Safety issues and labor shortages were among the topics discussed in a "manufacturing day" panel during Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce's First Friday Coffee on Oct. 6 at Century Casino Event Center in Cape Girardeau.

"In my 28 years, the most significant change I've seen (in manufacturing) is a shift toward safety," said Jim Franklin, vice president of operations for Mondi in Jackson. "I can recall a time when you'd hear in the plant, 'Don't put your hand here; don't put your hand there', (but) now we now have emergency stops and everything that can hurt (an employee) is guarded. I've watched the entire manufacturing industry evolve toward a higher emphasis on safety performance over the past 15 years."

Craig Wiertsema, president and CEO of Havco Wood Products in Scott City, echoed and expanded on Franklin's thoughts.

"In the early years, the message seemed to be, 'We want your body; we don't want your head', but manufacturing has changed," Wiertsema said.

"Respecting the team members and engaging and involving them is instrumental to the success of (Havco). There's been a transition over the years to safety, to quality and to continuous improvement. If we're not making a quality product, if we're not taking care of the customer, if we're not working how to put out the product better and more efficiently tomorrow, then we're out of business."

Jessica Money, converting operations director for Procter & Gamble, spoke of employee retention.

"As we are hiring new people, promoting from within, we want people to have entire careers with P&G. We're focused on how new hires can be successful from day one," she said.

"What's going to get worse over the next 20 years is labor shortages," Wiertsema added. "We have to continue to figure out how to turn around and leverage technology so we can ensure the continued production."

A last word

As the panel discussion concluded, Mondi's Franklin told a story of transformation.

"When unemployment gets down to 2.3%, it is hard to find people," he said. "We started going out to the service sector, to fast-food restaurants and to Walmart employees looking for skills, the right attitude and trainability. Six months ago, we hired a gal who said she had cut hair for 18 years and never thought she could run a machine by herself. She was so proud of being able to do it and found herself in a different place financially (with us) than she had ever imagined. We've got a lot of stories like that."