JR Quarterly Newsletter - Summer 2014

Cover Image:

JR Automation Technologies, addition in progress12688 New Holland Street, Holland, MI 49424 Courtesy of Lizzie Uhl

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 2 • SUMMER 2014QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

OLD & NEW: JR NEW HOLLAND’S ADDITION IS UNDER WAY!

See page 15 for details.

QUARTERLY SUMMER 20142 3

EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHTSIN THIS ISSUEEmployee Spotlights 3New Hires and New Roles 4Employment Anniversaries 5New Arrivals 6Employee Weddings 7Employee Milestones 8Harnessing the Power of Teamwork 10Incentive Programs 11Quarterly Update 12Thirty Years of Leeuw 13Renovations 14New Holland Addition 15JRCCF News and Events 16JR in the Community 18First Robotics: Team 141 20Saint Joseph FIRST Robotics District Competition 21News From Epoch 22Featured Supplier 23AWL: New Friends in the East 24Around the World 25Jim and Barbara Yates 26News from the ERT 28Safety Awareness 29Reminders 30Note from the Writers 31

Steven Michel – Cost & Concept Engineer

Steven has been with JR for about a year. He is an alumnus of Grand Valley State University, with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. His favorite part of the job is working with fun people in an upbeat atmosphere. Steven has been happy to have the support of the JR family during the last year as he’s reached several major life milestones while here, including building a new home, and welcoming his first daughter, Isabelle, to the world.

Michelle Rouwhorst – Administrative Assistant

Michelle is a new member of the JR family. She began her position at the New Holland front desk in early January of this year and has quickly become a valuable asset to the team. Michelle’s favorite part of the job is interacting with everyone and the fun sense of humor employees and visitors bring in every day. Michelle says she also doesn’t mind the candy drawers at her desk!

The people listed below have recently joined our team or accepted a new position within the company. Check the list for new faces at your building!

Name Job Title Date of Hire

Elias Cervantes Machine Builder Assistant 04/07/2014

Sam Clarke Mechanical Engineer 04/21/2014

Brendan Powers Clean-up/Co-op Work Crew 05/12/2014

Riley Williamson Clean-up/Co-op Work Crew 05/12/2014

Andrew Krystiniak Controls Engineer 05/19/2014

Greg Balcom Mechanical Engineer 05/27/2014

Justin Coburn Controls Technician 06/02/2014

Spencer Thomas Controls Engineer 06/02/2014

Richard Shirey Electrician Assistant 06/09/2014

Joshua Stein Cost and Concept Engineer 06/16/2014

Brian Farrell Controls Engineer 06/30/2014

Mike McHenry Controls Engineer 06/30/2014

Dean Root Mechanical Engineer 06/30/2014

New Holland


Sami Birch Technical Writer 03/24/2014

Brandon Twa Technical Writer 03/24/2014

Eric Wegeler Machine Builder 04/28/2014

Ian Kuipers Mechanical Engineer 04/29/2014

Scott Lewis Mechanical Engineer 05/19/2014

Trenton Alexander Clean-up/Co-op Work Crew 06/16/2014

Nick Breuker Machine Builder 06/16/2014

Quality Drive


NEW HIRES AND NEW ROLES

EMPLOYMENT ANNIVERSARIES


Matt Amidon Controls Engineer 04/28/2014

James-Vincent Duazo Cost and Concept Engineer 05/05/2014

Brendon Getz Controls Engineer 05/12/2014

Olivia Highley Administrative Assistant 05/19/2014

Brandyn Everest Controls Engineer 05/19/2014

David Solack Controls Technician 06/09/2014

Todd Kiessel Machine Builder 06/30/2014

Ben Garrison Project Manager*

Tyler Street

*Denotes new role within the company


Steve Sutton Robotic Service Engineer 05/12/2014

Joseph Benjock Mechanical Engineer 05/19/2014

South Carolina


Dan Spear Robotic Service Engineer 04/01/2014

Hunter Krueger Controls Engineer 04/01/2014

Brooks Diamond Controls Engineer 04/01/2014

Dale deFerbache Robotic Service Engineer 04/14/2014

Brian Booth Mechanical Engineer 06/16/2014

Pat Verderese Mechanical Engineer 06/23/2014

Dane Systems

Name Job Title Facility

Melissa Cook Purchasing Assistant Tyler Street


Seth Reenders Mechanical Engineer Quality Drive


Mike Ehlert Project Manager Dane

Dave Gerold Machine Builder Dane

5 Years

10 Years

20 Years

Congratulations to the team members listed below, who are celebrating major anniversaries with JR Automation and Dane Systems.

EMPLOYEE WEDDINGS

Congratulations to all of our JR employees who recently tied the knot!


NEW ARRIVALS!

Mark and Jennifer DriesengaJune 7Quality Drive

Christian and Chelsea StaatApril 11Quality Drive

Todd and Whitney McIntoshJune 7Tyler Street

Travis and Sarah TardaniJune 14Quality Drive

Neil and Jordan WoodwykApril 4Quality Drive

Matt and Samantha ParsonsApril 30South Carolina

Greg and Amanda ScottMay 21South Carolina

We are thrilled to welcome these babies to the JR and Dane families! Congratulations, new parents!

