A Show of Skills

SPRAY FOAM MAGAZINE – In the SPF industry, more women are now achieving operational positions in what was once considered a male-dominated profession. Gender diversity in SPF operations management is crucial to encourage women with a diverse set of skills such as critical thinking, decision-making, multitasking, and relationship-building. It is imperative to create opportunities that promote an inclusive operations environment. Spray Foam Magazine interviewed Blandine Carton, the Executive Vice President of Operations at NCFI Polyurethanes, to uncover how she attained such a position and how her skill set benefits the operational strategies and processes within the organization.

How long have you worked for NCFI? I joined NCFI in April 2015, so just over 9 years.

How did you become the Executive Vice President of Operations for NCFI? Throughout my 24-year career, I had different positions with increasing responsibilities which led me to my current job as the Executive Vice President of Operations. I started as a Development Engineer in 2000 for a non-wovens manufacturer in France. In 2004, I accepted a position in production as a Line Manager and after a few years, I became the Production Manager of the French facility. I moved to the U.S. in 2008 to become their Production Manager in Asheville, NC. I subsequently was responsible for maintenance and processes besides manufacturing. After a few years of holding this global position for both the French and American plants, I joined NCFI as the Director of Operations to oversee both Consumer Products (flexible manufacturing) and Specialty Products (chemical blending for spray foam applications) with additional responsibilities in Environmental, Health and Safety. During that tenure, I also became more involved in engineering projects and financial reviews.

Describe a typical working day for you. Most of my time is split between meetings with my direct or indirect reports, colleagues, and contractors, in addition to collecting/analyzing data to review and decide on short- and long-term actions. I can’t say I have a typical working day, but I allocate time during the week for specific reviews or more administrative tasks. I also allow time to solve any urgent or critical issues which might arise.

What skills do you need to be an EVP of Operations? You need to be a strong leader, a problem solver having a continuous improvement mindset, a good communicator, and a decision maker with strong ethics. It’s also critical to see the big picture while understanding the importance of the details in that position. Decisions need to be made for the best of the company and not for the interest of individual teams.

What’s the most challenging aspect of your job? The biggest challenge of this job is to get alignment across different teams and ensure we all work together on the top priorities and that we don’t get sidetracked by “minor” daily issues.

In your current role, please describe a time that you implemented a major operational change. In 2018, we started to build a new plant from a greenfield in Houston to increase our overall capacity. We decided to automate as much as possible at this new facility contrary to how we were historically operating. In parallel, we had to close and decommission the plant we had in Utah. In less than two years of operations, we doubled production volumes.

Can you describe a time when you had to manage a crisis? During the construction of the new plant in Houston, we had to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. It happened during the install of the equipment with a lot of contractors on site. We had to develop new protocols and operating procedures with our suppliers to ensure a healthy environment for their employees and our associates while ensuring a steady progress of the install. It required constant communication and coordination.

How would you describe your leadership style? I believe in leading by example and sharing information. I spend time on the floor reviewing safety items, and communicating with associates addressing any issues they might have. Through the years, I learned to empower people to make decisions. I believe people are our biggest assets and promote teamwork. I encourage open discussions, and personnel development through continuous training.

Do you think the industry does enough to create a culture of inclusivity and diversity? I have seen a change in the past few years to create a culture of inclusivity and diversity. First, it started by encouraging the hiring of new employees with different backgrounds and cultures. We have seen a push to raise awareness in media or conferences but also thanks to internal training. We can also see a change in marketing and advertising where the focus is more diverse than a few years ago. The fact that Spray Foam Magazine is engaged in publishing articles about women in the industry is proof of that cultural change. Could it be improved? Certainly, by creating more events and initiatives to support diversity and inclusivity, by recognizing and rewarding everyone’s performance, and by training and communicating more about it.

In such a demanding role, how do you keep a work-life balance? In my previous company, I was mainly focusing on my job and my personal life was secondary. Since then, I have learned to delegate more and empower people to make their own decisions. I changed some of my old “habits” and ensured to block time in my schedule for personal activities instead of switching back on my laptop to review spreadsheets on the weekends.

If you could offer any advice to anyone wanting to work in operations, what would that be? Working in operations can be stressful at times because there is always something happening, but it’s never boring! Solving an issue is the greatest reward and that’s when you feel you accomplished something, that’s the reward. Be resilient, learn from mistakes and failures, and stay creative to find new solutions!  

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