Shintech, Inc.
At Shintech, Local Communities Enable Success
Spread over 7,000 acres in the heartland of Louisiana and Texas, Shintech is the world’s largest manufacturer of PVC. Yet, it lives by a much simpler mission: to Live Local, Hire Local and Buy Local.
In fact, one of the major factors behind the company’s success has been its loyal and tenured workforce and support from its close-knit communities. Team leaders are fond of saying, “We don’t just hire, we hire for life,” and their data speaks to it as well, as the workforce across its three plants grew from 241 in the year 2000 to 741 at the end of 2020.
One of the key drivers of this work has been the company’s participation in local Community Advisory Panels (CAP) both in Plaquemine, Louisiana, and Addis, Louisiana, soon after the plants were started in the mid 70’s and 2000 respectively. The CAPs were initially set up to maintain continuous dialogue between the company and the community on local development issues.
Community Advisory Panels
For Shintech, these CAPs are a vital connection to the local communities. “They are our eyes and ears; they challenge us, they support us, and they keep us accountable,” says Richard Mason, Advisor to the President of Shintech. A 30+ year Shintech veteran, Mason has seen firsthand how the Louisiana CAPs, for instance, has evolved over the last two decades into a meaningful partner in community development and local hiring. It has morphed into self-governing body with community representation, charters, and direct engagement with Shintech management. Yet it has remained grassroots-led. “Our CAP is self-governing, meaning they elect their own representatives. They run the bi-monthly meetings. They get to decide the agenda. And they hold us to our word,” says Danny Cedotal, Vice President of Manufacturing for Shintech.
One of the partnerships that came out of this engagement is a training program hosted by Shintech to promote local hiring through upskilling. The training program, which runs over seven weeks, is completely funded by Shintech, and focuses on teaching a mix of skills. With retired community members, plant managers and operation leaders doubling up as instructors, the training gained respect quickly and has helped build a talent pipeline for the company. Adjusting to COVID19 safety protocols, the company transitioned the in-person training program to computer simulated sessions for individuals.
“We are a part of our communities’ bedrock. We live here, we work here. And we’re all invested in each other’s success.”
– Danny Cedotal, Vice President of Manufacturing, Shintech
Growing Talent
The training program is a win-win for all. It gives Shintech the advantage of being able to observe potential talent as well as train those who do want to work for Shintech directly on their proprietary processes. For the participants, the program provides them valuable skills and a clear career path that they can use to find or change jobs, get promoted or consider whole new careers. “Hiring locally is important for us because we are a part of our communities’ bedrock. We live here, we work here. And our communities don’t want to see their children leave town, so we’re all invested in each other’s success,” says Cedotal.
In fact, it’s because of this commitment to nurture local talent and build expertise continually, that the company was able to navigate both the 2008 financial crisis as well as the more recent COVID-19 pandemic without a single layoff and maintain its record of never having a layoff. By growing their local talent, Shintech is filling a critical need among these communities. And with the right training and support, they have provided hundreds of people with the opportunity to live locally, improve their skills and continue professional success.
The Data Speaks for Itself
In 2020, Shintech’s Plaquemine plant won the Vinyl Institute’s Safety Excellence Award for the seventh consecutive year with no recordable incidents, a record that Cedotal believes is yet another testament to the company’s culture. “We care about each other. We want to be safe, and we want to be able to do well together,” he says. And for local communities like Freeport and Addis, stability is critical. They want employers such as Shintech to stay a responsible manufacturing company with a huge global footprint and financial stability.
As Cedotal puts it, “We train people to do well. We care about people, and that’s pervasive in our entire company. We have people who have worked here their whole lives. We have employees who believe mid-career that they will only leave Shintech when they retire. They see their future with us.”
About Shintech Inc.
Shintech Incorporated, headquartered in Houston, Texas, with plants in Texas and Louisiana, is a subsidiary of Shin- Etsu Chemical, based in Japan, and is the world’s largest producer of PVC. Shintech is committed to supplying key materials that meet society’s needs and to contribute to the solution of the various issues that face our planet. Shintech believes that in order for society to achieve sustainable development and raise its quality of life, while also reducing environmental impacts, it’s crucial to maximize efficiency.
Shintech is committed to making a difference in their communities with their pledge to hire local, live local, and buy local. Through Community Advisory Panels (CAPs), Shintech employees meet with residents to provide operational updates and get input and sentiment from community members. Meetings like these allow residents to feel that they have input in the future of their community.
Why +Vantage Vinyl™?
For Shintech, the vinyl industry needs to come together as a united front to make the world of plastics better, and that starts at the top of the supply chain with the resin producers. It’s important to Shintech to show their customers and the downstream members that sustainability is important at every level within the vinyl value chain.
For more information about Shintech, visit their website.
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