Welbilt

Welbilt manufactures freezers and walk-in coolers. Based in Parsons, TN, the company has approximately three hundred employees and has gone through numerous name changes. Previously, Welbilt was known as MT Refrigeration and Manitowoc-Kolpak.

THE CHALLENGE

Webilt was due for Leadership/Supervisor training. Some supervisory staff members had yet to receive training since joining the company and UTCIS provided assistance in getting them up to speed.

MEP'S ROLE

Twelve Welbilt supervisory staff members participated in the Leadership/Supervisor training led by UTCIS. Using the recently developed UTCIS Leadership and Supervision Program as the curriculum, the training focused on helping supervisors better understand their own and each other’s management styles to build better relationships with employees. The participants learned techniques for fostering collaboration, de-escalating conflict, and improving productivity. They demonstrated a high level of engagement throughout the training and formed stronger bonds with each other during the process. 

"One of the attendees, Clint Young, reports to me,” said Tony Philips, manager of the company's manufacturing engineering department. "Clint was very enthusiastic about the training and often shared leadership tips he’d learned in the training with my team in our staff meetings. He gained confidence from the training and improved his project leadership skills.” 

With improved employee relationships, Welbilt expects to reduce turnover and the associated recruiting and on-boarding costs. The company would like to see a 25 percent improvement in productivity, and the supervisory staff is making great progress toward that goal.

RESULTS 

• Improved productivity by 15%
• Provided Leadership/Supervisor training for 12 employees
• Expect reduced turnover and lower on-boarding training costs