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Washington Manufacturing Services (WMS), a “not-for-profit” organization dedicated to helping Washington manufacturers improve their competitiveness, has announced that the HearthBread BakeHouse production facility in northeast Spokane has made a commitment to its employees and customers by signing up for the new Federal Lean Grant targeting the food processing industry.
The Department of Labor grant for implementation of Lean for the Food Processing Industry acknowledges the unique competitive challenges in the industry as well as the nature of its workforce. While providing training in Lean techniques and guiding HearthBread BakeHouse through implementation, it also provides organizational development training for the Hispanic workforce and for native speaking employees as well, developing cross-cultural and English language ability focused on implementing Lean effectively in a cross-cultural team environment.
HearthBread expanded from six employees in 1998 to about 65 currently, with more growth expected. Sales have increased by an average of 50 percent each year since 2000. The current facility is loaded with production equipment, and the partners are seeking larger quarters. They say they would like to stay in the same neighborhood in Spokane, because many of the employees live nearby and walk to work. They take pride in the stability of the company's workforce and are proud of the employees who bring their families to the bakery to show where they work.
