The team at Wikus Saw is very well-rounded, built on the foundation of a core group, with anywhere from 10-20 years Wikus experience, mixed with an influx of new team members over the last 2-3 years. It is vital for an organization to have a balanced team, those with a deep knowledge of the organization and those with a fresh outlook, eager to learn. In this issue, we would like to introduce one of our newer team members, who has made a positive impact. 

In January 2019, Manny Johnson joined the Wikus Saw team as Production Manager at our Addison facility. When Manny joined the team, there were some challenges to overcome, with regard to improving lead times, building the production team and renewing the facilities. 

Manny brought a skill set to the Wikus team, that certainly helped him face the challenges. Manny’s organizational skills and ability to analyze the production data, were instrumental in solidifying lead times, ensuring our customers experience a quick turnaround time on their  orders.

Manny’s skills as a manager, treating the people on his team with respect, highlighting the importance of every team member’s contributions, mentoring and cross training, re-energized the production team in Addison. Manny instituted a daily meeting with the production team, where all members have an opportunity to contribute ideas, recommend improvements and ask questions, empowering them as an integral part of the Wikus Saw Team.

Long time production team members have a new outlook and have been sharing that with family and friends. Referrals from existing team members and careful vetting from Manny with an employment partner, resulted in 4 additional production team members joining Wikus Saw in 2019. 

In the last year, Manny has been involved in facility improvements such as new rubber flooring, new equipment and organization of supplies in the production area. With these improvements, the warehouse and production area in Addison certainly reflect the quality, for which Wikus is known. It is a place that all team members are proud to work!

Manny is a firm believer that all his successes would not be possible if not for the excellent team of people in the production department at Wikus Saw’s Addison facility. In fact, he is truly uncomfortable accepting credit for the accomplishments of the past year, saying, “without the people on this team, who work so very hard, sometimes 10-12 hour days, none of this would have been possible, all the credit goes to them!”

Manny can be described as a man of few words, humble and very focused on getting the job done. When Manny is not at Wikus, he enjoys quiet down time with his new bride. In addition to all his activities at Wikus the first year, Manny managed to get married this past August 2019.

We thank Manny for his contributions to the team and look forward to building on this in the future!