News

South Carolina’s Top Manufacturers Named at 2013 Salute to Manufacturing

Nucor Steel, Cytec Industries and Southern Weaving honored with 2013 Top Awards;

Boeing South Carolina executive Jack Jones addresses full house

SOUTH CAROLINA, March 21, 2013 – Eleven finalist companies were honored and three winners named as 2013 recipients of the prestigious Silver Crescent Award for Manufacturing Excellence today in front of a full house of industry leaders at the seventeenth annual Salute to Manufacturing at the TD Convention Center in Greenville.

Honored with 2013 Silver Crescent Awards for Manufacturing Excellence were Small Manufacturer Cytec Industries of Aiken County, Midsized Manufacturer Southern Weaving of Greenville, and Large Manufacturer Nucor Steel of Mount Pleasant.

The awards luncheon was attended by more than 300 business executives, community and political leaders, and manufacturing industry representatives from across South Carolina and the Southeast. Honorees were chosen from a statewide slate of finalist companies nominated for superior performance in 7 Crescents of Excellence -- Financial Performance, Customer Satisfaction, Employee Engagement, Citizenship, Innovation, Environmental Stewardship and Longevity Plan for South Carolina.  A national panel of independent, expert judges reviewed all applications to select finalists and determine winners.

The Awards Luncheon was preceded by a standing-room-only  Best Practices Forum, featuring presentations by senior industry executives including Brian McSharry of Sage Automotive; Fran Jones and John Stewart of Bridgestone Americas; Bryan Dods of GE Power & Water; Pam Bedenbaugh of Cox Industries; and Fred Dedrick, Executive Director of the National Fund for Workforce Solutions.

Boeing South Carolina Vice President and General Manager Jack Jones, the executive with overall leadership responsibility for Boeing’s 6,000-employee South Carolina operations and 787 Dreamliner facilities in North Charleston,  keynoted the affair, saluting the eleven finalist companies from across South Carolina for their achievements and contributions to South Carolina’s manufacturing industry and quality of life.  He cited South Carolina's strong commitment to nurturing and attracting innovative manufacturers of all types and sizes to the Palmetto State as a key reason that Boeing itself had made its game-changing commitment to the Palmetto State.

The Silver Crescent Award was established by the Silver Crescent Foundation to honor outstanding small, midsized and large manufacturers from across South Carolina, and to promote awareness of the importance of manufacturing to our standard of living and quality of life in the Palmetto State. The Silver Crescent Foundation's mission is to increase awareness of the importance of manufacturing among the public by promoting manufacturing vitality and advancing career opportunities in South Carolina.

The Small Manufacturer winner, representing companies with fewer than 200 employees, is Cytec Industries, a global specialty chemical and materials company serving the aerospace and automotive markets.  Located at two facilities in Langley and North Augusta, Cytec employs a total of 135 people.  Among its noteworthy accomplishments, Cytec was cited for its nationally admired emphasis on real-time plant performance measurement, allowing immediate input, decision-making and corrective action to enhance productivity, and for taking a proactive role in introducing middle and high school students to career options in chemical manufacturing.

In the Midsized Manufacturer category (200 – 499 employees), Southern Weaving of Greenville was named the 2013 winner.  The company employs 212 people, designing and producing innovative high-tensile narrow fabrics used in cargo restraint, safety protection, lifting and other specialty arenas.  Southern Weaving, which has increased its employee base by more than 25% in the last two years through a commitment to research and technology, was noted for its creative partnerships with such community organizations as Greenville Technical College, Furman University, SC Works, ReadySC, SCMEP, and Personal Pathways to Success.

In a highly competitive Large Manufacturer category, Nucor Steel of Mount Pleasant was 2013 winner for manufacturers with 500+ employees, nudging out finalists Boeing South Carolina, BMW Manufacturing and Itron.  As South Carolina’s largest recycler, recycling over 2 million tons of steel in 2012, Nucor is among the most energy-efficient steel companies in the world.  Nucor was cited for consistently outperforming global competitors on safety, cost, energy efficiency and innovation metrics -- all while maintaining employee retention rates exceeding 98%.

