Power to the people

Prepared Foods, Sept, 1992

If knowledge is power, then Gerber's Asheville, N.C., plant employees can have as much power as they want. In one of the more innovative - and convenient - corporate-sponsored educational programs around, Gerber's Asheville employees have the opportunity to take courses to complete a General Education Diploma (GED) or attend courses for college-level credit.

And it's all on a "campus" just a five-minute walk from the plant entrance. Gerber has converted what was a retail outlet into the Gerber Education Center. The company has invested "hundreds of thousands of dollars" in the facility and the education curriculum, which is done with the assistance of the Asheville Buncombe Technical Community College.

Crystal Baker, facilitator for the Gerber Education Center, says that half the Gerber work force has gone through the required 16 hours of Continuous Improvement Training.

THE OTHER GERBER

GRADUATES

The education program began in 1990. In 1991, Gerber personnel logged 20,237 man-hours at the center. Human resources manager Bob Compton notes that Gerber has had eight GED graduates and last month bestowed its first four-year degree, which gives new meaning to the term "Gerber graduates." About 90 employees are currently enrolled in computer classes. Gerber reimburses employees for classes in which they earn grades of C or above.

Baker has heard numerous employees say that they probably never would have gone back to school without this program, like one employee who earned her GED so she could relate better to her daughter who is now in high school.

Compton says that, despite public skepticism about GED, graduates are certified as having achieved a certain level of knowledge. You can't be certain what you get with your typical high school graduate, he says.

Area employers and organizations have watched and checked on the success of the Gerber program. "We only have positives to relate to them," Compton says, noting that the level of personal growth and personal confidence has been raised.

We get better qualified and more well-rounded people out of the program," says plant manager Charlie Hearn.

Whether the employees take GED, college-level or computer courses, the program also prepares them better for the whole empowerment movement at Gerber.

Empowerment is anchored in the concept of teamwork. The driving force for team formation is the Plant Council, which meets regularly to discuss plant-related happenings, obstacles and problems. It consists of Baker, two supervisors, two office personnel, a union representative and an hourly representative. The Plant Council directs the formation of teams, made up of eight to 10 management and hourly workers, to address identified concerns.

Last August, the plant formed a "Trust Team" comprised of four supervisors picked by union representatives and four union representatives picked by supervisors. One highly visible outgrowth of the Trust Team is a banner hanging from interior plant walls that proclaims: "Together as one. Gerber Asheville, Local 204." One Gerber employee confided, "In the past, you wouldn't have seen that kind of blatant evidence of cooperation." As a result of this teamwork, union grievances have dropped dramatically, according to Compton.

The team that has resulted in the most successful cost-reduction has been the "Glass Breakage Reduction Team." The team was able to cut breakage in half, saving the plant $190,000 annually, by recommending changes in glass handling techniques.

Another team is the "E" Team, which looked at various water and energy savings. Hearn says the team "substantially" reduced water and electrical usage. One step involved installation of solenoid valves on equipment to control hot water discharge from thermal processing equipment better.

Gerber has also improved its safety program using a methodology called Job Safety Analysis. JSA involves operators writing down a safety job description, recording all safety hazards associated with their task/equipment. Shift operators compare and update their descriptions accordingly if anything has been missed.

Few food companies actively encourage employees to watch TV, especially during work hours, but watching TV at Gerber Asheville is decidedly constructive. The color monitors display things like Gerber's stock price, Trust Team meetings, meeting information, safety slogans, production scheduling and videos of company events such as a recent fishing tournament. The monitors, located in areas such as the warehouse, production, cafeteria, maintenance and packaging, were installed in June 1991.

The Asheville plant held its first company picnic last month, underscoring the fact that Gerber employees have truly come together.