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MiMfg Magazine
October 2018
Phil Sponsler
Keynote
Conversation Orbitform
last year’s John G. Thodis
Q: As Michigan
Manufacturer of
the Year Award winner,
what does that mean to
you? What are your
thoughts on the Award
and the other award
recipients from last year’s
MFG Excellence Awards?
Sponsler: Winning the 2017 John G. Thodis
Michigan Manufacturer of the Year Award was
an awesome experience to showcase all that
Orbitform and our great team have been able
to achieve. This award is a team award and
recognizes the faith and support our owner
Mike Shirkey has in us. I really feel that, with
our employees, owner and customers in our
corner, there isn’t anything we can’t conquer.
On a personal basis it was a once in a lifetime
experience to be given the award in front of my
family and friends. The whole night was filled
with great people and great companies getting
recognized by their peers.
should manufacturers take the time
Q: Why
to celebrate their accomplishments and
their role in growing the Michigan economy?
Sponsler: Taking the time out to recognize and
celebrate manufacturing accomplishments and
the folks that drive the growth of the Michigan
economy is so well deserved. I know many
manufacturers who think in higher terms than
just making the bottom line. They are community
leaders who understand the greater good. Manu-
facturing provides living wages for folks to secure
their current wellbeing and future wellbeing.
are some challenges
Q: What
manufacturing leaders should start
thinking about as we head into 2019?
Sponsler: Manufacturing leaders have been
and continue to be challenged with finding the
right human resources to capitalize on this great
economy. Struggling in this arena crimps growth
and even threatens the future existence of some
companies. Mike Shirkey challenged us eight
1 1 President of Orbitform LLC, a manufacturer of
assembly equipment solutions out of Jackson.
1 1 Recipient of the 2017 John G. Thodis Michigan
Manufacturer of the Year Award and the 2017
Manufacturer of the Year Award from the
Jackson Area Manufacturers Association.
1 1 Holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Agricultural
Engineering (Mechanical Design) from
Michigan State University.
years ago to put strategies in place to offset this
shortage. We created a dozen or so tactics off of
the foundation strategy of making Orbitform a
great place to work and highly appreciate our
employees. Companies have to figure out their
own success equation and top management needs
to drive their processes to get the right people.
Cyber Security is a reality and there are
successful tactics that can be put in place to thwart
these attacks. We started preparing seven years
ago with our internal resources and ASK out of
Lansing to protect Orbitform. When we were hit
with ransomware, our defenses kicked in and we
only lost four hours of productivity and went back
to work the next day. No ransom was paid.
The third major threat is revenue droughts.
The 2009 revenue drought made us commit
passionately toward revenue generation. We
now have a revenue generating machine that is
driven by a hyper aligned sales team that just
can’t be stopped.
2018 MFG Excellence Awards will
Q: The
be held in East Lansing on November 8.
You’re a mid-sized manufacturer — why
is this an event worth attending?
Sponsler: The 2018 MFG Excellence Awards
event in East Lansing on 11/8/18 is a “Must
Attend Event” for manufacturing leaders. The
benefits are numerous with the first being that you
will hear Manufacturing Leaders tell their stories
and reveal their secret sauce strategies that drove
the results. You also will have almost limitless
opportunities to network and make highly valuable
contacts. This is a first class event and taking a
moment out of your grind to make things to
celebrate is rewarding in itself.
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