Other finalists for honors included:

o    Aaron Industries, Inc., Clinton
o    BMW Manufacturing Co., Spartanburg
o    Boeing, North Charleston
o    Holcim (US) Inc., Holly Hill
o    Itron, West Union
o    PropertyBoss Solutions, Greenville
o    Shaw Industries – Plant 8T, Central
o    Spartanburg Meat Processing Co., Inc., Spartanburg

The 2013 Silver Crescent Awards are co-sponsored by the South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA), by Scott and Company CPAs, and by SC Biz News, LLC.

“We are excited to honor the accomplishments of all of the finalist companies, and in particular to salute our three 2013 Silver Crescent Award winners,” Mike Rose, Vice Chairman of The Silver Crescent Foundation.  “Jack Jones’ comments about the importance of manufacturing to South Carolina's long-term prosperity are right on target and much appreciated, and we are gratified to draw such an outstanding collection of leaders from industry, government and the private sector to the 2013 event.”
To learn more about the Silver Crescent Awards and the Salute to Manufacturing program, visit www.SaluteToManufacturing.org or contact Sharon Halsey at (803) 657-6183.

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SOUTHERN WEAVING focuses on environmental stewardship

Greenville, S.C.-January 14, 2013 - CEO Ron Mohling announced today that Greenville-based Southern Weaving Company, manufacturer of performance webbing, rope, and sleeving, has intensified its efforts in environmental stewardship.

“It is Southern Weaving’s desire to minimize the social and environmental impacts and risks associated with its products and services,” Mohling said. “All managers are expected to minimize these impacts by monitoring key performance indicators and making improvements where possible. The Company is committed to reducing the environmental impact (for example, carbon footprint and waste reduction) and ensuring corporate responsibility, sustainability, and cooperation with our communities.”

Southern Weaving has developed a recycling program, which includes the following elements:

• Production waste is sold to a textile waste recycling company, re-melted, and resold to yarn manufacturers

• Cardboard and paper, including office printer paper is collected and sold to an established recycling company that handles paper exclusively. Waste paper, cardboard, and yarn cores are ground and sold as raw material for various recycled paper manufacturers.

• Beginning the first of this year, waste pallets and wood scrap are being stacked and picked up as raw materials for a company specializing in making new pallets from old ones. Any leftover wood scrap is ground and sold as mulch.

• Scrap steel is collected in a satellite location and hauled by a scrap dealer who sorts it and delivers it to foundries for reprocessing into raw ore.

• Waste machine lubricants and printing inks are picked up and transported by a handler specializing in chemical waste. Once collected, inks and lubricants are delivered to a recycling center where they are re-blended into useable fuel for processes requiring high temperatures such as foundries and cement kilns.

• All universal waste, such as fluorescent lamps and ballasts, is 100% recycled.

• Aluminum cans are also recycled by employee volunteers.

• Southern Weaving’s transports all waters through a closed sewer system. Only storm water runoff is permitted to exit the property and enter the surrounding environment untreated. Lab analysis of the storm water runoff has indicated that it is well below established pollutant limit set forth by the state.

Southern Weaving has made significant capital investments in retooling existing machinery to improve production efficiency and to become more energy efficient. The company has achieved numerous awards for environmental compliance, and will continue to focus on strengthening its sustainability efforts. Joey Griffin, Sr. Director of Operations, recently attended Furman University to complete a Post Graduate Diploma on Corporate Sustainability

Southern Weaving has been in business since 1924 and has led the launch of technical textiles into many arenas, from brakepads for the Model T Ford, to composite layers for the shell of inflatable space structures.  Its operation includes manufacturing facilities in Greenville, S.C., Anderson, S.C., and Collingwood, Ontario Canada.  The company makes performance webbing that serves various markets such as industrial slings, fall protection body harnesses, sporting equipment, and hydraulic hose sleeves.

For more information, contact Sr. Dir. Of Operations, Joey Griffin
Phone: 800-849-8962
Alternate phone: 864-233-1635
Fax: 864-770-6483
Email: joey.griffin@southernweaving.com

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Manufacturers from Across South Carolina Vie for Top Honors in State’s Most Prestigious Manufacturing Competition

11 named finalists based on world-class manufacturing performance;
tickets now on sale to attend Salute To Manufacturing luncheon

 

SOUTHERN WEAVING ACQUIRES BURLAN’S INDUSTRIAL BELT BUSINESS

 

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