Where do you think you would find a manufacturing company that assembles 1.9 million wiper motors, nearly 500,000 PC boards and 4 million wire harnesses every year? You'd probably envision that company in a bustling city or in the heart of an industrial park.

That's not where you'll find TECHMA U.S.A., producer of wire harnesses, PC surface mounts and wiper motors.

TECHMA U.S.A.is tucked in the hills of Virginia, on a quiet country road in Gretna, a one-stoplight town.

But don't let the location fool you.TECHMA U.S.A. does good business.

A Tier 2 and 3 supplier, TECHMA U.S.A. supplies products to other DENSO group companies such as DENSO Manufacturing Tennessee, DENSO Manufacturing Michigan, ASMO Greenville in North Carolina and ASMO Michigan.

The 150 TECHMA U.S.A. associates produce wire harnesses used in oxygen sensors; PC board surface mounts for instrument clusters, air conditioners and windshield washers, and windshield washer motors.

The small-town atmosphere does allow for more relaxed communication between managers and associates. Monthly luncheons where associates celebrating a birthday join the president for a meal out at a local restaurant, and regular roundtable meetings with Joey Stevens, vice president and director, provide excellent opportunities for exchanging dialogue.

"Meetings like these give us a chance to really talk; to answer questions, discuss projects and issues, and address rumors that might be brewing," said Stevens."No one knows what's going on in the company better than the operators.We rely on their input, expertise and feedback to meet our quality goals."

Just as areas for improvement are scrutinized and analyzed, successes are celebrated. Each month,TECHMA U.S.A.holds kaizen recognition meetings.Every associate who finds and corrects a defect is entered into a drawing for a TECHMA T-shirt. During the kaizen meeting, one associate's name is drawn,and the T-shirt is awarded.

Vice President
(Donald) Joey Stevens

Joey Stevens, graduate of Elon University in North Carolina, has been with TECHMA U.S.A.since it opened in 1998.

During his tenure with TECHMA U.S.A., Stevens has worked in Quality Assurance and Sales, and as plant manager, Human Resources manager and general manager. Stevens recently was promoted to vice president and director.