Dietrich Caleb DeVriesBorn 05/10/2014 toAdam and Stephanie DeVriesTyler Street

Brooklynn KontowiczBorn 09/13/2013 toAJ and Karrie KontowiczNew Holland

Hunter St. ClairBorn 06/08/2014 toNick and Danielle St. ClairTyler Street

Hazel McKenney OlsonBorn 03/22/2014 toMike and Katherine OlsonNew Holland

Kyla Quinn GurleyBorn 06/10/2014 toKate Puisis and Emmet GurleyTyler Street

Tenley Lynn PrinsBorn 05/20/2014 toCasey and Krista PrinsNew Holland


Ben Smith (New Holland): Passed his master electrician exam and is now a lisenced master electrician.

Mark Jennings (Quality Drive): Received his Electrical Journeyman’s License.

Vince Duazo (Tyler Street): Received an Outstanding Student Award from Grand Valley State University.

Brad Emswiler (Dane Systems): Will send his daughter, Elizabeth, off to Grace College in Winona Lake, Indiana this fall.

Jon Van Antwerp (New Holland): Spent three weeks biking through the UK on an unforgettable vacation.

EMPLOYEE MILESTONES EMPLOYEE MILESTONES

Joe Aguirre (Epoch): Became engaged to Natalie Lattimore.

Brandon Twa (Quality Drive): Completed his first 5K Run.

Ryan Schwark (Quality Drive): Became engaged to Karen Murawski.

Dave Gerold (Dane Systems, left): Celebrated his 20 year employment anniversary.

Special Congratulations to Doug Laarman!

This summer, the JR family will say goodbye to Doug Laarman as he retires. Doug has been a member of the shipping and receiving team for the last nine years. “I can say I’m proud to work for JR,” Doug said at his retirement party, “JR is a great place to work; everyone is very helpful and there’s a lot of teamwork.” We wish Doug the best of luck in all his future endeavors!

SUMMER 2014 11

At a recent meeting, managers at JR gathered to discuss the importance of teamwork and what it means to be a team player at JR. Interestingly, the teamwork fundamentals they deemed critical to our success today turned out to be the same criteria that were covered in a speech Brad Bush gave back in 2001.

Teamwork is the foundation upon which our success as a company is built. While we all know that our achievements as a team depend on positive collaboration from everyone involved, it can be easy to forget how important teamwork truly is. At JR, we believe that teamwork is defined and embodied

by four elements: commitment, trust, respect, and encouragement.

Commitment

Ask yourself, “What am I committed to?” Undoubtedly, you will come up with several different answers. However, the question we should be asking ourselves at work is, “How can we better commit ourselves to the team at large?” Be committed to helping out members of your own department, as well as members of a different department. Flexibility and a willingness to work across departmental lines is what it takes for our team to win. It’s just as

important to commit to asking for help when you need it.

Setting our own egos aside is crucial to growing and improving not only our culture of teamwork, but the quality of our work in general.

Trust

The most difficult element of teamwork is trust. Relinquishing control of our own projects can be downright scary. However, it can also lead to a better end result. Our willingness to trust others and be part of a collaborative process is what helps everyone become better. This doesn’t mean that we should give work away or hand off difficult

tasks to others because we don’t think we’re up to the challenge. In fact, an important part of building trust amongst our team members is challenging each other to step up to the plate. As long as your intentions are good and your goal is to make the team more effective, it’s okay to ruffle some feathers.

Respect

Our strength as a company comes from an ability to harness our collective knowledge and expertise in order to produce the best product for our customers. While ruffling feathers can be a good thing,

it’s important to always respect the opinions and input of others. Additionally, we can all respect the fact that everyone has a job to do and that no function or department is more important than the next. Without the efforts of every person on the team, we all fail.

Encouragement

Everyone has personal and professional peaks and valleys. It’s up to all of us to encourage our teammates to step up and perform to the best of their ability. Even more than that, we all want to feel as though we are a valuable part of the team and that we bring something unique to the table. Encouraging

others, recognizing the contributions of our fellow team members, and generally working hard to build others up will inevitably create a positive culture in which everyone thrives and works their hardest.

When we harness the power of teamwork we will have more opportunities than we know what to do with because our customers will want to be part of a winning team. As Michael Jordan famously said, “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.” Let’s work together and aim for the championship!

INCENTIVE PROGRAMS

EligibilityReferral Incentive:

• Employee making the referral must be classified as an employee of JR Automation Technologies, LLC. (Full-time, part-time, temporary, seasonal).

• Referred candidate must be hired into a full-time position.

• Not open to employees at the management level. This is due to the ability at that level to genuinely influence the hiring decision.

• Not open to contract personnel.

Hire Bonus:

• No restrictions on the job class of the hired employee. Open to hires in nonexempt, exempt and management positions.

• Must be hired at a full-time employment status as an employee of JR Automation Technologies, LLC.

• Employees hired at a part-time or temporary/seasonal status are not eligible.

