A global manufacturer improves production by going lean thanks to FVTC.​

IN PHOTO: Don Warzynski with his team

The Oshkosh Division of Philadelphia-based Kingsbury Inc., a major producer of film bearings for heavy industrial machinery, maintains its reliance on Fox Valley Technical College for the latest in continuous improvement practices.

“Through the Lean for Leaders training initiative, the Tech helped us lay the groundwork to eliminate waste and make better decisions,” states Kingsbury Director of Manufacturing, Don Warzynski. “We are learning processes to improve decision making in purchasing, engineering, manufacturing and human resources.”

Kingsbury has worked with FVTC for over a decade to better serve its customers in the power generation, oil and gas, marine propulsion and pump industries worldwide. “We employ Fox Valley Tech apprentices and machine tool graduates, and our company looks to the college for training resources in blueprint reading, tolerance measurements and metrics training, to name a few,” adds Warzynski.

Warzynski believes the success of the partnership between Kingsbury and FVTC is based on mutual respect. “Fox Valley Tech’s trainers are truly part of our team,” he says. “Lean for Leaders has a steep learning curve, but it’s helping us discover where the opportunities are and how to use new tools for improvements.”

A graduate of FVTC himself, Warzynski believes in the FVTC approach to education. “I completed an apprenticeship through the Tech and earned two associate degrees,” he recalls. “The knowledge I gained at Fox Valley Tech helped advance my career at Kingsbury.”

Quick Fact:

FVTC's Business & Industry Services team trained 23,300+ employees, representing 1,877 employers during 2016-17.