Science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) career opportunities are on the rise, while the qualified workforce is projected to decline. Last week a team visited the University of Michigan to explore the different options to partner with the elite university and tap into the talent of the next generation of workers. Gary Verplank, CEO, Jeff Piper, VP of strategy and innovation, Tom Johnson, director of engineering, Danielle Smith, HR director, Joe Matecki, APD product manager, Jeff McHenry, advanced product engineer, Kannan Ramamoorthy, CAE engineer IV, Helen Weykamp, APD product manager, and Danni Schertzing, APD commercial manager were all in attendance. The team learned more about Michigan’s Multidisciplinary Design Program (MDP), […]

Open. Honest. Humble. Transparent. “We’ve only strengthened Toyota’s opinion of us as a strategic partner,” said Daric Morell, director of manufacturing, as he talked about his recent presentation at Toyota’s Fall Supplier Event. “Our philosophies regarding people, production and products align closely.” After impressing attendees and Toyota at Bluegrass Automotive Manufactures Association’s (BAMA) annual conference in February, Toyota invited Daric and Mark White, president, to speak at their Fall Supplier Event. Shape was the only supplier to speak at the event which was limited to their top strategic suppliers. Daric spoke to attendees, many of which were CEO’s or Presidents of other Toyota suppliers, about Shape’s lean manufacturing journey on […]