Payout• Payment schedule of 50%

($299.50) 60 days beyond date of hire and 50% ($299.50) six months from hire date.

• Payment will appear as a tool bill account credit. The credit may be transferred to the employee’s pay check upon request.

• REMEMBER: The referring employee needs to initiate any requests for payment.

Procedure• The referring employee initiates

the request for both the referral and hire bonuses through their Business Unit Manager.

• The program is administered by Accounting and HR.

1 2 3

Know someone who would be perfect for a job at JR or Dane? Check out the info below on the Referral Incentive and Hire Bonus programs to find out how you can get paid for your recommendation!

HARNESSING THE POWER OF TEAMWORK

“Great things in business are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of people.” - Steve Jobs

Questions?

Contact Michelle DeMott

[email protected], ext. 3452

or Laura Brouwer

[email protected], ext. 3330

Arnold Miedema, former owner of Capitol Engineering, stopped by the Quarterly meeting to see how much JR has grown over the years. Capitol Engineering was our first engineering source before JR had its own engineering department.

Mother’s Day Flower Sale

Former employee Shawn Diemer sold flowers for Mother’s Day after the Quarterly Meeting. A portion of the proceeds went to the JR Community Care Fund.

Behind the ScenesA big thank you to Curt Bosch and Joel Cooper for grilling up a delicious lunch! Melissa Cook, Katie Firmiss, and crew also did a great job helping to make this Quarterly meeting so wonderful, as always. Finally, thanks to maintenance for preparing the space for the meeting. We couldn’t do it without you!

Katie and Melissa set up a delicious lunch!

BU3 Engineers get a little rowdy

Those flowers look heavy, Jay!

The guys from BU1 are excited for burgers

Joel and Curt: Master Grillers59 %

Less than 3 Years (285)

448 Total Employees

14% More than

10 Years (70)

11% 5 to 10 Years

(54)

16 % 3 to 5 Years

(75)

In March of 1984, Harry Leeuw walked into JR Tool and Engineering as a machine builder. Thirty years later, he had the pleasure of walking into an office overflowing with pink balloons in honor of his anniversary. “I knew something was up when I drove up to the building and saw the pink glow,” Harry says. Harry extends his deepest thanks to everyone who pulled together a great celebration for his 30th Anniversary at JR.

Harry marvels that the growth period we’ve experienced over the past three years has been equal to, if not greater than, the growth period over his first 27 years at JR. When Harry was hired, he joined a team of just 14 people. Harry now serves as a Business Unit Manager at the BU1 facility on New Holland Street, where he helps oversee a building of almost 100 employees. Harry is grateful to work with us, but we’re even more grateful to have him. Thanks for all of your hard work, Harry!

30 Years of Leeuw30 Years of Leeuw

Almost too beautiful to eat. Almost...

Harry’s family joined in the celebration Thanks for your continued hard work and dedication, Harry!

By: Stephanie Gamble

Quarterly RecapAt the Quarterly meeting on May 6th, Scot Lindemann and Bryan Jones gave a presentation on how much JR has grown.

Ten years ago, JR employed 162 people. Today, we have 448 employees and are still growing.

See below for employee breakdown by years of service:

“JR is such a great group of people. I’m very thankful for the

opportunity to work here. ”

QUARTERLY UPDATE

12 QUARTERLY

BU1 Employees gather inside the addition. Lookin’ good, guys!


RENOVATIONS

May 13, 2014 June 13, 2014

Construction of the 40,000 sqaure foot addition to New Holland’s shop floor began on May 13, 2014. The addition, being completed by Lakewood Construction, is slated to be finished by mid to late August of this year and will be a great opportunity for JR to continue meeting our customers’ needs!

NEW HOLLAND ADDITION

Accounting personnel temporarily moved upstairs while renovations were underway.

Desks being assembled after the walls and carpet were updated.

Hard at work in the newly renovated space!

Tyler Street - Accounting Offices

Quality Drive Renovations

The trench on the shop floor was finally filled!

A crew clears out the old cubicles to make way for updates.

The expanded Controls Engineering area with (12) additional cubicles.

JRCCF UPCOMING EVENTS

Julie Potts and Kevin Bowe warming the bench at last year’s

Softball Tournament

Mike Suskey hands the coveted trophy over to Jeremy Hoeksema

By: Debbie Reinbold


Contact the JRCCFQuestions? Comments? Ideas for fundraisers? Contact the JRCCF Committee by e-mailing us at [email protected] or by talking to any of the committee members:

Al OverwegBen GarvelinkBen SmithBrandon TwaBret HoeksemaChelsea DreyerDebbie Reinbold

Elizabeth TalsmaHaley NghiemJennifer CamposJohn BatesJon VanAntwerpKatie FirmissKelly VanderZwaag

Liz SeeberLizzie UhlMark JanickiMatt VanEkRobyn GordonSami BirchStephanie Gamble

With your help, the JR Community Care Fund raises money by hosting fundraisers throughout the year. JC Huizenga, the owner of JR Automation,matches what we raise – dollar for dollar.

