Manufacturing Safety for Manitoba

Vidir Solutions Inc. achieves SAFE Work Certification by Made Safe

Vidir Solutions Inc. achieves SAFE Work Certification by Made Safe

Posted on February 8, 2021

As the manufacturing sector partner for SAFE Work Manitoba Certified, Made Safe works with members to assess their readiness, provide support and help companies achieve certification. The process is modeled on internationally-recognized best practices and has demonstrated positive outcomes for individual companies and the industry overall. Certified manufacturers have safer and healthier workplaces, better control of workplace hazards, fewer injuries and illnesses, more engaged and productive employees, and a significant rebate on their WCB premiums.

As the SAFE Work Certified by Made Safe process gains traction, we wanted to showcase just a few of the manufacturers leading the way. It’s our hope that telling their stories and sharing the lessons they learned during the certification process will help pave the path for other manufacturers moving forward.

Vidir Solutions Inc.

Since 1986, Vidir Solutions has become a world leader in automated material handling. Founded on the qualities of Community, Safety, Customer, Innovation, and Quality, Vidir’s products are found in over 40 countries around the globe and in nearly every industry. 

Q. Tell us a little more about your company. How did Vidir get started?

In 1985, two sons who owned a lumberyard mentioned to their dad that they needed a solution for displaying their many rolled goods and other products that allowed them to be accessed and moved about the facility for customers in a safe, efficient, and attractive way. Until this point, all goods had been stored either on static racking or simply in piles on the floor. This presented a multitude of challenges in everything from safety for their employees to quality of products and experiences for their customers. Their dad, William Dueck, an entrepreneur who owned a small machine shop he had founded to provide jobs for immigrant machinists, designed a system which could solve their dilemma. Together with the diverse and highly skilled machinist’s at his shop, a carousel that automatically rotated and displayed the various products as well as distributed them at waist height was created. The machine was such a success in the lumberyard that before long others were asking for these same solutions and soon, Vidir Solutions was born.

Q. What products do you make? Which markets do you serve?

From the automotive industry to industrial, retail to health care, and nearly every other industry in between, Vidir products are still helping companies display and move their products through their facilities in safe and innovative ways that ensure they can deliver a quality experience to their customers while also increasing their efficiency and productivity.

Q. How many staff do you employ?

We have approximately 170 employees. We operate from our plants/offices in Arborg, Teulon and Lebanon PA, USA.

Q. What should readers of this blog post know about your company vision and culture?

The feel of family, how important we are to each other, to our customers; to the communities we serve.

Q. There are many obstacles that manufacturers need to overcome before making the commitment to certification. Can you tell us one that resonates with you and how you overcame that hurdle?

Coming to Vidir, while the leadership support was there; we were lacking in the right knowledge and skills. We were operating in a reactive manner with a low understanding of a proactive risk culture and how to make it a part of our culture, so that it became woven into the fabric of the organization. We were fortunate to hire a Senior Leader with that skillset who was able to bring that mindset, tools and resources into our company.

Q. Did you learn any safety or business lessons throughout the process that might help others make the decision to become certified?

Safety lessons — it’s important to be part of the communities of organizations that have that certification and where it means something. We also learned to network, understand the gaps in the program we have, and to have a “playbook”. The rebate from WCB helps of course!

Q. What would you say is the biggest benefit of certification so far (or that you can see on the horizon)?

Understanding where we are in the journey towards zero harm within our management system; using the logo and being seen in the manufacturing world as providing a safe environment for our employees and customers. The shift in mindset in our employees is amazing and we are really proud of the work and efforts that our employees demonstrated throughout the journey! We feel this will attract a high caliber workforce at Vidir. Potential employees will want to work for a company that promotes and practices a safety culture.

Q. How has your membership with Made Safe helped your organization?

They are a really great resource; they offered encouragement and guidance on our journey toward becoming Work Safe Certified.

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