Download the most recent issue of the Ajax Innovator and find out what’s new at Ajax Metal Forming Solutions. This special issue contains a great article about takeover dies, a relevant case study, and a message from Ajax President Kent Djubek.
“There are plenty of well-run companies here in Minnesota that are really good places to work. Our Top 150 Workplaces recognition places us among them. We’re honored,” said Ajax President Kent Djubek.
“Although we’re not always perfect, neither are we satisfied with being average. Through a continuous effort to improve, we can unleash our potential as individuals and as a company. In that way, Ajax will remain a great place to work.”
Ajax is a Top 150 Workplace
Ajax has been recognized as a Star Tribune Top Workplaces company each year since 2014.
To qualify for the Star Tribune Top Workplaces, a company must have more than 50 employees in Minnesota. Nearly 3,000 companies were invited to participate.
Star Tribune Publisher Michael J. Klingensmith said, “The companies in the Star Tribune Top 150 Workplaces deserve high praise for creating the very best work environments in the state of Minnesota. My congratulations to each of these exceptional companies.”
View the complete Top Workplaces list here.
Back in mid-February 2020, Ajax hosted members of the Minnesota OSHA Workplace Safety Consultation (WSC) unit to renew the Ajax MNSHARP Worksite status. As with previous years, the WSC visit focused on the type of improvements that make the Ajax workplace as safe as possible.
Ajax just received word that the 2020 renewal application was approved. Ajax is once again a MNSHARP Worksite. Mission accomplished!
“One lost-time injury is one too many,” said Ajax President Kent Djubek. “We’ve been a part of the MNSHARP program for many years. We’re willing to take extra time to make these continual improvements because we know they prevent injuries,” he said. In 2019, Ajax was one of only 37 MNSHARP Worksites.
The Process
The Ajax Safety Team works directly with MNSHARP auditors to develop and implement the company’s written safety program. Key elements of this program include management leadership and employee involvement, allocation of resources to address safety issues, systems that identify and control workplace hazards, and a plan for employee safety training and education. The Ajax team then pursues an aggressive compliance work plan to make the program changes and improvements.
About MNSHARP
MNSHARP recognizes companies whose managers and employees work together to develop safety and health programs that go beyond basic compliance with all applicable OSHA standards, and result in immediate and long-term prevention of job-related injuries and illnesses.
Incentives for participant companies include assistance from the department’s Minnesota OSHA Workplace Safety Consultation (WSC) unit, public recognition for employers and employees, and exemption from Minnesota OSHA Compliance scheduled inspection lists.
To achieve this status, each company works together with WSC to develop and implement an effective written safety program. Key elements of this comprehensive program include management leadership and employee involvement; allocation of resources to address safety issues; systems that identify and control workplace hazards; and a plan for employee safety training and education.
U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), encourages employers to operate exemplary safety and health management systems by offering participation in recognition and exemption programs. MNSHARP is Minnesota’s version of that program.
Thanks and congratulations, Ajax Safety Team!
Add this to your vernacular: “Diaper Desert”.
As in, “there are no diapers on store shelves in my neighborhood”.
The one-two punch of COVID19-related shortages and riot-torn streets have left several neighborhoods in the Twin Cities without stores that carry baby care products. This presents an enormous challenge to parents and caregivers who now must travel outside their own neighborhoods to find diapers, wipes, formula, and other baby care necessities.
In response, Ajax Metal Forming Solutions colleague Sean Rasmussen and his friend Justin Michael, both of St. Cloud, Minnesota, have kickstarted Operation Diaper Drop with a goal of recruiting friends and co-workers to shop for diapers in suburban stores and then bring them to their workplace or other drop-off locations. The Operation then collects the products and sends shipments to distribution centers all over Minneapolis and St Paul that serve families in devastated neighborhoods.
“I encourage everyone to find a way to help families in need,” Sean said. “There’s a lot of healing that needs to happen here in the Twin Cities, and serving others through Operation Diaper Drop is a great way to get started.”
Ajax provided 900 Huggies diapers to Operation Diaper Drop. “Ajax wants to be part of the solution,” said Ajax president Kent Djubek. “We’re very proud of Sean’s initiative and gladly support his effort.”
Great news!
The Food and Drug Administration yesterday issued emergency use authorization (EUA) for the “Coventor” ventilator prototype developed by the Bakken Medical Devices Center at the University of Minnesota. Ajax worked directly with the project leaders at BMDC to produce enclosures for the prototype.