1: Cookout and Raffle

It’s almost time for the annual hamburger cookout and raffle. This year, the prize winners will be announced via email and posted around shop floors after the cookout. There are a couple of big ticket items in this year’s pool. Prizes can be collected after winners have been announced. Show your support for the JRCCF and try your luck at the raffle.

2: Softball Tournament

The Third Annual Softball Tournament is coming up on August 18th at 6PM. Sign-up by July 18th to play in the tournament. If you don’t play, come out to the Helder Park Softball Fields and cheer on your coworkers! Invite friends and family as well. Concessions will be available at the park by donation, including some grilled goodness from our own Curt Bosch.

JRCCF RECAP

Weight Loss Challenge Congratulations to the 23 JR employees who participated in the Weight Loss Challenge. This event raised $625 for the JRCCF. Our three title holders are: Rob Bonney, Kent Deemter, and Matt Schipper, all from New Holland. Thanks to everyone who participated - we hope to see you next year!

Kids’ Food Basket Volunteer Day On May 10th, four JRCCF Committee members gave their time to help pack Sack Suppers at Kids’ Food Basket. These meals help provide children in need with healthy dinners. Thanks again for your support of KFB and all our chosen charities this past year!

March Madness! Thank you to the participants in the 2014 annual March Madness Tournament. We raised $370 for the JRCCF and our championship winner was Scott Bush. Go Scott and go UConn Huskies!

Red Cross Blood DriveThe American Red Cross Blood Drive took place on June 11th in the New Holland lunchroom and was a huge success. We had 39 JR employees present themselves and 36 gave blood. The Red Cross estimates that every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood. The blood given by JR employees will be donated to local hospitals for patients in need. Thank you!

JR employees choose which West Michigan organizations receive the funds we raise together.Thank you to everyone who participates in JRCCF events throughout the year!

Scott Bush: March Madness Champion

Making sandwiches at Kids’ Food Basket

Sami Birch smiles while donating

By: Debbie Reinbold

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CAREERLINE TECH CENTER!

Careerline Tech CenterEach spring, students in the Electrical Program at Careerline Tech Center perform a series of tests under the watchful eye of an advisory board. Through interactive learning, these students have developed a wide variety of skills, including electrical drawing and creation, electrical circuit design, and circuit installations. They have also learned basic motor control wiring and to read and interpret prints, diagrams, and schematics.

“It’s a great hands-on program for the students to learn basic electrical skills,” says Ben Smith, who has been involved with Careerline Tech Center for the last five years. “It gives students a chance to determine if they want to pursue a career in the electrical field.”

Because of the partnership JR Automation maintains with the tech center, we are able to work with students and witness their work ethic and enthusiasm firsthand. It also gives JR the opportunity to guide tech center students toward becoming great candidates for positions within the company.

Last semester, JR employed two electrical and two pneumatic co-op students from Careerline Tech Center. Students connected to JR typically start on the clean-up crew or in a co-op position. Many students eventually go on to become apprentices.

Careerline Tech Center has been training students in career and technical education programs since 1977. Today, the school has more than 1,500 students enrolled across 23 different programs.

JR IN THE COMMUNITYBy: Stephanie Gamble

In the last issue, we featured an article on Careerline Tech Center’s involvement in the Discover Manufacturing Today video challenge. The challenge was for West Michigan high school students to shoot and edit a video describing the importance of manufacturing. Several companies in the area participated as mentors in the challenge such as Gentex, Holland Litho, and JR Automation.

The votes have been cast and the results are in: Careerline Tech won 1st place!

An awards ceremony was held at Celebration Cinema North on April 30th, where the top videos were shown and the winners were announced. Five out of the eight videos shown were from the Careerline Tech Center, and one student even won a $1000 scholarship to Grand Rapids Community College. The Careerline Tech Center walked away with with a grand prize of $6500 to spend on new equipment for the school.

Not only did the school win cash prizes, they also won the gift of experience. William Wolbrink, media communications instructor for the CTC said the challenge “provided invaluable learning opportunites and experiences for the students.”

JR helped students out by giving them a tour of our shop floors, providing interviews, and allowing them to shoot video of us doing what we do best: making world-class automated machinery. To say thank you, student participants presented representatives from JR Automation with a plaque at the awards ceremony.

Congratulations, Careerline Tech Center! We were thrilled to participate in this great community event and look forward to continued collaboration.


By: Brandon Twa

SUMMER 2014 21

Every team played hard, and Team Lance-A-Bot, Excel, Wobot (JR’s team), and the Average Joes all qualified for finals.

FIRST competitions differ from most sports in that teams must form alliances with two other teams. Matches are decided by

total points, but each team is also evaluated individually. As a result, an alliance may win the match, but not all teams in that alliance will receive equal points toward their finals standing. When the judges announce the finalists, teams may form new alliances with any

of the other competing teams, including other finalists.

Most of Dane’s sponsored teams were recognized for their robot designs. Excel received the Innovation in Control Award (sponsored by Rockwell Automation), Team Lance-A-Bot received the Industrial Safety Award (sponsored by Underwriters

Laboratories), and the Average Joes received the Imagery Award in honor of Jack Kamen.

