Durabelt Inc. is a small Prince Edward Island manufacturing company that produces belted chain conveyor belting and associated components for harvesting root vegetable crops. The company employs between 5 and 35 workers on a seasonal basis.
Durabelt produces customized industrial products for its consumer base of farmers. Depending on crop fortunes, farmers might choose to have old products overhauled or to place orders for new products to meet their specific requirements. Either way, Durabelt employees need to be able to constantly retool their manufacturing equipment to accommodate piecework orders. Essential Skills are crucial for reading work orders and recalibrating machines. In practice, employees need to be adept not only at using their technical job-specific skills, but also at applying those skills while managing their time, sequencing operations, working in and supporting teams, working safely and dealing with external customers.
Durabelt used Essential Skills training to help front-line workers manage their work and increase their productivity. The company could not afford to have production stalled while employees waited for a senior employee to read and interpret work orders, recalibrate machines and start production. Essential Skills training would enable the person acting as the company’s millwright to optimize their time and ensure that employees were working all the time, not just when they were able to get the attention of the millwright.