GA Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP) Georgia Tech

Shift Schedule Considerations

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There is little academic research as to the advantage or disadvantages of a 4-day; 10-hour (4/10) shift versus a 5-day; 8-hour (5/8) shift. When determining the best shift schedule for your operation, there are multiple things that you should consider. These include things such as employee desire, customer demand, efficiencies, and safety.

Key Considerations
Employee Desire
Statistics from the Society for Human Resource Management indicate that 31 percent of employees were in a compressed workweek schedule such as a 4/10 shift and a wide majority find it favorable. Wadsworth & Facer (2008) show that more than 70% of employees favor 4/10 schedules. Additionally, 2008, researchers from Brigham Young University conducted a series of surveys and found that about four-fifths of the employees reported a positive experience working that type of schedule. Surveyed employees listed improved morale, work-family balance, more daylight for leisure, time for second jobs, reduced commute time, and lower cost for travel and child-care as 4/10 benefits.

Customers and Suppliers
Customers
The pace of customer demand must also be considered when changing shift schedules. Customers may need to adjust their ordering cycle to adjust to your new schedule. If you are shifting from a 5/8 to a 4/10 schedule, you must consider the additional 2-hours of work per day. Does your order flow or work schedule provide 10-hours of work per day at the current pace? If you are considering a switch from 4/10 to 5/8, can the work be spread across the additional day and still meet your customer’s order flow?

Suppliers
You must also consider when your suppliers make deliveries. If you are moving to a compressed workweek, Just-In-Time inventory policies may need to be adjusted to ensure a sufficient supply of materials. This may mean changing order quantities and delivery dates. Also, your warehousing requirements may increase by at least 20%. Ensure you have sufficient space for the additional materials, or you may need to schedule multiple daily deliveries. If you are considering a move from 4/10 to 5/8 you may have to schedule additional deliveries.

Productivity
When evaluating productivity, few studies that overcome the problems of differences in the workforce or work practices. However, most of the data does not indicate productivity improvement differences between a 5/8 and 4/10 schedule. Companies must perform this analysis themselves over time to see how the different shift schedules affect the productivity of their workforce.

Employees can save money on transportation during a compressed work-week and companies may see a reduction in overhead such as electricity and water as the operation is maintained one fewer day per week.

An additional consideration is the condition of the equipment. Equipment that has been conditioned to run 8-hours a day would run 10 under a compressed 4/10 schedule. Maintenance plans and schedules may have to be adjusted along with the shift.

Smaller groups
Smaller support groups such as cleaning crew, maintenance, and the warehouse have been shown to have a slight increase in productivity when shifting to a compressed scheduled. The off-day in a 4/10 schedule allows these groups to perform some of their activities during times the operation is not running.

Safety
There is little data to suggest increased safety concerns in a 5/8 versus a 4/10 schedule. However, Dembe (2017) points to a variety of studies on the potential dangers that can occur as the result of the additional risks created when work demands exceed a certain threshold. Most of these studies suggest that the dangers are most pronounced when people regularly work more than 12 hours per day or 60 hours per week. Dembe (2005) found that the risk of suffering an industrial accident is raised by 37 percent for employees working more than 12 hours in a day. The risk is 61 percent higher for people in “overtime” shifts. Working more than 60 hours in a week is related to an additional injury risk of 23 percent. As the hours worked in those schedules increase, the risks grow accordingly.

Considerations when changing a shift schedule
Before you change from a 5/8 to a 4/10 or from a 4/10 to a 5/8, the research suggests that there be a program worked out in advance by both managers and employees. All concerned parties must be involved in the decision-making process and that there must be clear explanations as to why things may need to change.

Try starting slowly and implement one four-day work-week a month or one five-day work work-week a month. That will allow time to solicit feedback from your employees and customers. It will also allow time to adjust schedules for shipments and deliveries. During this time, you should monitor employee productivity to make sure goals are still being met.

