Trailers, community: Pittsview, USA
One of the real pleasures of being the editor here at TBB is the road trip.
Basically, getting out and getting into manufacturing facilities and upfitter shops and dealerships is what the magazine has done for 65 years or so. It’s who we are, or strive to be. Several ownership changes here at TBB, and the COVID chaos, have limited my wandering around more than I’d like.
But I was reminded how much I value these excursions by my recent visit to Pittsview, Alabama, home of Pitts Trailers and the subject of this month’s cover feature. Pittsview isn’t exactly one of those places you have to be going to to get to, but it’s close—basically a wide spot in the road heading south from Atlanta to the Gulf Coast beaches, with East/West access to the vast timber country of the Southeast.
Pittsview is, however, the most company-town town I’ve come across. Actually, to be accurate, it’s officially “an unincorporated community” that’s home to 500 or 600 folks and Russell County’s largest employer, Pitts Trailers.
Founded in 1890 as a stop on a new rail line by a Civil War veteran and the great-great-grandfather of Pitts Enterprises CEO Jeff Pitts, the Pittsview legacy and maintaining the community is a passion project for Jeff.
A drive around the area in his pickup truck means stopping several times to chat with people who are working on a number of betterment projects, whether it’s fixing up old homes or mowing the grass around a couple impeccable churches on the same small street.
Jeff also has also acquired a number of homes in the area for hosting company visitors, since the nearest commercial lodging options are back up the road in Columbus, Georgia.
Capping off my visit was the company’s 50th anniversary party, which featured a fair midway complete with rides, games and prizes, food vendors, a band and—the surprising highlight, based on employee enthusiasm—a Michael Jackson impersonator.
My thanks to Jeff and Pitts Trailers President JP Pierson for inviting me down. But back to work.
Simplifying production
While Jeff has been diligent in community betterment, General Manager Brandon Fretwell and Plant Manager Dustin Preslar have focused on improvements on the shop floor. But much of Pitts’ efficiency strategy begins long before steel reaches a welding station.
Fretwell and Preslar, both local men with years at Pitts, have worked to align engineering, sales and manufacturing through enterprise-wide lean initiatives, as they explained to me over a lunch with company leadership that served as my introduction to Brunswick stew. (My credentials as a Southerner were immediately in doubt.)
Using Product Data Management (PDM) software and 3D modeling, the company has built a standardized library of common components that can be shared across multiple trailer platforms.
“We’ve developed the engineering drawing package so it’s kind of like that IKEA book that you get when you’re putting together that cabinet,” Fretwell said. “We can calculate how we build, and then how we deliver this to the lines. Once that’s handed off from engineering, you’ve got a full-drawing package, you’ve got a full engineering and full manufacturing bill of material.”
Likewise, instead of engineering teams operating in separate product silos, Pitts now emphasizes commonality wherever possible. The result is a more streamlined design process and fewer unique parts moving through production.
The long-term goal is to remove variation from the manufacturing process and reduce dependence on traditional layout methods.
“We want to eliminate the tape measure from our facility,” Pierson said.
