For Immediate Release

Donnelly Receives WCIF Training Grant; One in a Series Used to Develop Unique Marketplace Position

Alexandria, Minn. (11/18/02) Æ Donnelly Custom Manufacturing Company has received a $16,000 grant from the West Central Initiative Fund (WCIF) to implement a lean manufacturing training program. Training at Donnelly will begin later this year with assistance from Minnesota Technology, Inc. (MTI), the state's technology-based economic development organization.

The lean manufacturing grant is one in a series of WCIF grants that Donnelly has used to develop an expertise in short-run, close tolerance injection molding and contract manufacturing. In recent years, Donnelly has also worked with WCIF and MTI to achieve ISO 9000 certification and implement best-in-class manufacturing practices, such as the Theory of Constraints, High Velocity Manufacturing, The Manufacturing War Room Concept and tool set-up time reduction methods.

"Donnelly is a great example of how Minnesota companies can put WCIF funds and services offered by MTI to good use," said John Molinaro, WCIF Vice President - Programs. "Specifically, Donnelly has capitalized on these resources to develop a skilled workforce, which not only allows it to maintain a leadership position, but also contributes to the economic stability of the greater Alexandria community."

According to Donnelly President Ron Kirscht, "In today's global economy, manufacturing companies are facing tremendous pressure to remain competitive. Ongoing continuous improvement activities allow manufacturers to successfully deal with these pressures. The symbiotic relationships that we have forged with MTI and the WCIF remain vital to identifying the best avenues for continuous improvement, as well as leverage funding resources to learn, grow, and effectively compete."

The latest WCIF grant was made possible by the McKnight foundation and the state's Workforce 2020 initiative. It will be used to hire a lean manufacturing consultant, who will work closely with MTI and Donnelly business leaders to train all 220 Donnelly employees on lean manufacturing concepts. Lean manufacturing involves a systematic approach to identifying and eliminating non-value-added activities.

"More and more, we find companies in out-state Minnesota are not going to be able to compete with off shore companies on price alone," said Rick Kvasagar, MTI Manufacturing Specialist. "Through our efforts related to lean manufacturing, we have seen great improvements in their competitiveness within the marketplace."

About Donnelly
Based in Alexandria, Minn., DonnellyÍs 220 employees are dedicated to setting the standards in the custom injection molding marketplace for ñHow Short Run Is Done.î The companyÍs focus is on providing its OEM customers with value added engineering, manufacturing and customer support services. The companyÍs engineering team, which is headquartered in the Twin Cities, works on-site at customer locations to ensure design for manufacturability and project management, while its agile manufacturing process allows for Just-in-Time short run production. A strong customer service orientation ensures that customer satisfaction levels exceed industry standards at every point of contact.

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