n t a r y P r o t e c t i o n Program (VPP). Certifica- tion in the program, which recognizes out- standing efforts by em- ployers and employees in establishing exemplary occupational safety and health standards and programs, would put t h e Denton plant in pretty exclusive company. Plant Manager Leon Handt reports that fewer than 1 percent of Ameri- can manufacturing facilities achieve VPP approval, and he expects Peterbilt to achieve it in 2012. The Denton facility also earned the 2010 Chairman's Safety Award for PACCAR manufacturing facilities. "We're very proud of our safety record, and the fact that we can give our employ- ees a safe, comfortable working environ- ment," says Handt. "The VPP program is a big part of that. It puts a system in place by which we can monitor our performance, control it and demonstrate results." Operational efficiency Peterbilt recently installed a custom, automated monorail system that carries cabs and chassis through the production process, helping ensure unvarying con- sistency on welds, joints and assembly throughout the final product. Robotic cab and chassis paint booths — the only of their kind in North America — ensure a quality finish as well. And Peterbilt is also the first production facility in North America to robotically weld cylindrical aluminum fuel tanks. Innovations such as these have Handt and Dozier foreseeing 150-plus-truck through- put capacity every day — all while enhancing worker safety, minimizing the plant's carbon footprint and optimizing prod- uct quality and customer value. "It all comes back to quality and efficiency," says Dozier. "As we continue to make processes more efficient, our people can focus on the task at hand and look for ways we can do things better, and ulti- mately, deliver an even better Peterbilt truck to our customer. "It's a culture of continuous improve- ment. Everyday in the plant, we have a thousand sets of eyes looking at the prod- uct and the process that created it. And with the new programs we've initiated, the structure and the mechanisms exist for the improvements those people envision to be realized as part of the final product." FIRST CLASS 11