Michael A. Rosenblatt
Director of the Saint-Gobain Abrasives plant at Watervliet - USA
A New York State University graduate (with a degree in computer science and holder of an MBA), Michael Rosenblatt, aged 42, first of all spent four years in the Navy before dedicating his entire civilian career to Saint-Gobain from 1991.
Well-equipped to manage a factory
"Since the end of 2003, I have been managing the Saint-Gobain plant at Watervliet in the Northeast area of New York State. This is a plant employing a staff of 180 which supplies coated abrasive products to the whole of North America.
"I left the Navy in 1991 after four years of service, because it was incompatible with normal family life. During that time, I learnt a great deal about leadership and working under pressure - I had 140 men under my command on the USS Wisconsin during the first Gulf war, not to mention the responsibility of maintaining a stock of missiles worth $400 million.
Monitoring production
"My day at the Watervliet plant begins with a meeting to get an update on production. The raw material we use is very expensive and we have no margin for error. Then I do a tour of the factory to see how things are going on the ground. This is both to make sure that the work is being carried out correctly, but also to check that health and safety rules are being followed to the letter."
"Once back in my office, I answer my e-mail, something which always seems too time-consuming. Once a week, I have a meeting with my superiors to discuss ongoing questions, budgets, projects, etc. As far as staff representatives are concerned, I have to deal with no fewer than five unions… But although some may think this poses a problem, in fact it is a situation that makes my day-to-day contact with them always very interesting.
Management in the field
"I must always keep a close watch on how 'my' company operates in every respect from production right through to finances, without of course forgetting to maintain a good social climate. In real terms, this means that a good manager doesn't stay sitting in his office all day long and must make sure that everything is running smoothly down on the shop floor. Paying regular visits to the production site is a well proven management technique. You learn a lot by being in daily contact with the workforce. And very often one of them will call out to me, asking, 'Hey Mike, do you know about this problem we've got here?' "