Considerations when adding a second or third shift
Before adding a second or third shift to an operation, please consider the fact that multiple shifts may result in higher overall costs that are required for shift premiums, nighttime lighting, quality control, and safety measures. Research has also identified that the utilization of evening and night shifts causes higher rates of labor turn-over and absenteeism that could lead to project delays and cost overruns.

In addition, productivity across different shifts can vary greatly. This reduction reflects on a number of underlying factors, including less experienced employees, a disturbed social life, shortened and disturbed sleep, and disrupted circadian rhythm.

Figure 1 below shows the relative performance across a 24-hour day with the worst efficiencies seen from midnight to 6am.

Figure 1: Industrial performance efficiency over the 24-hour day


Note. Reprinted from “Shift work, safety, and productivity”, by Folkard, Simon and Tucker, Philip., Occupational Medicine, Volume 53, p. 96.

Conclusion
Changing or adding shifts can have a great impact on employee morale, efficiency, and safety. By considering the factors mentioned in this report, you can make the transition smoother for your organization.

References
Dembe, A. (n.d.). No, we shouldn’t switch to a four-day Work-week. Slate Magazine. https://slate.com/business/2017/09/you-dont-want-a-four-day-workweek.html
Dembe, A. E. (2005). The impact of overtime and long work hours on occupational injuries and illnesses: New evidence from the United States. Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 62(9), 588-597. https://doi.org/10.1136/oem.2004.016667
Facer, R. L., & Wadsworth, L. (2008). Alternative work schedules and work–family balance. Review of Public Personnel Administration, 28(2), 166-177. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734371×08315138
Folkard, S. (2003). Shift work, safety and productivity. Occupational Medicine, 53(2), 95-101. https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqg047

By Ben Cheeks, with the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership

Georgia Manufacturers Have a Story to Tell – GaMEP Client Survey

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Ga Manufaturers have a story to tell

During the next month, the Georgia Manufacturing Quarterly Survey will be delivered to companies across the state. This survey is a key benchmark that provides us with critical information on Georgia manufacturers’ problems, needs, and business performance. Through a third-party administered survey, we ask our clients to answer questions that will help evaluate the quality and usefulness of our services and the impact the assistance of GaMEP has had on their business.

By telling their story, companies can showcase the results of our partnership and work, so that we can continue to receive vital funding that helps us provide integral, low-cost services to manufacturers across the state. Companies self-report the results of working with the GaMEP, highlighting the impacts around cost savings, sales, and job creation or savings, that have been a direct result of projects within the plants.

GaMEP knows that these improvements leave a lasting impact, and each year we work with more than 800 manufacturers to advance the state’s economic impact. In the last year we have helped manufacturers reduce operating costs by $121 million, increase new and retained sales by $317 million, created and retained 2,074 jobs, and helped our clients make $159 million in plant investments to improve their operational efficiencies.

Many clients want to share their impacts with the GaMEP.  Through an interview process, we capture their results and create client success stories. These stories are a great way for companies to share their journey and outcomes. We then send the stories to our national sponsor, post on our website and social media channels, promoting the company and GaMEP’s impact. We, as a team, get excited to tell these stories and celebrate the wins, as it helps fulfill our mission of enhancing global competitiveness for Georgia manufacturers.

By showcasing the positive performance of our clients, we can attract more manufacturers to our state, build a reputation as the No. 1 resource for manufacturing excellence, and continue to grow and advance an environment that supports small to mid-size manufacturing companies.

The next survey period is active and runs from July 13 to August 19.

Here are a couple helpful tips for completing the survey:

  • Manufacturers will only need to complete one survey per year. If GaMEP has completed multiple projects, your Regional Manager will work with you to combine the impacts of all completed projects into one survey report.
  • During the survey period, your Regional Manager or Project Manager will be in touch to verify the appropriate contact and share more information about the survey process.
  • On the first day of survey period, the contact will receive a unique survey link via email from: moc.yevrustneilcpemnull@troppus.
  • Only one survey response is allowed by each company.
  • Clients should consider the totality of the impacts they have achieved in working with GaMEP and how those impacts have cumulatively been expressed in the last six-twelve months in results.

