October 24, 2022
An internal publication of Regal Rexnord – Industrial
If you’ve ever taken the scenic drive around the Baraboo, WI, area, you may have found yourself passing through historic downtown Reedsburg, nestled in the heart of rural Wisconsin’s driftless area – the area of the state untouched by the glaciers and known for its rugged landscape and the largest concentration of cold-water streams in the world.
Here, through the heart of Reedsburg runs the Baraboo River – the longest free-flowing river in the nation – a favorite feature of residents and anglers … like David Verkler.
After all, Reedsburg is the town that David calls home.
David joined Regal Rexnord this past July as Wausau’s plant manager but has no plans to relocate anytime soon. Reedsburg is home. David lives there with his wife and two daughters – one who is a high school sophomore and the other attends college nearby. And yes, he and his family have enjoyed many memorable outings fishing together nearby.
So each week, David makes the trip to Wausau … and home again on the weekends – more than two hours each way on a good day.
It’s been a little more than 100 days since his first day here in July. While he still feels he has a lot to learn about the Wausau operations, building generators is nothing new to David.
Early in his career he worked for Baldor, winding rotors for generators. He says the manufacturing process there was much the same as our 740 frame generators here – the same epoxy, varnish, and testing. While there, he also gained several years of experience in materials and operations.
Since that time, his 20+ years of manufacturing experience has included roles at 3M, Toro and Navistar (the successor to International Harvester), earning his bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain and Operations Management from University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh and certifications as Six Sigma Green Belt and Lean Master.
While the technology is not new to him, one of the biggest challenges has been learning the business and finding the opportunities to improve workplace organization and processes.
“We have a lot of 6S opportunities,” said David, “and we have a great team.” He’s been impressed not only with the welcome that he received, but with the enthusiasm of the team to embrace new perspectives and the willingness for open dialog. “There is a great depth of experience and a good give and take.”
Just weeks after David started, the Wausau facility was the site of the President’s Kaizen.
“It was a good shot in the arm,” says David about the results of the transformational event that included cleaning, reorganization and process improvement for a number of critical manufacturing areas.
During the past few months, Wausau has held three 6S Kaizens.
“The level of sustainment has been the thing I am most proud of so far,” he adds. “Our teams really take pride in their areas, and they have been very invested in the process.”
He’s also enthusiastic about the growth prospects here. “From a market perspective, our plant is in a good position. Although the overall market is slowing, the need for large generators, like we manufacture here, remains strong.
The facility has recently begun to ramp up a second shift to increase the output of generators with a goal to increase to three units per week within the next couple months, and a plan to double that to six units per week within the first quarter of 2023.
It’s an ambitious goal for sure, but David is sees a solid path to the goal. “The market is there; we have the sales to support that level of growth. And we have a workforce that is knowledgeable and diligent and committed to winning on a daily basis.”
