Month: March 2022

Meet Our Team: Kevin Geason

The Meet Our Team blog series gives you an inside look into our team members’ careers, exciting new projects, history with KFI, and a general introduction to some of our key players! We hope you enjoy this, and many more blogs, that give you a better idea of the people behind the operation here at KFI.

Our fourth installation in the Meet Our Team series features our Director of Automotive Sales, Kevin Geason. Kevin oversees both our TriEnda and Penda automotive teams and has made a big impression on many in the business over the past year!

Q: What is your job title?

A: I am the Director of Automotive Sales for both Penda and TriEnda.

Q: How long have you been with KFI?

A: 1 year.

Q: What do your day-to-day responsibilities look like?

A: I am responsible for both the TriEnda Automotive Material Handling and Penda Automotive Sales teams. I work closely with our Marketing and Engineering teams in an effort to further develop our Value Proposition to a mix of both existing and new customers. There is a high level of focus on the New Product Development side of our business in an ongoing effort to further build Brand Recognition.

Q: What is your favorite part of working for KFI?

A: The passion for our customers that is shared across the organization. Just as important is the overall internal culture that promotes collaboration while also making sure we are all accountable to one another.

Q: Can you share a project that your department accomplished that you feel proud of?

A: As an organization, we have a high level of expertise in the Electric Vehicle battery pack space. It is truly a combined effort across the organization which includes all departmental functions of KFI. If we all didn’t share the same level of passion for creating value for our customers, we would not be seen as industry experts in this market.

Q: How does your department embody KFI’s values?

A: Constantly moving the needle relative to both book of business but also our opportunity pipeline.

Q: What is your favorite memory from working at KFI?

A: In the short time that I have been on board, it is very clear that this is truly a family. Bottom line, we win (and learn from challenges) together.

Kevin is one of our newest directors and yet has made a huge impact on our business and our teams over the last year. By embodying KFI’s values and fostering a positive work environment, Kevin has quickly become a pivotal part of our KFI team. Interested in being a part of our team? Apply today, we can’t wait to meet you!

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!

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.

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

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.

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.

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.