Simple Solutions That Work! Issue 14

41 ADVANCED MANUFACTURING SOLUTIONS Contact: JACK PALMER [email protected] everywhere. We see smaller things like reducing sand degradation to larger things like complete automation with RFID tags. We love 3D printing as much as we love designing mixer blades that last longer. In our culture, we see all of these productivity tools as the same, as they are all saving time and money while producing something better. We weren’t always this way; this is truly an evolution. Years ago, we described ourselves as a North American jobbing foundry equipment manufacturer. What a horrible way to limit ourselves. How did we evolve? By listening to our customers, we gradually built bigger and better equipment, for bigger global customers, that had even bigger molds and cycle times. Therefore, we grew…and learned an important lesson to not limit ourselves! Getting rid of the ‘limiting factor’ opened our eyes up to developing more industry’s firsts including this—our own publication! Our history is pretty unique – we started as a foundry (which still operates today). Therefore, we had the same fears that many of our customers have today. We are foundrymen making machinery; not machinery makers making foundry machines. We have fought our customers’ fears from our beginnings. Take a look around your shop; do you limit yourselves or limit your people? If so, why? What are you afraid of? Summary Especially in the last 5 years, we see a new set of fears – in the revolutionary technologies entering the foundry floor. Additive manufacturing, robotic work cells, smart technologies, 3D scanners, and Industrial 4.0 has caused everyone to rethink how to make quality castings. There is so much to look at – that those with a serious case of fear-factor are jumping for cover. And while there are some that wonder if it is even possible to eliminate fear from the workplace – I am not one of them. We can all be considered explorers, not of land, sea and space, but of technology. If you look at where we were just 15 years ago compared to now, the difference is absolutely astounding. Imagine what the next 10 – 50 years will bring! Can you think of a more important time to shed your limiting and fear factors to embrace change?