Every business has a seemingly obvious function — provide a service and make money. But at Micron, we believe a deeper purpose is what truly drives us forward. That’s why our entire operation starts with a single question: Why?
Inspired by Simon Sinek’s book, Start With Why, we discovered our core reason for being extends far beyond the shop floor.
“To impact individual growth so we can, together, strengthen and grow our families and community and promote the American dream.”
— Micron purpose statement
Knowing what really matters to us — family, community, the American way of life — puts the importance of the CNC machining services we provide into focus. It reminds us of the reason for continuous improvement, for staying at the top of our game, and providing the best possible value to our customers.
From “Why” To “How”: Cementing Culture
While initially crafting a purpose statement was a breakthrough, the work we’ve done to bring it to life is arguably even more important. After all, how much value is a mission statement if it’s not kept top of mind?
In Micron fashion, we began to work on systems to strengthen this awareness.
This purpose statement became a springboard for six core values that encapsulate our strengths in working together. When we solve a tough problem or make a breakthrough on improving one of our systems, these values are at work within our team.
Acknowledging examples of the “Why” in action has become a routine part of the way we work. Team members submit their kudos in writing, identifying the core values at work in a coworker’s actions or a cooperative achievement of a team. Then, we review and appreciate the good examples in a monthly all hands meeting.
These values ensure that when you work with Micron, you’re engaging with a team that is not only skilled but also invested in doing the right thing.
A Recent Example
Our last all hands meeting highlighted a process breakthrough that took place thanks to the initiative of a few team members. It’s a mini case study in why culture matters.
- The challenge: a customer’s parts broached at an outside operation need deburring before they can ship to the customer. The deburring process was time consuming and ergonomically uncomfortable for the operators.
- Actions takens:
- Shipping specialist Scott exercised honesty in the team huddle, pointing out that our process for this part could be a lot better than it currently was.
- This was a challenge we’d attempted to solve before but struggled to find a better solution that was safe, repeatable, and cost-effective. Regardless, engineers Brandon and Alex showed respect, listening and committing to giving this another shot. The three worked together to come up with an idea.
- Machinist Andrew and Training Coordinator Andres demonstrated caring, seeking to offer their support. With guidance from the original brainstorm, they created a deburring fixture and process. After some testing and validation, it was clear this was a big improvement.
- Result: A 50% reduction in deburring time spent on this part, shaving off seven man-hours per run.
“What” This Means for You
Our “What” is the tangible result. It’s the precision component you hold in your hands—flawlessly machined, delivered on time, and quality approved.
The part we deliver is more than metal. It’s the result of a team member who has grown their skill, a problem solved with a positive attitude, and a promise kept. It’s how we strengthen our community, one precision machined component at a time.
If you’d like to experience the purpose-driven difference on your next project, submit a request for quote for your upcoming machining needs.
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