Doing the Little Things Right

July 24, 2024 Chad Semrau

Every person and every task are important pieces of a whole project. When you get all the little things right, you will inherently get the big things right as well.

Women in the Trades – Breaking Down Barriers

June 12, 2024 Okho Bohm-Hagedorn

The future for women in the trades is bright. Organizations that enable equal opportunities, mentorships and supportive workplaces for women reap the benefits they bring.

Safety Recognition Weeks in Manufacturing

May 21, 2024 Kyle Lang

Safety recognition weeks bring opportunities to focus on enhancing workplace safety protocols, updating training procedures and addressing emerging challenges.

Navigating the Demographic Drought

April 11, 2024 Jeff Koga

As we navigate the Demographic Drought, embracing Industrialized Construction isn’t just a choice; it’s a strategic imperative.

Navigating Digital Transformation in Construction Manufacturing

March 13, 2024 Frank Hopkins

The journey toward digital transformation in construction and manufacturing is exciting and necessary. By embracing digital technologies, FTI is unlocking new levels of efficiency, safety and innovation.

Safety Advantages Gained Through Industrialized Construction

February 1, 2024 Josh Ring

By incorporating safety into each step of the industrialized construction process, FTI drives efficiency, streamlines processes, reduces downtime and fosters innovation.

Why Choose a Manufacturing Career With FTI?

December 20, 2023 Paul Keckhaver

FTI offers the opportunity to develop your manufacturing career, work on a rewarding team and continue to advance with a progressive, growing organization.

Why Construction Manufacturing Works

November 16, 2023 Nolan Kephart

The integration of manufacturing principles into construction practices can lead to improved quality, safety and overall project success.

The Importance of Pre-Planning

October 16, 2023 Ted Krisher

There are many advantages to a well-planned project, including safety and productivity, leading to project and organizational success.

10 Key Steps to Nonconforming Materials Process

September 26, 2023 Matt Ambrosius

The non-conforming materials process is key and serves as the engine that drives manufacturing quality and efficiency.

Incorporating Industrialization In the Construction Arena

September 7, 2023 Rob Messina

Industrialized construction offers immense potential for transforming the construction industry and addressing some of its key challenges, improving efficiency, standardization and safety, while optimizing the use of available resources.

Safe Work = Productivity

August 9, 2023 Chad Semrau

Building a safety culture starts with team member engagement and putting safety at the forefront. Arming team members with the tools and knowledge to perform their tasks with confidence leads to a safe, productive work force.

How To Do Culture of Care (Even If You’re Not Sure What It Means)

June 7, 2023 Okho Bohm-Hagedorn

By living a culture of care, you become a safe person to be around, encouraging the growth of others.

Preventing Falls on the Job Site

May 3, 2023 Joseph Bolle

Falls are the leading cause of death in the construction industry, but with proper planning, deaths and injuries are preventable and lives can be saved.

Excellerate Smart Manufacturing Facility On Track for Fall 2023 Opening

April 19, 2023 Pat McGettigan

Our newest Excellerate manufacturing facility in Little Chute, Wis., is on track to open in Fall 2023 and will be powered completely by renewable energy!

This Calls for a Spreadsheet!

March 5, 2023 Frank Hopkins

Spreadsheets can be valuable tools to help digest, manipulate, analyze and visualize data, driving productivity and decision making.

Looking Back and Driving Forward

December 28, 2022 Excellerate

In 2022, we celebrated 50 years of World-Class Opportunities to Succeed, thanks to our team members, customers and partners, and are blazing an exciting trail for our next 50 years.

Why 5S?

December 14, 2022 Glenn Londre

At Excellerate, we take 5S very seriously, and our team members are an integral part of its success, creating improved safety, productivity and quality, and reduced waste.

People-First Leadership Enriches Culture

November 30, 2022 Greg Juedes

People-first leadership focuses on providing inspiration and listening deeply while helping people get the resources, knowledge, feedback and growth opportunities they need.

Interviewing for Culture; Onboarding for Success!

