Lannie’s Core: Quality

Lannie Jackson has been building DENSO radiators in Battle Creek, Michigan for more than a decade.

“When people ask me where I work, I’m proud to tell them DENSO. In 13 years, I’ve been from one side of the plant to the other on all three shifts and quality is first throughout every corner,” Lannie said.

Quality is at his core, Lannie said, because he appreciates being treated as the expert of his job. He knows when something doesn’t look right or sound right, and when he calls for help, he is part of finding the solution.

“Maintenance can fix a machine, but they don’t run it every day,” Lannie said. “So when they come out to help, they want to know what we’ve noticed. So we show them how it’s done and they respect what we know. We tell them what it’s not doing that it’s supposed to do.”

This teamwork approach to quality is a big reason Lannie is proud to work for DENSO, but job security was his original motivation. After going through two plant shutdowns at other area manufacturers, Lannie, a single parent, was determined to find a stable company.

“At DENSO, we work hard. But your hardest day at DENSO is your first day on the line. Your second hardest day is your second day. Every day after that gets easier,” Lannie said. “Friends try to talk you out of factory life, because it’s not for them, but your bills are not their bills and your life is not their life.”

These days, Lannie said he gets the most satisfaction out of training new associates.

“It’s so rewarding to teach someone something new,” Lannie said. “When I pass a group of people in the hallway, ten people know my name and I’ve trained seven of them.

“I will refer people to work at DENSO, but I make sure they know that if they come here, they gotta work for it. Once you get that mindset, you’re going to love it.”

-Lannie Jackson, Radiator Production Associate, Battle Creek, Mich.