Meet the Kruger Family Industries Staff: Tim Dixon

What is your role and how long have you worked at KFI?

My current role within KFI is Environmental Health and Safety Coordinator (EHS). This September will be 2 years in that position. I have worked here for 22 years in December, starting off on the production floor in an entry level position and continually learned more to advance to an operator then lead operator and trainer then continuous improvement coordinator to my current role as EHS Coordinator!

What sparked your interest in joining the manufacturing industry?

When I graduated high school, I started to pursue a business management degree through MATC. I decided that wasn’t the right path for me. Being young and not knowing what I wanted, I went with a job in manufacturing, which I knew would be a stable choice. I had already worked for several years in retail and wanted something else. Manufacturing was a good fit because I enjoy working my hands along with working with a variety of people and different processes.

What’s your favorite thing about working at KFI?

The people! I would say KFI is my family. We have a great knowledge base and many different backgrounds. I like the ability to talk to everyone on every level regardless of title. We have great teams of people that work well together.

Do you have a project that you’ve recently worked on that you feel proud of?

There have been many different projects that I have had the opportunity to be a part of over the course of my career here at KFI. I was a trainer for many years. I would say being the trainer and watching people grow and learn is something I feel very proud of. Knowing that I was able to teach them and help the company grow by sharing knowledge with others. To see some of the techniques or methods that I was involved in over the 20 years are still in place today is a great feeling.

How do you prioritize sustainability and optimize efficiency in everyday production?

I always challenge people to think, “Is there a better way” and “Think safe, be safe”. By thinking safe, you are always looking for improvements. This inspires a culture of continuous learning, therefore optimizing efficiency. Thinking safe will help to avoid accidents which allows the team to work without issues and interruption.

Sustainability is a huge focus. Here at KFI, we use plastic which is 100 % recyclable. All scrap is recycled and re-used to make new or different products. This allows us to optimize our operations and save our customers money, along with ensuring the least amount of plastic is ending up in our landfills.