AFC-Holcroft recently invited employees and their families, company retirees, and other guests to view its newly renovated building as part of an open house.
The purpose of the open house was twofold: to show off the renovations to family and friends and to raise the profile of manufacturing and engineering to school-aged and college- bound students, giving them a real-world look at an actual working environment with a diversity of career options.
The day began with general presentation of “what is heat treating” to introduce guests to the “why” of what the company makes. Company president and CEO Bill Disler led each session with a short overview of AFC- Holcroft, highlighting its 100-year history, customer base, global reach, and other aspects.
Following a short ‘why and how’ of heat treating using common objects to illustrate some of the metallurgical goals of heat treatment, the sessions disbursed among multiple employee volunteers who were stationed around the facility. On the manufacturing floor, guests were given a demonstration of HMI programs, an overview of shipping and receiving areas, and a look at the amount of inventory and spare parts the company carries. They then toured the engineering areas before taking a general tour of the building, where various new environmentally-friendly upgrades and innovative design features have recently been implemented.
At the conclusion of the AFC-Holcroft agenda, guests traveled to nearby Atmosphere Heat Treating, where they got to see fully-operational heat-treating furnaces in operation in an actual commercial heat treatment setting.
“The best work environments are usually those who acknowledge that workers have a life outside of their job, which at times crosses into family time,” Disler said. “So, the more the family understands about the work life, the more supportive they may be when those times occur. And on another topic, we also understand the challenges this company and others will face in finding and training the next generation of the workforce. So even in this small way, every opportunity we can find to introduce children to math, science, technology and manufacturing is a win for everyone.”
MORE INFO www.afc-holcroft.com
