When the housing market cratered in 2009, LaFayette, GA.-based Roper Corp., a maker of home cooking appliances, was forced to layoff than 20% of its work force, or 300 employees. But the company continued its six-year-old lean manufacturing effort. As a result, growing economic stability has enabled it to bring back the furloughed laborers, who will run new operations in-sourced from contractors. "Insourcing sub-assemblies and products allowed us to bring back everybody who wanted to come back," said President Scott Ossewaarde. (Published by the Chattanooga Times Free Press.)
