In the spring of 2008, Wolfgang Roeder, site manager of fischer USA Stainless Steel Tubing requested assistance in developing a business simulation model and training company associates regarding the business
decisions made when the company is faced with a substantial downturn in business. fischer USA Stainless Steel Tubing, a German-owned subsidiary, located in the Manchester Industrial Park in Coffee County, Tenn., is a precision tubing manufacturer for appliance and automotive customers. The company has operated for 12 years and made a sizable investment in capital equipment with open capacity and a highly trained and well-skilled work force of 25 associates who they desired to retain. Management needed to calm the associates’ fears regarding future job security and institute productivity improvements to stabilize the company financially.
Roeder wanted to take the employees to a level of understanding that is not found at comparable manufacturing companies.
With the help of funding from the Department of Commerce — Economic Development Administration to offset part of the cost of the training, Charles Ragland, associate business professor for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga working for the UT Center for Industrial Services (CIS), developed the Simulation Model in the spring and early summer of 2008. Roeder delivered it to fischer USA associates in the fall of 2008.
During the post-project follow-up communication, Ragland and UT CIS Field Consultant Harding Aslinger received a resounding message of gratitude from Roeder. The following economic impact estimates were supplied by fischer USA Stainless Steel Tubing:
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Once the 25 fischer USA Stainless Steel Tubing employees became fully engaged in skills developed during the simulation model, they began to work better together.
Some of the leadership skills they learned are:
- Essential Skills of Managing
- Improving Work Habits
- Coaching Job Skills
- Supporting Change
- Providing Performance Feedback
- Delegating
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“I was very pleased how this request was picked up and possible solutions were found. Looking at canned packages that simulated a multi-market retail company, we realized we had to come up with a scenario that was geared much more to fischer’s environment. Charles and Harding were quick to understand the requirements for this simulation. Employees worked for six hours under the facilitation leadership to come up with business recommendations. The results for the majority of the employees were exactly what I expected.”
Wolfgang Roeder, Site Manager
fischer USA Stainless Steel Tubing
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