Leading businesses in region recognized by the Manufacturers’ Association as top manufacturer of the year, community Investor, innovator and partner

Leading businesses in region recognized by the Manufacturers’ Association as top manufacturer of the year, community Investor, innovator and partner

YORK, PA (May 1, 2017) — The Manufacturers’ Association, a growing regional trade association serving manufacturing, production and logistics in Pennsylvania and Maryland, recently honored the recipients of its 2017 annual Manufacturing Awards.

Presented as part of their awards segment at their April 26 ‘Annual Event’ at The Pullo Center in York, the occasion set the backdrop for the Association to publicly honor and recognize its member companies and partners who have made a difference in the regional economy, the lives of their employees, their community, and the local manufacturing sector.

Honored as Manufacturer of the Year was Matthews International. Located in York County, Mathews International employs nearly 350 people in southcentral PA, and has an 85-year heritage of manufacturing in York, where many know of the company’s brand as York Casket. Through recent acquisitions the company has been able to expand its market and add employment – 70 employees in the past year. Matthews has also made multi-million dollar investments in manufacturing equipment and other facility upgrades at the York location – purchasing new equipment, investing in robotic equipment and other automation, as well as productivity and environmental improvements..

Recognized as the Association’s outstanding Community Investor was First Capital Federal Credit Union. Presented each year to the company that shows a concerted commitment to the betterment and growth of the local or regional community(s) in which it does business, this award honored First Capital Federal Credit Union – a not-for-profit, full-service financial institution owned by its members, operated in York County for more than 60 years. A few of the many community activities which First Capital is committed to include: Adopt a Family, Clothes donations to the Salvation Army, Financial Donations to the York Cancer Center and the American Heart Association, and educational and mentoring opportunities to local students through the Career Exploration Program and Student Tours. They also host the York County Alliance for Learning in their offices.

Honored as Manufacturing Innovator was Harley-Davidson Motor Company (York Vehicle Operations), for its innovative use of the industrial Internet of Things (IoT) technology, to maintain critical equipment. Harley-Davidson has become an automotive industry leader by adopting this cutting-edge Smart Sensor technology, which allows remote and wireless collection of real time machinery data that increases equipment uptime by predicting equipment failures, plans maintenance activities in advance, and also prevents machine failures from occurring in the future.

The Lancaster Workforce Development Board was recognized as the Association’s Partner of the Year. The lead organization in Lancaster County for workforce planning and development, it administers federal and state funds to support jobseekers, dislocated workers, employers and young people. The Board recently reorganized and created a new industry sector strategy focusing on manufacturing to produce better training and hiring outcomes for the industry. As a result, the Board developed an Industry Training Partnership for Advanced Manufacturing, which succeeded in securing funds to support technical training for the manufacturing workforce. They have also secured training funds through the federal Make it in America program – to help reshore production to Pennsylvania.

The four individual manufacturing and partnership awards were also presented by Doug Hall, nationally noted systems innovation practitioner and best-selling author, who served as the Association’s keynote speaker for the April 26 gathering.

Matthews International, (known by some still as York Casket Company), receives the Manufacturers’ Association’s Manufacturer of The Year Award from Association Board President Tom Baughman, at the Association’s 111 th Annual Event April 26. Also shown at left are Tom Palisin, Association executive director, and keynote speaker Doug Hall. Emre Kayha, York Plant Manager, accepts the award with Chris Stibitz, Scott Wright, and Stacie Lee, all with Matthews, at right.

Tara Houser, vice president of marketing for First Capital Federal Credit Union, accepts the Community Investor Award from Association board president Tom Baughman (at left with keynote speaker Doug Hall). Standing to the right of Houser is Tom Palisin, Association executive director.

Jim Fusco and Nick Chandler of Harley Davidson York Vehicle Operations, accept their Manufacturing Innovator Award from (at left) Doug Hall, keynote speaker, and Tom Baughman, Association board president. At right is Tom Palisin, Association executive director, at the Association’s 111 th Annual Event April 26.

Cathy Rychalsky of the Lancaster Workforce Development Board accepts the award as Partner of the Year from (at left) Doug Hall, keynote speaker for the Association’s 111th Annual Event April 26, and Association Board President Tom

Baughman. At right is Association executive director Tom Palisin.