White serves as director of operations for Jabil's Asheville-area facilities in Arden and Flat Rock, where more than 900 team members manufacture pharmaceutical drug-delivery devices used to administer medications directly into the body. Together, the two facilities produce approximately 290 million units annually, placing them among the company's significant healthcare manufacturing operations.  

White's career in manufacturing began immediately after college when he joined General Motors as a controls engineer, programming robots and helping keep automotive assembly lines running. When he participated in a joint venture between General Motors and Toyota, he was introduced to the Toyota Production System, the foundation of modern lean manufacturing.

"I pretty much fell in love with operations, and I knew at that time that I really wanted to be in operations," he said. "That was the right thing for me."

After working in several manufacturing roles around the country, White joined Jabil more than seven years ago. His career with the company took him to New York, Colorado, and Florida before bringing him to Western North Carolina about a year and a half ago.

Today, he oversees operations in both the Arden and Flat Rock, splitting his time between the facilities. He starts a typical day by reviewing emails and key performance before heading out to the production floor. 

"I'd like to spend the majority of my day on the manufacturing floor," he said. "You really find out what's really going on when you talk to the people who're actually doing all the work."

Those conversations aren't only about production numbers. White makes a point to ask employees about their families, hobbies and lives outside of work.

"I like to bring a little fun into what we do every day," he said.

The facilities White oversees are highly automated. The Arden facility produces approximately 125 million units annually, while the Flat Rock facility manufactures about 165 million units each year. Despite the growing role of automation, he believes people remain at the center of manufacturing.

"We have multiple high-speed assembly lines," White said. "But at the end of the day, you still need people to maintain the equipment. You still need good strategic leaders that are always thinking about planning, reaching out to our customers, and trying to bring more business into our facilities.”

The most rewarding part of the job, White said, is helping employees grow their careers.

"What I really enjoy the most is really just seeing the growth in the team," he said. "Watching an operator move up through the organization to become a technician, an engineer or into management."

That commitment to development reflects a broader culture at Jabil, where White believes employees who are willing to work hard have opportunities to advance.

"Growth is something that we embrace," he said. "Not just here at the Arden and Flat Rock facilities, but the company as a whole. If you have the desire and are willing to work hard at it, you have that opportunity." 

Learn more atJabil.com.