Lake Ray, President, First Coast Manufacturers Association
President Lake Ray spoke with Invest: about the ways in which First Coast Manufacturing Association propels the growth of the manufacturing industry in Jacksonville and how improved processes, policy, and connections drive progress as the industry is transformed by digital platforming and technological advancements.
What key milestones has the FCMA hit in the last year?
We’re now seeing a transition of business opportunities. Over the last couple years we’ve seen significant growth in manufacturing, and many companies are wanting to relocate to Florida. We’re seeing new companies coming online with increased interest in advanced technology, and we’re seeing stability in manufacturing and growth in the surrounding area. As an association, we’re seeing what many regional areas are also observing, which is a focus on matching up the human resources with the company needs. We’re working diligently to ensure those needs are met to the best of our capabilities, and if they’re not being met, then we are locating resources to help companies find those resources for their employees.
What measures are being employed by the Association to streamline processes amongst your members and to eliminate unnecessary barriers to the manufacturing process?
Firstly, our association has long employed the lean approach, which involves reviewing a company’s processes and then determining how those processes can be streamlined to maximize employees’ time. This encompasses how a company handles everything from paper copies to information distribution. An international client of ours has a process containing four or five key areas within which they are trying to manufacture a reasonably large product. We’ve been working extensively on increasing efficiency for this process, and we’ve been able to increase productivity by a factor of two.
The city of Jacksonville has also asked us to apply lean training as we assist them in reviewing their processes for office operations. Their goal is to make the best effort and utilization of their employees’ time, which is especially wise for a government entity as they need to be responsible for each dollar.
Regarding the second component of your question, our approach is more of a policy piece in terms of what we do and how we help manufacturers. Over the course of the last several years we’ve been engaged in a number of different endeavors such as the elimination of sales tax on manufacturing equipment, which has been a significant benefit. We’ve also been engaged in reducing the commercial rental tax. As of now we’ve reduced that number to 2%, and it will soon be eliminated altogether. We’re also engaged in worker’s compensation issues, as there is always an insurance component present to protect workers. The Leadership Academy is an essential program we’ve spearheaded which focuses on employees moving up management levels to ensure they develop managerial skills as they advance.
How do manufacturers reap benefits and competitive advantages by becoming a member of the FCMA?
We have a variety of different committees which focus on areas such as workforce, policy and government relations. We work with companies to gather information and network that information to our members. During Covid, we immediately stepped up to the plate and became the central connection of data for newly enacted policies, who was being impacted, and contacting government officials, so that we could provide information from the front lines. We know that both policy and connections are key to success, and a cornerstone for our association involves fostering a platform for sharing information, getting to know other people, education and combining each component together. Because Florida does not have a state association for manufacturers, we operate as part of a larger conglomeration of regional associations.
Could you explain the importance of training your manufacturing members on issues that affect their profitability?
Lean and Kaizen training is recommended immediately as those affect each company’s bottom line. Employee training is an important component specifically because if you teach someone the significance of how they perform a task, the worker can see that their role is important in the process no matter where they land in the management scale.
We have a finance program focused on tracking money and spending, and we’re also proud to be launching a program that focuses on women in manufacturing. The FCMA wants to show women around our regional area that you can have a great career in manufacturing, and it doesn’t necessarily need to look like smokestacks and heavy processes.
What potential opportunities for growth do you see in the manufacturing industry in Jacksonville and Northeast Florida?
We’ve entered a fourth industrial age of manufacturing, which has evolved from steam, assembly line, power and now digital platforming. I can tell you with certainty that it will be vital for companies to transition into digital platforming, including AI. Working in manufacturing used to be intense and manual, but the worker of the future is also going to implement digital platforming, thus requiring additional formalized education. We expect this to manifest through community college levels and associate degrees, and we are working with universities to match future workers with those skill sets.
Jacksonville specifically boasts a wide variation of manufactured products including contact lenses through Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic products, Safariland protective vests, rebar, industrial batteries, wall board, timber, Bacardi rum bottling, cans, solar panels and beer processing, to name only a few of the multitude of Jacksonville-based industries.
