Simple Solutions That Work! Issue 14

39 ADVANCED MANUFACTURING SOLUTIONS Continued on next page FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS MANUFACTURING JACK PALMER President Palmer Manufacturing & Supply, Inc. ARTICLE TAKEAWAYS: • Understanding the dangers of fearing change • Trust your operators to embrace change T he only constant is change: What makes us so afraid? Way before molten metal was poured, we were hunters and gatherers that lived in constant fear. We were afraid of anything that wasn’t familiar – another tribe, a wild animal, an unfamiliar food and on and on. Fear was a good thing because quite simply, it kept us alive and forever became hard wired into our DNA. But it’s the 21st century – and yet, fear is still what keeps many businesses from moving forward. This time however, the fear is for different reasons, as once you remove the thin veneer of civilization, we are still pretty simple animals and do whatever it takes to survive. While our challenges now for survival are quite different – we are still fearful almost every day. In business, making payroll, meeting deadlines and keeping the ship running consumes us on a daily basis. While these threats are not as direct and onerous as our cave dwelling / hunter gatherers; they are still very real. Fear in business is still one of the driving forces that controls our actions and inactions. Doing nothing is sometimes thought to be the prudent course when unsure about a decision regarding a major purchase or new technology. Waiting may sometimes be the correct path but with the speed of today’s technology doing nothing can be the kiss of death. Businesses simply have to keep up or get left behind. Whereas the status quo appears nice and neat, change is not. Change is constant and comes in all forms and levels. A wise man aptly said…. “there is nothing permanent except change.” Sand reclamation gained attraction due to the high cost of sand as a result of fracking. Nothing provokes change faster than immediate bottom-line considerations! Trying out new materials due to regulations is ‘required’ change. At the highest level there are irreversible, disruptive changes – 3D printing would certainly be in this category. There are all kinds of foundries in operation today from high-speed automated global foundries to jobbing foundries and everything in between. There are foundries that have been in operation over 100 years with generations of the same family. When you walk through those foundries, you see ancient buildings that have been altered through the years but where you can still see the original footprint. These carved out buildings hold quite a successful history – however, 2021 presents new challenges that requires the ability to dare to do things differently. The “if it ain’t broke” mentality will not work moving forward. All businesses need continuous improvement as without it you will start a slow decline. We all know dozens of foundries that are no longer with us perhaps for this reason. North American foundries are competing with the whole world. Profit margins are thin making even small mistakes extremely costly, not even to mention the high cost of having production come to a halt. All of this makes understanding and expecting change even more paramount.