Scott Young named SYTECH after himself and worked hard to build it while learning along the way.
There are two business adages — one says that if you name your business after yourself, it can promote your values and make you more credible. The other says, always to use a dog in your marketing because people with dogs are more trustworthy. In the case of SYTECH Precision, the company is named after owner and founder Scott Young (SY). He’s been in business for over 26 years, and the company has succeeded. As far as using a dog in his marketing, his LinkedIn page shows a photo of him holding a big fish; maybe that communicates a different message! But Young’s story of SYTECH Precision of Spokane is a memorable study in business investment, lean principles, and long-term employees.
Trevor Hemingway, vice president of SYTECH Precision, grew up in manufacturing. His grandfather owned a Spokane business called Nott-Atwater, initially founded in 1905. The company was passed to his father. Trevor started in the industry while in high school at age 16. “In high school, it was my after-school job.” He said he worked full time during summer break and then, after high school, took some college classes. But he learned, “I could make a living without a college degree.” He noted that many people aren’t aware of the many available manufacturing jobs, but for him, it was a great fit. After he worked for the family business, he came to SYTECH 15 years ago.
Hemingway said the origin of SYTECH was that Scott Young had worked at other local sheet metal companies and wanted to start his own business. “He decided he could do it better. He opened a shop, took out loans — an exorbitant amount of money — and started with a dream.” He said that despite hard times in getting started, Scott “persisted, never gave up, starved, and never saw his family.” But now, at 62, Young has made his business a success.
Looking back 25 years, Young impacted a co-worker of his as well. Debbie Estey was working with Young at another regional manufacturer as a scheduler. When Young decided to go on his own, Estey left after 14 years with that company to join Young in his dream.
Now, a career later working with SYTECH, Estey said she’s glad she came to work for Young. She said he was a family man and embraced a flexible workforce, even before it was popular. She said that she was a mother of three kids at the time. “Scott is a family guy, works around schedules, and helps with family time off and obligations with children.”
During the time that she has worked there, she’s proud to have raised and educated all three children because of her job at SYTECH. “I believed in Scott, stuck with him, and it all worked out.”
She also mentioned that Young went out on a limb to start this business. “In the early years, you must build your name; companies must trust you. Next, you must ensure correct quoting so that you will make money. Finally, you must hire good employees,” Estey reflected.
She liked the work but stayed because of Young’s commitment to family.
For the company’s future, both Young and Hemingway realized that reinvesting in the business would be a key to growth. Part of that reinvestment, said Hemingway, was in equipment purchases. Another was in lean process consulting; lastly, they invested in robots and cobots to improve performance.
Since the company works with metal and plastic, they must be able to cut and bend metal as a start. They have invested heavily in automation and laser equipment. Buying newer equipment, he said, saves time. “The processing can go on through the night and weekend; no one must watch it. Sometimes there are problems, but a manager will get an email from the machine to tell them something needs to be fixed. The main benefit was realized through a reduction in machine setup. Compared with old equipment — which can take 30 minutes to run a setup — new machines take only minutes, increasing overall throughput by eight hours per shift.”
Because they have improved machinery, they have also invested in lean processing using the Toyota Kata method. They have worked with Impact Washington and consultant Paul Hamacher for about five years on this process.
Hamacher said that implementing lean processes can take time. He indicated that they work for a while, take a few months’ break as they go through the changes, and then re-engage when they are at the next stage. He said, “They are successful because of management engagement.” Hamacher said that this management style is top-down, through the supervisory roles in the company.
It includes “daily Kaizen,” working on small bits daily in the department. It is a strategic process that looks at each department and process, “striving toward challenges by making minor improvements.” He added that at SYTECH, supervisors coach each level of employee. “The supervisor or lead is the learner, and the manager is the coach.”
Ideally, they can remove roadblocks for people, adding value to the company. They organize the flow of processes and inventory. For instance, scheduler Estey said she could go to any computer in the plant and find what she was looking for.
Hamacher added that “The greatest improvement, if you do lean right, is that you are focusing on bringing people to another level. As they take on more knowledge, they take on significant challenges.” Hemingway said, “When you are busy, you are surrounded by all this inventory. When you can make an area clean and open, you feel less stressed out, with a smile on your face. When things are busy but not chaotic, the employees work hard for the company. If they follow the procedures, we will succeed, and they will succeed as well.”
In recent years, they have also taken on the implementation of robots and cobots in manufacturing. Hemingway is a fan of cobots. “We aren’t looking to replace humans; we want to pay humans more to run a cobot so they can do more for the company.” He said that cobots work with employees on repetitive jobs that can ultimately hurt people. He added that the cobots are a “sizeable” investment, but he did say that the benefits outweigh the costs, “Cobots create the same product every single time.”
Hemingway said, “Overall, the lean mentality changed the culture in the last eight years.”
Repeatability is essential to them. Their website, www.sytechprecision.com, affirms, “In sheet metal manufacturing, repeatable precision is everything.” They substantiate their statement by noting that they have daily meetings about it and continually refine processes. They “test our equipment stringently and expose each lot to multi-level inspections from start to finish.”
Finally, they say, “We offer single-source sheet metal manufacturing products and services: design support, machining, tooling fabrication, welding, powder coating, silk screening, and mechanical assembly from concept to delivery.”
In Summary
SYTECH is in lean process manufacturing with repeatable processes through modern technology. But their people, including founder Scott Young, are committed to each other and follow a family-oriented work environment. They may not have a dog in their marketing, but Young has caught a big fish with the success of SYTECH.
Contact
SYTECH
Telephone (Toll-Free): 1-800-241-6001
Telephone (Local): (509) 924-7797
Fax: (509) 924-9471
3900 E. Main, Spokane, WA 99202
Email: info@sytechprecision.com
