Solving problems in the corporate world doesn’t typically need a thorough, non-technical explanation.
Not so for facilities services and for Larry, the first shift lead at an engineering plant in North Carolina.
Recently, Larry solved a problem within his client site by designing an innovative tool.
What he did is incredibly impressive, but likely confusing for us not versed in facilities services. But, Larry helps to explain it in layman’s terms. The most important part is Larry faced a problem, and it was his mission to solve it.
Where he works, there is a machine that picks up logs, aptly called a log loader. The machine lifts the logs onto pallets where they are then dropped and crushed. But sometimes, the pallets fall down and hit the hydraulic pump or a motor that drives the hydraulic pump—not conducive to finishing a job safely and on time.
To fix the problem, Larry designed a metal cover to go over the log loader so when the palette falls, it doesn’t hit anything.
“I liked fixing it,” says Larry. “It saves from having to clean up.”
But his innovative thinking continues.
Another issue within the plant was old lightbulbs which, over time, would get brittle and break, falling out of the ceiling. He did copious amounts of research but couldn’t find anything to protect the lightbulb so that when it came loose it wouldn’t fall.
Larry took it upon himself to create a bracket to hook on all of the different fixtures throughout the plant. Over the course of a year, he used a pole to fasten the bracket to about 4,000 or 5,000 light fixtures hoisted 30 feet in the air.
He made all of the brackets by hand, chopping 500 a day and then bending them. It took him about three to four minutes to bend 10.
That’s a lot of brackets.
He’s considering getting a patent for his invention.
“That’s my biggest accomplishment,” he says. “It felt great.”
Both of his inventions save time and money. For the lights, no one has to go up in the ceiling and to fix the bulbs and there is a safety aspect because the bulbs don’t fall to the ground.
Larry joined C&W Services a whopping 33 years ago. For him the days, and the years, speed up when you’re interested in the work you’re doing.
“It’s nice to get up and come in and do something you like to do,” he says. “They say if you like what you’re doing, it isn’t work.”
Larry is one of many stories we have from the field that demonstrate how our team’s culture is the backbone of our service delivery success.
Get inspired and read more stories about employees just like Larry.
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