November 23, 2022 Brittany Kempen

In the manufacturing industry, the majority of the common tasks can be taught but things like honesty, initiative, safety and caring for others are traits that we look for the most when recruiting people to join our team.

Advanced Product Quality Planning: APQP 101

November 2, 2022 Matt Ambrosius

Developing successful products and services requires listening to the voice of the customer, which is part of phase 1 of the APQP process.

Growth, Culture and Safety

October 26, 2022 Frank Hopkins

Electricity is essential to our lives, and it’s becoming smarter. Excellerate is striving to ensure our company is leading the way in providing energy solutions to our customers.

Fighting Safety Complacency

October 19, 2022 Joseph Bolle

In the construction and manufacturing industries, the repetitive nature of our work can lead us to complacency. On a job site, complacency can lead to serious safety concerns.

Precision or Accuracy: Which is More Important?

September 20, 2022 Doug Koehler

Which is more important, precision or accuracy? At Excellerate, we work with customers to find new and improved ways to measure our accuracy and precision, to continuously improve on each.

Using the Accident Triangle to Grow Your Safety Culture

August 17, 2022 Joseph Bolle

Unsafe acts, if they are repeated without consequences, can lead to a false sense of security. The Accident Triangle indicates that the more unsafe acts we have, the more likely we are to have a serious incident over time.

Eliminating Manufacturing Waste Through Employee Engagement

August 3, 2022 Glenn Londre

“World-class organization” is a term I have heard many times throughout my career. Companies use that term as a stretch goal for when they start to […]

Your Career Starts Here!

July 13, 2022 Brittany Kempen

Thinking about a career in the trades? The opportunities are abundant at Excellerate, and we are ready to help you succeed!

Strong Culture Leads to High Productivity

July 6, 2022 Greg Juedes

Culture is a very important part of who we are at Excellerate. Being united in purpose helps sustain positive results.

Safe For a Reason

June 28, 2022 Excellerate

Safe For a Reason highlights Excellerate’s goal to continue without a recordable incident for a fourth consecutive year and focuses on team members’ very important, individual reasons for staying safe. 

Manufacturing Planning Key to Customer Quality

June 22, 2022 Matt Ambrosius

In manufacturing, it's critical to ensure accurate communication between customers and the people building products on the manufacturing floor.

Technology Enables Manufacturing Advances

June 2, 2022 Frank Hopkins

As technology continues to advance, Excellerate is always looking for ways to implement process improvements to make our employees safer and more efficient, and to help our customers reach their goals.

Flexible Manufacturing: Playing to our Strengths

May 26, 2022 Derek Sears

Excellerate is not a traditional manufacturer. With our history rooted in pre-fabrication for our construction partners, our organization was built to be flexible, which adds value for our customers and team members.

The Value of Excellerate

May 3, 2022 Matt Merbach

Labor and risk: these are two of the biggest challenges that construction projects face today. Fortunately, these are two of the biggest areas where Excellerate can add value.

Continuous Improvement Element of Quality

March 30, 2022 Doug Koehler

At Excellerate, we invest a great deal of time and effort in continuous improvement; it’s how we’re able to continue to support our customers’ projects, reduce schedules and control budgets while improving quality and safety.

Leading, Lagging Indicators Support Culture of Safety

February 7, 2022 Joseph Bolle

At Excellerate, our safety program is heavily based on following leading indicators, so that we can take a proactive approach to safety. In doing so, we have watched our safety performance improve dramatically.

Safety Starts With Caring

August 25, 2021 Joseph Bolle

Along with creating a more comfortable, caring and understanding workplace, our Culture of Care has enabled continued success within our safety program. Safety numbers are a reflection of caring about each person at work and outside of work.

Quality Assurance or Quality Control?

March 5, 2021 Doug Koehler

At Excellerate, we believe optimum quality is ensured with a system that has seamlessly integrated Quality Assurance and Quality Control into a Quality Management System.

