We checked in with Jordan Grainger, Production Supervisor of the new South Carolina plant, for an update and the report is in. The PPS manufacturing plant in Columbia, South Carolina is now fully operational and ramping up for peak production and delivery by mid-year.
Jordan Grainger, Production Supervisor – PPS East
The staff continues to grow and is currently up to 8 employees, he estimates 30 to 40 associates when fully staffed, That may not sound like a lot – because it isn’t! Efficiencies learned from the Boise plant combined with state-of-the-art equipment have reduced the labor requirements and expenses for the new plant.
Jordan has been with PPS for over 4 years, so he is very familiar with the exacting quality standards he needed to create in the new plant. The testing required to achieve certifications is complete so either Boise or Columbia can deliver PPS signature quality products.
The plant is up to 50 – 60% of planned production. The goal within the next year for Columbia is to mirror the production of the Boise plant allowing PPS East to:
- Better control and reduce costs through vertical fabrication/manufacturing in-house.
- Improving lead times and exceeding customer expectations.
- Strengthening supply chain partners, allowing for better determination of production times and volume capabilities.
A couple of other notable mentions?
- Completed the installation of an 18-foot / 2-ton industrial jib crane – to facilitate product mobility throughout the production process.
- Testing centers and wet tanks are being completed now.
- The wet well pit for on-site submersible pump station testing is in production planning.
- The new sandblaster cabinet is installed which vastly limits the need for outsourcing this process – saving our customer time and money.
- Finally, UL certification is in place!
Progress, progress, progress – that’s what’s happening at PPS East! Jordan has additional goals for the future of the plant that will continue to improve the overall service level, lead times, and cost management for our customers – we will fill you in on those as they come to fruition!
Meet the PPS South Carolina Team in the feature image: from right to left
- Raven Bradshaw, Fabricator
- Paul McDonald, Maintenance/Mechanical Assembly
- Charicka Rodgers, Production Support/Receptionist
- Scott Eaton, Mechanical Assembly
- Brandon Spence, Fabricator
- Destiney Edwards, Production Scheduling Specialist
