Celebrate the many companies that are proud to manufacture in the Keystone State.

1306 S. Main Street, Meadville, PA 16335 Phone: 800/724-3018 Website: www.channellock.com Founded in 1886, Channellock, Inc. is a worldwide leader in the manufacture of high-quality pliers and assorted hand tools. Family owned and operated, Channellock, Inc. has more than 4,000 U.S. wholesale and retail customers and ships to customers in 45 countries.

150 Industrial Drive Corry, PA 16407 Phone: 814/664-3531 Website: www.demachining.com D&E is a fully integrated producer of precision CNCmachined components and assemblies, manufactured to customer prints and specifications with applications in the Industrial, Aerospace, and Defense industries.

1851 Rudolph Avenue, Erie, PA 16502 Phone: 814/456-7001 Website: www.eriestrayer.com Erie Strayer Company, family owned since 1912, is a fourth generation industry leader in the designing, engineering and manufacturing of concrete batch plants. From custom ready-mix plants to highly mobile paving plants, ERIE’s rugged quality and timely after-sale support remain key to its success. ERIE also manufactures its own heavy-duty Tilt Drum Mixer, Liberty Computer Control Batching System and state of the art PLC-Based Automatic Material Handling Controls. The company remains under the direction of the Strayer family as it has for the last century. Kyle F. Strayer, great-grandson of the founder, is the President/CEO.

6400 Howard Drive, Fairview, PA 16415 Phone: 800-458-0591 Website: www.howardindustries.com Locally owned, globally known leading manufacturer of interior and exterior architectural signage systems. Since 1928, the company has crafted high quality signs; developed over 120 sign components and offered the fastest production times known to the industry. Sign products include: Modular illuminated & non-illuminated aluminum post-and-panel systems; directory signs; pylons; patented Perma-Banners; also aluminum and acrylic ADA compliant interior sign systems with easy change capabilities.

2609 West 12th Street Erie, PA 16505 Phone: 814/833-9876 Website: www.ismerie.com Quality contract machining, fabrication and assembly for OEMS since 1967.

192 Howard St. Franklin, PA 16323 Phone: 814/438-7622 Website: www.ronjoneshardwood.com A family owned and operated business headquartered in northwest Pennsylvania, Ron Jones Hardwood Sales, Inc. specializes in the sales of premium Northern Appalachian Kiln Dried Hardwood Lumber from the Northern Region of United States. The company sells Hardwood Lumber worldwide and is building customer relations in North America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

1602 Selinger Ave. 986 French St. Erie, PA 16505 Meadville, PA 16335 Phone: 814/838-7628 814/724-2241 Website: www.lincolnrecycling.com Lincoln Recycling is a full-service recycling center located in Erie and Meadville and has provided quality recycling services to the tri-state area including PA, NY and OH for over 75 years. The company offers two drive-thru, dropoff locations in Erie and Meadville. It also offers pick-up service to its’ industrial and commercial customers placing containers onsite to fit their recycling needs.

2099 Hill City Road, Seneca, PA 16346 Phone: 814/677-0716 Website: www.matric.com Founded in 1971, Matric has provided world-class Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) for 50 years. The company specializes in high mix/low to high volume contract assembly. Services include Surface Mount & Through-Hole Technology Assembly, Cable & Harness Assembly, Electromechanical Assembly, Aftermarket Services, and Obsolescence Management. Certifications include AS 9100, ISO 9001, ISO 13485, ISO 14001, NADCAP Accredited in Electronics, ITAR, RoHS, and ATEX/Ex Qan compliant, and a HUBZone business. From design to production, throughout a product’s lifecycle, Matric partners with customers to achieve their products’ highest potential.

Address: 3340 Pearl Avenue Erie, PA 16510 Phone: 814/899-3111 Website: www.jmccormickconstruction.com Family owned heavy highway construction company specializing in asphalt paving, excavation, site development, demolition and sanitary/storm sewer installation work for various state, county, city municipalities, commercial developments and local companies throughout Erie County.

6175 US Highway 6 Linesville, PA 16424 Phone: 814/683-4500 Website: www.mfgtray.com A leading manufacturer of high-strength, glassreinforced composite containers, trays, boxes, flats and totes.

4820 Pittsburgh Avenue, Erie, PA 16509 Phone: 814/838-3404 Website: www.plastikoserie.com Provides custom mold design & fabrication services along with plastics engineering support services to the medical device and electronics industries.