The Saint Joseph High School Average Joes, with the help of the EngiNERDs of Grand Blanc High School and Technical Difficulties of Clarkston High School, also went on to win the event!

Regional FIRST Robotics competition took place on March 28th and 29th at Saint Joseph High School. Dane Systems sponsors four of the 39 teams that took place in the event: Lakeshore High School’s team 4237, Team Lance-A-Bot; Southwestern Michigan College’s team 2474, Excel; Berrien Career Tech and Niles High School’s team 3509, Team Fallout, and Saint Joseph High School’s team 3620, the Average Joes.

The event itself felt more like a varsity sports game than a robotics competition. Crowds cheered on the participants (“3-6-2-OH, Let’s Go Saint Joe!”), and fans brought flags, signs, and costumes to support their teams, like the robot pictured at right.

Rank Team QS Auto TeleOP Record

1 3620 22.00 469.00 308.00 11-1-0

6 2474 18.00 502.00 215.00 9-3-0

8 4237 16.00 381.00 332.00 8-4-0

14 141 14.00 405.00 182.00 7-5-0

24 3509 10.00 370.00 281.00 5-7-0

Scot Lindemann (head referee), Al Bass, & Korey Manning (judges)

By: Jillian Robb

Saint Joseph FIRST Robotics District Competition

Community Involvement Before the season kicked off, the Wobots participated in the Ultimate Cycle Challenge to promote cancer awareness. They helped facilitate the Lego League season which encourages middle school youth to build small robots mainly out of lego blocks for competition. The Wobots toured elementary schools as the season wound down to show kids their robot. They made an appearance in the Tulip Time Muziekparade where they were awarded the Director’s Award for the best representation of the spirit of Tulip Time. During the summer, the team will help with Lego Camp at Hope College, participate in Holland Zeeland Area Relay for Life, and host the 21st Season Robotics Picnic.

Special Thanks Team 141 would also like to extend a special thanks to Nick Denbesten. Nick went above and beyond in mentoring the build team this season. He led the building of the robot

and was a huge help to the team. The kids especially enjoyed his brand of “get it done,” and also appreciated his great sense of humor. After five years of a rewarding and personally enriching experience with the Wobots, Nick Denbesten will be retiring from mentoring this year. Nick would like to spend more time with his family and wishes the team well in their future endeavors.

Want to get involved with Team 141, the Wobots? Email

[email protected]

Competitive Season

The Wobot had a great competitive season this year. Team 141 celebrated their 20th year competing in FIRST Robotics. The team attended three district events and won awards at each!

West Michigan DistrictXerox Creativity AwardWon for the robot drive train and dual-intake system

St. Joseph DistrictEngineering Inspiration AwardWon for furthering appreciation of engineering and the sciences

Windsor Essex Great Lakes Regional Motorola Quality Award, Chryseler Team Spirit AwardWon for robot robustness and team spirit

Student Sean Kooster competed in the State of Michigan FIRST Championship and was named a finalist for the Dean’s List.

By: Liz Seeber

FIRST ROBOTICS: TEAM 141

By: Brandon Twa

FEATURED SUPPLIER


Epoch will soon be offering a new training class on R-30iA Controller Electrical Maintenance. This three-day class will give students a hands on opportunity to learn:

• Troubleshooting

• General maintenance

• Part replacement

• Repair

The class will combine lectures and lab work, which will allow students to apply knowledge learned in the classroom in a real-world environment.

Meet the New Epoch InternEpoch is pleased to welcome its first intern! Irnes Konjaric is stationed at our Holland plant. Konjaric is currently attending Ferris State University for an Electrical/Electronics Engineering degree. Originally from Bosnia, Irnes moved to the United States in 2000. In his free time he enjoys riding his Honda CBR and traveling the globe to visit his family and friends.

Irnes Konjaric (Epoch Intern)

For more information, contact Joseph Aguirre Ext. 3408 [email protected]

Epoch Robotics now has a fully-functioning training area, which will better serve their customers’ needs by giving them a hands-on approach to robotic programming, operation, and maintenance.

The training area is equipped with two M-6iB robots and one LRMate 200iD robot which can be used to teach HandlingTool, 2-D Vision, DCS, and basic robot operation. A new demonstration TV to display RoboGuide, Prezis, notes, and videos has also been added to the training space.

Additionally, the Foamply area has been updated and improved. Classes have already begun and are going smoothly. Customers interested in attending a training class can find detailed information on the Training page at www.epochrobotics.com.

New Training Area R-30iA Controller Electrical Maintenance Class

Sterling Colors specializes in matching custom paint colors, including RAL numbers and samples from any other paint supplier. We’ve sent samples from PCS (Powder Coating Solutions) and TCI Coatings, and received great color matches for even the loudest shades.

One machine at Quality Drive has cages that are too big for the chambers at PCS. Sterling Colors makes it possible for JR to paint the oversized equipment in-house. Sterling Colors provided us with the perfect shade of orange, and we purchased several gallons, knowing we have a color that will match the powder-coated equipment. Sterling Colors also offers touch-up pens and aerosol cans to enable little touch-ups in the eleventh hour, or after the machine is on the customer’s floor!

