Buck Knives credits philosophy for success

New hires at the Buck Knives factory in Post Falls will hear an awful lot about “lean manufacturing.”

Company President CJ Buck repeats the phrase like a mantra.

Over the last three years, the 102-year-old firm has reinvented itself into a more efficient producer of sport and utility knives. Buck credits the savings to lean manufacturing.

The philosophy – based on teamwork, accountability and cost controls – has replaced traditional production lines at Buck Knives’ factory near San Diego.

And it’ll be a centerpiece of the new Post Falls plant, which opens in January.

“The biggest challenge in our industry right now is Chinese manufacturing,” Buck said Wednesday.

“It used to be very inexpensive junk …but now we’re getting product that’s half-way decent. American manufacturing has to become more competitive.”

Lean manufacturing was one of the topics Buck addressed in a presentation to North Idaho College’s board of directors.

The plant’s 150 new hires will get a crash course in lean manufacturing next month at NIC’s Workforce Training Center.

The state of Idaho is chipping in $500,000 to help train the workers.

The money was offered as an incentive to help bring Buck Knives to North Idaho.

Lean manufacturing actually laid the groundwork for the move.

With a more efficient production line, Buck Knives ended up with extra space in its 200,000-square-foot factory near San Diego.

The privately held company started looking for a new home.

Buck Knives, which anticipates sales of about $34 million this year, is one of the top names in sport utility knives.

Lower labor and utility costs helped draw the firm to Idaho. Legislative climate also played a key role, Buck said. The company wanted a “business friendly, business hungry” place to operate, he said.

Buck Knives will move 50 of its key people to Post Falls. The rest will be hired locally.

A starting wage in production is around $7 to $7.50 per hour, with benefits. Workers are eligible for two raises in their first six months on the job, Buck said.

Including salaries for managers and engineers, the average wage at the factory will be $11.50 per hour, said Steve Griffitts, president of Jobs Plus, which helped recruit the firm.

Buck Knives’ new building is under construction at the Riverbend Commerce Park.

“We’ve got a roof and a parking lot, so we’re ready for the snow,” Buck quipped.

The California plant will shut down in mid-December.

The equipment will be shipped to Idaho, where the new workers will start training at the plant in January.

They’ll spend the first three months learning their jobs, without making knives for sale.

“It’s a different philosophy from traditional manufacturing model, which says that from the day the plant opens, production has to be very high,” said Robert Ketcham, director of NIC’s Workforce Training Center.

It’s a practical approach, according to Buck.

“A lot of it is on-the-job training,” he said.