PAST
Groov-Pin Corporation celebrated 90 years of business last month. The company was founded in 1926 by E.H. Schniewind, an inventor and developer of patents. The original facility was located in Long Island City, New York, where a patented press-fit fastener called the Grooved Pin was developed. Some of Groov-Pin’s original products, including the Type 1 Grooved Pin, are still being manufactured and put into application today. The Type 1 is commonly used for transmission linkages in automobiles.
In the 1950s, Groov-Pin was one of the first to patent a self-tapping screw and subsequently developed the Tap-Lok line of threaded inserts. Tap-Lok Threaded Inserts helped to reinforce aluminum castings. At that time, companies started to use aluminum and Groov-Pin Threaded Inserts overcame some of the castings’ weaknesses to greatly strengthen the aluminum assemblies.
In the 1990s, Groov-Pin acquired the Speedserts line of thread-forming inserts and Precision Turned Components (PTC), to produce high-end, high-tolerance parts for the Telecommunications/RF Connector market. Through business acquisitions, and product and technological advancements, Groov-Pin has been able to expand its markets, provide stronger products to its customers, and allow employees to work more efficiently.
“Before, when we used to do a stock check, we would have to write every little part down, and then you would pick up your phone and you would call the production office and they would pick up the phone and then they would write down what you were looking for and what quantity. They used to have a file box and they would have one card for every single part and they would tell you how many parts were in stock,” said Kathy Stahl, a customer service representative.
Now, Stahl and other members of the customer service team communicate with each other via email and can even chat in real-time when customers use the LiveChat feature on Groov-Pin’s website. From documenting everything on paper to managing orders with one computer program, technology has helped Groov-Pin provide customers with quicker responses and lead times.
New technology and business practices were introduced throughout the company. On the shop floor, Grooved Pins were originally measured with a ruler. Two visual manufacturing microscopes were recently introduced to streamline the inspection process and increase accuracy. “When we first started, we didn’t have an inspector. We just made parts and shipped them out the door,” said Donny Brooks, threaded insert lead.
Groov-Pin values continuous improvement and embraces new technology, which benefits its staff and its customers. “We’ve improved the way we make the tooling that we use and it doesn’t take us as long to set up or make the parts,” said Mark Mathias, a small automatic machine operator. Simplified processes and new tools allowed Groov-Pin to get parts out to its customers faster and at a competitive price.
Some of the company’s most effective changes were the result of embracing lean manufacturing in 2009. Groov-Pin leaders traveled to China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong in 2005 to determine how to compete with similar foreign manufacturers. To be more competitive, they determined products must be delivered faster, which led them to Georgia Tech.
Groov-Pin’s operations manager, Scott Bunn, began to work with the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP) at Georgia Tech to incorporate lean manufacturing processes. “We did everything for years and years the same way and then in the last 5 years or so, we changed many of those old ways,” he said. “There are so many changes that we’ve made for the better from an efficiency standpoint and streamlining all of our processes.”
Lean manufacturing was adopted in both of Groov-Pin’s facilities in Smithfield, Rhode Island, and Newnan, Georgia. Pins and inserts are manufactured in the Georgia facility and the custom screw machine parts are made in Rhode Island. The company continues to work with lean principles in both facilities and brings lean manufacturing principles to the larger community by helping with business accelerators and serving organizations in the community.
“We learned from others in our lean process and after a year and a half, we began giving back by hosting tours of our own facility and sharing ideas. We’ve even taken it to state government,” said Scot Jones, Groov-Pin CEO. For Groov-Pin, lean principles are first and teamwork is second.
One of the strategies implemented was kaizen, which encourages continuous improvement of working practices and efficiency by improving communication and reducing wasted effort. This eventually led to employees sharing ideas and developing their own strategies to make their spaces better. Groov-Pin also follows the 5S method – sorting, straightening, shining, standardizing, and sustaining – to help organize each workstation.
An overall benefit of lean has been the dramatic reduction of lead times. “In the past, it might have taken 6 or 8 weeks to get an order through the factory. Now, our average lead time is 19 days,” said Jones. For its lean efforts and service to the community, Groov-Pin was recognized by Providence Business News for excellence as a Mid-Size Manufacturer in 2014.
PRESENT
Groov-Pin’s lean transformation is ongoing. “The process wasn’t just centered on the shop floors. It went throughout all areas in the business – accounting, engineering, sales, customer service,” said Mark Ciuba, Groov-Pin’s sales manager. “A good example is setting the goal to answer customer requests in one call. We started tracking this and we were at 70%. Now we are in the low 90% range and still learning.”
