We’re excited to highlight Sam E., the Molding Production Manager for Caplugs Evergreen. With years of dedicated service, Sam plays a crucial role in ensuring that our labware solutions are delivered on time and are of the highest quality.
Sam's official title may be molding production manager, but his day-to-day can vary greatly from a typical production manager's job description. At Caplugs Evergeen, Sam is tasked with overseeing all production jobs, ensuring on-time deliveries are met, and lends a hand with tooling issues that arise in day-to-day production.
Sam is a Master Molder and a certified process engineer with a deep technical knowledge that allows him to manage tool repairs, polish and weld tools and even assist with processing.
When asked about his day-to-day, he explains, "Basically, any tool we’re having trouble with from a production or quality aspect, I can step in and fix." This comprehensive skill set is invaluable, especially when a critical job is on a tight deadline and a tool stops working. His ability to quickly diagnose and fix problems in-house has been a game changer.
This unique combination of production oversight and hands-on technical expertise sets Sam apart in his role. While most production managers focus solely on things like scheduling and coordination, Sam's diverse skill set allows him to troubleshoot problems at every level of production.
Sam frequently encounters situations where his expertise as a Master Molder can help solve a unique customer challenge. "The common thing is that we have a hot job and a tool goes down and we need to figure out how we can get it fixed in a timely manner and to get the parts to customer," Sam said.
When these situations arise, Sam doesn't just focus on the immediate fix, he looks deeper to understand the root cause and prevent future occurrences.
"We look at how to design it better so it won't go down, we get to the core issues of why it broke or what happened. So we can design something better so it lasts longer,” Sam added.
Perhaps Sam's most impressive achievement has been the turnaround in on-time delivery performance at Caplugs Evergreen since his start with the company. The facility was able to significantly reduce its backlog of delayed parts, improving customer relationships and business operations in the process.
"We had customers that had delivery challenges, and we were able to turn that around through scheduling improvements. Now our production capacity consistently meets customer demand," Sam explained.
This transformation didn't happen overnight. Sam attributes the success to two key strategic changes. The first, implementing the new scheduling approach that fixed approximately 80% of the problems, and the second, bringing tool repairs in-house rather than relying on outside sources.
"We were able to take the tool repairs from outside and bring them into the Caplugs facilities to do most repairs ourselves. That helped reduce that backlog a great deal," Sam said.
While Sam takes pride in the technical and operational improvements, he's knows it couldn’t have happened without the people he works with each day.
"The people that I work with, they really know what they’re doing and we all are on the same wavelength in terms of a shared goal of success," Sam said. "We all think kind of the same, so it makes it easy to work with people like that when we're all pulling in the same direction."
This alignment of goals and thinking has been crucial in implementing the changes that transformed Caplugs Evergreen's operations. When team members share a common vision and approach, complex problems become more manageable and solutions can be implemented more effectively.
Sam's hands-on approach and attention to detail extend well beyond the facility floor. When he's not solving production challenges at Caplugs Evergreen, he channels his creative energy into several pursuits that complement his technical mindset.
"I like to oil paint. I do woodworking, furniture type stuff by hand," Sam explained. "It's pretty relaxing. I do gardening as well, really anything that soothes the mind and keeps my brain and my hands busy. I guess I just like to learn new things."
This passion for continuous learning and hands-on hobbies clearly translates into his professional life at Caplugs, where he's constantly looking for ways to improve processes, solve complex problems and implement innovative solutions.
We couldn't be prouder to have a dedicated team members like Sam. His ability to see the big picture while diving into the technical details exemplifies the kind of problem-solving approach that drives success for our company. Thank you, Sam, for everything you do for the Caplugs Evergreen team!
At Caplugs and Caplugs Evergreen, our dedication to quality is a direct result of the passionate people on our teams, just like Sam. We're proud to produce dependable injection molded labware and other protection solutions right here in our three U.S. facilities.
Are you ready to see the Caplugs difference for your next project? Explore our range of product protection here on our core site, our labware on our Caplugs Evegreen site or by contacting our team of experts by phone to discuss your specific needs at 1.888.CAPLUGS.