Improving Safety Through Hazard Identification

January 6, 2021 Joseph Bolle

Utilizing leading indicators not only improves safety performance, but demonstrates that an organization cares about the safety of their employees, by dedicating time and resources to proactively prevent injuries from occurring.

Temporary Power Applications Meet Numerous Needs

December 4, 2020 Brandon Teachman

The need to quickly bring up temporary power at a site can vary in application and size, but the end goal is to get power where it currently is not. When designing any temp power solution, it’s important to ensure you are taking into account your design's safety.

The Real Value of Off-Site Manufacturing

October 26, 2020 Jacob Feutz

There are a lot of benefits to taking labor off site that should be considered when approaching the complete value story. Be sure you consider them all when making your decision.

The Total Cost of Quality

October 8, 2020 Doug Koehler

What is your total cost of quality? Is it worth it for you to spend the time and money to make sure you get things right the first time?

Skills That Lead to Success

October 1, 2020 Nicolette Haen

If you are searching for a new opportunity and possess a willingness to learn, a safety mindset, are dependable and team oriented, you may be more qualified than you think for various types of jobs.

Hit The Ground Running

September 8, 2020 Joseph Bolle

In the manufacturing world, we know the importance of planning and preparedness to ensure success. So how do we hit the ground running when it comes to safety?

Taking Hours Off the Job Site

August 12, 2020 Nate Bevers

As we continue to sift through the days of this current pandemic and look to the future of the industry, it will become vital for the construction industry to pull labor off site and declutter job sites.

4 Keys to Customer-Centered Product Design

July 22, 2020 Brandon Teachman

Customer-centered design is a great process for design, providing confidence that your product will help its users accomplish their goals, leading to increased sales and lower customer service costs. Tailoring products for people in specific contexts and with specific tasks also leads to safer products.

Data Appreciation in Manufacturing

June 15, 2020 Michael Sell

One of the major benefits of ERP systems is that they provide a wealth of data about operational performance that can quickly be queried, so it's not surprising that developing and implementing them can be a challenging process. We're excited about the benefits our system will provide to our customers and team members.

The Importance of Root-Cause Analysis

May 27, 2020 Doug Koehler

Sometimes the root cause of a problem seems obvious, when in reality it’s not. If you solve the problem without finding the root cause, you may not be solving the real problem, but simply treating the symptoms.

Improving the Employee Experience

May 13, 2020 Nicolette Haen

As Excellerate continues to grow, our Talent team will continue to develop strategies and implement processes to improve the employee experience. Continuous improvement is core to our organization.

Excellerate Pivots to Manufacture Emergency Deployable Medical Units

May 5, 2020 John Gunderson

Innovation is one of our core values. Based on the work we do with containerized solutions, we looked at how we could manufacture mobile medical units to support the increased need for hospital beds.

Incorporating ‘Broken Windows Theory’ in Manufacturing Safety

April 15, 2020 Joseph Bolle

Does your organization focus only on major safety hazards? Keep the Broken Windows Theory in mind to ensure you keep your focus on big and small safety efforts.

25 Years of Manufacturing for Construction

April 1, 2020 Jacob Feutz

At Excellerate, we work hard to help close the gap on labor productivity, make job sites safer and reduce their environmental impact. See our video to learn how we do it.

Shorten Time to Market and Increase Value with Modular Buildings

March 19, 2020 Brandon Teachman

Prefabrication in a controlled factory environment provides advantages to a project’s end goals in several ways including high quality, increased safety, optimized footprint and economic advantages.

Excellerate Innovation on Display at Advancing Prefabrication 2020

March 4, 2020 Nate Bevers

Excellerate recently participated in the Advancing Preconstruction 2020 conference, where we showcased several new products and demonstrated how we continue to innovate in the manufacturing industry.

Excellerate Expands Operations to Meet Customer Needs

February 19, 2020 Michael Sell

Our increased operational capability in the Kansas area will allow Excellerate to expand upon our existing products and services that drive the modularization of the electrical construction industry.

Does Standardization Have a Role in Quality?