For a company to continuously improve, it helps when employees are inspired by Groov-Pin products. For Brooks and other employees that work on the factory floor, one of the most gratifying parts of working for Groov-Pin is being able to take raw material and turn it into something useful.
Turned components in transmission sensors for Tesla are manufactured on Davenport multi-spindle equipment in the Rhode Island facility. In Georgia, Grooved Pins used in life vests are made on proprietary small automatic pin machines and Threaded Inserts are manufactured on high-speed Gildemeister multi-spindle equipment for BOEING wiring systems.
“It’s fascinating to work on diverse applications,” said Ciuba. Groov-Pin products are used in countless other applications including fire hydrants, lawn sprinklers, and airplane life jackets.
Ciuba values that customer relationships are the number one priority for the business. Groov-Pin has been supplying numerous customers for over 50 years including companies that manufacture hand tools, irrigation equipment, water treatment valves, and fire hydrants.
“We know our customers’ requirements and, in some cases, even better than they do,” said Ciuba. Customers rely on Groov-Pin to deliver quality parts on time. The company works with its customers for new product design and development, which guarantees that the right fastener is chosen each time. These customer-centric practices are a driving force behind Groov-Pin’s solid, long-lasting relationships.
The company also fosters collaboration and mutual respect in the workplace. Many employees, including Stahl, Mathias, Bunn, and Jerry Johnson, small automatic lead operator, agreed that the best part about working for Groov-Pin is the people they work with.
“Everybody is committed to Groov-Pin. Everybody is committed to doing a good job and to getting the customer what they want when they want it. I think that’s what it all comes down to. It’s the same concerns. Everybody works together as a team and that’s what’s important because if you’re not a team, nothing is going to get done,” said Stahl.
Groov-Pin encourages and appreciates continued learning from employees at all levels. “Working here is educational. I knew nothing about business when I first came to work here. In the last 30 years, I’ve learned a ton about how a business operates and how to operate a business,” said Bunn, who has worked for Groov-Pin for over 33 years.
FUTURE
As Groov-Pin enters its 90th year of business, company leaders will balance growing the business and service to the community. The company’s CEO, Jones, looks to shape the business more tightly around its values.
“Our culture is evolving. We believe continuous improvement will be a central part of our future. Continuing to improve will involve looking at new applications for our products, new related products, new partnerships with customers, and new technologies that go beyond what we’re able to do by cutting and forming metal to additive manufacturing,” he said.
“My hope for the future is that we’re about to have a growth spurt,” said Bunn. Groov-Pin recently purchased Multi-metal, which Bunn is confident will bring growth and sales into the Georgia facility. The acquisition will serve as a complement to Groov-Pin’s existing capabilities and capacities.
Lean manufacturing will remain a significant part of the company’s future. “I’d like to see us continue making improvements through the lean process working with our partner, Georgia Tech. That has been the biggest impact on the business,” said Bunn.
The company partnered with Georgia Tech in 2009 and plans to continue the relationship. Bunn said the GaMEP staff challenges him and his team to create better solutions. Bunn will continue to encourage employees to share their ideas to improve operations, which are posted on the wall in the staff break room. Some of the employee-driven developments helped Groov-Pin retain its competitive advantage, even through trying economic times.
Valuing employees has been and will remain a priority for the company. “We need to continue to provide jobs for all of the people that work here, the products for our customers, and there’s another wave of people hopefully coming in the future that are looking for employment and we need to gainfully employ those folks that are going to take our places one day,” said Bunn.
In the coming years, Groov-Pin will also increase its service and involvement with the community. Groov-Pin works with non-traditional interns and apprentices through programs like bRIdge.jobs and graduates of the New England Institute of Technology and is involved in the School to Career program at the William M. Davies, Jr. Career and Technical High School.
Groov-Pin’s Georgia facility is involved with a German-style Apprenticeship Program known as the Georgia Consortium of Advanced Technical Training (GA CATT). Along with other Georgia manufacturers, Groov-Pin will work with Georgia Tech to provide on the job training to GA CATT candidates. One of the hopes for this program, the first of its kind in the U.S., is to fill a void for Georgia manufacturing by encouraging students to learn a trade.
“We want to continue working with local community colleges in Georgia and Rhode Island to make it clear what a good career path advanced manufacturing is, recruiting young people into manufacturing and into advanced manufacturing technician roles within our business,” Jones said.
Through 90 years of business, Groov-Pin has remained true to its values, commitment to providing successful careers in manufacturing, and ability to set industry standards for superior products and service.