We're getting ready to expand! No, we didn't eat too much at the local all-you-can eat seafood buffet (although it is delicious). We're getting ready to scale up Bridgeview and enter the next chapter of our business.

One of the ways we're getting ready for expansion is prepping the team and making sure the foundation is solid before we build on top of it. That means all our processes are in place, our team is trained up, our tools are ready, and materials are sourced. Our company runs smoothly now but if it didn't, and we tried to scale up in chaos, the chaos itself would simply grow.

We have team members becoming IPC certified. We have team members being cross-trained on machines and various hand tools. We are reaching out to different vendors to establish relationships with them and get the best prices for our customers. We're going to be revamping our website soon and updating our mission statement to better reflect our company culture.

All these things need to happen before expansion so that when growth does come, we're ready. Let's build something together!

Below:
Ben (left) is getting processes down to make sure when he trains future operators they can build our assemblies quickly and accurately. Kevin and Seth (right) are testing assemblies to make sure they're perfect when they leave the shop.

We have two anniversaries this week: Peter and Ashlee! Both have been with us for a year and they both bring so much to the team that we couldn't imagine Bridgeview without them. 

Peter splits his time between production and engineering. helping to build assemblies and write instructions for our production team. He is studying to become a commercial pilot and just passed his first exam on his way to getting his private pilot license. Peter loves Dad jokes and fist bumps and volunteers as an assistant basketball coach in his limited spare time.

Ashlee is our go-to person in our Inventory department. Her organizational skills and love of order keeps our inventory area tidy and manageable. She is almost finished with school, working on a degree in Manufacturing Technology. We hope to bring her on full-time when she graduates next year. Ashlee loves animals and has a horse that stands 17 1/2 hands tall!

Happy anniversary, Peter and Ashlee!


Below:
Peter and Christina (left) smile for the camera Ashlee (right) holds up her anniversary certificate.

Ever wonder how an assembly makes it's way through the manufacturing process? When a new team member joins our company, one of the first things we do is train them on the journey an assembly makes, from customer purchase order to a completed assembly shipped to its final destination.

We start with inputting the purchase order into our database, making sure all the information is correct. We generate a work order and the work order gets handed off to our kitting team. The kit gets assembled and any wire or cable the assembly needs gets cut. The completed kit then gets sent to production. A production worker will begin assembly and, depending on the size of the assembly, will get help from other production team members. Our inspector checks the assemblies at designated stopping points throughout the assembly process to make sure our workmanship standards are adhered to. Once the assembly is complete, it is handed in to our quality assurance department for overall inspection and testing. After giving the assembly the stamp of approval, it gets packaged, put into a shipping box, and leaves that very same day.

Once a year we do a company-wide training to refresh everyone on the various processes associated with an assembly's journey through our shop. It's fun to see the different teams peek into areas of the shop they generally don't work in and see work they normally aren't involved in. We cheer each other on as we follow a mock assembly through the shop, from kitting to shipping. Seeing how the processes all fit together helps everyone recognize how important their work is and how teamwork is essential in getting that work done.


Below:
The teams are working together to understand the various processes in building an assembly.