Case study: RPB Z-Link

Here we are currently using about 38 to 40 of the Z-Link grinding helmets from RPB. The employees love them, so far. They're working great. The first thing I noticed when I open the box, took the helmet out, was the weight of the helmet.

A lot of employees have been working here for a long time in other helmets, felt like they weren't even wearing a helmet at all. The other issue that they liked was the cooling unit. It really gives you a lot of airflow. That's an important factor for an operator in the warm months. And in the cooler winter months it is very nice that the climate controlled unit on the Z-Link has an option to go to heat with just the flip of a switch.

The biggest thing for us to make the change to the Z-Link helmet was the availability of them. This week we placed an order on Wednesday, and we received our order on Thursday. So it was one day to get our order. It's phenomenal, it's exactly what we need.

Once we got the helmets out to the employees on the shop floor, the changeover was minimal. Probably 10-15 minutes of training was all they needed on the new helmet, and they were comfortable with it. I wish I would have had one of these helmets back when I was a grinder. We did not have this technology then, I probably would still be grinding today if I’d had a more comfortable helmet.

We've had great service through RPB. I’ve been able to call somebody, the phone is always answered. I get emails every week letting us know about upgrades that we can possibly purchase to help out the employees. If they enjoy wearing the helmet, they're gonna like doing their job more. They like doing their job, they're gonna come back and they're gonna stay with this job, without having to look for a different one. It's important for us to have an experienced workforce. An experienced workforce is more productive, so the RPB Z-Link is a substantial cost savings for the company here. It is a much cheaper unit, much lighter, overall better product than what we had.

We have seen eye injuries in our department go down. With wearing that helmet guys are keeping it on more, they're not taking it off as often. So it's a big thing to keep the helmet on while you're doing your job. I want to make sure that the employees go home the same way they come to work. I want them with everything intact, so they can be happy when they see their wives, their girlfriends, their kids.

I have several life’s best moments. I enjoy when I get home and first walk in the house, that I'm greeted by a happy wife, a happy dog. Lucy. Lucy, she's my little angel. So she misses her daddy, and when I get home she makes sure that she welcomes me with the little kisses and jumping. She gets excited, has to show me her little her little ball every day. And also, love the Packers.