2455 Robison Road West, Erie, PA 16509 Phone: 814/868-3180 Website: www.lord.com A diversified technology and manufacturing company developing highly reliable adhesives, coatings, motion management devices, and sensing technologies that significantly reduce risk and improve product performance. For more than 90 years, LORD Corporation has worked in collaboration with its customers to provide innovative aerospace, defense, automotive and industrial solutions.

A world-class injection molding, rigid plastics processor. 2425 West 23rd Street, Erie, PA 16506 Phone: 814/878-4400 Website: www.plastekgroup.com Specializing in consumer packaging, Plastek is a global supplier for all customers’ plastic needs. Family owned and operated since 1956, and multiple industry award winner, Plastek is an integrated company with capabilities producing high quality custom & stock designs, tool & mold build manufacturing, molding & assembly, and added value services.

8165 Hawthorne Drive, Erie, PA 16509 Phone: 814/868-1656 Website: www.plastikoserie.com Plastikos provides custom injection molding along with plastics engineering support services to the medical device and electronics industries.

8121 Hawthorne Drive, Erie, PA 16509 Phone: 814/868-1656 Website: www.plastikoserie.com Plastikos Medical is a state-of-the-art, medical injection molding company with a certified ISO-7 (Class 10,000) cleanroom molding floor, and which is strategically located just down the street from Plastikos.

45727 State Route 27, Titusville, PA 16354 Phone: 814/827-9887 Website: www.precisionprofilesllc.com Precision Profiles is a contract manufacturer specializing in the production of tight-tolerance, high-precision OEM steam turbine components for industrial and defense applications. The company also offers a full suite of CNC milling, machining, turning, saw cutting and wire EDM services.

1738 West 20th Street Erie, PA 16502 Phone: 814/455-8023 Website: www.rehrigpacific.com Manufactures recycle bins, milk crates and dairy crates, to name a few.

7033 State Highway 173 Cochranton, PA 16314 Phone: 814/425-2500 Willis E. Sommers Company is a full-service Transportation provider, specializing in hauling for the Pallet Industry.

1319 Sassafras Street, Erie, PA 16501 Phone: 814/453-5702 Website: www.urbanengineers.com A multidisciplinary planning, design, environmental and construction support services consulting firm with 15 locations across the United States.

7048 State Highway 173 Cochranton, PA 16314 Phone: 814/425-2500 Jacob A. Weaver Company is a premier Pallet Manufacturer in northwest Pennsylvania serving all industries.

Over the past two years, you have most likely had more employees out on disability than you have had in a long while. I would like to take some of your time to explain why disability insurance is important and how it can help protect your employees and their families in the event they experience a disabling illness or injury. An illness or injury can happen at any time. Health insurance will help cover medical expenses, but what about the lost income from being out of work? Your employees may need money to keep their household going and to pay for things such as groceries and monthly bills. Disability insurance helps protect your employees and their families from the financial crunch of these unexpected health crises. Both short-term and long-term disability insurance gives your employees a percentage of their paycheck each month, depending on how much protection they have, should they become disabled. Short-term disability insurance helps protect income in the event of a disabling illness or injury such as a heart attack, pregnancy, or back injury. It offers the financial support your employees need so they can focus on recovery. Long-term disability insurance helps protect your employee’s paycheck after a serious accident or illness. It offers professional help for disability-related challenges such as legal specialists and financial and therapeutic counselors. A serious illness or injury doesn’t have to be a financial burden for your employees. Disability insurance is a key benefit that will provide value and a sense of security for your employees.

Sara Fetcko, GBDS, VBS,

is a client relationship manager for Group Benefits at The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc., which is a leader in property and casualty insurance, group benefits and mutual funds. For more information, visit thehartford.com.

According to the spring 2022 edition of The Real Economy: Industry Outlook, robotics and automation will be crucial areas of focus for manufacturing and energy companies in the year ahead, especially as businesses across these sectors continue to navigate labor challenges adapt to supply chain disruptions and hone their digital strategies. Among the survey’s key findings: • Robotic density in manufacturing is on the rise, and as companies think of transforming supply chains and business models, they need to consider robotic investments as part of a broader digital strategy. • In 2020, U.S. non-automotive manufacturers’ robotics orders, led by the electronics industry, surpassed those of the auto industry for the first time, and we expect this trend to continue. • Business investment in capacity, enhancements and technology will almost certainly lead to an increase in labor productivity, but overall production will continue to be plagued by labor shortages. Businesses should consider making strategic investments that will boost worker efficiency.

