Professional Heights: How to Move up as an Employee at KFI

TriEnda employee working on a plastic product

Join us to explore the ways that employees can grow their careers with KFI!

Joining a new company as an entry-level employee with large career aspirations can feel daunting, luckily companies like ours foster growth in the professional space. Many of our current managers began in a different position with our company and have expanded their knowledge in the industry and demonstrated a strong work ethic which moved them into managerial roles. Join us as we explore the ways that an employee can grow their career with KFI!

TriEnda Employee constructing plastic pallets

Attitude Counts

Our Vice President of Operations at Penda, Mike Johnson, shared some advice he learned over his 43 years with KFI moving from an entry-level grinder position to the executive team, “Show interest and take initiative in what we do, go the extra mile and do extra without being asked. Don’t be afraid to fail, just learn from it.”

The More You Know

“One of my biggest pieces of advice is that knowledge of the company and what we do is POWER. Learn as much as possible,” Materials Planner, Ryan Manthey said. Ryan started with KFI as a finisher on the plant floor and has since moved to an extremely important position as our Materials Planner. With 20 years of experience, Ryan has extensive knowledge about our company and industry, and he says that learning and knowledge are the most important parts of being able to move your career forward. “Learning as much about everything is a great way to move up. To be what we call a ‘Swiss army knife’ is a huge deal around here. At the end of the day understand that hard work will pay off if the motivation matches the work.”

Ambition is Key

The most vital part of moving up in KFI is the want to do so. “Never be afraid to apply for an open spot, the answer is always no if you don’t try. KFI likes to hire from within for advancement,” Lead Operator and Trainer, Wendy Baker said. Starting as a Finisher 12 years ago, Wendy displays the qualities of ambition, drive, and dedication that KFI looks for in employees and quickly moved up to a trainer role.

TriEnda Employees constructing plastic pallets

Make a Plan With your Supervisor

“Make sure people know you want to grow. Push your manager to have a plan to continue progressing towards this goal. Always keep a positive attitude,” Vice President of Operations, Sue Malkowski said. Sue started as a Scheduling Supervisor with TriEnda in 1998 and moved up to become a member of the executive team. She says the most important qualities she looks for in an employee are good leadership skills, a sense of drive,  a positive attitude,  and integrity. 

Every single one of the employees featured in this blog has moved up in KFI, become successful, and helped to make KFI a great place to work. We will leave you with one final piece of advice from Mike Johnson, “Do the right things for the right reasons.” If you are interested in working with our team at KFI apply today!

Introducing the One-Way Pallet

Boxes on a One-Way pallet

Meet our material handling solution to serve your one-way shipping needs.

Domestic and global companies often need to navigate a series of hassles and costs associated with wooden pallets, especially for one-way shipping. Issues like breaks, splinters, nails, and sharp edges risk damaging products and materials; and international regulations make wooden pallets more cumbersome to use in global transportation. Additionally, the recycling process is not a sustainable option due to the difficult removal of nails which lead to most single-use wooden pallets being deposited into a landfill.  

one-way pallets stacked

In response to these concerns, we have engineered an exciting new product that will solve your one-way shipping needs: the One-Way Plastic Shipping Pallet. This single-use pallet has been rigorously tested to withstand heavy-duty demands and is available today at a competitive price.  

The features and benefits of our new One-Way Plastic Shipping Pallets include:

  • Superior material and design 
  • Cost savings 
  • ISPM 15 exempt 
  • Available immediately 

Read on to learn more about the advantages of switching to our single-use plastic pallets.

Superior material and design 
We’ve engineered our new One-Way Plastic Shipping Pallets using cutting-edge thermoformed high-density polyethylene (HDPE) construction. This technology creates a plastic shipping pallet that is:

  • Clean and sanitary- Rest easy knowing your cargo is contaminant-free. Our One-Way Plastic Shipping Pallets are easy to clean and do not harbor harmful bacteria. 
     
  • Free of sharp edges- Our one-way plastic pallets are smooth, with no nails or staples that could puncture and damage valuable cargo.
One-Way Pallet
  • Durable- Our One-Way Plastic Shipping Pallets are precisely engineered to withstand impact and hold up under extreme weather, including humidity and cold temperatures.  
     
  • Safe and efficient stacking- Our engineering team has designed the new one-way pallets so that you can securely nest and stack them for easier, more efficient storage that takes up less space.
  • Sustainable- These single-use plastic pallets are recyclable, ensuring lower long-term costs, and a positive environmental impact.  Unlike other pallets, the One-Way is both sustainable and responsible, made from 100% recyclable materials means this pallet will never end up in a landfill. 

Cost savings 
We maximized the design of our lightweight One-Way Plastic Shipping Pallets to help you save costs by utilizing our cutting-edge thermoforming manufacturing process. Thermoforming makes our products weigh less than traditional injection molded shipping pallets. By reducing overall cargo weight, these pallets can significantly lower your shipping costs, increase truckload capacity, and lighten the strain on your team.  
 

ISPM 15 exempt 
Our One-Way Plastic Shipping Pallets are ISPM 15 exempt, which means you can ship anywhere around the globe without having to worry about the hassle of fumigation and additional customs approval.  

 

Available Immediately 
Our new One-Way Plastic Shipping Pallets are in-stock and available today! Learn more about how our durable, cost-effective one-way plastic pallets can keep your cargo safe. Contact our sales team today at 800.356.8150 or reach out to us online.