January 29, 2020 Doug Koehler

Standardization improves quality, reduces costs, reduces lead-times and improves safety. Are your employees performing their work in a standardized manner?

Internships Develop Successful Future Workforce

January 9, 2020 Nicolette Haen

Excellerate’s internship program is a paid on-the-job work training experience with a structured mentorship curriculum. Interns can earn a salary and receive college credits while learning about business and the manufacturing field.

Leading the Way by Lighting the Way

December 31, 2019 Nate Bevers

As we close out a great year and look forward to an even bigger and brighter 2020, one thing remains clear: Excellerate is leading the way. And in 2019 specifically, we did it by lighting the way.

Excellerate Project Spotlight: South America Confidential Client

December 11, 2019 Jody Seubert

Cost is always going to be an important part of the decision-making process for our customers; however, several factors contribute to the advantages Excellerate's modularization bring to a project.

Youth Apprenticeships: Hands-On Manufacturing Opportunities

October 16, 2019 Erin Lettau

Excellerate’s youth-apprenticeship program gives students the opportunity to gain valuable hands-on experience in a manufacturing environment during the school year, giving them a leg-up on their peers upon graduation. It's a great way to start a career!

Establishing a Culture of Quality

October 4, 2019 Doug Koehler

Improvements in a company’s culture of quality can start at any level. It all starts with taking responsibility for the quality of what you do.

Apprenticeship Opportunities Pave Way in Growing Manufacturing Field

September 17, 2019 Nicolette Haen

Employees who graduate from our apprenticeship programs will be paving the path for new and unique value-added manufacturing jobs, with distinct advantages in the growing manufacturing field.

Dodging A Stalemate

August 21, 2019 Nate Bevers

At Excellerate, our three key areas of focus to evade a stalemate are products, process and most importantly, people. We’ve redefined these terms to plan our next moves to succeed.

Values-Based Leadership

August 8, 2019 Pat McGettigan

Leadership isn’t something we’re born with, but a quality we need to work on every day. At Excellerate, we develop our leaders based on our values and expect them to live those values daily.

My Favorite Part of EAA Airventure 2019

July 31, 2019 Excellerate

Last week, Excellerate returned to EAA AirVenture 2019  for our second year in a row to unveil and showcase our new energy innovations, the Solar Walkway, […]

Top 5 Things to See at EAA AirVenture

July 23, 2019 Charlie Fredrickson

As the greatest air show in the world takes off in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, this week, featuring hundreds of acres of planes, educational events and vendors spanning a couple miles end to end, visitors will want to plan ahead what they want to see and do!

The Power of Visual Management

July 10, 2019 Jeff Loritz

When is the last time you watched a sporting event without knowing or checking the score? Probably never. Or if you did, it was probably a […]

The Role of a Front-Line Leader: Establishing a Continuous-Improvement Framework

June 19, 2019 Hiram Harris

The success of an organization is dependent upon numerous factors: strategic deployment, organizational capability and alignment, robust business processes and a sound infrastructure, to name a few. […]

Retaining Top Talent: The Importance of Feedback

May 29, 2019 Erin Lettau

As a merit-based organization, we take great pride in hiring, training and retaining top talent. To ensure that our workforce is performing at its best and […]

What Does ‘Quality’ Mean to You?

May 15, 2019 Doug Koehler

What does ‘quality’ mean to you? I’ve asked this question of co-workers, friends and relatives – usually just out of the blue with no warning about […]

Excellerate as a Force Multiplier

May 1, 2019 Jody Seubert

Force multipliers are tools that help you amplify your effort to produce more output. When you invest in a force multiplier, you invest in something that […]

What Can Excellerate Build for You?

April 17, 2019 Jody Seubert

As Excellerate Manufacturng continues to grow, I often hear the question, “What can Excellerate build for my job?” For an answer, I usually turn that question […]

Excellerate: Challenging the Status Quo

April 3, 2019 Jody Seubert

Evolutionary Innovation is based on the idea that small evolutionary changes and improvements, practiced over time, can achieve revolutionary results. Over my last 24 years working […]