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Team 1 Plastics Featured in Plastics News

Plastics News featured Team 1 Plastics as the lead cover story of its May 4, 2015, edition. The article, entitled “Intense concentration on corporate culture, safety a winning formula for Team 1 Plastics,” discussed Team 1’s two areas of focus.

The first focus is on its clearly defined customer. Team 1 serves Tier 1 automotive suppliers. “The company is 100 percent focused on automotive customers … The company’s specialty is molding precision and transparent parts. Team 1’s parts end up in powertrains, air induction systems, and interior electronic switches.”

The article cited three specific ways in which Team 1 saves time and money for its customers through its “exceptional operational execution.” Its proprietary production matrix helps to minimize waste. Robots used in the production process greatly reduce costs. Preventive maintenance on equipment eliminates unscheduled down time.

The second focus of Team 1 is on its employees. “Team 1 established a strong corporate culture … one that puts an intense focus on employees.” Three specific examples were listed in the article: advancement within the company, profit-sharing, and emphasis on safety.

Team 1 encourages and pays for employee advancement. The article cited several stories of employees who started as production workers and moved up in the company.

“Everyone is eligible for profit sharing.” And the employees know exactly how the company is doing financially because Team 1 has an open-book management philosophy.

Employee safety is emphasized and celebrated at Team 1. “Team 1 stresses employee relations, and the most visible way is the emphasis on worker safety. The company immerses new hires in the safety-focused culture from their first day.” Team 1 hosts a celebration for its employees upon reaching each milestone of 500 days without a lost -time accident. The current on-going record is over 5,000 days without a lost-time accident.

For two years in a row, Team 1 has been awarded as one of the Best Places of Work. Shelley Lewis, lead captain in the assembly department, summed it up. “I just really enjoy working here.”