I walked in the door at TekTone not knowing what to expect. Three weeks later, I understand the engineering design, prototyping, production, sales and marketing of electronic products. This company is unique in that is draws on its local roots. The different people who work in varied departments doing different jobs all talk to each other, because the communication between departments is recognized as the most important thing. First thing in the morning, the managers of each departments walk to the production floor and stand in a circle. They update each other on purchasing, production, sales, engineering, and shipping, and they set short-term goals for the day. Within this building, under one roof, people with different backgrounds, focus, and skills work together to develop and sell their products.
TekTone develops, produces, and sells intercom and nurse call products for use in hospitals, assisted living, and nursing homes. They are a small, family-owned company and employ about 100 people. The diversity of interests, education, and skills really hit me– as well as the similarities. In spite of peoples’ backgrounds, there are two job skills that are necessary in every department: the ability to communicate well and the willingness to learn on the job.
My experience at TekTone has taught me two major things: First, building community in a business is important in terms of retaining people and ensuring a good product. Second, manufacturing companies are hiring people who know how to learn and how to communicate effectively. These two lessons tie in with my classroom goals, and I think it’s so important to make the connections between school and the rest of our lives- the things we establish as values in education are also valid in companies with adults!
The community at TekTone is warm and well-connected; people working in production know and talk to people working in engineering, and the conversations help improve the feeling of agency as well as the product. The sales and tech support teams talk with engineers in production and in development so they can train the end users in the products. The amount of communication between people and between departments supports the mission of the company.
It has been a pleasure to work at TekTone this summer; the employees have been gracious, showing me what they do and allowing me to join in. I have learned so much about research and development, as well as manufacturing and sales processes, and this insight is so important to share with my students as they prepare for adulthood.