Topic(s)
- Management systems
- People-centric leadership
- Business operations improvement
Explore Howmet Hampton IGT’s transformative journey as they implement a people-centric management philosophy — leveraging leadership training, visual management tools and problem-solving techniques to empower employees, enhance team engagement and drive operational excellence amidst rapid business growth.
Please note: The tour site will provide safety glasses and hearing protection.
Overview
Howmet Hampton IGT is an investment casting manufacturer of engine blades for industrial gas turbine engines with over 650 employees in Hampton, VA. Established in the 1970s, this facility has a long and successful history utilizing lean and six sigma tools to improve their processes, but it has not put the same effort into the people side of the business.
Over the last six months, Howmet Hampton IGT has embarked on a culture change to improve its leadership styles and techniques to develop an autonomous workforce. Hampton IGT is implementing a management philosophy made successful in the French plants, utilizing training, visual management tools, standard routines and problem-solving tools to empower the workforce to improve their work and remove barriers to success. This entails leadership training for senior management, candle training (work simulations) for the entire workforce and daily management tools to improve daily execution, team engagement and communication across the facility.
Over the next year, the annual revenue will increase by 30-40%, so there will be a significant demand on the business to perform even in the midst of a significant undertaking to improve the way its people work. The one who does is the one who knows… If the company can give its people the tools and knowledge to be experts in their work, they will, in turn, provide improvement ideas, increase team engagement and drive business performance to reach and exceed expectations.
Company
Howmet Hampton IGT is a world-class producer of aero engine and industrial gas turbine components, including airfoils, rings, disks and forgings. The company excels in vacuum-melted superalloys, machining, performance coatings and hot isostatic pressing for high-performance parts that enable the next generation of quieter, more fuel-efficient aerospace engines and cleaner power generation. https://www.howmet.com/
