SCC students "hogging" opportunities

Another major manufacturer has pledged a continuing partnership with Sampson Community College after hiring multiple students from the college’s Industrial Systems Technology program.

Hog Slat, the largest contractor and manufacturer of hog equipment in the United States, has hired three SCC students in a row to fill their local demands in Clinton due to the exceptional training valued by the company. This week, they have asked SCC to send a fourth. Hog Slat employs about 1,000 people in addition to having about 1,400 subcontractors.

Ronnie Godwin, maintenance manager of both the Clinton and Newton Grove Hog Slat plants, has worked for the company for more than a decade. “One of the first things I was tasked with, coming into Hog Slat, was to be on the Maintenance Advisory Board at SCC,” he noted. “Over the years, SCC has developed an Industrial Maintenance program that teaches the fundamentals of maintaining the new and complex equipment that we now have.”

Durwood King, SCC’s Industrial Systems Technology instructor, was able to recently tour the facility which he says will also help understand the layout of Hog Slat and better train students around their real world work environment when they become employed. “I enjoyed the tour a lot, it was very encouraging to see our students doing so well,” said King. “That is what we love to see!”

Hog Slat is known for turnkey construction of confinement type hog and poultry units, the manufacture and distribution of hog and poultry equipment and the production of live hogs.

Godwin says SCC is one of the very few places that seems to be able to consistently upgrade and provide its training programs around its company’s needs. “Since I’ve been here,” says Godwin, “Hog Slat’s manufacturing technology has advanced into Robotic Welding , fully automated Laser Cutting and fully automated Stamping and Bending Systems.” Godwin notes that other employees have come and gone but students from SCC seem to really know their stuff.

For information regarding the IST program at SCC, email King at dking@sampsoncc.edu.

Source: originally published in the Sampson Independent on 2/6/2018