The FDA’s approval enables the project to move from prototype to finished product. Ajax colleagues are now forming enclosures for the manufacturer. About 1,400 units will be completed by early next week.
Our thanks go out to all the Ajax colleagues who have been putting in long hours to form and deliver parts for this emergency life-saving machine.
Some background on the project is here.
Press on, Ajax!
Minneapolis, April 13, 2020 – Kent Djubek, president of Ajax Metal Forming Solutions, has seen a lot in his 30 years at the company. But what he sees now from his Ajax coworkers is unique. “I’m just so impressed with this workforce, and so appreciative,” Kent said. “They’re clearly inspired to keep producing parts despite what’s going on.”
What’s going on is unprecedented in the company’s 75-year history. On March 19, the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency, part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, issued its Memorandum on Identification of Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers. It reads in part:
“If you work in a critical infrastructure industry, defined by the Department of Homeland Security . . . you have a special responsibility to maintain your normal work schedule.”
The Memorandum spells out the industry DHS definitions. Among them:
“Critical Manufacturing – Workers necessary for manufacturing materials and products needed for medical supply chains, transportation, energy, communications, food and agriculture . . . “
And:
“Transportation and Logistics – Employees supporting or enabling transportation functions, including dispatchers, maintenance and repair technicians, warehouse workers . . . “
Kent quickly realized his company would fit the DHS critical infrastructure definition. Ajax makes parts for companies that manufacture essential products in climate control, transportation, architecture, construction, auxiliary power, and related industries. The lights would stay on.
But that coin has two sides. The first was a mild sense of relief. Ajax has never closed its doors since the company’s founding at the end of World War II. A government-ordered shut-down, even if temporary, would have been hard to bear.
Then there’s the chilling side to the DHS edict. Coronavirus is a nasty bug. Death is unlikely, but it’s happening all too often, seemingly at random. Ajax people would now stay on the job while most Minnesotans remain safely at home through May 4, as ordered Wednesday by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
In response, the Ajax maintenance team modified and intensified the company’s already-rigorous daily cleaning schedule. Daily reminders for each shift help keep safety measures like hand washing and social distancing front and center in everyone’s minds. Protective gear is widely distributed.
But that’s playing defense. Those efforts yield no guarantee. Regardless of what his team does, Kent’s colleagues at Ajax might fall ill. What’s more, as Ajax people commute to and from the plant, they will need to stop for gas and supplies. That means more interaction, more public touchpoints, more risk. Ajax colleagues would need to be courageous.
So Kent is staying positive. “We have contingency plans in place,” he said. “If the country’s economic picture darkens, we have the resources to support our colleagues and their families. Heartland Equity, our ownership partner, has our back on this. Our financial footing is solid. We’re fortunate in that regard.”
Brandon Holmes, Ajax Production Manager, said that spirits remain high on the plant floor. “I can tell that our colleagues are proud of their designation as an essential supplier, he said. “Everyone seems happy to be working. We know we’re making a difference.”
Brandon said that communicating with coworkers before and after shifts is vital. “We share safety ideas and any new information from the CDC. We also go over the extreme-sounding information we pick up on the news or social media and set priorities. So far, we’ve made the right moves.”
Tom Ahonen, Chairman of Heartland Equity Partners, a mission-based private equity firm and an Ajax co-owner, said in a letter to the entire company that his firm would continue to support Ajax operations and colleagues through this crisis.
“As we navigate this crazy and unprecedented time together, I want my Ajax colleagues to know that my partners and I are grateful for your hard work, commitment, and spirit,” he said. “We are in this for the long haul, and shutting down isn’t good for our customers, our suppliers, or you. Together we’ll get through this season and come out the other side stronger.”
Kent agrees. “I am so very thankful that our colleagues here at Ajax are showing great courage despite unavoidable adverse conditions,” he said. “With a team like this, success is not merely possible; it’s likely.”
About Ajax Metal Forming Solutions
Ajax Metal Forming Solutions is an ISO 9001:2015 manufacturer that produces engineered parts for companies in climate control, transportation, architecture, auxiliary power, engineered products, and related industries. The company’s diverse ownership group includes 3rd generation family members, key company leaders, and Heartland Equity Partners, a mission-based private equity company. Ajax employs about 75 colleagues at the company’s Minneapolis campus.
About Heartland Equity Partners
Heartland Equity Partners is a Midwest investment fund focused on value creation through a process of investment, growth, and long-term retention. The fund invests in successful Upper Midwest manufacturing, value-added distribution, and business services companies that demonstrate stability and profitable growth opportunities.