EFFINGHAM MAGAZINE FEATURES GEORGIA TRANSFORMER IN THEIR WOMEN IN BUSINESS ISSUE

JUNE/JULY 2023 EDITION

Effingham Magazine’s Women in Business Issue featured a story about the 130+ women employed at Georgia Transformer. The company was highlighted as a community stand-out, illustrating the leadership and impact our women have within the local community and beyond. Read the article below or through the Effingham Magazine official website to learn more.

GEORGIA TRANSFORMER CORP | POWERING LIVES & SALUTING WOMEN

Transformers power our lives. From power grids to electric trains, from solar energy systems to x-ray machines, transformers inform every aspect of our life. What is a transformer? In simple terms, a transformer transfers electric energy from one alternating-current circuit to one or more other circuits, either increasing or reducing the voltage.

But who powers the building of transformers? They have to be designed, engineered, built and shipped. What you may not know is that here in Effingham County, at the Georgia Transformer Corp (GTC) manufacturing facility, industrial large-scale transformers are made by local residents – your friends, neighbors, mothers and grandmothers. For Effingham Magazine’s “Women in Business” issue, GTC wants to salute the many women of their workforce and acknowledge their invaluable contribution to GTC’s success.

WHO IS GTC?

GTC is a part of Virginia Transformer Corp (VTC), whose long, 50+ year history in custom-design and construction of power transformers makes them the largest U.S.-owned producer of transformers in North America. VTC has six North American facilities that produce custom-engineered power electrical transformers for a variety of applications in utility, renewable energy, industrial, mining, oil and gas, commercial, institutional, specialty, and export markets. Known for their superior production quality and outstanding customer service, VTC-GTC is an industry leader and employer of choice. Since acquiring GTC in 2015, they have been a valued corporate neighbor in the northern Georgia region. The 250,000-square-foot facility in Rincon is state-of-the-art, with a controlled environment to ensure optimal pressure, humidity, and temperature for insulation materials and other critical parts used in the transformer manufacturing process.

But ask anyone at VTC-GTC and they will tell you that their most valuable asset isn’t their production facilities – it’s their people.

WOMEN AT GTC

VTC & GTC are growing by leaps and bounds and they want to salute the women employees who make it possible. In fact, the workforce at the Rincon facility has more female workers than any other plant in the company. At GTC there are 422 employees, with about 300 in plant operations and of those, more than 130 are women, with more than 85 in direct labor manufacturing departments. The female held positions range from highly skilled to entry level, which illustrates how vital the female workforce is to every part of the plant’s manufacturing process, from production assembly, material handling, testing, and welding to shipping, purchasing, payroll, human resources, and administration. This plant, we have women working in production departments from start to finish. We are proud of and celebrate female employees, who in turn are proud to work in manufacturing jobs. As one said, “I want to show that women can do this work!”

GTC attributes its success in attracting and retaining employees, both men and women, in part to their advanced training program. Utilizing VTCs guiding principles of professionalism, fairness, ownership, honesty and hard work the training is a critical aspect that yields impressive results, creating the finest workforce in the power transformer industry.

For some women employees this may be their first manufacturing position and GTC is there with a thorough training program. All new (both men and women) employees receive two full weeks of training. Stacy says, “Our new employees spend two weeks in protracted training. In addition to book training in the classroom, they are given the opportunity to use their hands in practical applications before being assigned to the shop floor. “It is one of the core tenets of VTC-GTC to share knowledge and allocate time for team coaching. They have a “Buddy System” where the new employee is paired with an experienced staff member in both the warehouse and the production floor.

Because the facility invests in new employees, employees invest in GTC. They take pride in their work, in being team players and being part of an innovative and proactive workforce that values their contributions.

REWARDS AND RECOGNITION

Another guiding principle at GTC is “rewards and recognition”. Saluting their female workforce, like this, is just one of the many ways GTC acknowledges the value of their employees. Fun social activities are built into their culture, giving all employees a chance to unwind and get to know each other. Recently they had an Ice Cream Social day with a Ben & Jerry’s ice cream truck, bingo games and gift card prizes, held outdoors in the open air under a big tent.

Activities are scheduled to accommodate all shifts and departments, so no one is left out. It also gives the Human Resource department members an opportunity to check in and touch base with employees. These events provide a valuable opportunity to learn about our employees and about their families.

Because they are a large manufacturing facility, they are almost always hiring. They currently have approximately 45 openings and are currently hiring for second and third shift positions. Their pay scale is very competitive with a base pay above market, and they offer a shift premium that is above market for the third shift. As in all production environments, in order to stay on schedule overtime is usually available. All positions are full time. They offer many benefits, including FSA (flexible savings accounts) and family medical care benefits, and 401K. The plant’s location is ideal and many people from areas such as Vidalia, Statesboro, Sylvania, Richmond Hill, and Bluffton work here.

With their very competitive options- location, benefits, hourly pay- GTC is a great place to make a career, to grow and to have the opportunity for promotion from within the dynamic company.

GTC PROUD

Employees are proud to work for GTC, a company that has been in business for over fifty years and is an integral component of U.S. manufacturing. With the highest industry standards and the latest state-of-the-art equipment, the company and their employees have a potential for growth that is unmatched.