MRO Today - All Pro Team

Scott Wright
Maintenance technician
McAlpin Industries
Rochester, NY

I have a deserving candidate who would be an All-Pro on anyone’s maintenance staff,” begins Jeff Mochan, manager of facilities and maintenance. “I currently have eight people in my department and Scott is by far the one I depend on most. His work ethic is old school and is always there when you’re in a bind.”

According to Mochan, Scott’s outstanding skills include welding, electrical wiring, mechanical repairs, hanging and finishing drywall and metal fabrication — all with the highest quality standards. His fabricating skills alone have saved the company thousands of dollars in materials, to say nothing of making the plant a safer place for employees, too.

One fabrication project provides a perfect example. The plant electrician had written a $2,500 purchase order for runner mats and railings to surround a machine. Scott devised an alternative, fabbed up the railings himself, and added one mat. Net savings: $1,600 in materials alone. He has since built guarding around machines throughout the plant, saving the company money and improving safety conditions each time.

“And we ended up being safer than we would have been if we had we just gone with the original purchase order,” Mochan adds.

While the quality of his work impresses management, Scott’s eye for saving money does, too.

“Part of my job is cost savings and I continually challenge my people to find better and more cost-effective ways to do things without compromising safety or quality,” Mochan says. “Scott understands this and makes my job easier by his actions and understanding of cost justifications. He has the company’s best interest in mind and that’s pretty rare in today’s workforce.

“When Scott comes to me with a request, he’s already gone through that process,” Mochan adds. “He explores all the options and already has the answer by the time he comes to talk about it.”

In early 2006, McAlpin began implementing a Lean manufacturing program. Here too, Scott has taken a leadership role, especially in the ongoing 5-S projects.

“He was not a designated leader in that effort,” Mochan says. “He just stepped up and if there was an area where we were concentrating on 5-S for that week, he would just take the leadership role. I didn’t have to go through and say, ‘Here’s what we want to do.’ ”

Scott’s creativity, can-do attitude, skills and open and constructive demeanor have made him very popular throughout the plant.

“We have over 200 employees here and every one of them knows that when Scott is doing a maintenance task for them, it will be done fast, neat and right,” Mochan says. “He is an outstanding communicator and covers all bases when doing a major project. I wish I could clone five more of him.”

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