Last Thursday afternoon, Fuller Industries Quality Control Laboratory technicians Pookie Blecha and Randy Liederbach removed small, pastel-colored bottles from a stack of boxes and carefully organized them on shelves in the QC lab.
The containers, marked with cryptic labels containing chemical formulas, joined those on other racks lining the walls and others stashed in second-floor rooms.
These are product quality control samples, known as retains, held in case customers have questions. They are kept for three years due to Federal Drug Administration guidelines.
The samples handled Thursday were of products made by the Canadian manufacturer whose operations were merged into the Great Bend facility.
“We are now retaining their retains,” Blecha said, noting there are glass and plastic vials stashed in several nooks and crannies.
But they don’t mind, she said. Assuring quality and consistency is a cornerstone of Fuller’s commercial and industrial cleaning product business.
The samples, organized according to their formulations, are used to track the viscosity (thickness), pH levels (acidity or basicity) and other aspects of each product, Liederbach said. They are shaken and tested periodically while in storage.
“There is a lot that goes into this,” said Joe Mann, Fuller’s vice president and general manager. “It is all pure science. There are extremely stringent regulations, but we also hold ourselves to a very high standard.”
But when people think about Fuller, they may not realize all that actually goes on at the plant west of Great Bend, he said.
“This is a highly technical business,” he said. “We employ chemists, chemistry technicians, robotics operators and other skilled team members.”
That is why the company is teaming up with Great Bend High School and Barton Community College to promote STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) studies. They want to encourage students to pursue these fields and possibly find a career at Fuller.
“These areas are only growing in demand,” he said, adding Fuller is expanding and will need employees with these skills. “We want to be on the forefront.”
About Fuller Industries Inc.
Based in Great Bend, with a rich heritage dating back over a century to the Fuller Brush Man, Fuller Industries is a leading American manufacturer of industrial products, including cleaning chemicals and supplies, as well as brooms, mops, brushes and more. Fuller serves manufacturing, commercial, institutional and agricultural clients across the Western Hemisphere. Call 620-792-1711 or visit Fullerindustriesinc.com.
