Employees at MDU Resources Group who come up with innovative solutions to the problems they encounter are rewarded in a big way.
The company’s annual Einstein Awards recognize the best-of-the-best process improvement ideas that are vital to the company’s success and have contributed in a measurable way to improve its bottom line.
“The Einstein Award is unique in that it rewards employees who go beyond their regular duties,” Nicole A. Kivisto, president and CEO of MDU Resources Group, told American Gas. “It recognizes employees who find ways to improve a process or procedure that make a task more efficient and/or less costly.”
One of this year’s winners was recognized for improvements made during two compressor station projects, including a manually actuated gas detection head, which was not only compliant but also safer and cheaper than the alternatives. This innovation eliminated the cost and hassle of renting equipment and increased safety by removing the need to work from heights to change out a piece of equipment.
Another employee conducted an examination of an employee benefits program, which allowed management to extract $20 million in cash benefits from an overfunded trust. That reduced the ongoing balance, which was sensitive to market fluctuations that affected the earnings of the business units participating in the plan. It also reduced the company’s need to borrow funds, therefore eliminating any interest that would have been charged, all while leaving the fund in compliance with plan requirements.
Other winning ideas this year include repurposing a staircase from a retired coal facility and constructing a custom device for safely removing and installing traffic signal heads.
The longstanding recognition program, approved by the company in 2001, is given annually by each business unit. Nominations are submitted by employees and promoted through internal communications channels.