January 28, 2008-New Britain CT: Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell toured the Peter Paul Electronics Company plant and touted the importance of lean processes to Connecticut manufacturers. The governor’s office is responsible for a number of training and development programs for Connecticut companies to implement lean manufacturing, including work cells, Kanban and other Kaizen improvements, to ensure a competitive environment for Connecticut companies. During the event, Peter Paul’s president, Paul Mangiafico and vice president, Michael Mangiafico, presented the governor with an award for her initiatives, which have helped the company stay ahead of its overseas competitors.
The Connecticut Department of Labor administered training through Central CT State University’s Institute of Technology and Business Development, the Aerospace and Defense Initiative and Capital Workforce Partners, to institute lean techniques throughout the plant. As a result, Peter Paul has been able to add a second shift and increase employment by 20%. The company is also better poised to accommodate custom orders, even while reducing inventories.
In addition to immediate benefits to Peter Paul, the State and U.S. balance of trade benefit from the company’s improvements: “The better positioned these suppliers are to snatch up contracts, the more likely they are to expand and hire more people,” Governor Rell mentioned in regard to the advantages to Connecticut. Responding to the fact that Peter Paul ships products to mainland China, Operations Manager Michael Mangiafico II said “We’re selling to them, not buying from them”.