Hutchinson FTS Earns Safety and Health Gold Award

The Consultation Education and Training (CET) Division of the CIS Bureau of Safety and Regulation recognizes the safety and health achievements of Michigan employers and employees through CET Awards, which are based on excellent safety and health performance. The CET Gold Award recognizes two years without a lost time accident. The Jonesville plant has not had a lost time accident since Oct. 6, 1999.

"We're pleased to recognize Hutchinson FTS leadership with this award, because they place a high priority on the safety and health of every FTS employee,'' said CIS Deputy Director Dr. Kalmin Smith. "The accident-free environment in the Jonesville facility demonstrates that worker protection is an achievable goal.''

CIS Deputy Director Smith presented the award to: Ricky Wooten, Plant Manager, Reading and Jonesville Plants; Mark Ries, Program Manager, Jonesville Plant; Susan Palace, Human Resources Director, Corporate Office; and Ron Freese, Human Resources Manager, Reading and Jonesville Plants.

"It's a great honor to receive the Gold Award from the State of Michigan,'' said Paul H. Campbell, President and CEO, Hutchinson FTS, Inc. "We feel that safety is an indicator of the overall quality of our parts, process and people. The safety record of the Jonesville operation is an example to the whole Hutchinson organization.''

Hutchinson FTS leadership is committed to workplace safety and requires safety as a performance objective for all managers. According to Campbell, safety is the first measure reviewed by corporate management each month and significant formal preventive and corrective actions are required for every incident and near miss. Hutchinson works at every level for continuous safety improvement.

The Jonesville plant's approach to health and safety in the workplace is an extensive safety audit system. According to Jonesville Program Manager Mark Ries, they do a safety audit monthly, in order to view their plant with a "fresh set of eyes.'' During the audits they make a thorough list of any potential problems and then devise an action plan to correct those problems.

The FTS Jonesville Plant serves a unique function in the FTS group by supplying automotive air conditioning products for service, which are sold through dealerships. Their specialty is complexity -- they make fluid transfer systems for automotive models that are no longer in production.

Their 60 employees operate 800 machines, making 1,900 final part numbers. A typical automotive supplier in their field would probably make a maximum of 30 final parts. The Jonesville plant is very people oriented -- the complexity of their manufacturing operation requires skilled, knowledgeable employees. The Jonesville plant has outstanding quality service numbers, particularly given the wide range of parts produced.

Hutchinson FTS is the world's largest independent supplier of automotive air conditioner refrigerant fluid transfer systems. The company operates five major production facilities in Jonesville and Reading, Michigan, and Byrdstown and Livingston, Tennessee, and has a total of nearly 975 employees.

The FTS headquarters in Troy, MI, houses extensive research and development laboratories, a large prototyping and sample making unit, and the product engineering center. FTS designers and engineers have the ability to rapidly develop a complete air conditioner refrigerant fluid transfer system for virtually any vehicle in the world, going from concept to working prototype system within three to four weeks.