faces of the frontline: manufacturing’s all stars

Anyone at Wellness Pet Company in Mishawaka, Indiana, knows how extraordinary Chasity Hightower is. Chasity isn’t just the Continuous Improvement Coordinator. She’s also an exceptional leader, mentor, and trainer whose motto, “I’m just a phone call away,” encapsulates her hands-on leadership style.

Chasity Takes the Lead with Continuous Improvement

Chasity previously worked in the lab at Wellness Pet and fell in love with the “Wellie” way, where everyone is treated like family. She loved it so much that when a supervisory role came up, she jumped at the chance. However, it wasn’t only the family-style workplace and the opportunity that sold her on the job. It was also the chance to learn everything in Redzone. “Everything was there,” says Chasity. “All the reports and time that it would’ve saved me from previous jobs just absolutely blew my mind. The more I work with it, the more I realize there are other things that I can still do with it.”

As a supervisor, Chasity took over a relatively new team that wasn’t performing as well and worked on turning things around. Chasity started using Redzone to do quality checks, monitor line performance, and encourage operators with “great job” emojis when lines were running green. Soon, the shift was crushing it.

Her leadership and Redzone skills brought her to her current role. When the company wanted to create a Continuous Improvement role, Chasity demonstrated she was the right person for the job. “She brought out Redzone, set it on my desk, and started talking about the things that could be improved if we just do some things differently,” says Amanda Turnwald, Director of Plant Operations. “She knew the tools enough to pull them up and show me the data because, as the quality person, data is everything.”

Game-Changing Productivity Improvements

Chasity’s work optimizing the extrusion process has been a game changer for Wellness Pet. Previously, Wellness Pet’s extruders operated at an average utilization rate of 70%, with 30% downtime. Recognizing that downtime costs money, Chasity identified this as a prime area for improvement and took the lead on a comprehensive productivity project to increase this rate.

The first step was to analyze the data. Chasity quickly realized her reports didn’t show actionable data, so she took matters into her own hands. She rebuilt the reports in Redzone and developed a detailed downtime Pareto analysis. These new reports provided clear visibility into the causes of downtime, which allowed the team to address each of them. 

Chasity’s efforts yielded immediate results, with extrusion utilization increasing to 78% by the end of the second quarter. This was a significant improvement from the previous year. The company’s goal is to reach 85% by the end of the third quarter. 

The impact of these improvements has been felt in other areas as well. Increased extruder uptime directly translated into higher production volumes. This enabled Wellness Pet to exceed its pack-pound budget for Q1 and Q2, not only meeting but often surpassing production goals. During one particularly successful week, the team reduced a 135,000-pound shortfall to just 20,000 pounds within a few days, thanks to improved line utilization and focused efforts.

Shaping Future Leaders 

Chasity believes in hands-on, personalized mentorship to develop her team. She understands the importance of comprehensive training and has meticulously crafted training programs tailored to her team’s needs. She developed a detailed training module that links Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) with Redzone plays. This gives new supervisors clear, actionable steps they can refer to in real time on the floor.

She is deeply committed to helping others, adjusting her working hours to accommodate diverse schedules, and being there for anyone who needs her. Chasity has voluntarily started her shifts as early as 2 a.m. to spend crucial training hours with new supervisors, offering them direct support while building a strong foundation of trust and collaboration. “It’s the efforts that she puts forth, the unquestioned loyalty that she just does it for the team,” says Jeremy Burton, Operations Manager. “We don’t even have to ask her.»

When working with new supervisors, she encourages them to reach out at any time with any issues. Even after hours, Chasity will get on the phone with them, open her iPad, and go through the options to troubleshoot issues and keep the line up and running.

Her impact as a trainer and mentor is evident in her team’s performance and morale. Her knowledge and enthusiasm inspire and empower others, improving her team’s individual competencies while contributing to the overall efficiency and productivity of Wellness Pet’s operations.

Chasity’s Ripple Effect on Wellness Pet

Chasity’s productivity initiatives have had a ripple effect throughout the entire Wellness Pet production process. Her efforts on the extrusion lines have led to uncovering additional areas for improvement, such as packaging line efficiency. The Redzone reports she’s created have helped the entire team see what’s happening and work together to improve. “It’s one of those, ‘everyone’s marching to that same cadence,’” says Turnwald. “We have the ability to work towards it because of the tools that Chas has fixed and updated for us.”

Wellness Pet continues to benefit from Chasity’s efforts, which have driven significant improvements in productivity and operational efficiency while fostering a culture of continuous learning and innovation. Chasity has empowered her colleagues through mentorship, training, and her personal commitment to helping them succeed, ensuring the sustained success and growth of the organization. 

As Wellness Pet continues to thrive under her guidance, Chasity’s legacy of excellence and inspiration will undoubtedly resonate for years to come, making her a true asset to the company and a role model in the industry.

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