Officials for the local wing of one of the largest U.S. plate-steel fabrication and production manufacturers say they're making improvements to ensure they will be in business for another century.
Perhaps best known for its work in the construction of St. Louis' Jefferson National Expansion Monument (better known as the Gateway Arch) and New York's World Trade Center, Pitt-Des Moines Inc. is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. Over the century, company officials have seen their product lines shift from pipelines to water-storage tanks to nuclear power plant parts, but one thing has stayed the same, they say: the commitment to quality."(Our people) try to be flexible and meet customers' needs, and they take more pride in their work," said Phillip Elbert, company chairman.
In the company's Provo facilities, that commitment means the beginning of a new program, "Total Quality Improvement."
Larry Wing, a company employee for 15 years, heads up the new program, which is designed to get maximum efficiency, both quantitative and qualitative, out of the plant.
"It may mean getting the employees more active in making decisions, it may mean redesigning a tool or it may mean making sure two workers get along better," Wing said.
Plant Manager Tom Langston agreed, saying that "everyone who works for the company is a contributor."
While the Provo production facilities haven't been in business that long, officials there say the plant has seen just about everything during its 40 years of operation.
"At one time, the main building was just a Quonset hut," said Birk Petersen, plant engineer and a 35-year employee.
Today, the Provo facilities are part of the company's engineering and construction division, which represents approximately 60 percent of the company's total profits. The company employs 120 people in facets of construction, material preparation, assembly, administration and drafting in Provo. The Spanish Fork facilities serve mainly as warehouses for commercial steel sales in the West.
Among the local plant's proudest accomplishments are contributions to the Biosphere project in Oracle, Ariz., and many of the municipal water-storage tanks scattered throughout the county. Most recently, the local plant has been constructing a 10-ton trifurcated piece as part of a Hesperia, Calif., power plant.
Such a project shows the business's dedication to "getting more involved in industrial production," according to Langston.
"There just aren't as many contracts for municipal construction as there used to be, and PDM is trying to become more diversified," Langston said. "(Company officials) are just trying to get the more efficient use out of their plants."