Client Profile
Large Equipment Manufacturing is Key in Western Pneumatic’s Portfolio
Western Pneumatics provides wood handling solutions for the wood products industry, with a focus on large machinery. The 37-year-old company operates in North America and overseas, encompassing engineering, fabrication, and installation groups. Western has shop locations in Eugene, OR, and Ruston, LA, with 280,000 SF of total manufacturing space. The nearly 300-person company’s staff grew by almost one-third in 2021.
Challenge
Ambitious EHS Manager Needed a Software Solution to Match
When Steve Pelkey took the role of EHS Corporate Director, he found outdated solutions from the early 2000s and overwhelming data management needs. Key issues included:
- Training tracking via spreadsheets
- 16 training modules for new employees taking 10 hours to complete
- Field services crew requiring 8-hour safety training sessions
- Need for comprehensive data management solution
Solution
KPA Flex Manages Training and Helps Prevent Accidents
After researching ten companies and six months of demos, Western chose KPA Flex for its:
- Intuitive interface for non-tech-savvy users
- Comprehensive training tracking
- Immediate notification system
- Broad functionality including confined space training, HazCom, emergency action plans, and SDS management
Result
Western Pneumatics’s Experience Modifier Rate Dips, While Savings Grow
Implementation delivered significant improvements:
- Ex-Mod rate reduced from 1.23 to 0.95
- Multiple workers’ comp insurance windfalls
- Streamlined notifications and reporting
- Expanded use beyond EHS to maintenance and HR functions
“Workers’ comp claims started dropping off,” Pelkey explained.
“We got huge windfalls back from our workers’ comp insurance company—twice.”
“The upper brass said, ‘Hey, that’s never happened before.’ I said, ‘Wait until next year…’ and then the windfall doubled.”
The system’s success led to broader adoption: “Everybody kept seeing the forms and saying, ‘These are awesome. Can I use it, too?’ So now it’s become bigger than EHS, and it continues to grow.”
