SHELBURNE, Vt. (AP) – The Vermont Teddy Bear Company says it’s found a better way to build bears.

The changes started two years ago, when the Shelburne-based company hired consultants to help reduce workers’ repetitive motion injuries and increase production. Manufacturing director Cathy Carlisle says she’s starting to see positive results since the new production line was put in place a year ago – workers compensation insurance premiums have dropped 10 percent, productivity jumped 10 percent and fewer employees complain of repetitive stress injuries.

The changes mean the Vermont Teddy Bear Co., which sells handmade bears through direct mail and over the Internet, is better able to compete with mass-producing companies based overseas.

“That’s really important to our brand,” Carlisle said. “It’s also important for our employees.”

In the past, Vermont Teddy Bear Co. workers spent all day doing the same task, like sewing a bear’s head or arm. Since the shift, they have been trained on all aspects of bear-building. Working in teams with nicknames like “Mod Squad” and “Speedy Turtles,” they rotate through stations, seeing the construction of a teddy bear from beginning to end. The company invested $200,000 in the project, bringing in a physical therapist to work with employees and remodeling factory floors in Shelburne and Newport.

Carlisle said the company’s 77 employees initially were leery of changes, but eventually adjusted. Part of the challenge was grouping workers into teams that worked well together, she said.

“It was hugely challenging at first. Their reaction was highly negative,” she said.

Burlington-based Burton Snowboards, and Brandon-based furniture maker Vermont Tubbs also use the team-oriented manufacturing technique.

Business analysts say providing workers with a variety of tasks not only reduces the risk of repetitive stress injuries, but also cuts down on workplace boredom that could hurt a company’s product.

“If you are doing one thing all day long there is ultimately the boredom factor,” said Richard Jesse, a University of Vermont business professor. “Potentially you reach the point where, from a quality viewpoint … it could have a negative effect.”

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Information from: The Burlington Free Press, http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com

AP-ES-07-17-05 1435EDT