Several years ago, I was talking with an Australian friend about some of the interesting facts and figures from his home country. One item that I still remember clearly: on the Great Seal of Australia resides the image of a kangaroo and an emu, but why? With all of the strange and fascinating fauna indigenous to the continent, why did these two creatures make the cut? This is, after all, the country that gave us the koala and the platypus. Why not give the Tasmanian devil and wombat their due? Were the dingo and kookaburra busy?
Of course, there’s a very clever and specific reason—one that has stuck with me for all these years. It’s because the kangaroo and the emu are incapable of moving backwards. This fact—that they can only walk or hop in the forward direction—makes them a national symbol of progress and prosperity. After all, if you’re not moving forward, you’re moving backward, right?
I’m proud to work for a company that shares this philosophy. Inside and out, Team VAP is all about moving forward. Internally, the team atmosphere at Value Added Packaging fosters an environment of collaboration and idea sharing. This is evident in the group lean and kaizen events we’ve held. These events involve team members from all departments to encourage an exchange of ideas for improving processes throughout the plant. Our Continuous Improvement Forms are also a great way for all of our team members to have their ideas heard.
This forward thinking doesn’t stop when we leave the factory. The VAP Team loves to share these ideas outside, as well. We are always happy to work together with our customers, observing their operations to find design and process improvements to help them be successful.
VAP is also committed to moving our community forward. From the encouragement of team member volunteer work on an individual level, to the regular team-wide donation drives for charitable causes such as Children’s Medical Center and St. Vincent De Paul, this company’s dedication to giving back to the community has blown me away!
This dedication to its team, customers, and community are what make me proud to be a part of Team VAP. In a world of constant change and variety, we’re forever moving forward, like the kangaroo and the emu!
