WMEP expands services to help manufacturers bridge language and culture gaps

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership (WMEP) today announced it is expanding the services it offers to help Wisconsin manufacturers bridge language and cultural gaps with Hispanic-speaking workers.


 


“World class manufacturing strategies require the full participation of employees, from the production floor to the executive suite,” said Mike Klonsinski, WMEP’s executive director.  “Given the demographics of today’s workers, we know there are significant language and culture challenges facing manufacturers.”


 


To address these needs, WMEP has hired Luis E. Lopez, a seasoned bilingual English-Spanish manufacturing leader who has managed plants as large as 1,400 employees.  Lopez, who has held positions as general manager, vice president of operations and industrial director, brings more than 20 years of experience in leading lean culture transformations in culturally diverse manufacturing environments.


 


It’s not just about the language barrier, Lopez says, but about culture as well.  A key challenge is to persuade workers from other cultures that the “boss” is really interested in what they have to say, which is a central component of the lean philosophy.


 


“The lean environment is all about employee participation, so the need for communication is critical,” he said.  Lopez likens the large number of Hispanic workers to a vast untapped reservoir of ideas for improvement.  “Any corporation willing to tap into this will benefit tremendously,” he said. 


 


Lopez said his experience running a plant in Monterrey, Mexico proved to him the exponential value of engaging employees in improvement-focused strategies. The company, which had 40 improvement teams working at the same time, was able to reduce its cost of production by 7% — a decline that was unheard of at the time, he said.


 


“The results from listening and engaging our employees were way beyond our expectations,” he said.  “Another tremendous benefit was the pride of ownership we were able to cultivate, which leads to happier employees and higher productivity.”


 


Lopez hopes to replicate those successes with Wisconsin firms.  In the past, WMEP has used Spanish versions of lean workshops, and brought in interpreters and two-way radios with ear pieces to convey lean concepts to non-English speaking employees. 


 


Lopez holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from the Regional Institute of Technology in Juarez, Mexico; and a master’s degree in business administration from Webster University in St. Louis, MO.  He has held positions with United Technologies Automotive, Lear Corporation, Philips Lighting, Cummins Emission Solutions and RCA Components.  In his new role with WMEP, he will also assist manufacturers with business growth strategies.


 


ABOUT WMEP


WMEP provides technical expertise and business assistance to help small and mid-size manufacturers adopt advanced manufacturing technologies and business practices.  WMEP is a leader in lean manufacturing, growth services, strategic business development, quality systems and supplier development.  During the past five years, WMEP-assisted manufacturers reported impact of $839 million with more than 8,000 jobs created/retained.  For more information, visit www.wmep.org or call 1-877-856-8588.