Success Story

Contracts Make Common Sense for International Manufacturer

To most people, an automated teller machine represents convenience - quick cash and fast deposits for people on the go. But when Contacts Director Lou Amato spots an ATM, he's got a lot more than that on his mind.

In 1991, Goodwill Industries of Wayne and Holmes Counties entered into a contract with Diebold, Incorporated, an international manufacturer of ATMs, electronic voting machines and security products based in North Canton. The work included dismantling ATMs, recycling the metals, sending back certain parts to be disposed of by certified recyclers, and rendering the safes useless.

Last year alone, 30 employees and job trainees at the Wooster Goodwill took apart some 1,800 ATMs. It's a painstaking process that can take anywhere from one to seven hours, depending upon the size of the machine. Workers must separate all the metals - sheet metal, stainless steel, aluminum and two kinds of iron. Goodwill then sells the metals to a scrap recycler for profit.

Seven years after being awarded the Diebold contract, Amato went on a tour of the company and observed that a number of temporary workers were hired to clean broken ATMs, replace some parts and partially rebuild them. Sensing an opportunity to expand the variety of technical jobs the Goodwill offers, Amato approached Diebold to see if the Wooster agency could also take on the servicing and rebuilding work.

The Goodwill eventually earned another contract to service the ATM interiors and pneumatic tubes. “This was something that provided us with diversity in the workshop,” Amato says. “We have a wide range of skills; therefore, we needed a wide range of challenges for people.”

In April 2003, Amato learned Diebold was considering outsourcing ATM dismantling to cut down on the costs of transporting the machines to Ohio.

This time, Dana Ray, Project Manager for Diebold, approached Amato to see if Goodwills across the country could replicate the ATM dismantling that Goodwill of Wayne and Holmes County already was doing. “We realized these people were very conscientious about what they were doing,” she says. “Also, by using Goodwill, we're helping the community.”

Today Goodwills in Macon, GA; Sacramento, CA; San Antonio, TX; Springfield, MA; and Honolulu, HI, are providing ATM contract services to Diebold.

Amato says he believes Goodwills have added value to Diebold's business functions because they offer a valuable service at a competitive price, help the community by training its workforce and provide benefits beyond the bottom line.

Source: Working! Winter 2003