October 16, 2018 (Somerset, Kentucky) -- UGN, Inc. in Somerset is pleased to announce that Shawn Cruse has been promoted to the role of Plant Manager.
“Shawn was acting as the interim Plant Manager, having recently stepped up from his role as Manufacturing Services Manager,” says Don Nelson, Chief Operating Officer at UGN, Inc.
“We will continue to support Somerset on site as Shawn transitions into his new role reporting into David Passmore, Executive Director of Operations. With the capability and strength of the Somerset Leadership Team, I know that this will be a great opportunity for Shawn and the Somerset Plant,” Nelson adds.
Shawn Cruse’s promotion comes in the wake of another move. Chris Hicks recently transitioned to UGN in Monroe, Ohio, to manage the facility there.
“Taking the role in Monroe is a great career move for me as we expand that location, but I admit the hardest thing for me was leaving the Somerset Team,” says Chris Hicks.
“That plant was my family. Most of the team had been promoted up from within the organization over the years. I enjoyed watching them grow into the leaders that they have become.
“With my move to Monroe, along with some other changes, we were able to transfer our Continuous Improvement Manager to Monroe to help me, promote Jason [Irvine] to Somerset’s Continuous Improvement Manager, promote Stevie [McWhorter] to Human Resources Manager, and Shawn [Cruse] to the role of Plant Manager. Somerset is in capable hands!
“We delivered some great things over the past few years, and one that I am most proud of is the role that I played in growing the KY Fame program in Somerset. Several years ago, it seemed like we always had vacancies for technical and electrical talent but we could not find anyone. With the introduction of KY Fame, we always have a team member ready to step in. We are even to the point we plan this year to export some of our KY Fame graduates to outside Kentucky to our other locations. I know that Shawn and Stevie will continue to build that partnership.
“Shawn and I will continue to connect every week as he builds upon the foundation that we put in place,” Hicks reports. “I am excited to visit him a year from now and see just how far he and the team have taken things.”
Shawn’s prior work experience includes over two decades in the automotive manufacturing industry, including most recently as General Manager at Toyoda Gosei Kentucky in Lebanon, KY. He received his Bachelors of Science in Environmental Health Science from Eastern Kentucky University.
“In my short tenure at UGN Somerset, I have been amazed at the level of teamwork within the plant from top to bottom and within the overall organization,” Shawn Cruse says.
“This commitment to helping each other was communicated to me from Chris and Dave when I interviewed, but to actually see it in action has been amazing. The potential that this level of teamwork might exist here in Somerset was one of the key reasons I accepted the offer to come here. I have been working in the automotive industry for 22 years now and I have never seen this level cooperation across so many people within an organization. I have been equally impressed with how gracious and friendly everyone has been toward me since the day I started. The opportunity to be a part of this team has truly been a blessing and I can only see positive opportunities for our future in Somerset. I am excited beyond words and look forward to leading an amazing team.”
Out of the gate, Shawn Cruse, Stevie McWhorter, and others from the Somerset team will be meeting with Cumberlands Workforce Development Board during their Plant Managers Alliance meeting to continue discussing the role UGN Somerset plays in the community.
Most notably, Shawn and Stevie will be pitching a future panel discussion around women in manufacturing:
Walk the Line: Why Women Should Consider Manufacturing as the Next Great Career Move
(For more information, please contact Shawn Cruse, Stevie McWhorter, and/or Kevin Bohan)
Please join us in congratulating Shawn Cruse in his promotion, along with Jason Irvine, Chris Hicks, and Stevie McWhorter.
There are exciting times ahead for UGN, Inc. in Somerset.
Shawn’s Contact Information:
sc****@ug*.com
(606) 678-7821 desk
(606) 872-8565 cell
By Kevin J Bohan - The role of Human Resources has undergone a paradigm shift in recent years, from performing back-office tasks such as payroll and benefits to a business partner model to the current state where the HR function is expected to generate competitive insights from the data they have access to.
Tinley Park, Ill. (February 9, 2018) — Leading automotive parts manufacturer, UGN, Inc. has good news for the economic forecast in one Midwest city this year. The company has plans for expansion in 2018, bringing additional jobs and revenue to either Ohio or Indiana.
Headquartered in Tinley Park, Ill., UGN has seven locations across North America. To address the needs of their customers and corresponding new program awards in 2019 and 2020, the company has targeted expansion and further investment in one of the following locations: UGN Monroe, Ohio or UGN Valparaiso, Indiana.
“Both locations exemplify UGN culture and level of success we strive for,” says Peter Anthony, CEO, UGN, Inc. “There are benefits to expansion in either Ohio or Indiana. We have enjoyed a lot of success in both regions. Either way, we hope to continue to contribute to the development of each respective community as we grow to meet the needs of our customers.”
