It is no secret that Metcam was Georgia’s Manufacturer of the Year in 2018. It’s also shouldn’t be a secret that the path there required great leadership, guided by experience, a tireless commitment to improvement and constant focus on what matters the most.
“We’re always trying to eliminate waste – wasted motion, time, materials,” Jerry Ward, Vice President of Operations and Co-Owner of the innovative manufacturer of metal fabrications and value-added services including assembly, logistics and inventory programs, told hosts Lew Weiss and Tim Grady on Manufacturing Talk Radio. “By zeroing in and eliminating all that we become more efficient, make better parts. All of this is with the intention of giving our customers a much better product.”
Ward has been through thick and thin, and leverages both in Metcam’s operations — thick relationships and thin, as in, lean manufacturing. Atlanta-based Metcam turned 30 in fine fashion this year, thanks in no small part to the skill and commitment to teamwork and operational improvements that have led Ward from his Air Force avionics technician role during multiple Apollo missions to industry automation pioneer and now co-owner of the Georgia Manufacturer of the Year. In addition to reducing lead times, the 72-year-old part-time ice cream aficionado is currently hard at work making the Metcam shop paperless and able to seamlessly harness quality data for the company’s Syteline ERP system.
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