Dakota-Scott Workforce Development Board recognizes Shakopee company for quality practices implemented via Minnesota Training Connection
The Dakota-Scott Workforce Development Board awarded the Bob Killeen Award to the Greencore food manufacturing facility in Shakopee, Minnesota. Greencore is partnering with Dakota County Technical College on a Minnesota Job Skills Partnership (MJSP) grant focused on quality improvement and building a lean manufacturing foundation for expansion.
The customized training provided by the Minnesota Training Connection forms the basis for the Bob Killeen Award. A partnership between DCTC and Inver Hills Community College, the Minnesota Training Connection provides flexible career training solutions to business and industry. Leveraging the resources of the Minnesota State system, the training delivered is designed to make businesses and companies more competent and more competitive.
The Bob Killeen Award recognizes companies for implementing innovative quality practices. A former member of the Workforce Development Board, Bob Killeen was a tireless advocate for training efforts designed to improve quality.
Past Bob Killeen Award winners include:
- Coca-Cola Refreshments
- Ironwood Electronics
- Analog Technologies Corporation
- Dakota Electric
- Uponor
- Flint Hills
- Rollx Vans
- Ryt-way
- Regina Medical Center
- Performance Office Papers
- Advanced Wireless Communications
- Imagine Print Solutions
- St. Francis Regional Medical Center
(left to right) Larry Lewis, DCTC CT, Charissa Mieseler, Greencore HR manager, Matt Stenzel, Greencore general manager, Mark Schreiber, Lean processes trainer, Mary Kay McVey, Lean processes trainer
Larry Lewis, Minnesota Training Connection manufacturing and technology coordinator, is based at DCTC. Lewis reported that the college and Greencore have partnered over the past three years on a comprehensive training task that includes mechanical and electrical training as well as a major focus on lean training.
“The skills taught will provide Greencore with the knowledge necessary to stay competitive in their industry,” Lewis said. “Plus, the employees trained now have enhanced skill sets they can use in their current positions while increasing their advancement opportunities. Being recognized with the Dakota-Scott Workforce Development Board’s Bob Killeen Award was a direct result of the commitment to training that DCTC and Greencore made together.”
More about Greencore Group…
Greencore Group is an international convenience food leader headquartered in Dublin, Ireland. Listed on the London Stock Exchange, Greencore is an FTSE 250 company with 31 manufacturing sites in the United Kingdom, United States and Ireland.
Greencore Group fast facts
- £2.3 billion in proforma Group revenue (US $3.08 billion)
- 1.5 billion sandwiches and other food-to-go products annually
16,000 employees worldwide
- 4,000 products across 20 categories
- 140 million supermarket own-label meals annually
- 105 million cakes and desserts annually
- 40 million quiches annually
- 220 million bottles of cooking sauces, pickles and condiments annually
- 500 million Yorkshire puddings annually
- Expanding rapidly in the U.S.
More about the training…
GreenCore has made extensive efforts to improve on all quality initiatives. Working in conjunction with DCTC, Greencore has integrated training programs into the company’s standard workday. Training programs featured two full Kaizen events that touched the entire workforce. Other quality improvement efforts include:
- PDCA (Plan Do Check Act): Training consisted of four-step iterative for continuous improvement
- Employee Suggestion System: Training provided employees knowledge on how to submit continuous improvement ideas and have them reviewed and implemented as teams. This system provides a voice to the employees and provides an organized structure for the criteria for suggestions, how they are to be submitted, reviewed and implemented.
- Training Within Industry (TWI) Job Relations: The Job Relations portion of the program taught supervisors how to deal with workers effectively and fairly. All learners were given the opportunity to practice the newly learned JR methods while receiving coaching.
To learn more about the Minnesota Training Connection, contact:
Chad Sheets
Dean of Continuing Education and Customized Training
651-423-8275
Larry Lewis
Manufacturing & Technology Coordinator
651-423-8276
