Since the kick-off of the AEM Manufacturing Express bus tour, AEM and its employees have been eager to meet and engage with the workforce that makes it possible for AEM member companies to manufacture the equipment that builds, powers, and feeds the world.
This past week, the AEM Manufacturing Express traveled to both North and South Carolina to visit Timken Tyger River and Shiloh plants in a multi-state doubleheader visit, before continuing on to Leeboy and BOMAG to finish the week before a long Labor Day weekend. Along the route, AEM continued to tell the story of equipment manufacturing through events, activities, and content, as well as speak with one collective voice about the bipartisan pro-manufacturing policies the industry needs.
The dual-visit to Timken’s Tyger River and Shiloh plants -- the company’s pillars of its U.S. bearings division, in Union, South Carolina, and Rutherford, North Carolina -- was a recognition of the profound impact that the equipment manufacturers have in the Carolinas, and the dedicated employees who are continuing to make that legacy possible.
Timken’s bearings are the foundation of many machines that drive our world, and the company emphasizes the importance of their product in terms of safety. “Safety is a nonrecoverable metric,” says Marty Hallman, the company’s director of bearing operations, Americas. “People may not always realize the importance of these components in keeping them safe, but I like to use those moments, like when a plane lands safely, to remind them that this wouldn’t be possible without our products.”
The company is well known for taking care of its employees and the surrounding community. Timken boasts 1,900 employees across nine manufacturing and distribution facilities, and the company is deeply committed to keeping its manufacturing local. Timken places an emphasis on programs aimed at attracting the next generation of manufacturing employees, including high school students, transitioning military veterans, and encouraging college students to try their hand at a trade. The company’s dedication to their employees is clear, and it plans to continue building a future where innovation and community go hand-in-hand.
Check out some photos from the event at Timken below, or visit the AEM Manufacturing Express Flickr gallery.
After a visit to LeeBoy on Thursday, the AEM Manufacturing Express headed to BOMAG on Friday, dipping back down to South Carolina for the company’s annual Family Day. The company has a lot to celebrate, being the leader supplier in the vibratory roller industry worldwide, and went all-out with an on-site carnival, face painting, and a dunk tank in addition to the AEM Manufacturing Challenge game, giveaways, and community engagement. Beyond making equipment that lasts longer, BOMAG also focuses on being a company people can grow at over the long term. The company prioritizes the development of young workers into company leaders, providing them with opportunities to grow professionally and personally through driver safety training, language courses and sports activities.
BOMAG has been operating in South Carolina since the company opened its North American headquarters in Ridgeway in 2014. South Carolina has been a great place to grow its operations, as the state is encouraging of equipment manufacturing, and as a result its business has tripled. “We are pleased to be in South Carolina. We have great culture and great employees,” said BOMAG Americas President Brian Bieller.
Check out some photos from the event at BOMAG below, or visit the AEM Manufacturing Express Flickr gallery.
The AEM Manufacturing Express will continue on to Spartanburg Steel Products in Spartanburg, South Carolina and Power Curbers Companies in Salisbury, North Carlina, and then will move up to Crenlo Engineered Cabs in Tennessee, Conn-Weld Industries in West Virginia, Old Dominion Brush Company in Virginia, and Volvo Construction Equipment in Pennsylvania in the coming week.
About the AEM Manufacturing Express
The most ambitious and impactful public engagement initiative in AEM’s 130-year history, the AEM Manufacturing Express is an interactive mobile tour that will cover 20 states and make stops at more than 80 equipment manufacturers’ facilities in the Midwest, South, Mid-Atlantic, and states around the Great Lakes this summer and into the fall. Stay in the know on all things AEM Manufacturing Express by visiting www.manufacturingexpress.org.
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