Kentucky Association of Manufacturers names top manufacturers, employee

Ford employee honored

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Oct. 31, 2016) — The Kentucky Association of Manufacturers announced the winners of its 16th annual Manufacturer of the Year and Employee of the Year awards Friday in Louisville.

Employee of the Year

Tami Hatfield, Ford Motor Company: Served in several capacities during her 24 years with Ford: labor relations, HR, production supervisor, but most recently she has been working to be an advocate for Ford in the community. She has made it her mission to change the perception of manufacturing in both the community and in education by organizing tours and job shadowing programs for over 2,000 high school students and hosting three-day externship programs for over 100 high school and college teachers.

Manufacturer of the Year

Small Business:

• Ferm Solutions and Wilderness Trail Distillery: Ferm Solutions is a Danville-based research, product development, engineering and technical service provider to the ethanol and distilled spirits industries; and Wilderness Trail Distillery is a premium craft distillery that produces high quality spirits, such as Bourbon, Rye Whiskey, Vodka and a unique rum from Kentucky sorghum molasses. Both, led by co-owners Shane Baker and Pat Heist, have been a significant influence in their community of Danville.

Mid-Size Business: 

• LINAK U.S: LINAK U.S. is a world leader in designing and manufacturing electric linear actuator solutions and is committed to providing quality products. Continuously striving to improve quality through implementing world-class manufacturing principles, LINAK has invested heavily in developing, implementing, and improving processes for engineering, sales, manufacturing, logistics, administration and quality to continuously reduce waste and prevent quality occurrences.

Large Business: 

• Domtar Hawesville Mill: Domtar’s Hawesville Mill, a processing facility for world-leading paper and paper products manufacturing, is a leader in innovation and productivity. The Hawesville Mill has recently reaped the benefit of several long-term continuous improvement and reliability projects that saw a significant increase in employee engagement and participation. Many longstanding productivity and quality records have been broken as a result, and Domtar has also been able to improve their cost position in the industry.