WARRINGTON, Pa.—In 1967, Nathaniel Washington was out of work and looking for a good job. Little did he know that the job his brother-in-law told him about would turn into a 50-year career.
Nathaniel Washington inspects everything before a U-Haul trucks rolls into service.
But that’s exactly what happened for Washington, who recently celebrated his 50th anniversary with U-Haul. It started at Warrington Equipment Manufacturing Company as a production helper in January 1967. He’s held many jobs over the years, including lead assembler, production supervisor and heavy-machine operator. His U-Haul career also included a 20-year stint at Falls Manufacturing Company in Fairless Hills, Pa., from 1986 to 2006.
In his current role of assembler, Washington does final inspections on U-Haul trucks before they leave Warrington for their initial road test. All issues are seen to, after which the trucks roll on to serve grateful self-moving customers throughout the United States and Canada.
Then and Now
Washington says the U-Haul manufacturing process is so much more efficient than when he first started.
One of the biggest differences between Washington’s then-and-now experiences is how U-Haul manufactures the trucks that Make Moving Easier for the thousands of self-moving customers who use them daily.
“The way we build moving vans is totally different from how we did things back in the 60s,” Washington noted. “In the old days, we had to manufacture the sides of trucks, as well as the roofs … piece by piece. Now, the sides and roofs come to us prefabricated. So, it’s simply a matter of drilling positioning holes and riveting components into the locations they need to go, which makes assembly much more precise while taking far less time. Clearly, we’ve modernized our procedures and, as a result of that, we’ve become tremendously more efficient over the years.”
The “Family Effect”
Washington remarked that the tightly knit feeling of family keeps him hard-wired to his U-Haul work experience, and he remains hungry for extra helpings of the same high-octane boost.
“One thing remaining constant with U-Haul,” Washington noted, “is that the Company is like a family and has always made me feel welcome … and an important part of a greater whole. That’s how it was when I started, and that emotional connection remains strong today. I’ve bonded closely with the people on my team, and they’ve bonded with me as well. All of this striving together gives new meaning to the word ‘teamwork.’
“No two days are ever alike,” Washington added, “which keeps me wanting to do better today than yesterday. Warrington is a genuine beehive of activity and I get real satisfaction out of being busy. But once again, it’s the people I work with who really make my day. I’m on a fantastic team!”
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