CASE HISTORY: Maintenance and production work together

In some plants, production and maintenance are occasionally at odds, but not at Ball Packaging Products Canada Inc.. “It is a very close relationship,” says Normand Sauvageau. A toolmaker by trade, he has been at the Baie d’Urfe plant since it opened in 1983. He worked his way up through several posts to his current position as engineering manager responsible for engineering and overall maintenance.

Denis Tisseur is the production manager, responsible for making sure the plant sticks to its 400 million can-a-year schedule. A machinist by trade, he started with Ball as a shop supervisor in 1993. Tisseur controls daily maintenance, but for things such as shutdowns, projects or modifications, Sauvageau is called in and both men tackle the work together.