CPS Cards is an integrated service provider specializing in streamlining and simplifying the card production process—from printing and personalization to packaging and fulfillment. With facilities in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and Chicago, Illinois., CPS Cards has served the needs of channel partners and direct clients for more than 25 years. The company produces more than 400 million cards annually for a range of clients, including leading national retailers, healthcare insurers, gift card processors and membership organizations.
“MRC enables manufacturers with lesser resources to fill critical gaps as needed.”
– Bob McCormick, Chief Operating Officer, CPS Cards
MRC Supports CPS Cards’ Training Program Development and Delivery
On the heels of significant recent growth, CPS Cards found itself both in need of—and in a position to implement—a formal training program.
Solution
To enact the needed training and leverage resources that enable the company to achieve its training goals, CPS turned to MRC. From maintenance, customer service, and Human Resources, to Training Within Industry (TWI), Production Management, 5S, and the CEO forum, a wide range of CPS employees benefited from this comprehensive training initiative.
Strategic maintenance methodologies, Root Cause Analysis, and Methodologies of Troubleshooting Equipment Failures were key training areas, making it possible for the company to move from a reactive maintenance position to a more active, preventive footing. “We’ve implemented a system to track part usage and have instituted preventive maintenance through that,” says CPS COO Bob McCormick. “That all came from that training…it helped to ‘pave that path’ for them.”
MRC also delivered a customized 5S program, in which McCormick says the principles learned have helped CPS continue to grow and improve. “We label and organize things better,” he adds. “That change came from the discipline of 5S. Something as simple as labeling and putting things in the right place is a step change that improved our organization dramatically.”
Human Resources were another important training area, with a focus on Managing Workplace Violence. “In a small company, safety can be overshadowed by more pressing issues,” McCormick said. “We knew we couldn’t let that happen. Following this training, we even connected with the state police, who will come to train every shift to ensure we can help each other save lives in any eventuality.”
CPS also participated in both the MRC HR Forum and CEO Forum, where participants learn about best practices and share ideas, and leaders collaborate in interactive peer discussions with others who understand their daily challenges. “When you reach a higher level of management in a small company, peers are few and far between,” McCormick says. “These forums let us engage with others who have the same kinds of concerns and can share perspectives that make you realize you’re not alone.”
The company’s Production Manager, meanwhile, a graduate of MRC’s Manufacturing Leadership Institute (MLI), found the program to be a significant step in growing her expertise. Having transitioned from a shop floor operator to shipping/receiving, then customer service and line supervision, she now oversees 50 CPS employees. McCormick says MLI was a critical part of this transformation. “Her entire career has been here, so tapping into MRC’s cross-functional offerings has given her exposure to the experience others have without having worked there. She now brings all that knowledge to our operation, which is invaluable.”
Results
• MRC made it possible to gain a support structure in the kinds of cross-functional groups normally found in much larger organizations; they let us expose our people to training we would not have been able to otherwise.
• MRC connected CPS with training grants that significantly offset the cost to train key employees.
• Partnering with MRC has had a significant impact on CPS’s growth and has saved the company over $75,000 implementing the tools and methodologies learned.
To learn more about CPS Cards, please visit their website at https://cpscards.com/