The Quality Drive team had great success on their first try with Sterling Colors. We sent a color sample to Sterling Colors and received the paint within a week, which worked out great — there was no back and forth.

They can match any shade of paint.

It’s great for the big and small stuff.

They made it easy.

JR has been working with a new touch-up paint supplier: Sterling Colors LLC. The small paint company out of Greenville, Wisconsin has been helping us out with some of that famous orange at Quality Drive.

Can you tell the difference? The enclosure (left) is painted with Sterling Colors paint. It’s a perfect match!

Why Sterling Colors?

NEWS FROM EPOCH EPOCH ROBOTICSA U T O M A T I O N T H A T A C C E L E R A T E S R E S U L T S

Contact Sterling Colors

[email protected]

Phone: 920-757-6967

NEW FRIENDS IN THE EAST:AWL OPENS A PLANT IN CHINAOur international partner, AWL-Techniek, has opened up a new plant in Wuxi, China. Scot Lindemann and Joel Cooper went to represent JR at the opening celebration. The event was a traditional Chinese ceremony, complete with masked dancers and musicians, local seafood, and even government officials from both China and The Netherlands. Scot presented AWL with a congratulatory plaque, and AWL gifted a pair of oversized wooden shoes to its new colleagues in China.

Monroe Products, a Huizenga subsidiary with a location in Grand Rapids, also has a plant in China. A Monroe representative, Rico, showed Joel, Scot, and other visitors around the area, including Lake Tai, the local lake that supplied the fish for the previous night’s ceremony. The group also visited the Grand Buddha at Ling Shan, which at over 88 meters high, is one of the largest Buddha statues in the world.

The group traveled to Shanghai on a high-speed train, which went about 300 km/hr, but felt more like a smooth plane ride—with more leg room!

Throughout Shanghai, Joel, Scot, and Pierre Verwegen from AWL found themselves the subject of many photos, whether they knew it or not! Several times, the three men (who are all over six feet tall) were approached for photo-ops, and caught Chinese people sneaking photos of them—or with them, photo-bomb-style. One woman even handed her baby to Pierre for a photo!

While in Shanghai, Rico took Joel and Scot to a few supplier facilities. These shops were very similar to our machine shops, but with interesting combinations of the uber-new and outdated: one plant sported an unkempt pile of steel chips out front, but housed a half-million dollar CMM (coordinate measuring machine) on the inside; evidence that while the newest technologies are making their way to China, not all of the industrial processes have been updated yet.

Another stop in Shanghai included the Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), a partner to both U of M and

Purdue University. SJTU is home to one of the top engineering programs in China, a program from which both Monroe Products and AWL hope to gain valuable resources.

The new AWL location in China means a lot for us here at JR. More and more JR employees have been—and will be—heading East for installations,

service trips, and training. Our new connections will prove extremely beneficial, from travel tips to opportunities for cross-cultural bonding. Make sure to reach out to our new contacts if you are making a trip to one of our customers in China!

Joel and the High Speed Train. He looks taller than the train... where’s the leg room?

Scot, Rico, and Joel

By: Robyn Gordon

JR employees travel far and wide to ensure that our customers are taken care of, to attend conferences and tradeshows, and much more. When driving, it’s important to plan for circumstances such as construction and weather to plan enough time for safe travel.

If you’re planning a trip to or through our neighboring states, here is a list of websites you can visit to find out about major road construction:

Michigan: http://mdotnetpublic.state.mi.us/drive/Illinois: http://www.gettingaroundillinois.com/gai.htm?mt=cons Indiana: http://www.in.gov/indot/2416.htmOhio: http://www.ohgo.com/

AROUND THE WORLD

TOP JR TRAVELERSFor the year 2013:

2013 Top Dollar Traveler: Mark Stumpo2013 Most Hotel Nights: Kyler Kamyszek 2013 Total Air Spend: Mark Stumpo 2013 Most Air Tickets Purchased: Kyler Kamyzsek

For the 2014 – 1st quarter:2014 1st Quarter Top Dollar Traveler: Daniel Mosterd 2014 1st Quarter Most Hotel Nights: Joshua Worth2014 1st Quarter Total Air Spend: Phillip Dotzlaf 2014 1st Quarter Most Air Tickets Purchased: Kyler Kamyzsek

Clay Darrow makes lunch at the Park Ohio Plant in Shanghai

Shanghai Cityscape, captured by Jason Richey while in China for an installation

Kevin Hibma speaks with engineers at the Chassix Plant in Kunshan, China

By: Sami Birch

QUARTERLY24

On the afternoon of April 28th, 2006, JR’s former Vice President

of Sales and Marketing, Jim Yates, was riding his daughter’s horse, Breeze. When Breeze took off unexpectedly, Jim’s life was forever changed. The horse’s fast take off, followed by an abrupt stop, caused Jim to experience whiplash. Jim was unaware that he had a medical condition known as Spinal Stenosis, which put him at an increased risk for paralysis, and as a result of the