If you’d like to see some of the stories shared by other GaMEP clients, please visit the Success Story page on our website. Contact your Regional Manager with any questions, or if you are interested in having a success story written about a project we’ve completed with your team, contact GaMEP’s Marketing Strategist, Raine Hyde.

By Raine Hyde, with the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership

Two Georgia Manufacturers Partner to Produce Face Shields for COVID-19 First Responders

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Two Georgia Manufacturers Partner to Produce Face Shields for COVID-19 First Responders

Less than 100 miles of interstate and back-roads in Georgia separates one of the largest car manufacturers from an OEM manufacturing supplier. Eight weeks ago, these two manufacturers had never been in contact, let alone imagined they would connect over a product that neither were producing at the time. Fast forward to May of 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic and not only are they supporting each other, but one of the companies is incorporating this product change into their long-term business strategy.

In late February, Reagan Barksdale, president of TSG Resolute in Americus, Georgia, could see the writing on the wall. Watching what was occurring in Asia and Europe and talking to numerous Fortune 500 clients, Barksdale and his team had the forethought to understand that there was going to be a shortage in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at the hospitals and began putting together a plan to manufacture and distribute face shields. Barksdale said, “The product itself was aligned with what we were already producing in our facility and by getting ahead of the curve not only have we been able to stay open and keep our team working, but we are manufacturing a key item that is helping out in the community and across the country.”

Around the same time, Stuart Countess, chief administrative officer with KIA Motors Manufacturing Georgia (KMMG), out of West Point, was having a similar conversation with his team. Knowing the automobile industry was going to have to slow production to deplete existing inventory, KMMG wanted to give their team a chance to keep working and tie back to their “Accelerate the Good” program. Countess said, “We could use our manufacturing resources to support the needs of the medical industry in a timely manner and make an immediate impact.” The KMMG plant got to work, reconfiguring the materials space for their new production line – setting up glass partitions and work station tables six feet apart. Countess reached out to John Morehouse, Director of the Center of Innovation for Manufacturing at the Georgia Department of Economic Development and Derek Woodham, West Georgia region manager for the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP) at Georgia Tech, to gain confirmation that KMMG’s idea of producing face shields was an immediate need in the state.

Morehouse connected KMMG with the Global Center for Medical Innovation (GCMI), a non-profit 501(c)(3) and affiliate of Georgia Tech, where the groups partnered to prototype and test KMMG’s face shield renderings. While this was occurring Countess was asking Woodham how to get the materials sourced to create the face shields. Woodham reached out to TSG Resolute, a long-time client of the GaMEP. Woodham said, “Reagan has been in our CEO Roundtable for years and has been a very active participant and supporter of the GaMEP, and just knowing that they were already making face shields, the connection seemed perfect.”

During the conversation, the two groups agreed that TSG Resolute would supply KMMG the materials needed to produce face shields. Countess said, “It was great to be able to connect and support a Georgia-based manufacturer.” Barksdale agreed, “We took a chance at the beginning of all of this and since we were one of the first to make this product, we had enough raw material that we were able to supply KMMG so that they could help out with the critical supply efforts as well.” In addition to supplying material, TSG Resolute also got involved in the face shield design, helping GCMI optimize material to keep the cost down.

Two months into the COVID-19 pandemic, KMMG is fulfilling commitments across the United States. The team is providing face shields to the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA), which are then being distributed to those on the front line. The group is also shipping out product to their regional offices across the country, who are then dispensing the face shields to medical facilities and hot spots in their regions. Countess said, “We have a goal to produce 300,000 face shields by the end of May in order to get our product into the hands of people that need them most.” As for a what’s to come, the KMMG team is continuing to assess the situation and align their future efforts with the needs of those in the field. Countess continued, “KIA and the KMMG family have a strong community relations program and it’s great to be able to give back during such an important time for all of us.”

