Employees at the Cloyes Gear and Products distribution center in Fort Smith, Arkansas, recently celebrated 17 consecutive years without a lost-time accident, the longest period ever at a Cloyes manufacturing plant or distribution center. 

“Our engaged employees create a culture of safety, teamwork, and continuous improvement for the benefit of the company and the communities we live and work in,” said Dave Haley, senior vice president of operations for Cloyes. “One of our company values is to be fully committed to employee health and safety, and our employees in Fort Smith certainly live up to that value every day.”

A lost-time accident is an on-the-job accident that results in a Cloyes employee being absent from the distribution center for a minimum of one full-day workday.

“In the midst of the intensity that all companies are faced with to deliver sales growth, profitability and increasing shareholder value, nothing is more important than making sure our employees are trained and work in a safe environment and get home as healthy as they were when they arrived to work,” said John Bohenick, chief executive officer for Cloyes.

The more than 30 employees working at the distribution center understand safety protocol, as the company has a disciplined approach to safety that includes training, auditing and reporting.

“We cannot thank our employees enough for their dedication to health and safety as well as their continued focus when working in our facilities,” said Donna McCarley, warehouse manager for Cloyes. “We’re all very proud to be part of this team and hope to be celebrating 18 years in 2021.”

Opened in April 1998, the 52,500-square-foot distribution center in Fort Smith distributes 3 million products annually to its global customers.