Ratermann Manufacturing Working With Morgan Autism Center

Nov. 29, 2010 - PRLog -- Livermore, CA – Ratermann Manufacturing (http://www.rmiorder.com),  provider of the largest selection of cryogenic and compressed gas equipment & supplies in the United States, has teamed up with the Morgan Autism Center. It’s a relationship that is benefiting both the Livermore distributor and the developmentally challenged students at the San Jose school.

An essential item to the Ratermann product line is the Ring Tag that is used as an identifier for compressed gas tanks’ fill status.  Every one of these thousands of tags must be separately assembled. This is an important process and an ongoing job for the completion of each order that Ratermann fulfills for customers all over the United States, Canada and Mexico.

A few years ago, George Ratermann, founder of the company that bears his name, got an idea. Maybe, with a little bit of training, and the right materials, the students at the Morgan Autism Center would be ideal for managing this basic product fulfillment process.

“I knew about the Morgan Autism Center because of the help they were providing to a neighbor of ours,” says Ratermann, a long time Bay Area resident. “Initially the school set it up as a contest, experimenting to see if this project would click with Morgan’s students.”

Following a month or so of trial-and-error, with order mix ups, mislabeling, and other minor snafus, Morgan’s students, following Ratermann’s training, got the hang of it – and they were off and running.

Today, more than 40 developmentally disabled students at the Morgan Autism Center have participated in the program for Ratermann Manufacturing. It’s a way for these challenged men and women to earn a paycheck while making a contribution in a very practical way.

“This project gives our students a sense of pride, and a sense of accomplishment,” according to Sue Taylor, director of the Adult Program at the Morgan Autism Center. “Our students take this very seriously and see it as meaningful work. As an ongoing project, the long term relationship with Ratermann Manufacturing is good for the students.”

The Ratermann Manufacturing Ring Tag Assembly Project is a multi-step process where the students receive, sort, and assemble the myriad ring tags. The students package and prepare all the shipping documentation and dispatch the individual orders via UPS.

All of the orders are tracked according to UPS as well as Ratermann Manufacturing’s internal shipping procedures. To date, the Morgan students have a nearly 100% accuracy record so far as getting the right ring tag order to the right customer. Nothing succeeds like success!

In this day and age when American jobs are out-sourced to places like India or China, it is gratifying to see that a company like Ratermann Manufacturing can find a solution to one of its critical distribution problems right in its own back yard, at the Morgan Autism Center in San Jose.

It’s not just a dollars and cents calculation for Ratermann considering that it is actually more expensive to have the ring tags assembled in San Jose. Some parts and materials have to be shipped to the Morgan Autism Center from the Ratermann facility in Nashville, TN and that is factored into the overall cost. But that is not George Ratermann’s primary motivation.

“As a businessman and as an inventor, I know the satisfaction of a job well done,” Ratermann says. “Enabling those many students at the Morgan Center to feel that same experience adds to their self-esteem and their self-worth, and get a well-earned paycheck besides. It’s a pretty good experience for everyone involved.”

ABOUT MORGAN AUTISM CENTER
The Morgan Autism Center has been providing positive, highly structured educational programs for pre-school and school-age children with autism and other developmental disabilities in Santa Clara, San Mateo and other Bay Area counties since 1969. In 1985, an Adult Program was introduced, focusing on vocational independent living skills, and continued academic enrichment. For more information go to (http://www.morgancenter.org).

ABOUT RATERMANN MANUFACTURING
Ratermann Manufacturing, provides the largest selection of cryogenic and compressed gas equipment & supplies in the United States. Offering a wide range of products and services for markets including the gas & cryogenic industry, the propane & acetylene industry, beverage industry, medical industry, and  hose manufacturing industry, Ratermann, with operations in Livermore, CA and Nashville, TN, is noted for its innovation, competitive pricing and especially one-of-a-kind customer service. For more information go to (http://www.rmiorder.com), or email cs@rmimfg.com or call 1-800-264-7793.

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Ratermann Manufacturing (http://www.rmiorder.com) is the largest supplier of Cryogenic & Compressed Gas Equipment & Supplies, including Dewars, Hoses, Lubricants, and Fill Plant Supplies.