THE ARMORED GROUP, LLC: Targeting Operational Challenges With Targeted Training
The instructors at The Center are true professionals. They take the time to determine the needs of their customers and craft in-depth, robust training courses that not only meet these needs but offer fresh, relevant perspectives. As an expanding business looking to The Center for best practices, we appreciate how they provide us with the right professionals to lead their exciting and interactive classes. When it comes to training and development, we believe The Center is the foremost authority for manufacturing businesses and we look forward to utilizing their services for many years to come!
-- Kelli Arai, HR Manager
The Armored Group, LLC (TAG) (www.armoredcars.com) was established in 1992 as an armored vehicle manufacturer with the goal of providing customers with the highest level of security. TAG has since expanded to provide armored vehicles to law enforcement and private and corporate clients, as well as became an industry leader in prototype automobiles to meet the needs of their current and prospective customers. TAG employs 84 at their Dearborn Heights, Mich., facility.
Challenge
TAG continues to invest in their workforce to efficiently grow the company and exceed customer expectations. As part of this mission, TAG sought to invest in a variety of training to target challenges they faced in operations, such as high turnover and scrap rates.
Solution
TAG turned to the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center (The Center) for assistance with these training initiatives. TAG recognized one of the key reasons for their high scrap rate was their engineering team did not fully understand GD&T and blueprint drawings. The team participated in both The Center’s GD&T Fundamentals training and their one-day, interactive Blueprint Reading course to enhance their skill sets. Applying their newly gained skills could save the company thousands worth of costs in customer rejects or rework.
A TAG team member also participated in The Center’s ISO 9001:2015 Internal Auditor training to further support quality initiatives. Going into the training with no previous experience in internal auditing, the employee left the class with enough knowledge to feel comfortable auditing processes in the future while contributing to the company’s quality efforts.
To solve their issues with high turnover and reduced productivity, TAG managers attended The Center’s four-day Supervisor Skills workshop. This helped to improve their communication skills and further strengthen the company culture. Frustration associated with finding and retaining new team members also will be reduced going forward as TAG prioritizes employee engagement and retention efforts. As concluded by TAG’s HR Manager, “Our managers were able to sharpen the skills they already had while learning and applying a wide variety of new leadership techniques and approaches.”
Results
- Improved employee retention by 80%
- Increased productivity as a result of improved employee morale and satisfaction
- Improved scrap rate by 65%, which continues to improve over time, saving the company thousands in costs