The company’s Valparaiso plant opened in 1997 and has enjoyed stellar production rates and earned numerous awards and industry accolades over the years.
Proposed Valparaiso expansion would require an additional 150,000 square feet.
The UGN Monroe facility opened in 2015, and brought more than 280 new skilled jobs to the community. In its short operating history, UGN Monroe has also been distinguished with customer awards and industry recognition.
If the company decides to invest further in its Monroe facility, changes would include expanding the current building by 154,000 square feet.
Both expansion proposals include the addition of 111 new team members to the respective facilities, and close to $6M in salaries.
The company will announce the location for the upcoming expansion by the end of March 2018, with plans to complete construction by November of this year.
About UGN, Inc.
Founded in 1986 as a partnership between Nihon Tokushu Toryo Co. Ltd., (Nittoku) and Autoneum Holding AG, UGN, Inc., is the preferred producer of high-quality acoustic, interior trim, and thermal management products, and a recognized leader in customer satisfaction for the Japanese transplant automotive industry in North America.
UGN, with more than $415 million in revenue, has six locations in the United States—Novi, Michigan; Jackson, Tennessee; Monroe, Ohio; Somerset, Kentucky; Tinley Park, Illinois; and Valparaiso, Indiana; as well as a location in Silao, Guanajuato, Mexico—specializing in manufacturing, research, development, testing, and service support.
For more information, please visit UGN.com.
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SILAO, Mexico (October 31, 2017)—UGN, Inc. is pleased to announce the expansion of its manufacturing capabilities to meet the growing local production needs of its Honda, Nissan, Mazda, and Toyota customers in Mexico.
The new 300,000 square foot facility in Silao, Mexico, is nearing completion, and UGN will begin transferring output from their current Mexican location through Q1 of 2018.
UGN provides a wide array of products for local customers in its current 60,000 square foot Silao facility. However, the auto manufacturer’s customers have added considerable production capacity and models in Mexico, and look to UGN to increase the range of products supplied to local facilities there. The new UGN Silao location will facilitate production of virtually the entire UGN product portfolio.
UGN does not produce products in Mexico for export to the United States; rather the company manufactures automotive sound solutions where UGN customers produce their vehicles. Specifically, the UGN Silao, Mexico facility meets the following local production needs for:
The new Silao location is located nine miles from the current facility. As a result, UGN will be able to continue to manufacture and supply from its existing facility into Q2 of 2018 to avoid any interruption in production.
About UGN, Inc.
Founded in 1986 as a partnership between Nihon Tokushu Toryo Co. Ltd., (Nittoku) and Autoneum Holding AG, UGN, Inc., is the preferred producer of high-quality acoustic, interior trim, and thermal management products, and a recognized leader in customer satisfaction for the Japanese transplant automotive industry in North America. UGN, with more than $415 million in revenue, has six locations in the United States—Novi, Michigan; Jackson, Tennessee; Monroe, Ohio; Somerset, Kentucky; Tinley Park, Illinois; and Valparaiso, Indiana; as well as a location in Silao, Guanajuato, Mexico—specializing in manufacturing, research, development, testing, and service support.
For more information, please visit UGN.com.
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Tinley Park, Ill. (May 22, 2017) — The UGN Silao facility in Mexico has won the top quality award from the Mazda Motor Corporation. The Mazda Quality Award is awarded annually at the automaker’s Supplier Conference in Mexico.
“We are proud of the Silao team's hard work and to be recognized with the Mazda Quality Award for 2016," says Peter Anthony, CEO of UGN. “The improvement of our quality PPM by 98 percent from 2015 values is a testament to their dedication and commitment to constant betterment.”
The Mazda Quality Award is based on an assessment of a facility’s PPM (parts per million) rating, which represents defects per million parts manufactured in a year. For example, a 15 PPM rating means if a facility ships a million parts per year, there can only be 15 defects to achieve and maintain the rating. This is only the third year the Mazda Quality Award has been presented in Mexico.
The UGN Silao facility manufactures interior trim products and acoustical parts, which enhance the quality of the MAZDA2 and MAZDA3 vehicles.
About UGN, Inc.
Founded in 1986 as a partnership between Nihon Tokushu Toryo Co. Ltd., (Nittoku) and Autoneum Holding AG, UGN, Inc., is the preferred producer of high quality acoustic, interior trim, and thermal management products, and a recognized leader in customer satisfaction for the Japanese transplant automotive industry in North America.
UGN, with more than $415 million in revenue, has six locations in the United States—Novi, Michigan; Jackson, Tennessee; Monroe, Ohio; Somerset, Kentucky; Tinley Park, Illinois; and Valparaiso, Indiana; as well as a location in Silao, Guanajuato, Mexico—specializing in manufacturing, research, development, testing, and service support.
For more information, please visit UGN.com.
