Issue link: http://palletcentral.uberflip.com/i/1370374
What is your role at your current employment/ company? Plant Manager at Konz Wood Products How do you view this industry differently than perhaps your predecessors? e one thing that sticks out to me the most is what it takes to effectively manage the workforce in the pallet industry today versus in the past. e workforce today requires a manager to adapt his/her approach for each individual employee rather than a one-size-fits-all type of management style. Managers are challenged with having to find the balance between accommodating each employee the best he or she can, yet being fair to all employees. As a rising leader in the industry, what challenges and opportunities do you see ahead for the industry? One of the challenges I see ahead of us is educating people from outside of our industry on our environmental sustainability practices. In today's society we continue to see a focus on "being green." I think the NWPCA and other organizations have provided our industry with great resources and information that we can use for education purposes. I think as companies within the industry we need to do our part and relay the information on sustainability to our customers and the public to increase awareness of how the pallet industry positively impacts our environment. What role do you think robotics or automation will play in the future of the industry? With the challenge of finding enough employees in today's labor market employers are forced to find ways that they can generate the same level of output or more with less employees. I think this is going to create an opportunity for our industry to find and share cost-effective ways to implement new technology. For example, our industry has seen recent developments in equipment allowing easier machine setups, better ergonomics for employees, and real- time production data software. With the workforce challenges of today, what is your opinion on what will attract other millennials and other workers to the industry? Attracting employees to the pallet industry is going to require companies to look at different ways of recruiting. Finding creative ways to make the younger generation aware of our industry is the first 18 PalletCentral • May-June 2021 palletcentral.com What is the most exciting part of working in the pallet industry that keeps you connected to your career path within it? I think the most unique and exciting part has been the relationships I have made in the industry. It is amazing how open everyone is with sharing their struggles and successes on the challenges we're all facing. I also value the NWPCA and the great job they do in setting up a platform in bringing everyone together to help solve many of the issues we each struggle with as individual companies. v TYLER KARNER Plant Manager, Konz Wood Products What brought you to work in the Pallet Industry? I was initially drawn to the pallet industry because of a job opening that presented the level of career advancement that I was looking for. When I started in the industry, I essentially had zero pallet experience or lumber knowledge, but it was hard to turn away an opportunity with unlimited career potential. I think it will be very important to understand how your individual company fits into the market as the consolidation takes place and establish a vision and a plan. – Jeff Jarvis, Pallet Sales Manager, Pallet Service Corp. I think we can all agree that 2020 was certainly a challenge, however having a solid network of people to discuss market trends, effects of new policies, and the ability to reach out to for advice certainly helped to get through an uncertain year. – Tyler Karner, Plant Manager, Konz Wood Products