Through the years, LD Davis has expanded our offerings and services to become a premier manufacturer of adhesive products and solutions. As our product lines continue to evolve, so do our internal processes.
Our Operations team works diligently to keep everything running smoothly behind the scenes.
We recently sat down with Brooks Durham, the General Manager of our manufacturing facility. He gave us some insight into his role with LD Davis as well as what is in store for 2017.
HOW DID YOU GET YOUR START AT LD DAVIS?
I met Tripp Davis and was introduced to LD Davis Industries in 2007 during my first experience with adhesives. It was at this time that I joined a Folding Carton/Rigid box manufacturer located in Pennsylvania. I had worked with LD Davis on several occasions in the years that followed.
In early 2015, my wife and I decided for a change of scenery and I accepted the role of General Manager at Davis’ Monroe, NC facility. Having been a customer, it was a great opportunity to transition my perspective to Davis’ Supply Chain.
WHAT IS YOUR ROLE WITHIN THE OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT AT LD DAVIS?
On a macro-level my role is to translate LD Davis’ strategic initiatives into actionable tactical functions for each of the departments in our Monroe, NC facility. However, we are all hands-on coworkers. We’ve developed into what we call an “all-in society” with everyone willing to do whatever it takes to get orders out on-time and right the first time.
Certainly we all have our distinct roles, which works 95% of the time. Our goal is to proactively address the 5% before we are faced with a challenge.
At times my role is to beta test "work arounds" and procedures before handing it off to the proper department.
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT YOUR ROLE?
The most enjoyable part of my role is watching the individual team members’ roles and responsibilities evolve.
When I first entered college, my plans were to enter the Education profession. My concern was that working in the private sector would be too mundane for me. To my surprise, I was very fortunate to navigate into manufacturing roles that allowed me to educate my team, rather than simply watch over them in a traditional supervisory role.
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY DOING IN YOUR FREE TIME?
Hiking and playing video games. Having been in Manufacturing roles since the beginning of my career, I have spent a lot of time indoors – walking the plant floor, sitting in meetings and working at a desk. Being outdoors affords me some time to move around and experience nature. The weather in North Carolina is beautiful almost all year round, so I'm able to do a lot more hiking now than I did living in Pennsylvania.
I realize the video gaming part seems out of place with being outdoors, but I find it to be quite meditative. Having grown up during the video game console golden age, I guess it’s a nostalgic throwback.
WHAT DO YOU FEEL IS THE BEST WAY TO DESCRIBE THE TEAM IN THE MONROE FACILTY?
Our teammates in Monroe are incredibly versatile and resilient. Aside from our internal processes improving – so are our customers. The internet continues to increase everyone’s expectations for immediate and transparent information flow.
Thorough cross-training has been the secret to our success during our recent ERP implementation. Everyone is able to step in for each other to provide a seamless customer experience - even during holiday and vacation seasons.
WHAT ARE A FEW OF YOUR GOALS FOR LD DAVIS IN 2017?
Our primary goal for 2017 is to optimize our new ERP system. The latter part of 2016 was spent getting the system in place, uploading historical data and redefining our processes within the new platform. During 2017 we are really going to put the system to work for us.
As with any state of the art system, many of the traditional responsibilities have shifted to different departments, something which has pushed cross-training even further. Every day we discover some new way to integrate other technologies into the mix. One great example is the integration between Microsoft Outlook and our CRM; both have endless possibilities which can easily be integrated into our current IT systems. This has really helped take our process efficiencies to the next level.
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