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Does the state of a boat manufac-turer’s factory give any indication of the quality of the vessels it produces?If that boat builder is the successfulNordic Tugs, Inc., it most certainly does. Since its inception in 1980 Nordic has continuously expanded the size of its product line — its plants have been expanded, added to, sec- tionally rebuilt and generally “modi- fied” in an attempt to keep up with demand for the tug-style “fast trawlers” Nordic has become known for. With this as a background, Iexpected my tour of the Nordic Tugs plant in Burlington, Washington, would show a “pieced together” phys-ical plant, with all of the problems sucha facility invariably has, including small closed spaces, bad lighting and ventilation and generally cramped and cluttered working stations. My expec- tations were wrong.

A clean and safe environment allows work-ers at Nordic Tugs to concentrate on quality craftsmanship.The company’s philosophy is that workers who take pride in their work build better boats,and that is certainly good news if you are interested in owning one of these “fast trawlers.”

Clean Operation

Despite the sprawling nature of theplant, it was the best of more than 50fiberglass plants I have visited. While the pungent odor of glass and resin was noticeable, it was barely so com-pared to other plants I’ve visited. The ventilation system was so good that in most areas of the plant I could smellfresh air. The usual haze caused byhandling fiberglass was totally absent, even at cutting tables.Everyone in the production areas,even visitors, were required to wear safety marine glasses, complete with eye side protection. Even visitors with pre- scription safety lens glasses wererequired to use goggles that fit com-fortably over their glasses. The lighting in all areas of the plantwas up to standard, and I never noticed a burned-out lightbulb or tube. Work lights inside boats at various stages of completion were bright andplentiful. I didn’t notice anyone work- ing with a flashlight (not an uncom-mon practice in many plants) when working around engines, tanks or con- trol panels.The Nordic plant, similar to manyother boat production plants, has a series of raised platforms at the stern where various interior components are fitted. In many facilities these plat- forms are made of wood and accessed by wooden stairways or even ladders.At the Nordic plant most of these plat- forms are made of steel with an open- grate walk plate. This provides good safe footing for workers. However, aswith most open-grate flooring, dirtfrom boat shoes falls through to the floor below. This leads to constant airborne dust.Nordic has solved this problemwith elegant simplicity. A layer of industrial cardboard is laid on top of the grate. This layer fixes itself to the grate as soon as it is walked on and stops dirt from falling to the floor below. When the cardboard starts to wear through, it, and all the dirt trapped on it, is rolled up and disposed of.The cardboard protection process,combined with a five-person mainte- nance and cleaning team, helps keep the production plant floors clean —