Innovation is highlighted in our S.E.R.V.I.C.E. principles because it is evident in both how we do things and, in the products and services we provide. We all have opportunities to make our company more innovative as illustrated in the following examples.
George Reed’s operators and mechanics are providing valuable testing and feedback to improve our real time pavement density measurement technology. This close partnership between the construction, maintenance, quality assurance, and product development teams is critical to the success of our RTDensity product.
The automation and streamlining of the Production Entry Process for the George Reed Aggregate Plants and Hot Plants is another excellent example of work process innovation.
Reed International’s Shane Stepp recently filed a patent for an invention entitled HEATABLE HOSE ASSEMBLY FOR ASPHALT REPAIR AND METHODS OF USE. In addition to product innovation, the teams at Reed International recognize that innovation in process improvements can have a much larger impact. They encourage ideas from everyone by focusing on “Design for Manufacturing.”
The strong teamwork between 7-11 Materials and Reed Family Companies IT and Accounting departments has resulted in exceptional leveraging of technology over the years, including the creation of My 711 Customer Portal in 2022, where customers can see and download their tickets and outstanding invoices, as well as pay online.
Another more recent 711 Materials project includes process innovation which facilitates the sharing of mixer trucks between Ready-Mix plants to increase equipment utilization. By combining data from Command, TrimView, and Kronos, the new process accurately assigns mixer truck labor and equipment costs resulting in better understanding of each Ready-Mix plant’s financials. Instead of relying on end of month manual corrections, the new process is automated and less time consuming.
VSS International’s operators and mechanics were tasked this construction season with testing and providing feedback for potential improvements to the new Continuous Macropaver, which debuted earlier this year. This ongoing partnership between the construction, maintenance, and equipment manufacturing teams is unique in the industry. Over the years, this collaboration has resulted in highly reliable equipment that contributes to increased crew productivity.
Evidence of innovation is all around us!
What product, service, or process innovations can you or your team identify?
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