whiplash, his neck snapped, and he fell from the horse, unable to breathe or move on his own. Hired in 1998, Jim was the first sales employee at JR. His primary goals as a salesman were to diversify JR’s customer base, build a solid sales team, end all reliance on the manufacturer’s agency, and grow annual sales profitably. In 2000, Jim was promoted to Vice President of Sales and Marketing. At the time of his injury in 2006, sales

at JR had more than doubled since he started. Jim’s accident caused him to lose controlled movement of everything below his shoulders. His wife, Barbara, a GVSU graduate with a Masters in English literature and professor at Muskegon Community College, left her job to become Jim’s full-time caregiver. Jim describes her as “the love of his life,” and says she “has always had great input into my career and her intuitive skills are

amazing.” In fact, Jim says Barbara was the person who suggested Jim Kramer and Jeff Conner for sales positions at JR. The road to recovery hasn’t been easy for Jim and Barbara, but it is improving. Last year, Jim received a new power wheelchair, which allows him to use a sip-and-puff straw to control and command. Through variations of sipping or puffing, Jim is able to drive the chair, change speed, recline and tilt, elevate his chair to be eye-level with others, and raise and lower leg position. Seeking to do even more, Jim connected with Bret Hoeksema in our R&D department. Together, Bret and Jim have made several improvements to Jim’s wheelchair, including a unique mounting unit that allows Jim to tilt in a variety of positions while retaining access to his computer. The unit they developed even allows Jim to use the computer while lying down. Jim says he knew just who to ask when he decided he needed to make some changes to his chair. “I’d

worked closely with Bret in the past, when I was at [JR]. Whenever we had a special project that needed some kind of development, Bret was the go-to person. And when Jim [Kramer] conveyed my needs to him, it worked seamlessly.” He adds, “[Before,] I couldn’t do it on my own, I’d need to have someone there to assist me...now, with this mounting, I can do it all myself.” Jim relies heavily on his computer throughout the day, using it for email, writing projects, and keeping track of his family’s finances. “Anything to alleviate the workload on my wife. Without the computer, I’d be pretty bored.” In addition to the mounting unit, Bret created a secondary mount for the wheelchair’s joystick, so it could be operated from two locations. Bret also made a pivot point for the wheelchair’s display, which allows better access during meals. “Bret always amazes me with his concept, interim design, and final product,” Jim says. Reminiscing about his time at JR, Jim had only good memories. “There’s no place better that I’ve seen. I’ve been in a lot of different companies, visiting, touring or whatever, for my previous positions, and I’ve never seen any organization quite like JR. It was the best place I’ve ever worked. It’s just a different culture.” Jim continued, “It’s exciting to be there. Every day I was anxious to get to the office. There was always something new, the diversity of the projects. It always made it—it was a fun place to be.”

We are forever grateful to Jim for his dedicated years of service and are fortunate to be able to continue the collaboration through making these improvements to his wheelchair technology. Thanks to Bret Hoeksema for his hard work and creative solutions, and thanks to Jim Yates for continuing to be a positive presence in the JR Family.

Barbara and Jim Yates

Bret Hoeksema, JR Research & Design

Jim Yates operates his mounted computer on a visit to JR - Tyler Street, April 24, 2014

By: Sami Birch


JIM AND BARBARA YATES BRET HOEKSEMA’S MOUNTING SOLUTIONS FOR

SAFETY AWARENESS

“Clean up spills when they happen!”

“Check the cords on your power tools. If they are damaged or if the ground is missing, get them fixed!”

“Think before you lift. Bend at the knees and get help with a large or awkward item.”

Safety Jon is back, with more tips to help you maintain a safe work environment!

Grace focuses on plant safety by updating Emergency Action Plans, the Material Safety Data Sheet database, hazard communication systems, and also conducting job hazard analyses for all JR employees.

Grace is working on her internship to complete her degree in Occupational Safety and Health Management (OSHM) at GVSU. She expects to graduate in April 2015.

Grace extends her gratitude to JR employees, “Thank you to EVERY JR employee for my experience at JR - it will guide me in all my future work.”

Grace Stone Safety Intern

NEWS FROM THE ERTBy: Robyn Gordon

The phone system that alerts ERT members of an emergency has been upgraded to help locate the situation.

When anyone pushes the ERT button on a JR phone:

• All ERT members receive an email with the location of the caller

• Each ERT member’s phone extension will ring, allowing one person to connect directly with the caller to get all of the details

• At Tyler Street, the overhead paging system will notify everyone on the shop floor of the location of the emergency

We’ve updated our paging system!

The ERT has been recently refreshed in...

• Blood stoppage

• Electrical burns

• Impalement

To learn more...Contact Joel McJones

[email protected]. 7462

This is a huge improvement over the old paging system, which only allowed a caller to reach one ERT member at time with a standard phone call. Now, with the added email messages and the paging at Tyler Street, we’re able to determine which building has the emergency and the location of the caller. The added overhead paging functionality also alerts everyone on the Tyler Street floor, not just ERT members, that there has been an emergency.

Safety spotlight on...

