Recently, we had the privilege of welcoming several Sanderson MacLeod retirees back to the plant—to reconnect with old friends, meet today’s team, and see how the operation has evolved.
We showed them new automation, digital production reporting, our Setup Operator development program, and some of the investments we’re making in our people and processes. But the best part was seeing how much of today’s progress is still rooted in what they built.
Irene once produced as many as 3,000 brushes a day by hand. During the tour, she got to see the automated cell carrying that process forward and meet Kristin, the operator running it today.
Following the tradition of our Rosie machine, we also made Irene a promise: the machine will be repainted, recommissioned, and proudly named the IRENE-I.
Then there’s Ray S., who ran General Products for decades. Long before dashboards and real-time reporting, Ray managed much of what we’re trying to capture digitally today—with experience, discipline, and a yellow legal pad.
Having Ray back with our current team was invaluable. He was humble and reflective, sharing his perspective while taking a genuine interest in where we’re headed.
Recently added to the retiree list is Chris…who left not too long ago. We got to showcase one of Chris’s last projects—a completely automatic acrylic dipping line. His work has been carried on by the OSI team and he got to see it run full production.
The tools have changed. The knowledge behind them hasn’t.
To our retirees who came back to visit: thank you for helping build the foundation we continue to improve upon today. Your fingerprints are still all over it.
