Allentown-based ATAS International is a family-owned company with a global reach, and a reputation built on 55+ years of quality craftsmanship and knowledgeable staff. With locations across the U.S., the company is an innovative manufacturer of metal walls, metal roof systems, accessories, and more.
ATAS INTERNATIONAL LEVERAGES ONGOING RELATIONSHIP WITH MRC
“MRC brings to our attention important topics we would not have otherwise considered.” – Dick Bus, President
At ATAS International third-party assistance is needed from time to time and MRC is the first place they reach out to. Because of their long-standing relationship, MRC intuitively brought a solution to ATAS they didn’t know they needed and that is for succession planning.
Solution
Bus says he especially values MRC’s proactive approach to topics not yet on the company’s radar. “Like succession planning—they recommended a provider. Today we have monthly meetings with them focused on upcoming transitions. We had never thought about that.”
To demonstrate the spectrum of assistance ATAS taps into at the Manufacturers Resource Center, first is Tech Scouting for a new product development issue. “Identifying and developing a product can take a few years,” says President Dick Bus. “We used MRC’s Tech Scouting process to verify the need and confirm the feasibility for some products before we got too far down the road.”
Solar Ready Roofing by ATAS
The Manufacturing Leadership Institute (MLI) at MRC helps develop ATAS’s current and upcoming leaders to become more effective as they learn the importance of strategic and innovative thinking. For more than a decade, ATAS sends one or two managers (Bus and his son included) on a regular basis. “It gets them thinking bigger picture,” he says. “They’re no longer focused just on their own areas of responsibility. That lets me build the bench.”
Community engagement is a consistent theme at ATAS. For years, ATAS leveraged the opportunities of the MRC “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing ?” student video competition to conduct Manufacturing Day tours to demonstrate the benefit of careers in manufacturing. “Our employees can see it directly impacts the students, and that energizes them. They’re helping to teach the next generation of workers.”
ATAS is also a repeat participant in MRC’s Maintenance Master Certification, six-module course. No fewer than five of the company’s maintenance staffers have completed the program, and Bus says their involvement has reduced the number of costly shutdowns. Specifically, an emphasis on preventive maintenance has enabled the company to increase uptime.
ATAS Metal Roofing at Jaindle Farms, PA
Of his decade-long involvement in MRC’s CEO Forum, Bus says the opportunity to interact with others who occupy a similar role in other manufacturing companies is especially helpful. “They’re like-minded and like-sized businesses,” he says, “I get a lot out of it, and I’ll keep going as long as they’ll have me.”
Rounding out the list of recent MRC program participation, Bus points to COVID webinars and an ongoing effort to replace a 34-year-old ERP system.
Results
- ATAS slashed unscheduled maintenance by at least 25% following Maintenance Strategies
- Leadership development enables ATAS to retain workers at a rate 20% higher than competitors
- Our ongoing relationship with MRC has saved ATAS well over $250,000.
To learn more about ATAS international, Inc., visit their website at www.atas.com.