SUMMER 2014 29

American Heart Association CPR/AED Certifications

Throughout the quarter, Joel McJones has led three CPR/AED certification classes for JR employees and immediate family. Congratulations to the following people on becoming American Red Cross CPR/AED certified:

Sami BirchVince DuazoRugg FoltzTim GallawayStephanie GambleRobyn GordonEmmett GurleyBrian JuhnkeNathan MedemaJill MoilanenWes MoilanenKate Puisis

Angela RootDean RootRyan SchwarkElizabeth SeeberTodd SluisChristian StaatBrandon TwaJeremy VanderzwaagIsabelle ViolanteMary ViolanteRocio ZunigaTomas Zuniga Jr.

The Tyler Street Emergency Response Team responds to Amanda Doyle’s staged injuries during the March 2014 emergency drill

A landscaper returns from work and is sitting at the kitchen table with his kids. The kids ask, "Did you work hard today, Daddy?"

Dad says, "I did. I planted five rows of four trees each." His little third-grader, wanting to show off her newfound skills with the multiplication tables, says, "You planted 20 trees, Daddy!"

He says, "No, I'm sorry, dear. That's wrong. I planted 10 trees." She responds, "That's impossible!"

The dad responds, "No, it isn't, and here's a hint: If you look at one of the math or history test papers that your teacher has returned to you recently, you're going to find the answer."

The little girl sits there and thinks for a minute, and then she says, "I've got it!"

What did she find on her paper that gave her the answer?

Some years ago, a man was in the service stationed overseas. While there, he decided it would be fun to buy a motorcycle and when his tour of duty was over, he would ship the bike back to the United States.

While at the motorcycle shop, the owner, recognizing that he was a serviceman, said, “You’re going to ship this back to the States when your tour is over?” The serviceman said, “Yes.”

The shop owner says, ‘There’s something you’ll have to change before you can drive this thing in America.’

The serviceman asked if he could buy that thing from the shop owner.

The shop owner said, “No, I don’t have one -- but you’ll certainly have no trouble getting one when you get home.”

What does the serviceman have to change on this bike before it will be legal to drive in America?


PUZZLER: REVEALED!

A star!

ANSWER:

LAST ISSUE’S PUZZLER: THE NEXT CHALLENGE:

Check back next quarter for the answer!

REMINDERS A NOTE FROM THE WRITERSYour resident writers are proud to release the second issue of the JR Quarterly. With your help, we can keep everyone at all of our locations in the loop on shop updates, personal and professional milestones, and fun facts about life at JR! This kind of information sharing, whether in the newsletter or from some cross-plant visiting, is what helps JR and Dane Systems maintain a sense of connection and community as we continue to grow.

We are always seeking information to include in the newsletters. Just contact your local writer if there is any news you’d like to share!

New Holland

• Stephanie Gamble

• Lizzie Uhl

Quality Drive

• Sami Birch

• Brandon Twa

Tyler Street

• Robyn Gordon

• Kate Puisis

• Debbie Reinbold

• Liz Seeber

Dane Systems

• Jillian Robb

BU South Carolina

• Lauren Lunka

Left to right: Sami, Stephanie, Lizzie, Robyn, Liz, Brandon, Jillian, Debbie, and Kate

Not Pictured: Lauren Lunka

Details: Four-person scramble teams must consist of JR employees, contractors, customers, and/or suppliers. Prizes will be awarded for 1st and 2nd place in the scamble, as well as for a variety of fun categories. Lunch will be provided.

Cost: $49/person. Tool bill payments are due to Robyn Gordon by July 21st. Non JR employees must pay the course directly.

Rules: Appropriate golf attire only. No denim, please!

Questions? Talk to Robyn Gordon or Jason Richey.

Date: Saturday, July 26Location: Macatawa Legends Golf and Country ClubTime: Arrive at 7:00 am, 7:30 am shotgun start

• Alcohol is not permitted.• Fires are only permitted in

grills for cooking.• Dogs are not allowed in the

zoo and must be on a leash at all times in the park.

GOLF OUTINGSUMMER PICNIC

Rules for the zoo

Date: Thursday, July 17Location: John Ball Park and ZooTime: 4pm-9pm1:00 pm: JR staff will be at the zoo to hand out passes to those who want to check out the zoo early4:00 - 7:00 pm: Face Painting5:00 - 6:30pm: Dinner; provided by Pit Stop Catering

ISO REMINDER ADDRESS CHANGESRemember to check your training notifications on JobTrack!

Click the “Employee Resources” tab on Job Track’s home page menu bar, then select “My Training Notifications.”

BENEFITS WEBSITEYou may have received a letter in the mail regarding the Huizenga Group Benefits Website. In this letter, we asked that you sign into your account using the username and password provided; this must be done every year.

This website provides benefits information (medical, dental, short and long term disability, etc) all in one place that’s easy to access.

See anyone in HR with questions on the site.

HMG Benefits Website:https://benefits.huizengagroup.com

Employees are now required to submit address changes on the Status Change Form located on the Intranet under ISO Library.

This is a multipurpose form, so address changes only require you to complete the top section — no signature is required.

Be sure to check out our own Laura Brouwer’s band, Funnel Sunday, playing at the picnic!

JR Quarterly Newsletter - Summer 2014

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Transcript of JR Quarterly Newsletter - Summer 2014