Even though as many as 88 percent of manufacturing business decision makers plan to invest in technology to support a hybrid workforce during the next 12-18 months, only 34 percent of them, and 33 percent of IT decision makers in such firms, currently believe they are completely prepared with the technology in place to support a hybrid work environment, according to research from Riverbed / Aternity. The Hybrid Global Work Survey explored the state of hybrid working and identified the focal investment areas and technologies required to build long-term, high-performing workplaces. It was conducted by Sapio Research in September 2021, among nearly 1,500 business leaders comprising 750 business decision makers (BDMs) and 738 IT decision makers (ITDMs) from organizations in the United States, England, France, Germany, Australia, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates and the Netherlands. Industry sectors included oil and gas, finance and insurance, public sector and government, health care and pharmaceutical, manufacturing, retail, and professional services. Among the key findings was that offering a seamless hybrid-working environment has become a business priority, as the manufacturing sector looks to recover from the pandemic. The vast majority of manufacturing BDMs (96 percent) regard a hybrid working structure as being able to help them to recruit talent and remain competitive, and just over half (51 percent) of the business decision makers in the manufacturing industry believe that half (50 percent) of their workforce will remain hybrid post-pandemic.

State and federal employment laws often change, requiring organizations to revise their policies. HR Audits should be completed on a yearly basis in order to catch mistakes that can leave employers at higher risk of violations.

Audits are counter-productive if their results are not translated into action. Using recommendations from the audit team, HR and senior management must plan to implement changes as needed to improve efficiency, compliance or productivity.

HR Q&AHR Audits: One of the Best Ways to Minimize Potential Liability CAN THE MBA HELP ME GET STARTED? Employers interested in HR Audit Services Reviews or more information on handbook updates are encouraged to contact the Manufacturer & Business Association’s HR/ Legal team by emailing hr@mbausa.org or calling 814/833-3200. Conducting yearly HR audits are a vital step to ensure that employers are avoiding any legal or regulatory liability associated with their HR policies and practices. With constantly changing HAVE AN HR QUESTION? GET ANSWERS! legislation, employers that lack formal audits can often be left with an increased risk of issues. The MBA recognizes that urgent employment What is an HR Audit? issues can arise at a moment’s notice. Members An HR audit is an objective review of a company’s HR policies, procedures, strategic direction, can call our certified HR consultants and structure, resources, and ultimately, its contribution to the organization. Such an audit offers labor and employment law attorney anytime, the opportunity to protect the company, establish best practices and identify areas for improveat no charge for counsel on a broad range of ment, and can help evaluate whether specific practice areas are adequate, legal and/or effective. workplace-related issues including: Here are some of the more common audit types: • Hiring and firing practices • Compliance: Examines how well the company is complying with federal, state and local laws • Company policies and regulations. • Compensation and benefits • Best practices: Compares company practices to those of companies identified as having • Employment law exceptional HR practices, to help a company maintain or improve its competitive edge. • Employment agreements • Strategic: Assesses the systems and processes within the company to determine whether • Workers’ compensation they align with the company’s strategic plan. • • • • • Affirmative Action Plans Unemployment compensation claims Employee handbook policies OSHA compliance Sexual harassment • Function-specific: Focuses on one specific area within the HR function (e.g., payroll and performance management). Where to Start? Follow these general guidelines for conducting an audit: • Determine the scope and type of the audit. It may be appropriate to conduct a comprehensive review of the entire HR department and its function, or target areas that • Family Medical Leave Act make sense for review. • COBRA • Develop the audit questionnaire. It will help guide the audit team in scrutinizing • Americans with Disabilities Act the designated areas for review, and also may include interviewing HR employees or Call 814/833-3200 or 800/815-2660, or email department managers. hrservices@mbausa.org! • Collect the data. Using the questionnaire as a roadmap, the audit team conducts a thorough, extensive review. • Benchmark the findings. Comparing the findings to other firms in the industry can offer valuable information in determining the company’s competitiveness and for developing best practices for the future. • Provide feedback about the results. After the audit, it is important to report findings and recommendations to the HR department and senior management.

Rachel Tserkovniak, SPHR,

is an HR consultant and trainer at the Manufacturer & Business Association. Contact her at 814/833-3200 or rtserkovniak@mbausa.org.