(SOUTHFIELD, Mich., June 6, 2023) — SME, the nonprofit organization committed to advancing manufacturing and developing a skilled workforce, announced today that it awarded its 2023 Excellence in Manufacturing Training Award to Intek Plastics, a major supplier of engineered thermoplastic extrusions, fabricated sub-assemblies and value-added services to original equipment manufacturers, based in Hastings, Minnesota.

The award, established to showcase manufacturing leaders and provide outstanding benchmarks for companies seeking to build a workforce strategy, honors Intek Plastics’ exceptional commitment and dedication to upskilling its workforce, enhancing talent, and preparing new and incumbent employees for successful careers in the manufacturing industry.

SME, through its workforce development division, Tooling U-SME, is the manufacturing industry's leading workforce development solution provider, working with thousands of companies including more than half of all Fortune 500 manufacturers as well as nearly 1,000 educational institutions across the country. The ongoing workforce crisis in manufacturing motivated SME to document, celebrate and share best practices with others looking to make talent development a core strategic pillar.

“This award seeks to honor companies that recognize the value of investing in their workforce, which is very evident in the results achieved by Intek Plastics over the last decade,” said Jeannine Kunz, Chief Workforce Development Officer of SME. “Intek is a company that has overcome significant challenges and adversity in its business climate, and production volumes and has come out stronger, better staffed and ready for growth, with a robust recruitment and training system in place to support expansion.”

Tracking a 2013 downturn in the U.S. housing market on which Intek Plastics’ business model relied, the company consolidated two plants into one, then in 2020 endured the Covid-19 pandemic, closely followed by a very severe winter, which increased stress and supply-chain disruptions, undermining recovery efforts.

“We had a couple of significant years,” Jill Hesselroth, CEO of Intek Plastics said. “Fortunately, we were able to work together with our customers, employees, suppliers, and board of directors to come up with some excellent plans.”

During this stressful period, because company extrusion operation employees have a unique skill set that takes a substantial amount of time to develop, Intek prioritized their retention. Despite employment cuts that became the norm across the U.S., Intek actually expanded capacity coming out of the pandemic.

“Over the last seven years, we’ve pivoted toward a culture based on servant leadership,” Hesselroth said. “In practice, that means every single employee – whether they’re a leader, mid-management, or on the shop floor – is expected to help one another in order to be successful in their work.”

Hesselroth said the success of its servant-leader model depends on a number of factors, including:

• Excellent strategic planning and execution
• Hiring employees who share company values
• A focus on recruiting, retention and recognition in filling vacant positions
• Providing opportunities for employee development
• Continuing education geared toward advancement, including English as a Second Language
• A focus on diversity, equity and inclusion

The Excellence in Manufacturing Training Award is bestowed annually to the company that most effectively implements best practices in training programs focused on building a high-performing workforce to help others evolve their workforce development efforts and ultimately strengthen the manufacturing industry's competitiveness.