For TSG Resolute, a 250 person plant in a small town in Southwest Georgia, the short-term goal is similar to KMMG – to supply the medical industry with what they need to stay safe. Barksdale said, “We are currently making up to 65,000 face shields a day and sending them to local hospitals, as well as supplying KIA with 50,000 parts, such as foam and latex straps, per week so they can continue to produce product as well.” For the long-term, however their goal is different than KMMG. Prior to COVID-19, TSG Resolute had sold a few of their products to the medical industry, but had a five-year plan to break into this new-to-them market. Barksdale said, “We had just made a million-dollar capital investment to serve the medical industry, so COVID-19 has sped up our plans and instead of it taking years to make connections in the industry, it’s taken weeks to form important relationships with hospital chains and medical suppliers.” In addition, the company has used this time to complete construction on their clean room, form connections, educate themselves on the industry, and look at economical ways to produce medical industry products in Georgia, but at costs closer to overseas competitors, so they can continue to forge this new path for the future of the company and the growth of jobs in their community.

Prior to COVID-19, Barksdale and Countess had never talked nor was KMMG aware of the manufacturer less than 100 miles away, but for both groups, through their trusted relationship with GaMEP, they have grown to rely on each other and are exploring ways to work together even long after COVID-19 is a distant memory.

By Katie Takacs, with the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership

Steps to Take When an Employee Tests Positive for COVID-19

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Steps to Take if an Employee Tests Positive for COVID-19

Over the past month, you have most likely come up with more questions than answers, you’ve accumulated more worries than you’ve ever had before, and are trying to keep yourself and your team afloat, like so many others across the world.

In addition, you’ve probably used phrases that you’d never thought you’d have to say to your adult employees. Things like, “tell your manager if you are running a fever or have a cough; properly wash your hands and disinfect your area multiple times a day; and keep a six-foot distance from your co-workers.” If these steps aren’t followed by your employees, there could be significant repercussions for your team and your manufacturing plant.

As a manager, executive, or owner within a manufacturing facility, a big concern right now is around cash flow and keeping your doors open. One of the most important factors that goes into this is the health of your employees and the questions around what to do if one of your employees tests positive for COVID-19 or has been exposed to someone that has tested positive.

One question the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP) at Georgia Tech staff have repeatedly received is: “How can I afford to shut my plant down for 24 hours to disinfect the workspace?” The answer: “Wouldn’t it be worse if you didn’t shut down to disinfect and then a few weeks later half of your workforce goes down with COVID-19 and you have to shut down longer?”

Put differently: is the small cost at the front end worth the risk of the large price you may have pay on the back end if you don’t sanitize your space properly?

Jenny Houlroyd, senior research scientist with Georgia Tech’s Safety, Health, and Environmental Services (SHES) program, developed this guide with 10 steps to take if one of your employees tests positive for COVID-19:

  1. Once an employee has notified their manager that they’ve tested positive for COVID-19, the Centers for Disease Control says the employee should no longer report to work. The employee should then remain in isolation until at least seven days have passed since the date of their first positive COVID-19 diagnostic test and they have no subsequent illness, followed by seven additional days of quarantine. Employees must follow the direction of their medical providers and/or local health authorities on when to discontinue home isolation. Employees should not return to work until they have tested negative for the virus. If one of your employees comes to you and says they have not tested positive, but have been exposed to someone who has tested positive, that employee should self-quarantine for the 14-day recommendation.
  1. Evacuate and close off the area(s) used by the employee who tested positive for COVID-19. In addition to just shutting down the area that the infected employee worked in, you will need to have a broader understanding of the areas within your facility that they’ve walked through and the shared spaces, such as a break room or rest room that they have been in, and close down those areas as well.
  1. Notify all employees who have been in contact with the positive case so that they can self-monitor. In the case of the workplace, “been in contact” is defined as ALL employees in your plant (regardless of shift), since you cannot say for certain which other employees the infected employee has passed in the hall or been in the break-room with. As an employer, it’s your responsibility to alert your team, but due to privacy laws, you may not let others know who on the team tested positive, just that there was a positive case reported.
  1. Allow for employees in direct contact of the positive case to self-quarantine for 14 days. In the case of the workplace, “direct contact” is defined as people that work within six feet of the infected individual and those who share common work-spaces.

