Patrick M. White Age: 28 Caterpillar, Inc. Joliet, IL
UNDER THIRTY P
atrick M. White found his niche early on taking high school drafting classes, something he was so good at that others would ask him how to work in AutoCAD and other programs. When he studied at Moraine Valley CC, his teachers were engineers by day and instructors at night. Initially, Patrick wanted to be a teacher who communicated to young people why keeping manufacturing in the US is so important. The example of his college teachers who went out and worked in industry and in
“I learned to first show respect
before trying to gain respect. It has given me a strong foundation for which my career is built upon.”
some cases retired to teach, motivated him to earn a B.S. in Industrial Technology from Illinois State University and pursue a career in manufacturing. Patrick started at the Caterpillar Decatur facility as an operations supervisor at 22 with responsibility for lead- ing hourly employees in achieving their safety, quality, and cost and throughput requirements. Patrick made immediate improvements to the Lower Power Train pro- duction areas through his ability to lead and motivate his employees. While in Decatur for three years Patrick managed production areas in machining, fabrication and final assembly before pursuing an opportunity at the Caterpillar Joliet facility.
At the Caterpillar Joliet facility Pat managed the
Heat Treat production line. During the first year in his role, Patrick yielded positive improvements in an Employee Opinion Survey. He empowered his employees to be self-sufficient and make decisions that positively impacted the Heat Treat Value Stream business. Patrick also propelled himself by sharing and utilizing the “best practices” he learned at the Decatur facility and helped to implement those prac- tices at the Joliet facility.
Following his first year at the Joliet facility, Patrick inherited additional production areas and employees. He demonstrated the same type of improvements by coaching his employees and helping them under- stand their impact on the customer and business. When Patrick was a shop floor supervisor, he went above and beyond to foster pride in his team by showing them how the components being manufac- tured played an important role in the overall product. In the previous two years, Patrick managed through an employee work stoppage that
lasted three months and three rounds of reduction in the workforce. Although unfortunate, these experiences helped Patrick grow as a leader and demonstrated his ability to withstand pressure and make difficult decisions. Because of his excellent communication and presen- tation style, Patrick was asked to deliver training to key leaders on the shop floor about 5S and lean manufac- turing principles. This demonstrated how 5S makes the jobs on the shop floor safer and more productive. As of this year Patrick has transitioned into a Six Sigma Black Belt role. In this role Patrick is currently involved in a project aimed at optimizing gas and power usage throughout the plant. If successful, it could serve as a model for other Caterpillar plants. Patrick is also part of a new deployment of Lean Manufacturing that is being piloted at select Caterpil- lar facilities.
Patrick believes in giving back to the community and is an active member of the Caterpillar Joliet Women’s Initiative Network (WIN). As a member, Patrick or- ganized various activities to raise money for tornado victims in Washington, IL, a plant-wide event that exceeded the WIN fundraising goal. ME
July 2014 |
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THIRTY UNDER THIRTY PROFILES
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