January 18, 2001

Good Ideas Pay Off
For WKU Student

Bowling Green, Ky. - Western Kentucky University senior Stephanie Lamb knows the value of a good idea.

In the past year, the mechanical engineering major has received about $20,000 for suggestions she's made during an internship at the General Motors Corvette plant in Bowling Green. Most of her ideas have netted awards of $200 to $1,000, but recently she received a check for $16,392.

That's right: $16,392 for a good idea.

Even small awards prove any suggestion is worthwhile, she said. "You never know how you're going to help the company," said Lamb, who works in the plant's paint shop.

The plant makes monetary awards for suggestions that save money or prevent injuries, said Lamb, the daughter of Terry and Jayne Colyer of Springfield, Tenn.
Her idea to use plastic bags to cover robots in the paint shop will save the Corvette plant about $83,000 in the first year, she said.

"It was just a matter of somebody realizing it," Lamb said of the potential savings in labor and materials.

Lamb suggested that the paint shop stop its daily changing of the covers that are used as protection from overspray on four usused robots. Even though the robots weren't being used, the cloth covers were being changed each day.

"I suggested we put a plastic bag over the cloth cover, then just remove the plastic when the robot is needed," Lamb said.

The plant has been using her idea for several months.

Lamb is always on the lookout for a good idea. This month she received $1,000 for a suggestion to place safety rails on a catwalk to prevent employees from falling.
The 1996 graduate of Springfield (Tenn.) High School credits her studies at Western and her internship at GM with preparing her for the job market. "Even though the work I do at the plant isn't like class, it is good experience," she said. "Not every student has two years of experience at General Motors."

After she graduates in May, Lamb hopes to continue working at the plant because of her experience and because she's a Corvette enthusiast. "It makes you enjoy your job more," said Lamb, who owns a 1982 Corvette.