Examples to differentiate between points three and four include:

  • A person in shipping and receiving tests positive for COVID-19:
    • “Been in contact” is everyone within your manufacturing facility
    • “Direct contact” is everyone that works or has been in the shipping and receiving department and/or came in contact with in a communal area of the plant (example – had lunch or coffee with the person)
  • A person on a manufacturing line tests positive for COVID-19:
    • “Been in contact” is everyone within your manufacturing facility
    • “Direct contact” is everyone that works in close proximity to that person on the line or the leaders/others that have gathered the team on the line to discuss the day’s work, or and/or came in contact with in a communal area of the plant (example – had lunch or coffee with the person)
  1. Open outside doors and windows to increase air circulation in the affected area. Doing this will create an unstable environment for the virus to persist, meaning that the change in temperature or the breeze now coming in through the open windows will help flush out any potential virus in the air.
  1. Wait at least 24 hours before you clean or disinfect the compromised area(s). The virus lasts for three hours in the air hour before it breaks down and is no longer airborne, but there are differing opinions on how long the virus lasts on each type of surface. Our recommendation is to wait at least 24 hours before going into the affected area to disinfect it. However, the longer you wait to send others back in, the better the chances are that the virus will have dissipated on each different surface, thus making it safer for your employees. Follow the CDC guidelines on how to clean and disinfect an area. Information can be found at:  cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/organizations/cleaning-disinfection.html.
  1. Clean and disinfect all areas used by the person who is sick. Do not just clean their workspace(s). Clean areas such as offices, bathrooms, common areas, shared electronic equipment such as tablets, touch screens, keyboards, remote controls, and ATMs. Consult the Environmental Protection Agency’s registered list of disinfectants for use against SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19, which can be found at: epa.gov/pesticide-registration/list-n-disinfectants-use-against-sars-cov-2
  1. The only exception to the above additional cleaning and disinfection, is if it’s been more than seven days since their positive test that the infected employee visited or used the facility, additional cleaning and disinfection is not necessary. If an employee notifies you that they’ve tested positive for COVID-19, but they hadn’t been in your facility for at least seven days, the virus most likely would have already expired on all surfaces.
  1. Continue routine cleaning and disinfection. Even if you don’t have any positive cases at your facility, it is still important to take preventative measures. Remember that although these same employees are social distancing, they are still around family members and have most likely been in some other public place such as a grocery store or hardware store. It’s important to educate your entire workforce on how to disinfect their workspace, as well as the facility being responsible for disinfecting common surfaces and wiping down common work areas such as break rooms, lunch rooms, and office areas, much more frequently than under normal circumstances.
  1. Determine if a positive COVID-19 case is work-related for compliance with OSHA 1904 Record keeping standards. If the infected person contracted the COVID-19 virus as a direct results of exposure on the job, then it would be considered work related and have to be recorded as an on the job work-related injury/illness. For more information visit: https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/covid-19/standards.html

As an employer, it is your employees’ responsibility to make sure they don’t come to work sick and that if they are exposed or test positive that they report it to you, their employer, as soon as possible. As an employer, it’s your responsibility to keep your employees separated, communicate regularly to your team, frequently sanitize your facility, and take appropriate and immediate action, should one of your team members test positive for COVID-19. Remember, shutting down for 24-hours to prevent further spread is a lot more cost-effective than having to shut down for weeks for an outbreak you could have prevented.

