Fara Foster, Director of Communication & Community Engagement
The winter off-season is an optimal time for maintenance on our paving equipment and asphalt plants. Last winter, Plant 7 received new drags and installed new conveyors. Plant 5 was completely dismantled and an entirely new plant was constructed. While the work at Plant 10 was not as extensive as what is happening elsewhere, it is equally valuable.
Plant 10 was deliberately chosen for a 5S Event to help the team there get a clean start as leadership transfers from Albert Thompson, who retired February 1, to Ricky Pike. The four-day event started Tuesday, February 19 with classroom time and moved to the plant control house for the remainder of the week. With the exception of the control board, the team removed everything from the control house, sorted through it to determine need and usefulness, then inspected the entire work area. That inspection revealed a hole in the floor and another in a wall that contained mold.
By week’s end, the team had thoroughly cleaned the control house and made repairs where needed. Needed materials were returned to the control house and placed where they would be most useful. The goal of a 5S is to sort, set in order, shine, standardize and sustain. With the first 4 of those in order, sustaining the progress they made should come easily for the Plant 10 team.
