Simple Solutions That Work! Issue 8

foundry markets. As time moves on, costs have dropped, ease of implementation has improved, and now sand routers, 3D Printed molds, and robotic core assembly have found their way into the foundry market. New to the Company products are valuable product line additions. Palmer Manufacturing was originally a foundry, then they made the now ubiquitous no-bake sand mixing & mold handling equipment. Over the last couple years, they have added Klein transporters, bulk handling equipment, and 3D printing. Did they invent those technologies? Were they the first to introduce those ideas to the foundry market? No. But, they did introduce solid, well supported products to the Palmer lineup. The risks for this strategy are low. Generally it begets very well designed products that benefit from the learning of others. Innovation usually goes into cost reduction, usability, or quality improvements. New to the Customer can be a product of ANY age. Selling any 3D printer or robotic solutions to the foundry market, regardless of the manufacturer, is an exercise in “new to the customer” every time. The same can be said for adopting non-silica sand. Other companies may have already tackled the learning curve, but your company still has to train on each tool as you bring it in house. WILLIAM SHAMBLEY President METAL FISH LLC GUIDANCE ON NEWTECHNOLOGY IMPLEMENTATION “New Technology” – it’s all the rage. The funny thing is that new technology has been all the rage since the Stone Age. Those guys who made the first bronze knife? Game changing early adopters. There’s a few shades of “new” depending on your perspective: • New to the World • New to the Market • New to the Company • New to the Customer New to the World products are the truly innovative ideas - the first electric car, 3D printer, or cloud video rental service. They are usually the highest risk to develop, and they are frequently the riskiest to buy. The rewards for successfully launching a new product to the world are the stuff of legends. New to the Market products have been vetted for other applications. Robotic assembly, CNC machining, and 3D printing are technologies that have been proven as robust, reliable, and flexible in non- 4