Mark LaMoncha, president and CEO of Hamtown Products in Youngstown, spoke at the Leadership Columbiana County and Columbiana County Port Authority meeting Wednesday at the Leetonia Global Investment Hub. Over a coffee and donut mixer, he talked about his “industrial athlete” mindset when it comes to corporate and workplace culture. Mr. Ramoncha brought the company back to maximum profitability from the brink of bankruptcy in 2008, thanks in part to the introduction of his now-patented Visual Earning System in 2008, and is responsible for bringing the company back to maximum profitability in 2020. Selected as Manufacturer of the Year by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). See the value of your performance in real time and increase productivity. (Photo provided by Evan Hawk)
LEETONIA — Mark LaMoncha, president and CEO of Youngstown's Hamtown Products, led the company from near-bankruptcy in 2008 to maximum profitability and was named a 2020 National Association of Manufacturers ( NAM's Manufacturer of the Year award was partly due to a change in his thinking. and the company's thinking.
Humtown Products fundamentally changed its workplace culture by first changing its terminology. The workplace was “Performance Center” And the employees became “Industrial Athlete”. Ramonca no longer calls employees. “employee,” At a coffee and donut mixer hosted by Columbiana County Leadership and the Columbiana County Port Authority at Leetonia Global, he said he considers them like family and considers himself more of a coach than a boss, but now… But he said he sometimes struggles. Wednesday investment hub.
“I'm still recovering from the old industrial 'command, demand, control…boss, manage, supervise.'” Ramoncha said. “Being a leader is all about being relevant and being real.”
He said the new way of thinking has been passed on to employees, who are happier and more productive than ever, and Hamtown Products is the most profitable company.
An example of a change in mindset is when Ramoncha decided to buy each person a small fire extinguisher before going through the company's required fire extinguisher training. “Team member” You should keep it at home to protect your family and property.
“Training has become more valuable to them.” Ramoncha said.
Humtown introduced its now patented Visual Earnings System in 2008, allowing employees to see the value of their performance in real time.
“This real-time process of measuring and displaying team member productivity results in sustained productivity increases of 250 to 400 percent.” stated on the company's website.
Ramoncha said he was inspired by his father, who founded the company in 1959 as a small pattern shop in Colombiana. “People who worked in factories and machines knew how much a minute was worth. That would change the way they worked.”
So Ramoncha came up with the idea of showing employees the value of their time in real time.
“This is where the change happens where they become more of a performer and not just a worker.” Ramoncha said.
All hospitalization expenses are covered by the company, and all meals and drinks during snack breaks are free.
Ramoncha co-authored a book with consultant Tim Figley about changing workplace culture, with a foreword by Jim Tressel. “Industrial Athlete Operating System: Where Human Performance Powers Industry 4.0.” Copies of this book were distributed to approximately 50 attendees.
“A career requires interest, purpose, passion, and commitment.” Ramoncha said.
The Global Investment Hub is located at the Leetonia Cherry Fork Industrial Facility, where Hamtown Additive, a division of Hamtown that specializes in additive manufacturing of sand cores and molds, will offer tours of its 3D box printer and 16K Proto Epic 3. Did. -D Life-size holographic communication platform.
Completed last fall, the Global Investment Hub is a collaboration between the Port Authority and the Ohio Small Business Development Center Export Assistance Network at Youngstown State University, and is designed to attract international companies to the region. The main goals are: I would like to move my business here.
The center was established in “We offer space in our industrial facility in Leetonia, Ohio, to foreign companies, offering value that includes access to the region’s skilled workforce and supply chain.” Its website says:
Hamtown became Holographic Proto Epic's Midwest distributor after LaMoncha spoke live with Howie Mandel about cutting-edge technology at the Columbus trade show.
“They are so clear that doctors in other countries can already see their patients in the U.S. in their true colors. Because of their realism, Christie's art has already been used for over 20 years without having to ship the art around the world. Billions of dollars in sales.” Ramoncha said.
Epic offers: “It's a completely life-size, life-like experience for the viewer. It feels like you're both in the same room.” The Proto website says:
Hamtown has been serving the foundry industry for over 60 years and now “We are the world leader in conventional and 3D printed sand cores and molds.” According to the company's website.
Currently, the Hamtown Additive plant is operating at 45% capacity, which means workers are making $45 an hour and doing the work of 4.5 people, Ramoncha said.
“It makes them feel very successful and valued.” He said.
The 3D printer works top-down, slowly layering sand mined from the Oklahoma desert, mixing it with a catalyst, and then bonding it with resin into the final solid form, says Joe Tul of Humtown Additive. He explained this during the tour. The design is loaded into a printer and carved from 64,000 pounds of sand packed into a printer box.
The box then comes out of the printer and is vacuumed out any excess sand that wasn't bound with resin into the final solid form, which could be an airplane part, electric truck engine part, or a variety of other shapes. And the product is removed.
Hamtown is looking to grow into the future by hosting tours of its manufacturing site and company culture for area students.
“This is the most important thing we can teach our children. When you separate the word 'impossible,' it becomes 'I can.'” Ramoncha said. “Sometimes success happens when vision and reality align.”
