It’s called the Galaxy. It was giving people trouble. Baxter Healthcare Corp. uses the computer-controlled machine to help manufacture frozen intravenous bags. At the company’s Round Lake plant, the Galaxy cuts and forms the bag, then fills it with antibiotic solution. But the hourly workers responsible for running the machine expressed concerns.
They feared the machine was too advanced and too fast for them. They felt they lacked the training to operate it. “Employees were asking for more training,” recalled Nancy Ortega, human resource manager for the Deerfield-based medical products company. “They feared not being able to monitor the machine and keep up with the speed.”
Baxter officials learned that their hourly employees were struggling on the high-tech machinery and suspected that many had poor math and reading skills.
Like Motorola and other “high-performance” companies, Baxter is more dependent than ever on employing skilled workers to run its machines and fill its orders, according to Baxter officials. What Baxter discovered in 1989 when it administered tests to employees, however, was that many of its assembly line workers in Round Lake could barely read or compute.
“We found out we had reading levels from 3rd grade to high school,” Ortega said. “It was the same for math. . . . We were shocked.
“There are not that many jobs left where you want someone to work eight hours a day doing repetitive, non-thinking tasks,” Ortega added. “Companies today are looking for employees who can do the work physically as well as mentally, who can offer input, improve the manufacturing process. . . . The job descriptions are constantly evolving themselves to keep up with technology.”
Baxter set up a basic-skills course in reading and math in 1990 at an estimated cost to the company of $32,000 a year. With the help of the College of Lake County, the company conducted courses for 123 of its Round Lake employees. Nearly all of them have passed the basic classes. Now the company offers more advanced courses in math, microbiology and technology, Ortega said, which qualified employees can take for free.
With the help of a federal grant of $63,000, Baxter will continue to fund the basic program in 1993 for entry-level employees, she said.
The courses have been a success in ways that reach beyond academics. “We have seen a boost in morale, and we have seen more improvement in quality,” Ortega said. “If the employees feel good about themselves, we hope they’ll become more involved.”
