At USI, we realize that the proper transfer of knowledge and skills to all employees who build, inspect, and test product is a critical building block for quality and on-time delivery. We’ve mandated that we only want people who are skilled and qualified handling our customer’s products.

All new Manufacturing, Test, and Inspection employees attend a quality orientation where we explain the importance of quality and process controls.

Then Engineering and Manufacturing build a training matrix for each new employee. The matrix is a list of skills that they need to become certified to before they can perform work on their own. We use a 4-step approach when it comes to training and certification:

1. Explain the Job:
The purpose and method of each specific job step is explained so the employee gets a high level understanding of the job details.

2. Present the Job in Detail:
Step 2 is an actual “show and tell” of the job steps by the trainer, with focus on detailing how and why each piece of the job is done.

3. Try Out the Job:
Employees perform the job on their own, and explain each step as they go. Step 3 is repeated until each employee shows that he or she understands critical job content and can perform them well.

4. Perform the Job:
Employees perform the job under the watchful eye of the trainer for 5 separate lots. If and when they complete 5 lots in a row without any quality or workmanship issues, they will become certified. Their skill matrix is updated and their capacity is added to the master capacity plan.