Jay Rayals has always loved making and fixing things with his hands. When he’s not working at the First Quality plant in Macon, Georgia, helping keep the production machinery running smoothly, he’s often fixing up old cars and trucks.
“I’m working on an older model pickup right now from the 1950s,” Jay said. “The car before that was a ’62 sedan that I did with my dad.”
As much as he likes tinkering with cars, he also loves taking on new challenges at work. He’s been at First Quality’s baby diaper facility in Macon for 22 years and says the key is to “never stop learning.”
Today, he’s what’s known as a processor specialist. He spends much of his time troubleshooting the machinery and conducting audits on different aspects of the equipment. After First Quality acquired the Macon facility in 2008, the company upgraded much of the machinery.
He’s anticipating the arrival of even more machinery as First Quality completes a major expansion of the Macon production site: “The business is growing, and I’m growing with it.”
A sense of pride
When it comes to making sure everything is in working order, Jay just can’t help himself. He fixes things.
Often, if he’s in a store and sees that the First Quality-made diapers aren’t fully stocked on the shelf, he’ll reach to the back of the shelves and scoot them forward so they’re easy for anyone to grab and drop in their cart.
Of course, it could just be pride in seeing the product he and his coworkers make. He isn’t shy about telling people around town what he does.
“I’m proud of what I do. I make baby diapers,” Jay said. “It’s something that everybody uses. It’s a necessity.”
He should know—he has five grandkids, the youngest of which is just two years old. They keep him learning, too, just like the production equipment he works on.
“I learn new stuff every day from my grandkids,” he laughed.
