After this month’s kickoff of The Genesis Movement, a new approach to strengthen the region's manufacturing firms and expand employment, earnings, and career opportunities for frontline workers, we would like to feature the first installment of the ‘Manufacturing Tour of the Industry’ Series: Novation Industries.
Who is Novation Industries?
Novation Industries, founded in 1967 as a tool and die manufacturer, brings over 50 years of experience to provide innovative quality custom injection molded components, product design, development and contract manufacturing.
Initially named WM Plastics, the company rebranded in 2012 to Novation Industries to more accurately describe the company values, and to emphasize product development, engineering and product assembly expertise and the utilization of the unique IDP (Integrated Development Process).
Focusing on providing a continuum of excellence to diverse industries, Novation Industries continues to provide its vast selection of products and services; working with major consumer products, medical and merchandising manufacturers including Andis Company, Lucent Technologies, ITW and Ohio Medical.
Novation was featured as the first stop of Manufacturing Tour of the Industry due to its unique way of finding the right talent to fit both the company’s culture and technical/production needs. The company, in addition to that of focusing on education and experience, emphasizes hiring based on the individual’s natural characteristics.
As noted on the Hitachi Foundation’s profile of the company, Novation Industries CEO Chris Metz and president Scott Baxter spoke of the company’s focus on hiring:
“We emphasize the individual’s natural characteristics. We don’t limit that to just looking at a person’s education and experience. If someone has a good work ethic and a natural aptitude for the job, they will be successful if we support them with education and training. For example, we recently hired a car mechanic to work in the tool room. Their natural mechanical aptitude overcomes their lack of direct injection molding or tooling experience.”
The leaders at Novation Industries show how prosperity and growth can be accomplished in the face of fierce competition and far-reaching changes in economic and technology conditions. They are an agile, efficient, lean, and innovative firm that has invested in creating a work environment and organizational culture where inspired problem solvers can flourish.
About The Genesis Movement
The Genesis Movement is a new approach to strengthen the Illinois manufacturing sector and its workforce. The Genesis Movement provides tools and strategies that promote manufacturing excellence. The initiative aims to increase the competitiveness of Chicago-area manufacturers and create a more skilled and adaptable workforce.
The Genesis Movement Focuses on four key areas:
- Benchmarking
- Connecting
- Strategizing
- Implementing
Learn more about how the Genesis Movement can help achieve excellence by improving the performance and practice aspects of people, process, and product, and apply today.
Led by IMEC and supported by a partnership with the Chicagoland Workforce Funder Alliance, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and The Hitachi Foundation, the Genesis Movement will feature manufacturers throughout Illinois in the Manufacturing Tour of the Industry series.