About the Georgia Tech Safety, Health, and Environmental Services (SHES) Program

Georgia Tech’s Safety, Health, and Environmental Services (SHES) program is comprised of safety and health professionals who are trained in pandemic preparedness and are experts in public health. We are committed to ensuring that manufacturing businesses in the state of Georgia get the assistance they need during this difficult time. Each meeting will cover how to develop an Infectious Disease Preparedness and Response Plan, strategies for business continuity, guidance on effective disinfection strategies for manufacturing plants, and recommended resources. The Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP) at Georgia Tech is partnering with SHES to provide free, virtual meetings with companies to discuss strategies to create and implement an Infectious Disease Preparedness and Response Plan.

To learn more about SHES’ safety and health consultation offering, please visit: ohainfo.gatech.edu/.

To request a virtual meeting, fill out this form: oshainfo.gatech.edu/virtual-compliance-assistance-form/.

By Katie Takacs, with the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership

Woman-Owned Manufacturer in Americus, Georgia, Sews New Path and Produces Face Masks for Area Hospitals

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T31 Produces Face Masks During COVID-19

In 2015, Elena Carné, moved to Americus, a small town in South Georgia, with her three daughters. Her idea was two-fold: Be in a slower-paced environment where she could focus on her family and launch an athletic apparel company.

Today, the already successful company, T31 (formerly Tepuy Activewear), a small, minority- and woman-owned manufacturer, has switched gears entirely to produce sought-after face masks and head caps to local hospitals in a part of the state hit hard with coronavirus during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Forty-five minutes away in Albany, Georgia, one of the hospitals there was trying to sew its own masks. Knowing that it couldn’t produce nearly enough to keep up with the demand, hospital administrators reached out to Carné and requested her help. Carné and her team took over the process and in the first seven days of production were able to deliver 4,000 masks to the hospital and are currently manufacturing another 4,000.

“I modified their design to work in a mass production environment and through the help of donations from the local community, we have been able to purchase all of the materials to provide these masks at no cost,” Carné said.

The T31 team now operates seven days a week and produces head coverings for hospital staff and 100 percent cotton, washable face masks that feature slits to slide in disposable filters or as a cover to improve the life span of the N95 masks. In addition, she hired two new full-time employees, and is utilizing volunteers from the area, including high school seniors excited to learn a new skill. These individuals are helping to support the local hospital efforts as well as working on urgent request orders that are now coming in from across the country, turning this small-town manufacturer into an essential business that is creating big impact in a time of need.

“When I came to Americus five years ago, I instantly knew this was home,” she said. “The people here made it special and through this opportunity, I can give back in a different way to a community that has supported me and my business.”

Prior to shifting to face mask production to help those on the front lines of the COVID-19 outbreak, T31 was a four-person shop focused on small order activewear. In December 2017, the company won a grant from the Latin American Chamber of Commerce Georgia and the Latino Community Fund Georgia.

It was during this time that Carné connected with Maria Mar Hill, a project manager with the Southeastern Trade Adjustment Assistance Center (SETAAC) at Georgia Tech.

A federally funded program supported by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration, SETAAC provides matching assistance funds to firms experiencing declines due to import competition.

Mar Hill reached out to Carné and recommended that she apply for assistance.

“Maria was amazing,” Carné said. “She walked me through the entire process and was there to answer any questions I had.” After receiving the matching funds, T31 worked with SETAAC vendors to create graphics that represent the company, elevate the photography of its products, and design a new website.

Said Carné: “The funding was a blessing. It allowed me the chance to grow my business while also focusing on areas I needed to improve upon. Without it, I would have had to make a choice of which was more important.”

Today, in addition to staying on top of activewear orders and manufacturing face masks and head coverings for the hospital, Carné is exploring contract opportunities to continue manufacturing critical supplies.

“This is a different time and as a business owner it’s important to be flexible and look for opportunities that are available,” Carné explained. “For me, I’m exactly where I need to be — producing items that are helping people in my community.”

Just like the GaMEP is, the SETAAC program is also based out of the Enterprise Innovation Institute at Georgia Tech. To learn more about the SETAAC program, which helps manufacturers in GA, FL, MS, AL, TN, KY, NC, and SC, when sales are impacted by import competition, click here.

By Katie Takacs, with the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership