Springs winter 2015 vol 54 no1

WINTER 2015

The International Magazine of Spring Manufacture

A Publication of the Spring Manufacturers Institute / Vol. 54, No. 1

Spring Factories of the Future 22 The Skills Gap and Why We Need a Modern Rosie 26 Industry and Educational Partnership 29 Robots and Factories are No Longer Differentiators 31

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President's Message From Hap Porter

Chatting it Up

I have always enjoyed traveling to Chicago (once I get past the world-classhassle known as O’Hare Airport). I moved there after college to begin my first real job; my wife, Jen, and I were married there in 1980; I worked as a salesman there, gaining a thorough knowledge of getting around the Windy City; and my daughter went to college there, so for four years, it was great fun to visit her on campus.

In addition to these Chicago-area connections, I have often traveled there in October, in some years as a member of the SMI Board of Directors, for the biannual CASMI SpringWorld show. The occasion has provided a gathering spot to hold meetings, visit with old friends, and to greet fellow springmakers who are in town for the show. This past fall was no different, only I was there as president of SMI, and as a result my duties were different than during prior visits.

I spent time in the SMI booth at the show, and I had the chance to speak with both regular and associate members of SMI, as well as with numerous nonmembers. It’s always good to hear how others find business conditions, and to get a sense of their outlook for future prospects. This year, I was also pleased to have the chance to respond to several inquiries about the upcoming SMI Metal Engineering eXpo, to be held in Charlotte, N.C., from October 20–22.

One question was along the lines of: Why is SMI putting on a show of its own? Answering this gave me the chance to review the strategic planning process undertaken by the SMI board and our members at the 2013 annual convention in Tucson, Ariz., and then refined by a small group of SMI directors and key industry members in Las Vegas six months later. There was strong interest expressed by many of the participants in this extended planning process for SMI to serve as a repository of technical information. And the consensus was that a key element of this function could be a trade show, which would be open to springmakers, suppliers, and other interested parties from around the world.

With this explanation, potential attendees had the answer to their next question: Why should I consider attending (or, if a supplier, consider exhibiting)? We expect there to be extensive interest in the show, which will be built around at least 24 hours of technical sessions. Education tracks will cover the six areas of: business environment; business practices; materials and testing; manufacturing; technology; and culture, leadership and motivation. Speakers will cover topics of critical importance to anyone with an interest in spring manufacturing.

Finally, why Charlotte? Our research showed this is a great trade show venue, with convenient (and reasonably-priced) airport access and abundant hotel capacity. And even if, like me, you are not a big NASCAR fan, the Hall of Fame adjacent to the convention center is impressive in its own right.

(In case you can’t tell) I am very, very excited about the SMI Metal Engineering eXpo, and I hope to see you in Charlotte in October!

SMI Executive Committee President: Hap Porter, SEI MetalTek Vice President: Mike Betts, Betts Company Secretary/Treasurer: Steve Kempf, Lee Spring Immediate Past President: Steve Moreland, Automatic Spring Products At Large: Bert Goering, Precision Coil Spring Co. Executive Director: Lynne Carr

SMI Board of Directors Tim Bianco, Iowa Spring • Mark DiVenere, Gemco Manufacturing • Simon Fleury, Liberty Spring • Ed Hall, Spring Team • Gene Huber Jr., Winamac Coil Spring • Charly Klein, Fox Valley Spring • Bill Krauss, Vulcan Spring • Don Lowe, Peterson Spring • Bill Marcum, MW Industries • Melanie Orse, Sound Spring • Jennifer Porter, SEI MetalTek • Dan Sceli, Peterson Spring • JR Strok, Mohawk Spring • Bill Torres, Gibbs Wire and Steel • Jeff Wharin, Bohne Spring • Ted White, Hardware Products • Steve Wunder, Duer/Carolina Coil

Springs Magazine Staff Lynne Carr, Advertising Sales, lynne@smihq.org Gary McCoy, Managing Editor, gmccoy@fairwaycommunications.com Dina Sanchez, Assistant Editor, dina@smihq.org Sue Zubek, Graphic Designer, zubekdesign@gmail.com

Springs Magazine Committee Chair, Ted White, Hardware Products • Reb Banas, Stanley Spring & Stamping • Lynne Carr, SMI • Raquel Chole, Dudek & Bock • Ritchy Froehlich, Ace Wire Spring & Form • Bud Funk, Fourslide Products • Bill Marcum, MW Industries • Brett Goldberg, International Spring • Tim Weber, Forming Systems • Europe Liaison: Richard Schuitema, Dutch Spring Association • Technical Advisors: Loren Godfrey, Honorary Member • Dan Sebastian, Honorary Member Advertising sales - Japan Ken Myohdai, Sakura International Inc. 22-11 Harimacho 1-Chome, Abeno-ku Osaka 545-0022 Japan Phone: +81-6-6624-3601 • Fax: +81-6-6624-3602 E-mail: info@sakurain.co.jp Advertising sales - Europe Jennie Franks, Franks & Co. 63 St. Andrew's Road Cambridge United Kingdom CB41DH Phone/Fax: +44-1223-360472 E-mail: franksco@BTopenworld.com Advertising sales - Taiwan Robert Yu, Worldwide Services Co. Ltd. 11F-B, No 540, Sec. 1, Wen Hsin Rd. Taichung, Taiwan Phone: +886-4-2325-1784 • Fax: +886-4-2325-2967 E-mail: stuart@wwstaiwan.com Springs (ISSN 0584-9667) is published quarterly by SMI Business Corp., a subsidiary of the Spring Manufacturers Institute: 2001 Midwest Road, Suite 106, Oak Brook, IL 60523; Phone: (630) 495-8588; Fax: (630) 495-8595; Web site www.smihq.org. Address all correspondence and editorial materials to this address.

The editors and publishers of Springs disclaim all warranties, express or implied, with respect to advertising and editorial content, and with respect to all manufacturing errors, defects or omissions made in connection with advertising or editorial material submitted for publication.

The editors and publishers of Springs disclaim all liability for special or consequential damages resulting from errors, defects or omissions in the manufacturing of this publication, any submission of advertising, editorial or other material for publication in Springs shall constitute an agreement with and acceptance of such limited liability.

The editors and publishers of Springs assume no responsibility for the opinions or facts in signed articles, except to the extent of expressing the view, by the fact of publication, that the subject treated is one which merits attention.

Do not reproduce without written permission.

Cover art: ©iStockphoto.com/3alexd

2 / SPRINGS / Winter 2015

80 years apart.

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And we’re still a part.

Wire Solutions Trusted Since 1935 Industrial Steel & Wire was providing materials to build new cars way back in 1935. And we’re still at it today, delivering a broad line of high-quality wire to the automotive industry. In fact, we’ve grown into one of the world’s largest wire stocking distributors. Manufacturers in many industries have been relying on us for eight decades to help them build better springs, wire forms, fasteners and more. With that much road behind us, you know you can count on us for wire solutions that will keep your company in the fast lane on the road ahead.

To learn more about our wire solutions, visit www.industeel.com or call us today.

Chicago IL 800-767-0408

Houston TX 800-767-0408

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© 2014 Industrial Steel & Wire Company

Cleveland OH 800-767-4434

Los Angeles CA 800-767-0485

Charlotte NC SPRINGS / Winter 2015 / 3 800-767-0089

Contents 29 52 COLUMNS 17 Be Aware Safety Tips

Creating an Injury-Free Workplace that Manufactures High Quality Products

By Laura Helmrich-Rhodes

26

FEATURES 21 Factories of the Future

By Gary McCoy

22 Spring Factories of the Future

By John Bagnuolo

23 Flashback

The Next Generation

By Mary Breshnahan

26 Factories of the Future:

The Skills Gap and Why We Need a Modern Rosie

By Bridget Bergin

29 Factories of the Future:

Industry and Educational Partnership

31 Factories of the Future:

Robots and Factories are No Longer Differentiators

By Mike Shipulski, Ph.D.

4 / SPRINGS / Winter 2015

DEPARTMENTS 35 Guidelines for Navigating the ERP Terrain

By Jeff Carr

41 Do Your Employees Think Like Owners? 10 Tips for Building an Entrepreneurial Culture

By Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey

46 Countdown to Charlotte 49 Industrial Steel & Wire Celebrates Three Generations and 80 Years of Growth

2 President’s Message Chatting it Up

7 Global Highlights 14 Regional Spring Association Report 59 Springmaker Spotlight

Changing Playing Fields: A Profile of John Dellalana and Rowley Spring and Stamping

By Gary McCoy

65 Book Corner

52 SpringWorld® 2014 Deemed a Success

67 Inside SMI

55 Italian Springmakers Visit U.S.

70 New Products

56 Competing in a Global Spring Market:

71 Advertisers’ Index

The Benefits of ExtraCompany Trade

By Michael Wright

69 Committee Connection

72 Snapshot

Lynne Carr, SMI

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SPRINGS / Winter 2015 / 5

Precision Machinery for Wire, Tube and Formed Parts

www.fenn-torin.com

TO:

Our Customers

FROM:

Paul Uccello, President, Fenn LLC David Somers, CEO, Quality Products Inc.

Torin: An American Legacy Lives...

For Fenn, 2014 represents an exciting year of positive change. Ownership of our 114 year old company was acquired by Ohio-based Quality Products, Inc. from SPX Corporation. This is a great outcome for our customers and our companies, and we couldn’t be more excited about our future together. With other businesses in capital equipment manufacturing, we believe QPI has the right combination of business experience and resources to allow Fenn to continue to develop and produce high quality machines right here in Connecticut, USA. As a strategic owner, QPI brings their long term commitment and vision of creating a family of customer focused manufacturers that employ sound engineering knowledge and skill, innovative ideas, and continuous improvement processes.

As Fenn transitions into a new partnership with Quality Products, Inc., we want to introduce our customers to QPI. QPI operates in two segments: the Machine Tools and Aircraft Ground Support Equipment. QPI’s Machine Tools segment consists of Multi-Press, Pacific Press and Fenn. With roots tracing back to the 1920’s, Multi-Press is a respected provider of hi-tech hydraulic and electrical control presses including a full line of bench, floor model, and 4-post configurations. Pacific Press is known as a leader in hydraulic press brakes, shears and presses in North America, manufacturing a broad range of metal forming equipment that promises reliability and durability. In the Aircraft Ground Support Equipment category, Columbus Jack has served the aviation industry for decades, providing ground support equipment to commercial, military and civilian aircraft clientele.

Over the next several months, you will notice several changes including a soon to be launched new website and a modernized brand. And while we are excited about our future and the innovations that come before us, we continue to remember our roots and our history. Fenn will continue to produce custom engineered machinery to our customer’s specifications, whether it be rolling mill, wire flattening and shaping, drawbench, or turks head applications. In addition, Fenn will also continue to proudly offer its industrial line of products including Torin spring coilers, swagers and impact cut off machines. Along with these product lines, we are committing to a renewed focus on machine service and spare parts support.

Today, as a QPI company, Fenn will work to continue its tradition as the industry’s leading provider of metal forming solutions. We are grateful for the opportunity to serve you and look forward to many more years of delivering extraordinary value to you and your business.

Sincerely, Paul Uccello President, Fenn LLC

David Somers CEO, Quality Products, Inc.

©iStockphoto.com/DNY59

Global Highlights North America The cold rolled steel specialist C.D. Waelzholz announced in July that the CDW Service Center D&B, LTD. operations have become Waelzholz North America, LLC. The name change represents C.D. Waelzholz’s emphasis on a strategic focus in the North American market regarding the marketing, production and distribution of their products in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

In the future, Waelzholz North America will focus on the growth of its automotive and industrial customer base, while improving and expanding service center operations.

In 2001, C.D. Waelzholz established itself in the North American market with its Cleveland, Ohio based service center. In the past, CDW Service Center’s focus was warehousing, slitting and distributing of specialty and cold rolled strip steels manufactured by C.D. Waelzholz in Germany.

Today, Waelzholz North America provides the local market with tailor-made, application-oriented solutions for individual requirements. Those solutions are typically developed in close cooperation with customers. Through extensive technological and commercial assistance, long-term relationships based on partnership have been established between employees and customers. Waelzholz North America’s customized logistics system ensures a JIT delivery that is especially important for automotive customers.

As part of the C.D. Waelzholz group, Waelzholz North America can take advantage of a global network to provide its customers with high-quality strip steel worldwide.

Altogether, C.D. Waelzholz has nine locations in Europe, North America, South America and Asia.

On October 16, 2014, MW Industries held an open house for customers and suppliers at its Economy Spring location in Southington, Conn. to highlight some of the major changes made within that operation in recent years which included the installation of a class 100,000 cleanroom.

Despite some wet weather, the company says the day was a “great success, with plant tours and meetings running all day. We would like to once again thank those customers and suppliers who attended for their continued support and partnership. For those who may have been unable to attend the event, scheduled walkthroughs of Economy Spring are always available during normal office hours.”

The team at Economy Spring continues to expand the facility's manufacturing capabilities and secondary processes to improve customer support for various applications.

Forming Systems, Inc. has announced the launch of their all-new website at www.formingsystemsinc.com.

The new website includes detailed information on machine specifications, brochures, and videos for many springmaking and wire forming machines and accessories.

Forming Systems, Inc. specializes in providing advanced solutions for wire forming and springmaking companies as well as their customers. Equipment provided includes HTC spring coilers and formers; HSI ovens, part collectors, payoffs, parts washers, and gages; SAS Testers, including compression testers, tension testers, torsion testers, fatigue testers, and optical inspection systems; OMD spring grinders down-feed grinders, crush grinders, and wet grinders; JAYKASE programmable tabletop benders; OMAS ring machines, multislides, and 3D wire formers;

SPRINGS / Winter 2015 / 7

Global Highlights

MLP Steel's new rolling mill.

and SIMAS retaining ring machines. For additional information please contact Forming Systems, Inc. at info@ formingsystemsinc.com or 269-679-3557.

MLP Steel has installed a new state-of-the-art rolling mill to add to the company’s capabilities of rolling special shapes and profiles.

The new mill is designed to produce flat wire, special shapes, and profiles to exacting tolerances in sizes ranging from .030 to .375 inches in thickness to .187 to 1.0 inches in width. The profile geometry and control parameters are monitored throughout the coil by an in line laser measuring dimensional accuracy and uniformity throughout the coil.

The manufacturing of the mill was a joint effort by MLP Steel, Herr-Voss-Stamco, and Premier Automation.

Herr-Voss-Stamco provided the project management and engineering assistance, Premier Automation preformed the electrical engineering, design, and fabrication of the controls; MLP Steel contributed engineering, machining, and fabrication of the mill.

8 / SPRINGS / Winter 2015

MLP Steel is positioned to meet the challenges of an ever-changing marketplace where new technologies are demanding higher strength materials rolled to close dimensional tolerances.

Jeff Shoemaker has joined Anchor Abrasives as project engineer, helping to continue a family tradition at the stateof-the art custom grinding wheel manufacturer. Shoemaker, grandson of company founder Frank Shoemaker, holds a dual B.S. degree in chemical engineering and history from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

Shoemaker brings previous experience as a production manager at Ecolab and as a production manager and qualitycontrol engineer at General Mills. “It was my grandfather’s wish that I prove myself and gain experience at other companies,” Shoemaker explains, “rather than just jumping right into the family business.”

Frank Shoemaker founded Anchor Abrasives in 1971.

His son Jack Shoemaker joined the company in 1976 and is pleased to welcome Jeff Shoemaker to the business. “Jeff’s hiring ensures stability for the future,” Jack Shoemaker notes,

Global Highlights

“both for the company and our customers.” Jack Shoemaker cites Jeff’s ability to engage effectively with employees at all levels of the company as a major asset that he brings to Anchor. Jeff also brings experience using Lean Six Sigma techniques to optimize production and maximize value to the customer.

Jack is pa r t icula rly i m p r e s s e d w i t h J e f f ’s adaptability. “Jeff starts by Jeff Shoemaker mapping out a plan with a destination,” Jack observes, “but he’s not afraid to alter the route along the way. This ability is critical to helping a manufacturer thrive in changing business conditions.”

Anchor Abrasives, located in Tinley Park, Ill., is a leader in the manufacture of custom abrasive wheels for precision manufacturing applications. Manufacturers worldwide rely on Anchor products to grind a variety of bearings, springs, ceramics, cutlery, hand tools, bars, tubing, and automotive parts.

Dawne S. Hickton, vice chair, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of RTI International Metals Inc., Pittsburgh, has been tapped as the first female president of the executive board for the International Titanium Association (ITA), a trade association founded 30 years ago. Now, in a spirit of stewardship and outreach, Hickton said she would like to establish a permanent path for other women to follow, so that they too can develop meaningful careers in the global titanium industry.

In order to help illuminate that path, Hickton plans to establish a “Women in Titanium” committee as a way to inspire young women to consider careers and leadership roles in the titanium industry. The program is likely to include a scholarship fund, earmarked for young women, in order to encourage careers in material sciences and the titanium industry, as well as organized regional mentoring programs, where female college students are invited to visit titanium companies and gain hands-on experience.

The ITA also may form alliances with other industry associations that have established similar mentoring programs for women. Initial discussions for such a group took place at TITANIUM USA 2014, the ITA’s annual industry conference and exhibition, which was held in Chicago. The ITA formally introduced new officers for its executive board on Sept. 23, during the Chicago gathering.

Hickton recalled how top executives at RTI served as mentors and provided her with guidance and opportunities early in her career. As such, her resume reflects numerous accomplishments in the titanium industry, including her recent appointment as the leader of the ITA board. She became the CEO of RTI in April 2007 and serves as a member

of RTI’s board of directors. Hickton has guided RTI’s strategic transformation from a manufacturer of titanium mill product to an integrated, value-added supplier of titanium parts and engineered structures, serving supply chains throughout diverse international markets. RTI has 21 manufacturing installations throughout North America and Europe. She is especially knowledgeable on business trends in the global aerospace industry—the titanium sector’s largest market.

Last year, Hickton’s commitment to stewardship and education was highlighted when she was tapped as one of the “top 100 CEOs leaders” in the United States to support 21st Century STEM learning and workforce development.

STEM Blog, a project of STEM Connector, cited Hickton’s work to promote STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) national education programs in public and private schools.

For additional information on the ITA’s nascent “Women in Titanium” program, contact Stacey Blicker at 303-404-2221 or at Sblicker@titanium.org. Based in Denver, Colo., the ITA is a non-profit, membership-based international trade association dedicated to the titanium metal industry. ITA membership includes more than 200 organizations and over 1,500 individual members worldwide. Jennifer Simpson serves as the executive director of the ITA.

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SPRINGS / Winter 2015 / 9

Global Highlights

Jackson T. Edwards has been promoted to the position of director of technical services and sales for the Mount Joy Wire Corporation, announced company CEO Tom Duff.

“Edwards will be responsible for working and collaborating with customers on qu a l it y, r ese a r c h a nd development and new products development,” said Duff. “He is a natural for technical services Jackson Edwards and sales because of his quality experience and extensive knowledge of all facets of the wire manufacturing process. During his 18-year career at Mount Joy Wire, Jackson has built many strong relationships with customers and has acquired the engineering and management skills and abilities to serve their needs in many areas.”

At Mount Joy Wire, Edwards has worked in production, in the lab performing physical and chemical tests and as the quality manager. He was named manager of process engineering in 2007, with additional responsibility for

managing the company’s environmental services and safety programs.

For more than 20 years, Mount Joy Wire has been a manufacturer of spring wire, oil tempered wire and specialty wire for the agricultural, aerospace, architectural, automotive, building products, construction, household goods, manufacturing, marine, medical, oil and gas, and recreational industries. Their flagship music wire product, AmeriCoatTM, is known for its quality and resistance to material degradation. The company manufactures all wire products in their Mount Joy, Pa. facility and ships to customers across the globe.

For more about Edwards and Mount Joy Wire, visit www.mjwire.com Quality Products Inc. (QPI), a manufacturer and dist ributor of aircraf t ground support equipment, hydraulic press machine tools, press brakes, hydraulic presses and shears, has announced the acquisition of Fenn LLC. Fenn president Paul Uccello commented, “This is a great outcome for our customers and our companies, and we couldn’t be more excited about our future together. With other businesses in capital equipment manufacturing, we believe QPI has the right combination

It’s more than just wire manufacturing,

“I believe it’s also about reacting quickly to your needs” Bret While Shipping 7 years with Alloy Wire

DFARS Working with Inconel® | Nimonic® | MP35N* | Hastelloyº

For sales & technical support: Call TOLL FREE 1-866-482-5569 e sales@alloywire.com w alloywire.com ®Trade names of Special Metals Group of Companies. *Trade name of SPS Technologies. ºTrade name of Haynes International.

10 / SPRINGS / Winter 2015

When you have an urgent need for wire, hit the button and ask for our Emergency Manufacturing Service (EMS).

Global Highlights

of business experience and resources to allow Fenn to continue to develop and produce high quality machines.”

Fenn will continue to produce custom-engineered machinery to customer specifications, including rolling mills, wire flattening and shaping, drawbench, and turks head applications. In addition, Fenn will also continue to offer its industrial line of products, including Torin spring coilers, swagers and impact cut off machines. With all of its product lines, Fenn will also commit to a renewed focus on machine service and spare parts support.

QPI operates two segments: machine tools and aircraft ground support equipment. QPI’s machine tools segment consists of Multi-Press, Pacific Press and Fenn. With roots tracing back to the 1920s, Multi-Press is a respected provider of high-tech hydraulic and electrical control presses, including a full line of bench, floor model, and fourpost configurations. Pacific Press is known as a leader in hydraulic press brakes, shears and presses in North America, manufacturing a broad range of metal forming equipment that promises reliability and durability. In the aircraft ground support equipment category, Columbus Jack has served the aviation industry for decades, providing ground support equipment to commercial, military and civilian aircraft clientele.

Commenting on the transaction, QPI president David Somers stated, “This acquisition continues t he expansion of our businesses in metal working machinery and equipment.

We welcome Fenn into the Quality Products organization, and we are excited about the ability to increase our product offerings and penetrate new markets.”

For more information on QPI products and services visit www. fenn-torin.com, www.columbusjack. com, w w w.mult ipress.com, a nd www.pacificpress.com.

M W Indust r ies, a lead i ng pr ov ider of h ig h ly eng i ne er ed spr i ngs, specia lt y fa stener s, machined parts, and other precision components, announced on January 5 the acquisition of Maudlin & Son Manufacturing, a ma nufacturer of slotted shims, coil and flat shim stock, key stock, feeler gages, drill and threaded rod, and tool room supplies.

Located near Houston in Kemah, Texas, Maudlin & Son has served the domestic and international markets since 1938. In addition to its vast product line, Maudlin & Son also offers a modern custom job shop with water jet, laser cutting, wire EDM, and metal stamping capabilities.

Bi l l M a r c u m , C E O o f M W Industries, said, “Maudlin & Son h a s a n excel lent r eput at ion i n craftsmanship, quality and meeting the most demanding of industrial requirements. Their focus is centered

SPRINGS / Winter 2015 / 11

Global Highlights

on their customers, and they take great pride in their ability to provide very rapid turn-around with high precision products. The company’s product and workforce are highly complementary to our existing business base, and as part of the MW integrated family of companies, we believe that Maudlin & Son is better positioned to penetrate and expand in our existing markets, including energy and oil patch, machining and various industrial markets.”

MW has completed a number of acquisitions to strengthen its product offerings and customer base and is currently evaluating a strong pipeline of possible transactions. _______ SMI regrets to announce the passing of Daniel F. Pierre, Jr., 74, on September 23, 2014, at his home in Naples, Fla. with his family at his side. He is survived by his wife, Eileen, his daughter Michele (Steve) Irmick, his sons, Daniel (Mari) Pierre III, and John (Eileen) Pierre, and four grandchildren, Ryan and Kellie Irmick, Marisa and Sarina Pierre.

Graduated from University of Massachusetts in 1961, Pierre went directly to the Associated Spring training program in Erie, Pa. Thereafter, he was placed in the engineering department in ASC’s Mattoon, Ill. plant. He

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was then transferred to ASC’s Milwaukee plant in 1966, then to the Plymouth plant in 1970, and back to Milwaukee in 1974.

Pierre left ASC in 1975 to establish North American Spring & Stamping Co. (NASSCO), growing the company to four production plants in several states.

Pierre sold NASSCO in 1985 to establish JN Machinery, which was sold to his son, Daniel III, in 2002. Dan Jr. remained in JN Machinery’s background until 2009, when he fully retired.

Many people will remember Pierre as an avid golfer.

He was club champion eight times at Inverness Golf Club, and continued to play tournament golf through April 2014.

In lieu of memorial flowers, donations can be made to the Florida Cancer Specialists Foundation, or to St. Theresa’s Church in Palatine, Ill.

International The recent staging of wire China 2014, the 6th All China International Wire and Cable Industry Trade Fair, and Tube China 2014, the 6th All China International Tube and Pipe Trade Fair, in Shanghai closed to record results: a total of 1,461 exhibitors presented the latest technology, machinery and products from the wire, cable and tube processing industries to more than 38,000 visitors.

In addition to the strong Chinese participation and many international exhibitors, wire and Tube China 2014 featured country group exhibits from Austria, France, Germany, Italy and the U.S. Exhibitors reported many international visitors who were not only interested in the products but also prepared to buy.

The organizers Messe Düsseldorf, Messe Düsseldorf China and their local partners, Metallurgical Council of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (MC-CCPIT) and the Shanghai Electric Cable Research Institute (SECRI), were delighted with the positive feedback of the participants.

“Messe Düsseldorf, Messe Düsseldorf China and their local partners MC-CCPIT and SECRI are very satisfied with the outcome of the trade fair duo. With the rapid growth of wire & Tube China, we managed to not only exceed the visitor and exhibitor results from 2012 but to also strengthen our position as Asia’s leading wire, cable and tube trade fairs, “ stated Werner M. Dornscheidt, CEO of Messe Düsseldorf.

The next wire and Tube China will be held at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC) from September 26 – 29, 2016. For further information on visiting or exhibiting at wire or Tube China 2016, contact Messe Düsseldorf North America at 312-781-5180, or visit www.mdna.com. n

SPRINGS / Winter 2015 / 13

©iStockphoto.com/Scott Hirko

Regional Spring Association Report NESMA Holds Annual Christmas Celebration Members of the New England Spring & Metalstamping Association (NESMA) paused to celebrate the holiday season and hand out awards at its annual “Dinner and Christmas Celebration” on December 4, 2014 at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Bristol.

To show its support to the local community, many NESMA members brought non-perishable food items to help stock the shelves at a local food pantry.

After enjoying a buffet dinner, a record turnout of 171 members and guests enjoyed the evening program.

NESMA recognized its retiring volunteers, including president George Fournier of Acme Monaco and board members A r t hu r “Bud” Fun k of Fourslide Spring and Stamping, Mark DiVenere of Gemco Manufacturing and Tim Dudzinski of Tollman Spring.

M ic h a el B r au lt of Ult i m a t e Wireforms was welcomed by Fournier as NESMA’s new president. Fournier also introduced new board members John Dellalana of Rowley Spring and Stamping and Alan Ortner of North American Spring Tool Co. A specia l recog n it ion awa rd was given to the Bristol Chamber of Commerce and the Main Street Community Foundation for their critical support in forming the Bristol Technical Advisory Board. The board is a collaborative effort of many local organizations to support the need for additional technical training in the local high schools. NESMA has recognized that workforce development is a critical issue to its members.

Also recognized were Ja nine Audet te of t he Br istol Boa rd of Education and John Dellalana of Rowley Spring and Stamping.

14 / SPRINGS / Winter 2015

The awards recognized the efforts of the local community in launching AEDAC (Adult Education Diploma and Certificate), an important workforce development program. The program

is a joint project of the Bristol Adult Education Center (BAEC) and Rowley Spring and Stamping.

For more information on NESMA, visit www.nesma-usa.com. n

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Be Aware Safety Tips

Creating an Injury-Free Workplace that Manufactures High Quality Products

By Laura Helmrich-Rhodes, CSP, Ed.D.

T

hrough SMI’s regulatory compliance program, I am here to help members maintain an injury-free workplace while manufacturing high quality products. As I present my introductory column for Springs, this is the perfect opportunity to share a few of my philosophies to help you, as SMI members, meet both of those goals which are not mutually exclusive.

Both the human resources and safety health and environmental quality (SHEQ) professions evolved due to increased employment regulation. The vast amounts of regulations forces employers to hire professionals dedicated to those functions. Companies with fewer than 50 employees rarely have either HR or safety roles. That said, access to modern, meaningful information is one of the greatest benefits of SMI membership. My goal is to help members formalize HR and SHEQ efforts and convey the importance of meshing safety and quality initiatives.

The connection between safety and quality is simple.

Errors are errors. Accidents and near misses are errors.

“Exceptions,” of any kind, make manufacturers less efficient and reduce the overall quality of products.

Consistency in, and adherence to, standard operating procedures (SOPs), leaves little room for exceptions.

Formal SOPs (sometimes called safe operating procedures) assure that work is done the same way, every time.

The illustration I use in class likely makes the students very hungry but drives home the point. McDonald’s restaurants are selling “consistency.” If you buy a Big Mac in Pittsburgh, and then drive to Erie and buy a Big Mac, they will be the same. As customers, we expect it to be the same, every time.

A great example of that same expectation is seen in the Hazardous Energy Program (Lock Out/Tag Out).

OSHA requires formal, written, machine specific, shut down/start up procedures for every hardwired piece of equipment. The same is true for Hot Work Permits (the best way to adhere to the requirements of OSHA’s welding and cutting standard). Well thought through operating activities, performed the same way every time (even in the job shop environment) reduces the potential for all types of errors.

Where does the adherence to SOPs originate? The answer is top management; owners, boards of directors,

CEOs, CFOs, and plant managers. If quality initiatives are not backed by top management, then businesses fail. The same is true for safety and health programs.

Profitable businesses assign responsibility to those top management individuals and the assignment of safety responsibilities/authorities to every individual in the company. Holding everyone accountable for their slice of the safety efforts assures those tasks are completed daily. We often hear management guru Peter Drucker say: “If it is not measured, it won’t get done.” The foundation of modern safety management rests on the full backing of upper management; without it, no safety efforts at the lower levels will ever be fulfilled.

Threat of OSHA inspections driving a “safety program” is not a modern management method. The motivator for formal safety efforts needs to be rooted in more meaningful and profitable reasoning. The reality is that there were only about 90,000 workplace inspections conducted in all of general industry and construction in the U.S. (State OSHA plans included) from October 2009 to October 2014.

Forty-three OSHA inspections were performed over that five-year period in facilities identified as “Wire Spring Manufacturers.” (www.osha.gov) Of those inspections, 67 percent were “planned” inspections. Planned Emphasis Programs created by OSHA use a list of operations identified as hazardous based injury and fatality statistics accumulated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). In addition to Federal Planned Emphasis Programs, there can be Regional and Local Emphasis

Laura Helmrich-Rhodes, CSP, Ed.D., is an independent regulations compliance consultant to the Spring Manufacturers Institute (SMI). A former member of PA/OSHA Consultation, she is an associate professor in the Safety Sciences Department at Indiana University of Pennsylvania where she teaches graduate and undergraduate classes on topics such as OSHA standards, safety communications, workers’ compensation and human relations. Rhodes is available for safety advice and information. Contact SMI at 630-4958588 or laurahrhodes@gmail.com.

SPRINGS / Winter 2015 / 17

Programs. Of course, state OSHA programs also have their own initiatives.

The chances of random inspections are statistically low. What increases those chances is “formal complaints.”

According to the OSHA website statistics, between October 2009 and October 2014, 23 percent of inspections were the direct result of formal complaints by employees.

This number can be decreased with a combination of HR and safety programming. If an employer has a working safety program, engaging employees in the process and answering their concerns, the likelihood of a formal complaint reduces.

Diligence in answering employee concerns has become especially important due to a recent OSHA initiative.

Unfortunately, for business, this initiative makes it much easier for an employee to file a formal complaint. What used to require a written signed letter now is completed with the stroke of the “enter key!”

In September, the Obama administration added this option, front and center, on the OSHA website. Open communication regarding employee concerns inside our facilities negates the need to use this method to lodge a complaint. Talking to and responding to every employee is paramount.

A formal safety policy, signed by upper management with the assignment of SHEQ responsibilities along with accountability will prevent complaints and other SHEQ-

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MAPES WIRE TYPES & SIZES

Total Number of Inspections in the U.S 11/01/2009 to 11/01/2014

FY 2013 Federal inspections

39,228

FY 2013 State Plan inspections

50,436

FY 2013 Total OSHA Inspections in all states 89,664 Source: https://www.osha.gov/oshstats/commonstats.html

OSHA inspections in all States (including state OSHA plans) 11/01/2009 to 11/01/2014 for 3495 Wire Springs

Number of Inspections

Reason for Visit

1

Accident Occurrence

10

Employee Complaints

29

Planned

2

Follow-Up

1

Referral from other agency

43 Total

related disruptions. Assigned SHEQ duties, creates a predictable chain of command for identification and correction of hazards. Sources of these “errors” eliminated immediately, assures employees their personal safety is of utmost importance. Other employee engagement techniques such as effective safety committees, behavior based safety programs, SHE training and supervisor best practices will be discussed here in the future.

A well-developed safety program does not overlook the importance of self-inspections. (See “Safety and Health Program Management Guidelines; Issuance of Voluntary Guidelines” at www.osha.gov for other important safety program elements) One study, conducted by California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) in 2012, showed that the increase in frequency of OSHA inspections correlated with decreases in injury experience.

According to the OSHA website, the study showed a 9.4 percent drop in injury claims and a 26 percent average savings on workers' compensation costs in the four years after a Cal/OSHA inspection, compared to a similar set of uninspected workplaces. On average, inspected firms saved an estimated $355,000 in injury claims and compensation paid for lost work over that period. There was no evidence that these improvements came at the expense of employment, sales, credit rating, or firm survival. Of course one must recognize this study was an OSHA study about the effectiveness of OSHA inspections, but a reasonable person would say that housekeeping alone is better if we know that company is coming to visit. Bottom line: perform self-inspections as a part of a well-developed safety program.

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Conclusion This is an exciting era for me. Using the combination of my manufacturing and insurance experience, OSHA consultation work and connection with modern safety interventions at the university, I hope to help SMI members meet their safety and profitability goals. I encourage SMI members to take advantage of the new safety support services available. If your SMI member company is interested in developing a formal safety and health policy and program, SOPs, Hot Work Permit Program or any other safety and health initiatives, let SMI know. Webinars or onsite training for topics such as Effective Safety Committees, Behavior Based Safety Programs, SHEQ Training or Supervisor Best Practices, will be offered to the membership. Watch for a survey of members’ safety and health interests and be sure to respond.

• Temporary Workers: According to Dr. David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health, "Host employers need to treat temporary workers as they treat existing employees. Temporary staffing agencies and host employers share control over the employee, and are therefore jointly responsible for temp employee's safety and health. It is essential that both employers comply with all relevant OSHA requirements."

For more information on these and other OSHA Current Issues go to www.osha.gov. n

Current OSHA Issues to Monitor • New Reporting Requirements Impacting SMI Members: Any amputation (full or partial amputation) or the loss of an eye, and any hospitalization must be reported within eight hours to OSHA as of January 1, 2015. These incidents are now the same magnitude of a fatality.

SPRINGS / Winter 2015 / 19

20 / SPRINGS / Winter 2015

Factories of the Future

By Gary McCoy, Managing Editor

W

©iStockphoto.com/77studio

hat will spring manufacturing facilities look like in the future? Will they be highly automated, robotic enterprises? Or will they look much the same as today, with slight changes here and there to fit with the “latest and greatest” machines?

I don’t think anyone can confidently say what the future holds. I think most would agree that human capital is the one precious asset that must always be continually nurtured and cultivated.

It’s no surprise that an incredibly talented workforce in the spring industry is nearing retirement. When they walk out of your spring factory for good in the next five to 10 years, who will be there to take their place? One thing is for sure — there will be a high demand for skilled workers to fill the ranks.

In this issue, we take a look into the future to see how springmakers will operate their manufacturing facilities. Some of the articles, like the one by John Bagnuolo of MW Industries, look at the challenge ahead for spring manufacturers.

We also look at what one SMI company is doing in partnership with their local tech advisory council to help train and educate manufacturing employees.

Two other articles look at the challenge for manufacturing in general.

Bridget Bergin penned an article for Manufacturing.net about women in manufacturing. Bergin looks at the small number of women who work in manufacturing and speculates about how finding modern day “Rosie the Riveters” could help solve some of the “skills gap” challenge.

We also present an article by Mike Shipulski that was originally published in Assembly magazine. Shipulski makes a provocative argument that the latest and greatest equipment or processes are not the most important things manufacturers should consider. He argues that the “real competitive advantage lies outside the process of making things.”

Finally, we Flashback to an article from nearly 20 years ago that looked at how the spring industry can attract future talent (sound familiar?).

How will your spring manufacturing facility look 10 to 20 years from now?

Read these articles and send us your feedback.

SPRINGS / Winter 2015 / 21

Spring Factories of the Future

By John Bagnuolo

W

©iStockphoto.com/savas keskiner

22 / SPRINGS / Winter 2015

hat do the spring factories of the future look like? This question is receiving renewed interest as the strength of the U.S. manufacturing sector grows. Competition from low cost regional factories will continue to be a threat, but the playing field is becoming more level. This provides U.S. manufacturers with an opportunity to create strategies based on the inherent strengths the U.S. can offer.

Clearly, keeping pace with emerging technologies and processes will always be an important part of maintaining a competitive advantage.

As many saw at wire 2014, International Wire and Cable Trade Fair in Düsseldorf, Germany, there are equipment suppliers in every aspect of the spring industry who continue to push the envelope regarding machine speed, advanced design tools, inspection and automation. These advances will have a profound impact on manufacturing in the future by increasing productivity and quality control.

The paradox with relying solely on technology to create competitive advantage is that everyone has access to the same machines and technology.

The true measure of a successful spring factory in the future will require a more balanced approach.

Specifically, the need for skilled workers to operate the equipment will continue to drive productivity. Almost every equipment provider is searching for ways to reduce dependence on workers with 30-plus year of experience, not because there is a lack of appreciation for the value that experienced workers bring to the workplace, but because there is a shortage of these workers in the spring industry. As the talent pool shrinks, the right balance between technology and skills in the workforce needs to be found to be prepared for the future.

So how does this discussion impact the spring factories of the future?

Keeping pace with technology will always be a part of a long-term strategy, but developing a process to recruit, train, and retain skilled labor and create a continuous improvement mindset will be the differentiator for success moving forward.

Some of the approaches that can be effective, include: • Growing talent: It is more effective and less expensive than recruiting from the outside. Continuing education within the factory keeps workers engaged, efficient and motivated.

• Creating relationships with local trade schools that teach basic technical, math and problem solving skills.

• Developing an apprentice program: This can allow companies more control of the talent pool.

Keeping pace with technology will always be a part of a longterm strategy, but developing a process to recruit, train, and retain skilled labor and create a continuous improvement mindset will be the differentiator for success moving forward.

Flashback

The Next Generation

By Mary Bresnahan

• Have higher expectations when recruiting for all plant positions: There are people who want to learn and better themselves. Plant jobs can offer a path to providing a good life.

Keep pay competitive, because rewarding workers who learn additional skills almost always have a positive payback.

• Succession planning: It is not only for salaried and leadership positions. The opportunity to have experienced tradesmen pass on their knowledge to apprentices is an invaluable opportunity, while saving time and money on training.

These approaches may not sound like groundbreaking strategies, but they are the key to creating and sustaining competitive advantage into the future.

A successful strategy must create a sustainable competitive advantage that is unique to each business. Modern equipment may keep you in the game, but building the right team and creating an environment that fosters continuous improvement will drive long-term success. n John R. Bagnuolo is the COO of MW Industries.

He may be reached at 847-349-5764 or email jbagnuolo@mw-ind.com.

(Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a longer article that appeared in the Winter 1997 issue of Springs. It is interesting to note that the challenge of finding new employees to join the spring industry is not just a current dilemma, it has been a challenge for a long time.

Perhaps some of the ideas presented in this article that was written nearly 20 years ago will resonate with those seeking to fill the ranks of their spring manufacturing business as they look toward their factory of the future.)

©iStockphoto.com/ndoeljindoel

A

concern of springmakers has always been finding employees.

To find fully trained and qualified springmakers is a neverending challenge. Since the right person is so difficult to find, and the industry is so small in comparison to others, springmakers have typically moved from one company to another.

Many springmakers are either at or approaching retirement age.

A dilemma arises: Where to get a replacement? Ah, from another company. This is a short-term answer and does not resolve the longterm issue facing the industry: Somewhere, somehow people need to become aware of springmaking, and they need to be trained to take the place of those leaving the trade.

Some spring businesses are committed to training for their future and that of the industry. Others sit back, watch and listen. When the time is right, they enter the picture to woo these newly trained springmakers. Some will be lured away, and some will not. This is the way of the world. It is like watching a documentary about the natural order of survival in the African Serengeti.

Some of those springmaking companies that wait for the opportune moment to hire a trained springmaker will survive in our competitive world. But a lot that look only at short-term results and have no long-range plan will eventually be unable to compete. Why? Because they don’t have a contingency plan for when the supply of freshly trained springmakers goes away.

Statistics state that people in future generations will change careers approximately five times. If you haven’t noticed, times are changing, whether we wish them to or not. Think back to when you were 18 years old. The expectation of your family and society was

SPRINGS / Winter 2015 / 23

that, to be a solid citizen, you were to select a profession, get a job and stick with it for life. If you couldn’t decide what you wanted to do or moved from job to job, there was something wrong with you.

In today’s fast-paced world and global economy, you must be flexible and expect change. So where does this take us? It used to be that you could focus solely on running your business. Getting the product out was the main priority. Everything else either fell into place or didn’t matter. Today, running a business is not a simple thing, and it’s becoming more complicated. You must be an expert in many areas and be involved in many groups, such as church, family, professional organizations and community. In addition, you’re still under pressure to get the product out.

Schedules are crazy! No time to do anything more! That certainly seems true for all of us. It’s hard to keep up! But when the doctor comes

The shortage of springmakers in the marketplace is a real threat, but it does not have to continue. However, there are no “quick fixes.” It will take time and perseverance to build a pool of springmakers, but it’s worth the effort. Each time you train a new springmaker, you make an investment in the future of your company, the industry and the country. and tells you that you need to change your lifestyle or die, suddenly you find yourself taking a step back to assess your life and the priorities you set. What is your wish? To live or die? I suspect most of you would decide to make changes so you can live longer and enjoy your time on this earth a little more fully.

This analogy can apply to the life of your business. Can you do things the way you always have for the past XX years and continue to exist, or do you need to make some changes?

The shortage of springmakers in the marketplace is a real threat, but it does not have to continue. However, there are no “quick fixes.” It will take time and perseverance to build a pool of springmakers, but it’s worth the effort. Each time you train a new springmaker, you make an investment in the future of your company, the industry and the country.

How do you build a pool of future springmakers? As with most things, the future lies with our youth. And to get young people into the industry, you have to start with awareness. Think about it: Your life is springs, but how many people ever think about them?

They are a hidden, secondary product!

To increase awareness, some creative marketing is necessary.

In the time I have been involved with the springmaking industry,

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opportunity to let young people know that springmaking is a good career. Most high schoolers are told they must go to college if they are to amount to anything.

We know that this is not necessarily true. Many adults, including springmakers, have turned out pretty well without college. Statistics show that only 20 percent of those who enroll in college ever finish. What does this say? College isn’t for everyone.

Solving real problems and working with their hands is what makes many people the happiest. In addition, there are excellent college graduates who fill an important role in the springmaking industry.

Let young people know that a career in springmaking is one that has stability and good income potential. Compare their future at a springmaking plant to their future at other types of businesses. Many spring companies are small, familyowned businesses where, unless an employee is a family member, he will not have the opportunity to become company president. If this is the case with your business, inform the students of other management roles and advancement opportunities.

Don’t forget to mention that many of today’s spring company owners started out by coiling springs at someone else’s plant.

Also point out that, even in large corporations, there isn’t the typical management ladder to climb as there was years ago.

Most businesses are keeping their organizational charts relatively flat.

Additionally, there are those for whom management is not a goal. Being the best at what they do is most important. Address the interests of these young people by letting them know that your best, most experienced springmakers are highly valued.

When I talk to springmakers, many indicate that one of the things they like most about their

©iS toc k

I have always enjoyed watching and listening when someone’s awareness of springs has been raised. It occurred recently when I went to the doctor’s office and stated what industry I was involved with. When I said “springs,” I got a chuckle. However, when I explained that springs are all around us and frequently used by the medical profession, for example in an angioplasty, suddenly the reaction changed from amused to interested.

I also recall my visit to Amsterdam a few years ago when, during a discussion of the importance of springs, a mental picture was drawn of a car with no springs. Just imagine it! A car with no springs.

Present that picture to a young person who is wondering about what he wishes to do for his career. What a powerful, yet simple, interest-grabber.

Reach out to the area schools.

Many teachers are ignorant of what happens in business and industry (and many parents don’t have a positive image of manufacturing).

The teachers and parents have no avenue to learn about your world.

Many teachers would be excited at the opportunity to learn more about business and expose the children to this knowledge. Something creative could be done with a visit to your company. The teachers could discuss geography: Where is the spring going? What language is spoken there? There could also be math problems: How is the wire measured? How is it converted to metrics? Science: What are the different metals used to make wire? How does the metal react in different environments?

A lot of you have young children and grandchildren. Show them and their friends what you do. Go to their schools for show and tell. You don’t need to wait until they are high school age. Kids like to explore and tinker.

Many like to know what makes things work. How are things put together?

Cash in on this curiosity.

Most schools have career fairs.

Be there! They are an excellent

jobs is that there are always new challenges. To make a high-quality spring according to specification, they need to know a lot about the spring, the material and the equipment. The more they know about each, the better and more efficiently they can do their job.

What is it that you like most about your career in springmaking? Share your enthusiasm with others.

The point is this: You need to market the industry and talk to the next generation about your business — your passion. You need to do this even though the results of your efforts are not 100 percent guaranteed. That would be unrealistic to expect. People are unpredictable, and so it would be impossible to accurately predict the payoffs. The thing to remember is that, whether a student ends up in the spring industry or not, some impact will be made. Oftentimes, your tangible reward cannot be measured for years to come. Again, the key is perseverance.

So far, I’ve discussed a sampling of activities that can be the beginning steps in getting students, teachers and parents interested in your industry.

The spring industry is not alone in feeling the effects of a labor shortage. In the November, 1996 issue of Personnel Journal, an entire article was dedicated to the “staffing drought.” It states that all industries are now facing the challenges of low unemployment. Unemployment in the 25- to 54-year age group is at 4.1

SPRINGS / Winter 2015 / 25

26 / SPRINGS / Winter 2015

Factories of the Future:

The Skills Gap and Why We Need a Modern Rosie

By Bridget Bergin

W

omen make up half of the U.S. population and almost half of the workforce, but only 24 percent in the manufacturing sector.

The manufacturing field is full of opportunities on the cutting edge of technology and innovation. Manufacturers in the United States perform two-thirds of all private-sector R&D. Manufacturing is the backbone of the American economy-according to the National Association of Manufacturers, the industry supports an estimated 17.4 million jobs and has the highest multiplier effect of any economic sector, adding $1.32 to the economy for every $1 spent.

Manufacturing offers good compensation in salary and benefits, with the average manufacturing worker in the U.S. earning an average of $14,960 more than the average worker in all other industries in 2013. Manufacturing is an extremely diverse field offering careers at practically every socioeconomic level and dealing with practically every product you can imagine.

So why aren’t more women attracted to careers within the manufacturing sector? The industry has been calling out for more properly trained workers, as documented in the 2011 Skills Gap Report. Some of those potential skilled workers could be hiding within the massive population of women who are avoiding careers in manufacturing. There is a chance that redoubling efforts to train women in the necessary skills and recruit them to the manufacturing sector would not only benefit women in the U.S., but would also benefit the manufacturing industry.

The Manufacturing Institute’s “Untapped Resource: How Manufacturers Can Attract, Retain, and Advanced Talented Women” notes that women earn more than half of the associate’s, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees in the country, and that women hold more than half of all managerial and professional positions. In addition to the skills that the American population of women bring to the table, “research indicates that organizations with diverse leadership are more profitable.”

A Catalyst study found that Fortune 500 companies with high percentages of women officers had a 34 percent higher total return than companies with fewer women executives. Women are not inherently superior to men, but a diverse group allows for more ideas, more perspectives—and more profits—than a group of only men or only women.

©iStockphoto.com/aydinmutlu, Geber86 , kadmy

percent. It is predicted that this labor shortage may continue for the next eight to ten years. This is due to the fact that Generation X (the age group following the Baby Boomers) is a smaller population to draw from than the Baby Boomers.

As a consequence of the current and future labor shortage, companies are using creative recruiting techniques. The article indicates that companies are taking a harder look at ways to keep employees. Considering how much money is spent to find qualified applicants, why not have better compensation and benefits packages? The question becomes, “What do you offer employees that other companies don’t?” The article cites that training opportunities are a key reason why employees stay with companies. This is true regardless of the level of the employee.

The information provided in the Personnel Journal validates the efforts of springmakers mentioned here and many more not cited. Companies in all industries are unable to find and retain qualified candidates.

Everybody is looking for a higher level of skills, even in the lowest level of employee.

Much of this is caused by global competition. Consequently, it behooves everyone to be actively involved in the schools and community in order to foster awareness of the spring industry and manufacturing, as well as to obtain future springmakers.

At this writing, it is reported that approximately 500,000 students in 1,800 schools nationwide have connected with 135,000 employers in School-ToWork partnerships. Join their ranks for your future and that of our youth! n

©iStockphoto.com/aydinmutlu, Geber86 , kadmy

Manufacturing needs to attract more women, but this is easier said than done.

There are two complex sets of stereotypes standing in the way: the false stereotypes about manufacturing, and the false stereotypes about women. I was able to hear an in-depth review about a study by Plante Moran when I attended the Women in Manufacturing (WiM) Summit on September 30, 2014. The study revealed that young women’s perceptions about manufacturing may not be the issue.

According to the results of the survey, young women largely perceive that manufacturing offers

excellent pay, interesting and challenging work, and a high-tech environment. Yet less than 10 percent of young women selected manufacturing among the top five career fields they feel offer the most opportunity for young women. Therefore, the problem is perhaps less about young women buying into false stereotypes about manufacturing, and more about young women buying into false stereotypes about themselves.

Combatting the false stereotypes that keep women from pursuing the STEM and other manufacturingrelated fields is as daunting as combatting sexism itself. There are several small steps we can

take, however: we can vocally encourage several steps that would help young girls reject the existing stereotype that technical fields are for boys, like increasing girls’ exposure and interest in technical fields. By vocally supporting the effort to bring shop classes back to school and the success of things like the PBS show SciGirls, we can begin to chip away at the root of the issue.

Manufacturing companies have a more direct influence over the recruitment of female employees to the sector, however. A huge issue is that women in manufacturing are not visible. A prominent theme throughout the WiM Summit was

SPRINGS / Winter 2015 / 27

©iStockphoto.com/Susan Chiang

28 / SPRINGS / Winter 2015

tours, I used to lead a lot of tours, especially when we had the high schools come in. Was I super busy?

Yes, granted, I was. But it is that important. It doesn’t matter if you have women when they are hidden, right?” By taking deliberate steps to increase the visibility of women in manufacturing, every plant can slowly begin to make a change and show young women that they, too, can hold a career in the manufacturing sector.

Manufacturing is one of the most exciting and diverse industries available to job seekers, and it is failing to attract a vast resource— women. The false stereotypes that discourage girls and women from pursuing careers in STEM and manufacturing will not disappear overnight. Taking small steps—both as citizens and as manufacturing companies—to support better education for girls and better representation of women in the manufacturing industry, may lead to a brighter future for America’s women, manufacturing sector, and economy.

Does manufacturing need more women? How do we get more women involved in the manufacturing space? n Article reprinted by permission of Manufacturing.net. To read the original article posted by Bridget Bergin, associate editor, visit: http://www.manufacturing.net/ blogs/2014/10/the-skills-gap-andwhy-we-need-a-modern-rosie. To contact Bridget, email: Bridget.

Bergin@advantagemedia.com.

©iStockphoto.com/monkeybusinessimages

Taking small steps — both as citizens and as manufacturing companies — to support better education for girls and better representation of women in the manufacturing industry, may lead to a brighter future for America’s women, manufacturing sector, and economy.

the idea that if young women can see it, they can be it. Think of a woman in manufacturing.

Chances are, you pictured Rosie the Riveter. We simply don’t have another image.

In Rebecca Winson’s article for The Guardian on the image of Rosie the Riveter, she points out that 60 years after Rosie’s conception, she is still the “most visible icon of a working woman...

Isn’t it time we found a new Rosie, a realistic representation of what it’s like to be a woman and work today?” But where does this new image come from? That realistic representation—and those role models that are so important for attracting women to manufacturing—are the women currently achieving in the manufacturing industry.

Girls need a frame of reference for women in manufacturing that doesn’t date back to their grandparents’ time—something more relevant to their lives and interests. So, manufacturing companies: next time your plant or facility hosts a tour for a school, maybe suggest that a woman leads the tour.

In her presentation at the WiM Summit, Chandra Brown, deputy assistant secretary for manufacturing for the U.S. Department of Commerce, encouraged women in manufacturing to become more visible: “as women, you need to be up front and visible. When my old company used to do shop

Factories of the Future:

Industry and Educational Partnership

T

©iStockphoto.com/monkeybusinessimages

o find the future employees needed to fill the ranks of retiring workers who are exiting spring and metal stamping companies, look for more announcements like the one made this past summer in Bristol, Conn. between an educational institution and an SMI member company.

The Bristol Adult Education Center (BAEC) and Rowley Spring and Stamping (see related Springmaker Spotlight on page 59) held a press conference on August 15, 2014 to launch AEDAC (Adult Education Diploma and Certificate), an important workforce development program.

AEDAC is a GED/Skills in Manufacturing Certificate Program open to adult learners at BAEC. This program is a partnership between BAEC and Rowley Spring and Stamping, which are located in the same building. This scenario creates a perfect logistical and collaborative setting for academic and hands-on training to create a strong and successful program. AEDAC targets adult learners and opens the door for many adults who do not have the financial capability to go back to school.

Lawrence Covino, supervisor of adult education at BAEC, stated, “We are thrilled to have support from many community and business partners to implement this important program. AEDAC will create positive results that meet the needs of our adult learners as well as our business community.”

SPRINGS / Winter 2015 / 29

John Dellalana of Rowley Spring and Stamping announces AEDAC at an August 15, 2014 news conference.

AEDAC provides participants with the opportunity to get their high school diploma as well as train them to be qualified for entry level positions in the manufacturing industry.

Rowley Spring and Stamping president John Dellalana says the program is a logical extension of the relationship the two parties already have. “With the BAEC as a tenant already, we were looking for a way to kind of break down the wall between us. We have a source to feed the demand for workers and both sides benefit.”

Dellalana says it has been great to work with BAEC to develop this practical curriculum. Students in the program complete the course with some in-house training at Rowley Spring where they are able to learn how to use some of the quality equipment and measurement devices. In addition, Dellalana says each student will spend 60 hours doing hands-on training with fourslide and spring coiling machines.

Rowley’s trainers in its quality, fourslide and spring departments are leading the student instruction.

“We will take each student and show them how to operate a machine, how to do some basic setups and to understand how we do our quality inspection reports.”

After spending 60 hours in the classroom and 60 hours of practical training in the Rowley factory, Dellalana says students will receive a workforce readiness credential.

“We’re trying to make it something that the industry recognizes and promotes, and gives people an opportunity to enter the field,” concluded Dellalana.

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Lots of Supporters Representatives from the Dollar General Foundation, the Central CT Chambers of Commerce, the Main Street Community Foundation and the New England Spring and Metalstamping Association (NESMA) were also in attendance at the news conference to answer questions and lend support to this innovative program.

Wal-Mart and the Farmington Bank Community Foundation are also supporting this program.

This pilot program has provided the foundation for the newly formed Bristol Technical Advisory Board.

This board is comprised of business, education and community leaders to raise awareness regarding the technical-based career pathways available in the Greater Bristol region. This board will develop sustainable training, education and job placement programs to meet local/regional business needs, prepare students for STEMrelated careers and advance the economic and social development of the region. The Bristol Board of Education, the Central CT Chambers of Commerce, the Main Street Community Foundation and NESMA are the key partners that have collaborated to promote and support the AEDAC program as well as establish the Bristol Technical Advisory Board.

Over 100 manufacturing companies are located in Bristol and its surrounding communities.

Most of these companies have been in existence for decades and have deep roots in the area. Connecticut manufacturers contribute more than $25 billion to the gross state product. These companies, in order to continue to prosper, need a

Connecticut manufacturers contribute more than $25 billion to the gross state product. These companies, in order to continue to prosper, need a skilled labor force to replace their aging skilledemployee base. skilled labor force to replace their aging skilled-employee base. Local and state governments are being asked to address this issue. The Bristol Board of Education with its community partners is taking progressive steps to meet the needs of its students as well as the needs of its community.

So Far, So Good In an article in the December 3 issue of The Bristol Press about the AEDAC program, the paper stated, “Educators, organizers, local manufacturers and learners involved in the Bristol Adult Education Center’s manufacturing program all agree: the program is a win-win for everyone.”

One of the students enrolled in the program named Jodi, who declined to give the paper her last name, stated, “It’s a great opportunity to learn a trade that

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isn’t offered as widely as it should be in my opinion. We’ve got awesome teachers and the training is great.”

Another student, Josh Soto, said the class has helped him improve his reading and math skills and have given him hope for a better future.

“The people here in the class are like my family,” said Soto. “I’ve learned a lot on the factory floor. The teachers have been very patient with us and very helpful, even if we don’t get all the answers right. I love getting greasy and putting my hands on the machines, it is very gratifying. This is one of the only places that keeps me smiling and brings me peace.”

Dennis Bouchard, facilities manager at Rowley, said students performed “much better than expected.

“They are motivated and willing to do whatever it takes to better themselves, which is exactly what we are looking for,” he said. “It’s a lot better to work with people who are interested in manufacturing then to spend two months training people only for them to realize that it’s not for them.”

According to the article, three retired Rowley Spring and Stamping employees, Andres Andrade, Terry Hicks and Maxine Ouellette, supervised and instructed the students in the use of CNC machines, setting up fourslide machines and quality inspection.

The first class of students were scheduled to graduate on December 18, 2014. Visit www. bristolpress.com to read the complete article. n

Factories of the Future:

Robots and Factories Are No Longer Differentiators

By Mike Shipulski, Ph.D. (Editor’s note: The following article was originally published in the August 2014 issue of ASSEMBLY magazine and is reprinted by permission.)

T

here’s lots of talk about a manufacturing renaissance. Some call it a resurgence, others a revolution, but the name doesn’t matter. There’s also been a lot of argument over the magnitude of the decline in manufacturing and how to measure it. Some say there wasn’t a decline at all. None of that matters, either.

While it’s good there’s more awareness on the importance of manufacturing, it’s troubling to see the narrowly cast theme that cuts across the leading thinking. All the talk is about reshoring, right-shoring and robots. It’s all about improving the efficiency of making.

SPRINGS / Winter 2015 / 31

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It feels silly to say this, but manufacturing companies don’t just make, they invent, innovate, design, market and sell, too.

Yet the ruckus around the manufacturing renaissance is limited to factories and robots. I’m not sure why we think of manufacturing strictly as the process of making things, but we do. In truth, the making is a result of all the other stuff.

32 / SPRINGS / Winter 2015

Yes, factories are important; yes, where to put them is important; and, yes, the level of automation is important. But, these things are no longer differentiators.

Lean manufacturing is pretty clear about where to locate factories: Put them where you sell. Lean is also clear about automation: Automate everything that makes sense, but no more. The principles of lean show the path forward. With a “manufacturing is all about the efficiency of making” worldview, it’s a dog-eat-dog, profit minimizing, race to the bottom. But worse, it’s a level playing field for all, with little opportunity for competitive advantage. Everyone’s rowing the same boat toward a shared destination.

But manufacturing companies do more than make, and that’s where the real competitive advantage lives—outside of making. The real differentiator is product design.

A back-to-the future approach won’t cut it because the context has changed for manufacturing companies. They now must sell products across the globe, and the biggest growth opportunities are in the developing countries. This amplifies the disruptive power of design. In most cases, the product should be customized for each region—unique features, function and feel—so there’s broad appeal.

More importantly, the product should have the right cost structure so it’s viable in the region where it will be sold.

The developing world has radically different needs and a whole different pocketbook, and that will drive product design in unfamiliar directions. The developed world’s more-with-less thinking is directionally incorrect.

For the developing world, it’s lesswith-far-less, in which the product does less and costs a whole lot less.

If the cost of the existing product is 100 percent, the developing world needs a solution that costs 10 percent of that to start, followed

closely by a one percent solution.

Improving the efficiency of making won’t cut it. Without radically changing the design—innovation— manufacturing’s race for efficiency runs aground. There’s no sense in highly efficient factories rapidly making products that don’t sell.

It feels silly to say this, but manufacturing companies don’t just make, they invent, innovate, design, market and sell, too. Yet the ruckus around the manufacturing renaissance is limited to factories and robots. I’m not sure why we think of manufacturing strictly as the process of making things, but we do. In truth, the making is a result of all the other stuff. Where’s the ruckus over design?

Where’s the national dilemma around innovation?

The singular focus on efficiency has caused designs to converge on the lowest common denominator. The next evolution of manufacturing requires product divergence to create the 10 percent and one percent products for the developing world.

Factories and efficiency are important, but not to the exclusion of design. New technologies are needed to reset the cost signature; new materials are needed to do things for a tenth of the cost; and a new mindset is needed to create absurdly different products for the developing world at the expense of watering down existing products.

And, yes, we need efficient factories and robots.

The funny thing is the biggest lever for factory efficiency is product design. And, the only way to use robots is to design the product to make it so. n Mike Shipulski is a leading authority on lean manufacturing, product development, and design for manufacturing and assembly. Contact him at mike@shipulski.com or follow his blog at www. shipulski.com.

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Guidelines for Navigating the ERP Terrain

By Jeff Carr

This article originally appeared in the August 2014 issue of MetalForming magazine, and is reprinted here with permission granted

by PMA Services Inc., a subsidiary of the Precision Metalforming Association, Independence, Ohio.

N

avigating today’s Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) terrain can be a challenge for mid-market manufacturing companies.

From on-premise solutions to the cloud delivery model, vendors are introducing a steady stream of new product enhancements and technology platforms, increasingly sophisticated levels of integration and collaboration and simplified user interfaces.

The vendor landscape also is in flux due to acquisitions, market consolidation, new version releases and the development of products that share a common data, code and customization model. Given this dynamic marketplace, organizations saddled with legacy solutions often don’t know where to begin when it comes to an ERP-selection project.

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Factors Driving Selection It’s been our observation that ERP selection is driven by a common set of conditions, including poor access to information, core systems that prove difficult to use and an over-reliance on standalone systems that function as islands of information.

In general, we see the following groups of ERPselection challenges: • Uncertainty: The company can’t get a clear handle on what’s available with modern ERP in terms of business intelligence (BI), reporting, features, integration, mobile access, security and more.

• Resource and time challenges: The manufacturer lacks the necessary internal IT expertise, resources or time to effectively take on an ERP project. Nor can the company spare internal staff for this effort.

• Lack of insight: The company is challenged to understand current processes, including where the opportunities are to improve with new technology, and which ERP system best fits requirements.

• Future growth: Many organizations are not exactly sure of their technology needs in the face of growth from expanded markets or facilities, or as their operations are acquired, merged or consolidated.

• ROI concerns: Many teams are wary of making a significant investment in technology when they don’t have a clear handle on expected costs and ROI. The Place to Begin Before an investigation of ERP systems begins, we’ve found that a business mapping exercise is useful. This approach involves business process mapping for insight into where waste resides, where bottlenecks occur and where there is a possibility for improvement.

Business process mapping helps elevate the conversation beyond features and functions and stresses the business case for change. The current state map should include your current state metrics, which becomes a component in the development of the business case for change.

By definition, a business process map lays out each of the step-by-step workflow activities for a functional part of a manufacturing organization. For instance, a process map for shipping would include the steps of obtaining the customer order, picking the part, tracking the address, loading onto trucks, barcode label scanning and shipping paperwork, and any other process unique to a company’s shipping function.

Note that a typical manufacturing company will have upwards of 200 to 300 processes. Within each functional area, each step isolates an individual process into a workflow diagram for a clear depiction of a process or series of parallel processes. Within each process step we document what happens — what was the input to the step, what happens with that input and what is the subsequent output.

36 / SPRINGS / Winter 2014

Tackling Change Management Implementing or upgrading an ERP system represents a good opportunity for a manufacturer to create lasting business change within the organization. That’s why ERP change management is so important. Defined as “a structured and formal approach to change within an organization,” the goal: Optimize business benefits and reduce the risk that comes with an ERP-system upgrade or change.

To tackle change management, begin by thinking about ERP as more than the information-system

end game or final destination.

Rather, consider the ERP system as the means to an end — the tool to enable improved business performance. Place the emphasis on leveraging modern technology to streamline operations and to improve employee productivity and business performance, reflected in improved profitability.

Key steps along the way to effective change management include organizing a cross-functional ERP selection team, to help gain internal consensus and participation. Success

Start With a Business-Process Map Before venturing out onto the ERP terrain, take the time to map your business processes. Among the benefits of business-process mapping: • Helps the manufacturer flag, and ultimately eliminate, workflow bottlenecks. These include excessive use of workarounds, manual data entry, double data entry, excessive use of Excel or homegrown systems, use of paper files or proprietary solutions and redundant record keeping.

• Helps resolve issues when employees in functional areas complain about a cumbersome process.

• Identifies key performance indicators (KPIs) in order to deliver insight into business case improvements.

requires engaged commitment from the shop floor, shipping, accounting, the front office, inventory, quality, production and every other department within the company.

Finally, ensure that the ERP project gains sponsorship within the entire enterprise. We see direct correlation between the involvement of a CEO or other executive sponsor and the overall success of the ERP project. The more involved the sponsor, the better the chance of ERP success.

that industry. Short-list the vendors who can most easily accommodate a company’s distinctive processes and look for a flexible solution that fits with existing systems. It makes no business sense to force-fit an ERP solution to a specific industry.

From your current state, your team maps a futurestate map that becomes the basis for vendor evaluation and implementation design. The KPIs identified with a current state become the final component in the business case for change, and they become the goal line for the implementation project.

Next Steps in Navigation Having completed the business-mapping exercise, companies can successfully navigate the ERP landscape when they consider these guidelines: Look for industry expertise. Companies should align with an ERP vendor with proven success in your industry.

Make sure the vendor addresses critical issues, including regulatory mandates, customer requirements and other key considerations.

Ask for recent references and a product direction statement that explains how they plan to be the leader in

SPRINGS / Winter 2015 / 37

Consider ease of use and screen-layout design.

The system should be easy to learn, navigate and use, with an intuitive look and feel.

Successf ul ER P implementat ions requi re user acceptance, and we’ve found that easy-to-use screens, commands and reports all help users adapt to and accept a new system. Look for simplified screens and data displays that shop-floor workers will find intuitive, enabling them to quickly get up and running.

Evaluate Business Intelligence features. To turn information into knowledge, seek systems that offer BI features that help users take action, putting relevant data in the hands of those able to make improved business decisions. For example, look for features that make data actionable by visually aggregating numerous data points into displays that use colors, gauges, graphs and other visual representations. Use this aggregated data to display for managers trends, averages, unusual results, compliance with goals or expectations, and other actionable information.

These ERP dashboards represent real-time visualizations of data with pre-built performance indicators.

Go mobile. Companies must obtain instant access to relevant production, shipping, quality and financial information, whether in the field, at a customer site, on an offsite assignment or anywhere else away from the office. Today’s ERP systems must offer enhanced mobile connectivity for on-the-go responsiveness at all levels.

Ready, to Roll,

Function-specific applications for mobile devices make internal operations such as finance, purchasing, service and sales management, more efficient.

When evaluating ERP systems, compare how effectively each system can deliver mobile access to BI reporting.

Mobility-enhanced interfaces will continue to drive ERP vendors to add innovations in this area.

Look for collaboration. Consider ERP systems that incorporate engagement, collaboration and business conversations into the ERP user interface via real-time chat and related features. Many vendors let users operate entirely within the ERP system, linking them in real time to colleagues, supply-chain partners and customers without having to switch applications. Also be on the lookout for integrated ERP workflow tools to automate business processes. For example, some systems can automatically route documents throughout the organization, ensuring information stays up to date, shortening the lifecycle of more lengthy manual processes, creating workflow tasks for users, initiating approvals for workflow steps, tracking individual workflow documents and assigning e-mail notification for workflow steps. n Jeff Carr is principal and founding partner of Ultra Consultants, Chicago, Ill. You may reach him at: 847-692-6485; www.ultraconsultants.com. This article originally appeared in the August 2014 issue of MetalForming magazine, and is reprinted here with permission granted by PSI Services Inc., a subsidiary of the Precision Metalforming Association, Independence, Ohio.

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Do Your Employees Think Like Owners?

10 Tips for Building an Entrepreneurial Culture

By Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey

W

e all know today’s companies need to be more nimble, more innovative, and more entrepreneurial, and that this shift begins with employees. Don’t we?

Yes, we do. By now, so much ink has been spilled on the need for employee engagement and empowerment that our eyes glaze over when (yet another) expert starts in on it. What we don’t know is how to effect the culture change that needs to happen—especially when the organization we lead is already set in its lumbering, bureaucratic ways.

The good news is there are some very specific steps you can take that will start the reaction shifts in your culture.

Many of the lessons we learned on how to create engaged, empowered employees occurred when we started Barefoot Cellars in the laundry room of a rented Sonoma County farmhouse. Because of our dedicated employees we grew Barefoot Cellars into America’s #1 wine brand.

Here is a selection of tips, excerpted from our book “The Entrepreneurial Culture,” on how to create an entrepreneurial culture at your organization.

1

Hire for hustle. A g reat way to sepa rate t he entrepreneurial thinkers from those who aren’t is to place a special emphasis on hiring people with a sense of urgency; people who can and will move quickly; people who don’t always have to be told what their next step should be. In other words, don’t hire solely based on someone’s technical skill set. You can always teach that. You can’t teach the other stuff—and that other stuff is what will make the difference between an average company and a great company.

At Barefoot Cellars, we called that ‘other stuff’ hustle.

And we devised a few methods to use during interviews to figure out who had hustle and who didn’t. For example, we would sometimes ask candidates to go out and get us some waters. We would watch to see if their actions were deliberate, determined, and focused, or unstable and slow.

Another great way to judge hustle is to give them some homework. During the interview, give candidates a verbal run-down of the position, your company’s challenges, and your expectations for the position. Then, have the

SPRINGS / Winter 2015 / 41

candidate send you a one-page summary on a deadline.

This will tell you volumes.

2

Don’t skimp on training. Many companies approach

orientation like it’s a formality. New employees are ushered in, given a quick tour of the office and a rundown of the benefits offered, and then they’re expected to get right to work. Well, this minimalist approach to training can have some counterproductive consequences, especially where judgment, relationships, and potential are involved.

Yes, being thorough with training will take more time, energy, and maybe even money on the front end. But the long-term benefits of making sure your people know not just the ‘whats’ but also the ‘whys’ of their jobs will be worth it. Here’s the thing: Professional development is an essential part of attracting and keeping the best talent.

People want to stay with companies that care enough to invest in them, not just via their salaries, but by helping them develop the skills that will help them build their careers. If you’re not providing this kind of training, rest assured, they will move to a company that provides it.

3

Use performance-based compensation. When you

have a compensation plan based on an hourly rate, you’re paying for attendance, not production.

Regardless of how much they do or don’t accomplish, your employees will have an “I was there; pay me!”

attitude…and can you blame them? However, while running Barefoot, we learned that performance-based compensation is better for everyone: you, your employees, and your company as a whole.

Here’s an example of how we made performance-based compensation work: If someone sold 100 cases in April 2000, and 100 cases in April 2001 (these numbers are unrealistically small for simplicity), their commission would be the same in both years. But if they sold 10 percent more—110 cases—they would get $1 for every case over that 100, or $10 more. If they sold 20 percent more in April 2001—120 cases—they would get $2 per case for every case over 100. Not just $1 for cases 101-110 and $2 for cases 111-120; they would make $2 for each case over 100, or $40 more. They didn’t just get higher pay for additional growth; they got the boost for all the growth. It kept multiplying.

So, 30 percent more—130 cases—would earn $3 times 30 cases, or $90, and on up.

We created a pretty radical pay system at Barefoot for a simple reason. Barefoot was a small company that needed to sell large quantities of merchandise, and we couldn’t afford unproductive people. Basically, our compensation system meant that producers couldn’t afford to leave, and non-producers couldn’t afford to stay. Meanwhile, we constantly attracted new go-getters who were willing to bet on themselves.

4

Get out of their way. When your company isn’t able to meet its goals, your first inclination might be to blame your employees for being unable to execute.

But you should take a look in the mirror before doling out blame. That’s because often, leaders who want to blame their employees for not executing are actually using a leadership style that is keeping people from getting things done.

Do you find it difficult to delegate important projects?

Do you refuse to let their work see the light of day until you’ve personally reviewed it, leaving them twiddling their thumbs until they’ve received your feedback? Do you insist on running every new idea through legal before letting an employee pursue it? Are you a micromanager?

Be honest. Do you engage in any of these behaviors? If so, it’s important to stop, step back, and show your people that you trust them to make important decisions and do important work. When you do, you’ll give your team the freedom they need to help move the company forward— and you’ll free up a lot of time and energy for yourself, too.

5

Delegate effectively. There’s a misconception that many leaders simply refuse to relinquish control of any of their tasks or projects to one of their subordinates. But often, it isn’t about control at all. Many leaders want to delegate, but they don’t want it to look like they’re just dumping unwanted tasks on their employees, or they don’t feel they have the time needed to train an employee to do a task.

42 / SPRINGS / Winter 2015

©iStockphoto.com/Jrcasas

When an employee makes a mistake, you want a culture that encourages him or her to learn from the mistake and change what led to it rather than a culture that encourages him to fear punishment and sweep that mistake under the rug. You want an environment where employees can acknowledge mistakes, take responsibility for them, learn from them, and then move forward.

Here’s the first step to take when it comes to delegation: Start handing over those tasks and projects that your employees can do or can almost do without your input. Trust their expertise and trust that if they really hit a wall, they’ll come to you. Everyone has a unique set of skills, abilities, and talents. Often, your people will have firm—and sometimes surprising—ideas about what they’d like to take on.

We’ll never forget when one of our front desk employees suggested she work in accounts receivable. We were surprised because this was the department that collected money owed to Barefoot, sometimes by people who, let’s be honest, preferred to stall. Turns out she had done similar work for her parents’ insurance company. Her insight, along with the fact that she was hyper-organized, understood people, and was charming, allowed her to excel in her new position. Within months, accounts receivable was humming, and pretty much everyone who owed money seemed unusually good about paying up.

6

challenges your company is facing and ask the entire staff for solutions. You’ll probably get them!

7

Don’t wait for perfectly sunny conditions. To create a culture where entrepreneurial thinking can thrive, you must make sure everyone understands that great ideas are always welcome. Then, give your

Let information flow freely. Some companies use

information as a type of currency—the right juicy piece of info can buy you lunch, help get you a promotion, bring kudos your way, or be traded for other valuable information. The flipside of this, of course, is that in large siloed organizations it’s completely normal for one department or division to have no clue what the others are up to.

Instead of a ‘need-to-know’ policy, at Barefoot, we advocated a ‘know-the-need’ approach. Your people are full of intelligence, ideas, and passion—you just have to unlock those things! So do whatever you can to engage your entire team and keep the information free-flowing.

Of course, the most important way to achieve this is through transparency. And that means being transparent about the bad stuff, too. You may be tempted to keep bad news and problems to yourself. Don’t. Be honest about the

SPRINGS / Winter 2015 / 43

©iStockphoto.com/Jrcasas

To create a culture where entrepreneurial thinking can thrive, you must make sure everyone understands that great ideas are always welcome. Then, give your employees the freedom to move forward on projects, even when conditions aren’t exactly sunny.

employees the freedom to move forward on projects, even when conditions aren’t exactly sunny.

The truth is, if we had let our ‘we’ll be ready whens’ dictate our business decisions, we’d probably still be wannabe winemakers. When we launched Barefoot Cellars, all we had was a laundry room to use as an office, a bank account that was running on fumes, and no knowledge of our industry. And yet we gave ourselves the freedom to take the leap. We knew the risks, but we believed in what we were doing, so we went for it.

You have to give your employees the same benefit. The truth is, conditions will never be perfect for any idea or initiative. Instead, you need to settle for ‘mostly sunny with a chance of showers’ or even ‘light drizzle,’ and plan to get a little wet. Keep in mind that if your employees

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Accuracy



Reliability

don’t ever feel comfortable enough to share these ideas or launch these projects, your company will definitely never benefit from them.

8

Never waste a perfectly good mistake. Most leaders look at mistakes as something to be avoided, and as a result, they pass that sentiment down to their employees. But the most innovative, agile companies embrace mistakes. When you move from a culture that punishes mistakes to one that embraces them, your employees will have the freedom to take risks, and that’s where entrepreneurial thinking leads to great innovation.

When an employee makes a mistake, you want a culture that encourages him or her to learn from the mistake and change what led to it rather than a culture that encourages him to fear punishment and sweep that mistake under the rug. You want an environment where employees can acknowledge mistakes, take responsibility for them, learn from them, and then move forward.

I can’t stress enough how very important it is to investigate how and why an error occurred so that the faulty procedure or process can be fixed. That’s why Barefoot made sure employees weren’t afraid to make or report mistakes. Basically, our approach to mistakes was to say, ‘Congratulations! You found a new way to screw up, and that’s a good thing. We didn’t know that this could happen, but now that it has, we can keep it from happening again.’ Once you’ve figured out why a mistake happened, resolve to stop playing the blame game. Instead, encourage your employees to aim their focus on what they can do to prevent the situation from reoccurring.

9

Always ask yourself, How would I like it?

Relationships have never been more important. A great way to ensure everyone at your company is committed to building strong relationships is to constantly ask, How would I like it?, otherwise known as the Golden Rule for business professionals. We recommend that you regularly ask yourself the following questions and answer honestly—even if it’s uncomfortable: • Would I want to work for an employer who treated my labor as a commodity, trying to see how little I would work for? Or would I prefer an employer who sees people as assets, rewarding them for performance and acknowledging their achievements?

• As a leader, am I open and honest with employees about where the company stands, what challenges we’re facing, and what I want?

• If I were a vendor and had two clients, one who treated me with respect and dignity, and another who viewed me as a necessary evil (and maybe even thought I was a huckster or trickster), which one would get preferential treatment? With which would I share what I know about their competition?

• Would I buy from a company that treated me like a pain in the neck if I had a problem with their product, or would I prefer to buy from a company that thanked me for bringing my concerns to their attention?

At Barefoot, we believed that customers look for overall value when buying a product, not just a low price. That’s why we turned down opportunities to cut costs and labor many times. We felt that these measures (which touched on everything from packaging to pricing to the wine itself) would reduce the customer’s perception of Barefoot’s quality. It’s also important to keep in mind that no matter what industry or field you’re in, the most critical decisions you’ll make as a leader will be shaped by your attitude toward your employees and by how that attitude affects how they treat people outside the company. So make sure the question, How would I like it? is never far from your mind.

10

them for granted. Make sure your people know that you have noticed their efforts and that you’re grateful for their knowledge and help. In return you’ll gain their buy-in, loyalty, enthusiasm, and over-and-beyond efforts.

Acknowledgment and validation of stellar performance breeds more of it!

Despite the chaos and uncertainty, this is a time of extreme opportunity for companies that recognize the value of entrepreneurial thinking. It is by far one of the greatest competitive advantages for companies today, and not just at the top of organizations, but at every level, from the bottom up. When you get your employees to think like owners, it will solve the biggest problem in business right now: lack of engagement. Once they see the difference they can make, everything will change. They’ll be excited to be part of the process. n Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey are coauthors of “The Entrepreneurial Culture: 23 Ways to Engage and Empower Your People” (see more information about the book in Book Corner on page 65) the companion to the New York Times best-selling business book “The Barefoot Spirit: How Hardship, Hustle, and Heart Built America’s #1 Wine Brand.” Houlihan and Harvey coauthor weekly no-nonsense business blogs at www.thebarefootspirit.com and www.thebrandauthority.net. For more information, contact info@thebarefootspirit.com.

The quality of your products begins with the quality of our products

Radcliff Wire Inc. is a world leader in quality precision shaped and round wire.

We provide quick and award winning customer service by stocking the necessary raw materials with project

Say, “thank you.” Making gratitude part of

your culture plays an essential role in creating employees who feel empowered and engaged. In truth, you should be saying thank you to everyone you come into contact with through your company. Everyone, from employees to colleagues to vendors, will respond positively when you say—or better yet, demonstrate—your thanks.

But let’s take a moment to focus on a type of thanks that can really make or break your business. The gratitude you express to or withhold from your employees. When your employees work hard on your company’s behalf, they deserve your thanks and appreciation. Don’t take

capabilities from prototypes to production quantities.

An ISO Certified company with over 50 years of consistent quality and service providing precision fine wire with tight tolerance for a variety of industries.

860-583-1305

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SPRINGS / Winter 2015 / 45

Countdown to Charlotte

E

xcitement is building for the debut of the SMI Metal Engineering eXpo, scheduled for October 19-22, 2015 at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, N.C. The premier trade show and educational event for the engineered spring and precision metal components industries will be held every two years.

“With an array of educational sessions already planned for our technical symposia and a strong group of charter sponsors, the planning for our show is right on schedule,” said Dan Sceli, president and CEO of Peterson Spring, who is serving as chairman of the SMI trade show committee. The committee is comprised of SMI member springmakers, associate member suppliers, honorary members and SMI staff.

“The SMI trade show committee’s goal was to create a meeting where both attendees and exhibitors can learn from some of the industry’s best leaders,” explained Sceli of the education component to the show.

“Our technical symposia have been designed to address common issues, so both attendees and exhibitors can learn and network side by side. The technical symposia are not scheduled during tradeshow hours so both attendees and exhibitors can attend the educational sessions.”

A committee headed by Gene Huber Jr. of Winamac Coil Spring and

46 / SPRINGS / Winter 2015

Simon Fleury of Liberty Spring is helping plan the technical symposia. The committee is currently working to finalize plans for the following tracks: • Manufacturing • Business Practices • Materials & Testing • Technology • Business Environment • Culture/Leadership/Motivation These tracks will be held over two days, Wednesday, October 21 and Thursday, October 22, representing 24 hours of educational content (see preliminary list of sessions on page 47 and 48).

Please visit www.metalengineeringexpo. org in the upcoming months to see actual session descriptions and speakers.

Exhibitors Begin Selecting Space The SMI Metal Engineering eXpo is expected to attract more than 2,500

conference attendees and 150 exhibiting companies to the Charlotte Convention Center.

“The SMI trade show is the perfect venue for exhibitors to put their brand in front of the key decision makers who will be in attendance at the eXpo,” said SMI president Hap Porter.

“We know that a larger percentage of metal engineering attendees authorize buying decisions for their company.

These decision makers who attend Metal Engineering eXpo are there to learn, share the latest development in technologies, foster new professional relationships, and meet current and potential business partners.”

Already nearly 40 percent of the booth space for the SMI Metal Engineering eXpo has been sold. For more information about exhibiting, contact John Enright with Trade Show Logic at 770-432-8410, x107 or email at jenright@tradeshowlogic.com.

The Westin Charlotte Hotel is conveniently located right next door to the Charlotte Convention Center, and will serve as the headquarters hotel for the SMI Metal Engineering eXpo. Other hotel options are available.

Both hotel and attendee registration for the SMI Metal Engineering eXpo will begin on April 20.

For more information, visit www. metalengineeringexpo.org.

Technical Sessions Designed to Increase Your Knowledge SMI leaders have been working hard to put together a variety of educational sessions to help increase the knowledge of springmakers on technical and management issues. Here’s a preliminary list of topics that will be covered. Throughout the rest of 2015 leading up to the SMI Metal Engineering eXpo, more details and a complete list of speakers will be provided.

Steel Industry Overview - Join us for an overview of what’s happening in the global steel industry and market. We’ll discuss what to expect in the future and the probable impact on SMI members.

Economic Update - What’s next for the global and North American economies? Join us as economist Bill Strauss of the Chicago Federal Reserve Bank shares his thoughts on what’s coming down the pike.

The State of HS&E (Health, Safety, and Environment) - This session will be an update on the current state of HS&E with Laura Rhodes, SMI’s new regulatory compliance consultant.

She will provide an overview of the services available through SMI. How to Improve Employee Wellness This presentation will focus on performancebased wellness for small business. Learn what you can do to help reduce your company’s health care costs.

Career Technical Education — What Are the Options? We all need to develop more and better skilled employees. A panel of executives from four spring companies based in different regions will discuss options and alternatives for achieving this important objective.

Become a Better Leader – Leadership expert Mark Sandborn will share insights that will help you maximize your leadership potential. Learn to develop your skills, perform better and improve your customer service strategy. Leave this session with practical tips you can put into practice right away — or use to coach your team members.

SMI Metal Engineering eX po Monday, October 19 1 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Tuesday, October 20 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

10 a.m. to 11 a.m.

11:30 a.m.

11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

5 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Schedule

Registration Registration Opening Ceremonies and Key note Presentation Exhibit Hall Opening Cerem ony Exhibit Hall Open Welcome Reception (Exhib it Hall Floor)

Wednesday, October 21 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Registration 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Technical Symposia – Six Tra cks Topics:

* Manufacturing

* Business Practices

* Materials and Testing

* Technology

* Business Environment

* Culture/Leadership Motiva tion 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Exhibit Hall Open 5 p.m.

Open Supplier Night Thursday, October 22 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

8 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Topics:

10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Registration Technical Symposia – Six Tra cks * Manufacturing * Business Practices * Materials and Testing * Technology * Business Environment * Culture/Leadership Motiva tion Exhibit Hall Open

*Please visit the SMI Metal Engineering eXpo website in the upcoming months for actual session des criptions and speakers.

How to Hire the Best - Selecting the best job applicant isn’t always easy. In this session, learn best practices in hiring and leave with a better understanding of how to screen applicants to make sure you end up with the person who is the best possible match for the job—and for your company.

Advanced Manufacturing and How to Have it All: Quality, Cost and Performance – Manufacturing expert Paul Menig says it is possible to have quality, cost and performance without having to make a trade-off. This session delves into examples of advanced manufacturing

SPRINGS / Winter 2015 / 47

techniques used in other industries and related metal forming industries. Menig will review these examples to identify opportunities for improvement in our own industry. Learn integrated and automated solutions for the complex process of “Order-entry-to-cash-from-a-satisfiedcustomer” that your people can support.

Charter Sponsors The following charter sponsors have pledged their support to help fund the debut edition of the SMI Metal Engineering eXpo in October.

ASW – American Spring Wire Gibbs Interwire Group Kiswire, Inc. SG - Suzuki Garphyttan Toyo Selko North America Wafios Machinery Corporation

Stamping and Fourslide Technology: Repeatability and Reliability…It’s All in the Setup – This presentation will cover best practices in setup for repeatability, speed and accuracy for slide forming machines.

The session will also include an open forum section for those interested with questions and or ideas. Presented by Keats Mfg. with cooperation of PMA forums.

Machine Setup for Coiling and Grinding - This session will identify best setup practices for both coiling and grinding machines—then provide tips and ideas on how to automate either or both of these operations with one another. The critical characteristics of coiling setups will be scrutinized, teaching attendees how to optimize each step to facilitate a defect-free and efficient grinding process. The session will help identify potential efficiencies that can be achieved in the grinding process, as well as talk about options for automatic feeds and other automation. Panelists are: Carl Atwater, president, A.I. Technology, Inc. and Martin Dorn of Dorn Mfg. An Update on the Stainless Steel Market - More medical devices are made from stainless steel than all other materials combined. Device designers select stainless for its ideal balance of strength, corrosion resistance, mechanical properties and cost. Applications include guide wires, catheters, staples, endoscopic devices, tools and a variety of coiled products. Join us for a discussion of the various grades and tempers for medical coil winding applications. You will leave this session with an understanding of the material characteristics that result from the various melting methodologies, including distribution and the resulting fatigue endurance limits.

48 / SPRINGS / Winter 2015

Metrology: Load Vector Analysis This session will explore the latest trends in load testing capabilities including load vector analysis. Presented by SAS Technologies, the session will discuss the benefits of utilizing these capabilities for your company and your customers.

A Coatings Update - Here’s your chance to get up-to-date on coatings.

The session will detail the differences between various paint coatings—including a comparison of the strengths and weakness of each. Presented by PPG Industries, the session will also outline proper application and processing.

Additive Manufacturing (Rapid Prototyping)—Today and in the Future - This session will explore the present and future of additive manufacturing (rapid prototyping)—including current materials and applications.

The Benefits of the SMI Residual Stress Project - Join us for a presentation of the preliminary findings of an SMI-sponsored project to identify a more cost-effective means for companies to use basic metallurgical tools to verify that parts have been properly stress relieved.

The data for this study will be measured in micro hardness and confirmed with Xray defraction technology. This study will help to establish new guidelines governing the temperature and time required for adequate stress relief. Presented by: Dan Sebastian, SMI’s technical advisor, with assistance from ASW, Gibbs, PAC, Liberty Spring, Associated Spring, Precision Coil Spring and MW Industries.

The Effects of Shot Peening - Learn the results of a study on the effects of shot peening on highly stressed, low fatigue cycle springs. Findings will be presented as fatigue life studies and as correlations to X-ray diffraction results on study samples. This study will become the basis for a future SN curve to more accurately predict fatigue for high tensile chrome silicon springs with life expectancies of less than 10^5 cycles.

Software Integration to Manufacturing - Hear Richard Dignall present his findings on integrating computers or CNC equipment with ERP systems.

The discussion will include advantages, challenges, and feasibility. n

80

Industrial Steel & Wire Celebrates Three Generations and 80 Years of Growth

I

ndustrial Steel & Wire (ISW) was founded 80 years ago and has grown into one of the world’s largest stocking distributors of carbon steel, stainless steel, and nonferrous alloy wires.

After receiving his Ph.D. in theology from St. Mary’s seminary, flying combat missions in France at the end of World War I and travelling the world with the U.S. Merchant Marines, Dr. Harry Furlong returned to Chicago where he took a sales job with Central Steel & Wire. During the next 10 years, Furlong learned everything there was to know about the steel business and honed his skills at selling. He was ready to set out on his own as soon as he saw an opportunity.

SPRINGS / Winter 2015 / 49

In 1935 he got his chance.

Wh i le most of t he world remained firmly in the clutches of the global depression, the U.S. began to show signs of recovery with the GDP rising back toward 1929 levels and unemployment dropping rapidly. Knowing that America would need steel wire products to fuel that recovery, Furlong founded ISW in a small office and steel warehouse at Wabansia and Holt streets (now Greenview Ave.) in Chicago.

Sene ca a nd Keystone wer e primary supporters of the new startup which would supply basic wire, hard-drawn spring wire, and MB grade oil-tempered wire to local manufacturers.

Furlong opened a small machine distributors in the U.S. to carry German shop on West Lake Street in Chicago polished, tin and cadmium music wire. that produced straightened and cut New relationships with Bekaert and wire and machine parts for submarines, Maryland Specialties allowed ISW to among other wartime requirements expand into stainless steel and to offer during WW II. After the war, he sold the phosphate coated music wire. ISW also machine shop, but kept the straightened acquired the Chicago business of HK and cut wire operation, integrating it Porter Company, which allowed them into ISW. Customers were primarily to expand into non-ferrous spring wire springmakers and wire formers and products, including cartridge brass and included Dudek and Bock and Lewis phosphor bronze.

Spring. Sales over the next decade In 1974, with sales of $3 million cont i nued to ex pa nd i nto nea rby and 15 employees, further expansion “Although he is 79, my father Midwestern states. was required and the company moved (Ralph Furlong) still loves In 1958, ISW moved its operations to into several buildings near Palmer and to come into the office to 35th place and Albany street in Chicago Springfield streets in Chicago. In 1976 when the original warehouse was razed ISW opened its first satellite branch in purchase stainless steel during for the construction of the laterBristol, Conn., the epicenter for spring and provide guidance and to-be-named Kennedy Expressway. The ma nufactu ring on t he East Coast. wisdom to our management move made way for the growth of the The new facility gave ISW a national group. I have to say that city and the growth of ISW, as the new presence at key manufacturing locations warehouse was 30 percent larger than and allowed them to greatly expand I am really proud of him. the original one. their customer base and compete for He followed his own path Furlong’s son Ralph, a chemical both Midwest and East Coast business. to success by never engineer, pu rchased t he compa ny Over the next decade ISW thrived as deviating from his strong from his father in 1965 and moved the company cemented their foothold the operation to a much-needed larger on t he Ea st Coa st a nd developed code of ethics. facility on Palmer and Drake streets in strong relationships with customers Chicago. The company had revenues of and suppliers around the globe. New $180,000 ($1.3 million in today’s dollars) and five employees. offerings were introduced including beryllium-copper, chrome silicon, valve-quality chrome silicon and Furlong, the founder of ISW, passed away in 1967.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s many things happened galvanized steel products.

From 1986 to 1996, ISW went through a period of which increased the capabilities of ISW and drove company growth. They became a representative for Moritz Pullman rapid growth. Due to increased demand within North Steel Company in Germany, which made them one of the first America, ISW expanded to new locations to fill a need

50 / SPRINGS / Winter 2015

8

for locally sourced just-in-time inventory Although he’s 79, he still loves to come for manufacturers in high-growth areas. into the office to purchase stainless steel Branches were opened near Los Angeles and provide guidance and wisdom to our and in Cleveland. management group. I have to say that I ISW purchased Sta r Steel & Wire am really proud of him. He followed his in 1987 and merged it into its Chicago own path to success by never deviating operation. Growth again forced ISW to from his strong code of ethics. Honesty, upsize and Ralph Furlong purchased the integrity, and respect for others are his President Brian Furlong is 150,000 sq. ft. warehouse on Narragansett primary tenets and he chose to build his proud of the ISW legacy Ave. that is headquarters for the company business slowly but surely by gathering he has inherited from his today. The purchase of Cee Bee Steel and a people, vendors, and customers around West Coast division of National Standard him who had similar values. His belief father and grandfather, in 1991 greatly expanded California sales was t hat by building t r ust in bot h and relies on their and introduced slitting and strip products suppliers and customers and nurturing example as he leads to the company. A Charlotte, N.C. branch those businesses to help them succeed the company into the was opened in 1994. By the end of 1996, that their growth would in turn drive sales had grown to over $50 million. the success and growth of our company. future. He said, “I feel Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, “These lessons were not lost on me blessed to have had the ISW sa les plu m meted more t ha n 20 as I have taken Industrial Steel and Wire opportunity to follow in percent. It became clear by mid-2002 that into the 21st century,” said Brian Furlong such great footsteps.” any recovery would be slow. That’s when “Today, after 80 years of being family Dr. Brian Furlong, son of ISW owner Ralph owned and operated, ISW has never been Furlong and grandson of founder Dr. Harry Furlong, took stronger. We are now poised to take advantage of market charge of company operations as executive vice president. opportunities for growth and look forward to being well He was immediately charged with strengthening the positioned as our country enters its upcoming industrial company. By forming a key coalition of top managers and renaissance. We truly are ‘80 Years Strong!’” n using engineering methods of process design, computer automation, and active management tools, Brian and his team were able to redesign the company from the bottom up. Implementation took less than two years and they were able to reduce the company’s fixed costs by 35 percent with no loss in productivity. When the recession ended and steel became scarce, they were able to use their nearly century-old vendor relationships to ensure that ISW received products first so they could take care their loyal customers. Sales skyrocketed, leading to some of the most profitable years in the history of ISW. Your source for the In 2006, Dr. Brian Furlong became president of ISW best in close tolerance and he led continued efforts to refine their processes and maximize efficiencies while providing word-class service strip and edged products. to customers. Two years later he opened a Houston, Texas strip: cold rolled high carbon/pre-tempered branch to better serve customers in the Southwest region. spring steels, coated, low carbon stainless, copper based alloys and aluminum In 2012, ISW purchased all the inventory assets of a ultra-narrow width, close-tolerance slitting major Midwest cold-heading quality wire distribution edging: round, square, semi-round, company and added cold-heading wire to their growing deburred, custom, etc. product offerings. oscillate (traverse) and ribbon wound coils President Brian Furlong is proud of the ISW legacy he ISO 9001:2008 Certified has inherited from his father and grandfather, and relies on 35 years experience for product and service excellence their example as he leads the company into the future. He said, “I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to follow tel. 847.537.2881 toolkinginc.com in such great footsteps. My grandfather, who I remember Wheeling (Chicago), Illinois 60090 USA little of, was apparently a very good man who was kind to everyone he knew.

“My father is considered one of the great gentlemen and founders of the steel distribution business in America.

8

SPRINGS / Winter 2015 / 51

SpringWorld 2014 Deemed a Success With an improving economy, exhibitors at SpringWorld ® 2 014 were pleased with the overall at tendance from the spring industry and the interest shown in purchasing new equipment. That’s according to the sponsor of SpringWorld, t he Chicago A ssociat ion of Spring Manufacturers, Inc. (CASMI).

CASMI says manufacturers reported having strong equipment purchases with sales figures well over six million dollars.

Much of the springmaking equipment was being delivered directly from the show to the companies.

Attendee registration for SpringWorld in 2014 exceeded the 2012 totals by 4.52 percent. Highligh t s o f Spr ingWor ld 2014 included a solid education series offered at no charge to all attendees. The educational sessions were well attended, with many sessions having “standing room only.” Plans are already in motion to expand educational opportunities at SpringWorld 2016.

The opening night of SpringWorld 2014 included a huge crowd for an industrywide cocktail reception, sponsored by the Spring Manufacturers Institute (SMI).

52 / SPRINGS / Winter 2015

At the end of the show, 34 exhibiting companies signed up to reserve space for SpringWorld 2016 before leaving the exhibit hall.

CASMI is currently accepting space reservations for the 2016 show. The show will return to the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, October 5–7, 2016. Exhibitor setup is scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, October 3–4. Preliminary floor plans and space applications /contracts can be downloaded from the association website Attendance Spring Mfgs. / Wire at : w w w.casmiYear Formers & Exhibitors Others TOTAL SpringWorld.org.

2014 2,795 82 2,877 In a news 2012 2,686 121 2,753 release, CASMI stated, “Show CASMI says evaluations from the 95 management and all CASMI members exhibiting companies indicated this year’s sincerely appreciate the support that show was successful and met their sales has been given to SpringWorld. This and marketing needs. Exhibitors reported international event helps to fund CASMI’s strong sales leads and suggested that a Scholarship program that has awarded lot of springmakers are optimistic about over $ 680,000 in student scholarships to the future. In evaluations they were CASMI member employees.” n happy with the quantity and quality of the attendees and contacts made.

WAFIOS continued its “Oktoberfest Beer Garden Reception” on the second day of the show. It was a rousing success, and WAFIOS has already signed up to sponsor Oktoberfest again in 2016.

According to CASMI, “Comparison with previous shows held every two years suggests the economy is getting back its legs.” Following is a summary of the registration and attendance statistics.

Please note that wire form manufacturers are included with spring manufacturers.

SPRINGS / Winter 2015 / 53

54 / SPRINGS / Winter 2015

Italian Springmakers Visit U.S. A delegation of springmakers who are members of Associazione Mollifici Italiani (ANCCEM), the Italian spring manufacturers association, visited the U.S. in October 2014.

To learn more about springmaking practices in the U.S., the group toured several SMI member facilities including Lee Spring in Brooklyn, N.Y., Mohawk Spring, a division of MW Industries in Schiller Park, Ill., and Stanley Spring and Stamping Corp. in Chicago.

The highlight of the tour was a dinner with SMI leaders on October 16 in Rosemont, Ill. SMI was represented by Hap Porter, president and Lynne Carr, executive director.

To recognize and celebrate the occasion, Porter received a special plaque from ANCCEM. The award was presented by Francesco Silvestri of Mollificio, a spring manufacturing company located in Bologna, Italy. n

SPRINGS / Winter 2015 / 55

Competing in a Global Spring Market:

The Benefits of Extra-Company Trade

By Michael Wright

I

n today’s global market how can small- to mediumsized spring companies compete to give the best pricing, while providing the highest level of quality, excellent service, and variety of product? With offshcore competitors looming, this question causes many of us in the wire forming and stamping industry to lose precious sleep. There is little evidence to suggest that in terms of pricing, overseas companies that sell small “expendable” parts are possible to compete with. So, what can be done?

Believe it or not, the solution may lie in the hands of your domestic competitors. Reaching out for help from other American owned small- and medium-sized spring suppliers could result in a variety of benefits. Some of these positives include expansion of capability, faster delivery, and the freeing up of your own capacity, not to mention the byproduct of building strong friendships and healthy long term business relationships.

From a sales point of view, “no quote” is one of the dirtiest terms ever spoken. Because there is a finite amount of opportunity available in this industry, every RFQ will be sought after which makes no bidding a painful act.

From an operations point of view, turning down work outside or in the margins of your factory’s capability is a necessity. Keeping out problem jobs that would prevent your plant from rolling smoothly is pivotal. From the customer’s position, “no quote” means there is now a need to look elsewhere. This scenario poses a bigger problem

than the loss of just one part. It increases the possibility for a member of the spring or stamping supply chain to develop a new relationship with an overseas supplier.

As far as capability goes, all spring companies are limited by the equipment and knowledge of their skilled employees. Right? Not necessarily. Developing relationships with domestic competitors can lead to the broadening of your capabilities. I think you would agree that an irritating job outside the wheelhouse of your company’s capabilities is toxic to the floor of your manufacturing facility. The fear of this toxic scenario is often what fuels the “no quote” mentality.

Learning what your competitor is good at and giving them the opportunity to quote the job can not only keep the sale in house, but may result in the customer continuing to buy here in the United States. Is there enough margin on this kind of work to support two spring companies?

The answer is “yes.” But it takes the effort of both parties to sharpen their pencils to leave enough meat on the bone for everyone. In the long run, both companies and the general U.S. economy will benefit from extra-company cooperation. In short, the less “no quotes” by American companies, the better for American businesses.

Delivery is quite possibly the best thing a domestic company has going for it. Can it be improved though?

Absolutely. The answer is once again found by looking to our friendly U.S. competitors. All small- and medium-size manufacturing companies have at least some parts they make that someone else can probably do a little faster or possibly even better. The work is usually profitable

56 / SPRINGS / Winter 2015 ©iStockphoto.com/Vernon Wiley

Wiley

enough to cause the manufacturer to continuously create a bottleneck, while overstressing equipment and people.

In most of these cases the volume is too low for you to invest in new, more capable equipment or to hire more employees. Depending on how you look at this situation, it can either be a problem or an opportunity to improve without any capital investment.

If another spring or stamping company has the right equipment and skill set, they could help improve your delivery and the capabilities they offer would typically reduce the price to manufacture. The need for cooperation between both parties to make this opportunity profitable for everyone is crucial. The more these relationships are cultivated, the more give and take can be achieved from one job to the next. This type of trade is an opportunity to do more than just increase your bottom line. It strengthens your relationships with other groups, speeds up lead times, and gets frustrating work off the floor of your factory.

Is it a bad thing to give away all this work? The answer is no. The capacity of your plant has now been expanded.

The focus can now turn to doing what each individual company is best at doing. Productivity can be increased at both companies, which in turn increases margins.

Increases in productivity will only further the ability of American companies to compete globally on price, delivery and quality. The key to making this work is understanding what your competitors are best at.

At Diamond Wire Spring we are best known for our catalog round wire and die springs, and our strength in the small- to medium-sized orders of larger custom cold wound springs. Outside companies often look to us

for specialty hand work as well. We pride ourselves on knowing the strengths of our competitors, and look to them regularly for assistance with work outside of our core strengths. This attitude of cooperation has proven itself to be a recipe for success.

Can small- and medium-sized American springmakers compete on a global scale? Definitely. I believe the ability to thrive may have a lot less to do with crushing the competitor and a lot more to do with cooperating with them. Aside from the long term friendships forged, working closely with U.S. competitors expands capability, speeds up delivery, and frees capacity. This attitude of partnership will pay off in dividends for domestic spring manufacturers as well as the country. n

Michael Wright is the southeast sales manager for Diamond Wire Spring Company. He may be reached at 864-312-5282 or mhw@diamondwire.com.

Reaching out for help from other American owned small- and medium-sized spring suppliers could result in a variety of benefits.

Some of these positives include expansion of capability, faster delivery, and the freeing up of your own capacity, not to mention the byproduct of building strong friendships and healthy long term business relationships.

SPRINGS / Winter 2015 / 57

CONVENTION: APRIL 27-30, 2015

EXPOSITION: APRIL 28-30, 2015

A meeting this productive shows up every other year.

Georgia World Congress Center | Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Industry leaders are following www.Interwire15.com for details on the largest wire and cable meeting place and marketplace in the Americas. Decidedly the most valuable use of your time...until 2017.

Wire & Cable Making Machinery | Live Demonstrations | Supplies & Equipment | New Trends & Products | Global Networking | Educational Focus: Dust Control, Raw Materials, Processing, Applications, Recruiting & Retention, Manufacturing Workshop | Plant Tour: Southwire SCR | Also with WAI’s 2nd Global Continuous Casting Forum

Corporate SponSorS: PLATINUM | Sonoco ReelS and SpoolS • WiRe & plaStic MachineRy coRp. GOLD | continuuS-pRopeRzi S.p.a. SILVER | caRRiS ReelS inc. • GeM GRavuRe co. inc. • nexanS • SikoRa inteRnational coRp. BRONZE | RichaRdSapex inc.

Supporting SponSorS: BauM’S caStoRine co. • cheMSon • coMMiSSion BRokeRS inc. • heRitaGe WiRe die • lloyd & BouvieR inc.

The Wire Association International, Inc. | Telephone: (001) 203-453-2777 | www.wirenet.org 58 / SPRINGS / Winter 2015

©iStockphoto.com/Björn Meyer

Springmaker Spotlight

Changing Playing Fields: A Profile of John Dellalana and Rowley Spring and Stamping

By Gary McCoy, Managing Editor

A

recent Cadillac commercial pays homage to all the great innovations and inventions that started in garages: HP, Apple, Amazon and numerous other hugely famous companies. The same humble garage origins can be claimed by many companies in the spring industry, including Rowley Spring and Stamping, which was started in the garage of its founder, Stan Bitel, in 1954.

Bitel, now 93, is no longer involved in the day-to-day operations of the company he grew and built from scratch over 60 years ago. Wanting to keep the business in the family, Bitel’s two daughters, Darlene Krammer and Camilla Farrell, looked for assistance. In 2013 they turned to someone outside the spring industry, John Dellalana, to run Rowley Spring and Stamping.

SPRINGS / Winter 2015 / 59

“I was working as vice president of integrated operations at a big defense company when I was asked to join Rowley,” explained Dellalana regarding his entrance to the company as president. “Working in very large corporations throughout my whole career, the entrepreneurial opportunities to lead a small company were exciting. In particular, I was excited to join a company with so many capabilities and growth potential.

The ownership and people won me over quickly and I’ve now been here a year and a half.”

One of Bitel’s original coilers from his garage is now situated in the lobby of the company, which occupies a 150,000 sq. ft. facility in Bristol, Conn.

“Stan accumulated equipment and added expertise,” explained Dellalana, “so today Rowley Spring offers full tool making and design capabilities with EDM machines, stamping, secondary equipment, fourslide machines, spring and wire formers. We have about 500 machines.”

Rowley currently has a workforce of around 100 people, many with decades of experience with the company.

Jokingly Dellalana says his wife, Sherry, and children, Laura, Michelle, and Johnny, often refer to the products made by Rowley Spring as “doodads and widgets.”

The company boasts of making products for a variety of industries, including medical, defense, commercial and automotive.

“We make metal pins, contacts, springs and housings,” said Dellalana of Rowley Springs product portfolio. “Our products range from the popper in the Trouble game to levers in antitank launchers and springs in medical delivery devices. We ship about one million parts a day.

That’s a lot of parts!”

The New Playing Field A native of Parsippany, N.J., Dellalana got his degree in electrical engineering from Penn State University and an MBA from Rutgers University. Before joining Rowley

Spring, Dellalana had spent time at the aforementioned large defense companies including AlliedSignal, BAE Aerospace and DRS Technologies.

He says coming in as an outsider to the spring and metal forming industry was quite a switch.

“When you work for a defense contractor you don’t really get an understanding of real cost containment and how important it is to stay quick on your feet from a marketing standpoint,” explained Dellalana of the change.

Dellalana’s previous experience was in operations, focused on supply chain execution. “Coming here that’s just one element of the job,” he says. “The whole job is from the front end of the business all the way to the back end. I wanted to get that type of exposure.”

He added, “I felt like I had really good experience with really good companies, but the job at Rowley Spring would expose me to every part of the business in a completely different playing field with different challenges. So here you have red hot competition, much quicker decision making and that’s kind of what excited me to join. And the people here were really, really good.”

Indeed it was the workforce at Rowley who ultimately convinced Dellalana to join them.

“The day I decided to make the switch, I saw the type of capabilities that this place had and the type of people and the longevity it represented with the hundreds and thousands of years of experience that the people who currently work here have,” explained Dellalana. “I just saw the potential this place represented and the room for growth and an ownership team that was willing to make it happen. That’s when I decided.”

Dellalana said when he worked for other companies, a thousand parts of month was a big deal. “Here at Rowley we do a million parts a day,” he chuckled. “So you don’t really get an understanding of the legacy of the spring industry and what it means for this area and how far it goes back until you enter and you see how deep it is.”

“Working in very large corporations throughout my whole career, the entrepreneurial opportunities to lead a small company were exciting. In particular, I was excited to join a company with so many capabilities and growth potential. The ownership and people won me over quickly and I’ve now been here a year and a half.”

60 / SPRINGS / Winter 2015

Stan Bitel's original coiler from his garage now occupies a prominent position in the lobby of Rowley Spring and Stamping.

SPRINGS / Winter 2015 / 61

Rowley Spring and Stamping employees gathered in June 2014 to celebrate the company's 60th anniversary.

He admits that he still has a lot to learn about the industry, but enjoys the whole different set of challenges that it represents.

Celebrating 60 Years In June of 2014, Rowley celebrated its 60th anniversary with a company picnic. “The ownership team talked about some of the old times and the way their father used to be involved in the business,” said Dellalana.

“It was a good chance to honor Stan and what he had done,” explained Dellalana. “He wasn’t able to be with us that day, but it was nice to have his daughters here and to celebrate Stan who was the visionary behind everything that this company is today.”

In celebration of the day, the company gave each employee a “Stan Buck” which was the size of a dollar bill.

“But instead of it being a picture of George Washington, it was a picture of Stan.”

Dellalana said they gave every employee 60 dollars as a small way to thank them for their service to the company.

He said the average seniority at the company is around 18 years. “We have five or six people who are going to retire in the next year, so it will be hard to replace all those years of experience they represent.”

In addition to honoring its founder, several years ago Rowley recognized one of its longtime employees, Manny Tavares, who passed away in 2012. Tavares served as Bitel’s “right hand man” for years. As Bitel began to phase out of the business, Tavares was responsible for running the company.

62 / SPRINGS / Winter 2015

Dellalana says when Tavares got sick and began to phase out of the business, the company was being run by a leadership committee. Bringing Dellalana on board was a recognition that the company needed a leader to lead and grow the business with an eye toward the future.

A plaque in the company’s lobby recognizes Tavares’ legacy at Rowley.

A Focus on Execution As the new leader of Rowley, Dellalana leans on his business philosophy which was shaped by a lifelong career in engineering and manufacturing which was focused on the word “execution.”

Dellalana says, “I learned a lot about ‘act-on-fact’ decision ma k ing f rom my blackbelt t raining a nd AlliedSignal days, and rely heavily on lean principles.”

He explains that execution not only applies to making a part, it extends to all business processes.

“To do it right,” he says, “you need to create a culture where ideas are a valued currency, problems are surfaced and everyone participates in continuous improvement. It really does take an army!”

An advocate for using idea boards and skip level meetings, Dellalana believes this helps open up communication that cuts through all levels of the organization.

“Lots of time has been spent developing supplier partnerships, streamlining our quote process, developing good feedback channels and providing a robust quality

“To do it right,” he says, “you need to create a culture where ideas are a valued currency, problems are surfaced and everyone participates in continuous improvement.

It really does take an army!”

system,” he explains. “There’s a lot of competition, both locally and overseas, and customers are very discriminating.”

Jumping Into the Industry While a newcomer to the spring industry, Dellalana hasn’t hesitated to get involved. He recently became a board member of the Central Connecticut Chambers of Commerce and NESMA. He recognizes the legacy of the industry to the Bristol area since the 1700s. “Lots of know-how and pride exists here.”

Like most SMI members, Dellalana recognizes that finding qualified tradespeople is one of the hardest parts about being in the spring industry.

“More tradespeople have and will retire than will enter these fields. This shortage makes it critical to offer internal advancement opportunities and apprenticeship programs and strong associations with trade schools and education centers.”

Rowley is partnering with the Bristol Adult Education Center, which is ironically located in the on the other side of the building that Rowley owns in Bristol, to provide a solution to the problem (see related article on page 29) in the form of a workplace development program. Students spend time in the classroom learning about the industry and then hands on time in Rowley’s factory. The pilot program started in September 2014 and Dellalana says the results so far are very encouraging.

Sherry has run a day care program out of the Dellalana home for two- and three-year olds for the past 12 years.

Having cared for hundreds of Monroe families who have passed through her Kidcare program, Dellalana says he takes a backseat to Sherry when they go about town to attend events, such as high school football games.

“If you walk around with her at a football game, she remembers everybody’s name and you have toddlers and older kids coming up to say hi to her,” explained Dellalana.

“And of course she knows all the parents.”

With pride Dellalana says his wife has a done a terrific job with the business and in raising their children. He believes her tenacity, diligence and ability to multi-task has carried over to their three children.

On Court or the Homefront When Dellalana took the job at Rowley, he decided not to uproot his family from their home in Monroe, Conn.

Instead he makes the nearly hour-long commute northeast to Bristol each day. Monroe is a town in Fairfield County, Conn. with a population of nearly 20,000.

In Dellalana’s spare time, he enjoys playing basketball and golf.

“I can’t shoot either a golf ball or basketball straight,” he commented,” but it doesn’t stop me from playing in an adult basketball league and some golf.”

He adds with a laugh, “I guess being horrible is not something that scares me away from something.”

That humility on the fairway and hardwoods extends to Monroe where his wife, Sherry, is what he describes as a “mini-celebrity.”

SPRINGS / Winter 2015 / 63

Rowley employees formed teams to see who could build the best softball launcher.

Both of his daughters were the valedictorians of Masuk High School in Monroe and he said, “All our children are excellent students.”

Their oldest daughter, Laura, is a senior at the University of Connecticut looking to enter medical school, while

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A Limitless Capacity Dellalana says as Rowley looks toward the future, keeping a relentless focus on the details will be an important value going forward.

He says with the flurry of activity that occurs at the company each day, “It all has to be done under control and done right. So managing that part is something that the people here do really well. That’s why they’ve been in this business for a long time. They understand what it takes to do that.”

Dellalana says his job is to manage the company with an eye toward the future.

“Where we want to be in three to five years is the hardest challenge,” he explained. “The challenge is not to get caught up in the problems of the day, but to keep our eye on the ball of what we want this company to be in the future.”

He personally believes that his job is to create a culture where people have opportunities to advance and grow the company. “That’s what we’re looking to do.”

Dellalana’s desire is to have a workforce that is committed to growth and that employees feel engaged and are part of “something bigger than just themselves.”

As he looked out the window at the parking lot, Dellalana mused, “We have a very big factory and a very big parking lot and a thousand machines. We don’t have a thousand people, so our capacity is limitless.”

From humble garage origins, Bitel’s vision has been fulfilled many times over in the field that Rowley Spring and Stamping now plays on each day with a new leader at the helm. n

Book Corner ©iStockphoto.com/kertlis

The Entrepreneurial Culture: 23 Ways to Engage and Empower Your People By def i n it ion a n e n t r e p r e n e u r i s “a person who organizes a nd ma nages a ny enterprise, especially a bu si ne ss, u s u a l ly w it h considerable initiative and risk.” For established companies the words “initiative” and “risk” are not always common words thrown about along with “engaged and empowered” employees.

Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey coauthored “The Entrepreneurial Culture: 23 Ways to Engage and Empower Your People” as a follow-up to their New York Times bestseller “The Barefoot Spirit: How Hardship, Hustle, and Heart Built America’s #1 Wine Brand” to provide some fodder to help counteract those trends.

Houlihan and Harvey know how to create engaged, empowered employees because they lived it. They started Barefoot Cellars in the laundry room of a rented Sonoma County farmhouse and grew it into America’s #1 wine brand. They were able to do so because of their dedicated employees. Today, they teach corporations how to infuse the principles they lived by into their own cultures, frequently consulting with Fortune 500s and other companies on how to establish and strengthen entrepreneurial company cultures (see related article on page 41 “Do Your Employees Think Like Owners?”)

The Entrepreneurial Culture explains how Houlihan and Harvey kept the spirit of entrepreneurship alive in their company. The book could be described as a leader’s guide to infusing company culture with entrepreneurial thinking.

As the authors point out, sometime the mood of a company’s culture sours over time before you know it’s happening. “A stifling rule here, an ignored idea here, and

before long you’ve zapped the entrepreneurial spirit that enabled your employees to create things at your company in the first place. The only cure is to make your employees realize they really do have a stake in their future and the ability to make it a great one.”

The book’s tactics echo the methods by which the authors ran Barefoot Wine—making sure its leadership practices, compensation structure, and processes were set up in a way that kept employees fully engaged.

Reading through the book you may shake your head and say, “Yes, our spring company already does that” because some of the 23 principles are not necessarily new.

Here are a couple of examples: “never waste a perfectly good mistake;” “don’t skimp on training;” “delegate effectively;” and “ask a lot of questions.”

Though they may be obvious principles, for most businesses and sports teams, it comes down to: Are you executing your business plan or playbook? Sadly, many are not.

This book dispenses on theory and gets down to tactics you can immediately implement into your business. This is a book that’s easy to read with short chapters loaded with practical examples.

I particularly liked the last chapter: “Make it fun to work for you.” Houlihan and Harvey write: “There’s a myth that when company cultures are serious, businesslike productivity improves. But the reality is, productivity improves when people enjoy being at work and enjoy the work they’re doing.”

The bottom line advice from this chapter: “Just because it’s work doesn’t mean it can’t also be fun.”

Have fun reading this; you just might walk away with a couple of actionable items that can transform your company culture. n Book reviewed by Gary McCoy, Managing Editor

Have a favorite business book you would like to tell us about? Send your suggestions to Springs editor Gary McCoy at gmccoy@fairwaycommunications.com.

SPRINGS / Winter 2015 / 65

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Inside SMI ©iStockphoto.com/seraficus

SMI Annual Convention Set for April in Orlando The new Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World® Resort is the host venue for SMI’s 2015 Annual Convention to be held April 10–14.

Located next to a pristine lake in the Florida woodlands, the new Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort combines signature Four Seasons service, exceptional amenities and one-of-akind experiences in a truly incredible resort setting. The hotel is located just minutes from Magic Kingdom Park, Epcot, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and close to all of Orlando’s shopping and attractions. The ribbon cutting to officially mark the opening of Four Seasons Resort Orlando took place on August 1, 2014.

In addition to the annual golf tournament, several optional tours and exceptional networking opportunities, a robust educational program is planned for the SMI annual meeting with guest speakers Edgar Papke, Garrison Wynn and William A. Strauss.

Chef turned leadership psychologist and executive coach, Papke is dedicated to studying and teaching the human art of business.

He is an author and global awardwinning speaker who reminds us that business is the expression of who we are, what we want, and how we get it.

Papke is the author of “True Alignment,” focusing on the alignment of brand and company culture to the customer and the delivery of emotional satisfaction.

He has published numerous essays, is a featured contributor to the American Management Association

Edgar Papke

Garrison Wynn

International’s newsletters, and is a frequent guest blogger on leadership, business, and social issues.

Wynn helps people make the jump from being great at what they do to developing the qualities it takes to be consistently chosen for the job. He gets them to understand why their products, services, or leadership styles—or those of their competitors—are selected. As he says, “If the world agreed on what’s best, everybody would choose the best and nothing else would be considered. Decision making doesn’t work that way.” His presentations help people become more influential regardless of circumstances.

Wynn has presented to some of the world’s most effective leaders and business developers, from multibillion-dollar manufacturers and national associations to top New York Stock Exchange wire houses. He has a background in manufacturing, telecomm, and financial services and toured as a professional stand-up comedian.

Strauss is a senior economist and economic advisor in the economic research department at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, which

William A. Strauss

he joined in 1982. His chief responsibilities include analyzing the current performance of both the Midwest economy and the manufacturing sector for use in monetary policy.

He produces the monthly Chicago Fed Midwest Manufacturing Index and organizes the Bank’s Economic Outlook Symposium and Automotive Outlook Symposium.

In addition, he conducts several economic workshops and industrial roundtables throughout the year.

Strauss earned a B.A. in economics and geography from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and an M.A. in economics from Northwestern University. He has taught as an adjunct faculty member at Loyola University Chicago and Webster University in Chicago.

He currently teaches at DePaul University Kellstadt Graduate School of Business, and at the University of Chicago Graham School of General Studies. At the latter institution, he was named winner of the 2010 Excellence in Teaching Award in the Business and Professional Programs.

For more information and to register for the 2015 SMI Annual Meeting, phone SMI at 630-495-8588.

SPRINGS / Winter 2015 / 67

Inside SMI

©iStockphoto.com/PeopleImages

2015 SMI Scholarship Program Offers $33,500 in Aid Just like in 2014, SMI will give out $33,500 in scholarship aid in 2015 to the sons and daughters of employees who work for an SMI member company.

Applications were accepted for this year’s program through January 9.

SMI will award nine regional scholarships in the amount of $2,000 each. Due to special donations, several at-large scholarships are available.

• International Spring Scholarship - $4,000 (Two students receive $2,000 each) • Wafios Innovation - $2,500 • Hugo Kern-Liebers Gmbh & Co. - $2,500 • Kern-Liebers Texas - $2,500 • Callaghan-Hart Scholarship - $2,000 • Bud Peterson Memorial Scholarship - $2,000 The SMI Scholarship program is administered

by Scholarship America. Winners will be notified individually and announced later this year. n

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Committee Connection ©iStockphoto.com/Studio-Pro

At Ground Level

T

he Spring Manufacturers Institute (SMI) is an association that is made up of regular members who manufacture springs and related wire products, and associate members who supply materials, machinery or services to the spring industry. SMI is more than just a collective assembly of companies, it is made up of individuals who volunteer their time to help run the association.

SMI is operated by its executive committee, board of directors and nearly a dozen individual committees.

“The foundation for the initiatives that SMI gives its time and attention to primarily originate at the committee level,” said Hap Porter, SMI president. “It is at the ground level where the hard work takes place.”

In this issue of Springs we present a new feature that will keep you updated on the activities of SMI’s committees.

Trade Show Committee Led by Dan Sceli of Peterson Spring, the committee reported that with the SMI Metal Engineering eXpo less than a year away, the committee is busy planning the event. Working with Trade Show Logic, a lot of marketing and promotional activities are currently underway. Many exhibitors have already signed up for the eXpo and the charter sponsor goal has been met. See a full story on the Metal Engineering eXpo on page 46.

Benchmarking Chair Tim Bianco of Iowa Spring said the committee met in person this past summer to review individual benchmarking survey and to make small changes. Bianco emphasized the importance of the benchmarking surveys and how they help SMI companies understand where they stand in areas such as profitability and employee wages and benefits. “These benchmarking reports are a great member benefit that every SMI company should participate in,” said Bianco.

Magazine Led by committee chair Ted White of Hardware Products, the magazine committee met in August to

discuss and approve themes for 2015. After the Winter issue on the “Factories of the Future,” the Spring issue is on “Saluting the Troops,” followed by the Summer issue on “Additive Manufacturing,” and finishing 2015 with the Fall issue on the “SMI Metal Engineering eXpo.” SMI is working with an outside vendor to develop a magazine app, so Springs can be accessed via the latest electronic devices such as tablets and smartphones.

Regulatory Compliance Committee chair Steve Wunder of Duer/Carolina Coil said the group has been busy working with Laura Rhodes, who was recently hired to replace Jim Wood as SMI’s Regulatory Compliance manager. Wunder said Rhodes’s academic background will be a great resource for SMI members.

Technical Under the leadership of Gene Huber Jr. of Winamac Coil, the technical committee has been busy finding speakers for the Metal Engineering eXpo. In addition, the committee is working on a study about stress relieving.

Results of the study will be released at a future date.

Education Mike Betts reported on the work of the education committee which has secured Edgar Papke, Garrison Wynn, and Bill Strauss to speak at the SMI Annual Convention in April. The group is also working with the technical committee to help come up with speakers for the Metal Engineering eXpo. If you will be attending the SMI Annual Convention at

®

Resort from April 10–14, you are invited to participate in the SMI committee meetings. Anyone is welcome to attend.

The SMI committee meetings in Orlando will take place on Saturday, April 11 starting at 11:30 a.m. with lunch, and will conclude at 2 p.m.

For more information or to provide feedback about SMI’s committees, contact SMI’s executive director Lynne Carr at lynne@smihq.org or 630-495-8588. n

SPRINGS / Winter 2015 / 69

New Products

SAS introduces the CT5000HS high speed damper inspection system.

Dampers exert a force on their assembly hard points as a result of an applied velocity, unlike springs which react to deflections. As the velocity on the damper increases, the reactionary force that the damper exerts on its retention fixtures also increases. The net effect is to attenuate transitory movements in the damper assembly. Spring testers can be used to test dampers, but they usually lack two key ingredients for practical damper inspection: the ability to inspect the damper force as a function of velocity, not deflection, and the ability to determine the force feedback requirements with respect to continuously varying tolerance bands.

The CT5000HS includes: Dual part inspection capability; an ultra high speed and precision servo motion solution to

move the crosshead at speeds up to 160mm/s (6.3”/s); speed that can be changed “on-the-fly” from 0.01mm/s to 160mm/s (0.0004”/s to 6.3”/s) in both

Gravotech Group Launches Energy 8 Laser Engraver Energy 8 is an economical CO2 laser engraver designed for low-output marking needs in the workshop, store or office. Its compact size, low running cost and included software make it an effective solution on the market in terms of its quality-toprice ratio. Energy 8 is now available from Gravograph, the Gravotech Group’s research and development operation.

For many months, Gravotech has been focusing its research on laser solutions. Energy 8 is part of a range specifically designed by the company to meet market needs as closely as possible. The ergonomic functionalities of the LS1000 XP also feature in the brand’s other solutions, namely the front loading concept, user control of the laser via the interactive machine instrument panel, integrated storage capabilities and automatic focus adjustment.

70 / SPRINGS / Winter 2015

Energy 8 represents the answer to a variety of demands, whether flat engraving, cylindrical engraving, or engraving on objects. Compact in size (775 x 725 x 450 mm), Energy 8 fits easily into a small workshop and makes it possible to perform immediate engraving operations.

The customer can chose, on the spot, the material he wishes to mark, from the extensive range offered by Gravotech.

For more information, visit www. gravograph.us or contact sales@ us.gravotech.com.

the forward and reverse motion directions; non-linear tolerance bands that can be specified over the entire damper stroke in both the forward and reverse motion directions; and data that can be directly read into Microsoft Excel’s spreadsheets for further analysis.

The CT5000HS is a self contained unit employing a PC and housed in a floor standing production ready package.

When operated by an operator (as opposed to an automated PLC operation), the CT5000HS has been ergonomically designed for one push button operation. Furthermore, the unit requires only two button clicks to change over damper programs and test two dampers simultaneously. For additional information, contact Forming Systems, Inc. at info@formingsystemsinc.com or 269-679-3557.

Ovens with Integrated Cooling Conveyors HSI and Forming Systems, Inc. announce newly designed cooling stations integrated with the HSI series of high performance conveyor ovens.

Combined with single or multistation cooling fans, this feature is ideal for parts entering secondary operation stations, cleaning stations, or paint lines. Cooling conveyors are also available as free standing attachments. For additional information, contact Forming Systems, Inc. at info@ formingsystemsinc.com, phone 269-679-3557 or visit www.formingsystemsinc.com. n

©iStockphoto.com/hüseyin harmandaglı, morkeman, PeskyMonkey

SAS Testers’ New CT5000 Damper Tester

Save the Date!

SMI Annual Meeting ©iStockphoto.com/hüseyin harmandaglı, morkeman, PeskyMonkey

Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World® Resort April 10–14, 2015

Photos reprinted courtesy of Four Seasons

Advertiser's Index A & D Trading (440) 563-5227. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Admiral Steel (800) 323-7055. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Alloy Wire International (866) 482-5569. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Century Spring, Division of MW Industries (800) 237-5225. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Diamond Wire Spring Co. (800) 424-0500. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Elgiloy Specialty Metals (847) 695-1900. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Fenn/Torin (860) 594-4300. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Forming Systems Inc. (877) 594-4300. . inside front cover, back cover Gibbs Wire & Steel Co. Inc. (800) 800-4422. . . inside back cover Gibraltar Corporation (847) 769-2099. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Industrial Steel & Wire (800) 767-0408. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

InterWire Products Inc. (914) 273-6633. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 JN Machinery (224) 699-9161. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Kiswire (201) 461-8895. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Link Engineering (734) 453-0800. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Mapes Piano String Co. (423) 543-3195. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Mount Joy Wire (800) 321-2305. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 NIMSCO (563) 391-0400 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 North American Spring Tool (860) 583-1693 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Proto Manufacturing (800) 965-8378. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Radcliff Wire (860) 583-1305. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 RK Trading (847) 640-9371. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Rolled Metal Products 800) 638-3544 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Simplex Rapid (563) 391-0400. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Spring Manufacturers Institute (630) 495-8588 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Suzuki Garphyttan (574) 232-8800. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Tool King (800) 338-1318. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Ulbrich Stainless Steels (203) 239-4481. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 United Wire Co. (800) 840-9481. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Vinston (847) 972-1098. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Vulcan Spring & Manufacturing Co. (215) 721-1721. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 WAFIOS (203) 481-5555. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Wire Association Intl.

(203) 453-2777. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Zapp Precision Strip (203) 386-0038. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

SPRINGS / Winter 2015 / 71

Snapshot ©iStockphoto.com/Tryfonov Ievgenii, nicholas belton

Top (l-to-r): Lynne Carr; Mark, Alyson and Tracy; Alyson with her fiance, Nathan Lundby.

Lynne Carr Spring Manufacturers Institute Name: Lynne Carr

Favorite food: Hamburgers.

Company name and city: Spring Manufacturers Institute, Oak Brook, Ill.

Favorite books/author: Anything about history.

Brief history of your company: North American trade association for spring manufacturers and related suppliers since 1933.

Favorite places: Orlando, Key West, and Aruba.

Job title: Executive Director.

Birthplace: Chicago, Ill. Current home: Westmont, Ill. Family: Three children, Alyson, 32, Mark, 30, Tracy, 24, and dog Nellie.

What I like most about being in the industry: All the wonderful people I have met.

72 / SPRINGS / Winter 2015 72 / SPRINGS / Winter 2015

A really great evening to me is: Sitting outside on a summer evening.

The one thing I can’t stand is: Negativity.

My most outstanding quality is: Compassion.

People who knew me in school thought I was: Too skinny.

I knew I was an “adult” when: I made my first car payment.

If I weren’t working at SMI I would like to: Be a NASCAR driver.

The most difficult business decision I ever had to make was: Closing an office when I worked at Liberty Mutual many years ago.

Role model: My parents.

I would like to be remembered in the spring industry for: Moving SMI forward with new ideas.

But people will probably remember me for: Sprinklers, broken toes and planning conventions.

Why Partner With Gibbs? Here’s Why! Just a small sampling of the actual emails and calls we receive from our customers every single day “You are awesome! There is not another supplier that even comes close to beating your response time!”

“Thank you so much for such quick response on all 3 orders. This is world class service.”

“You guys are total rock stars!!! Couldn’t be better! MUCHO MUCHO thanks!”

“You guys are AWESOME! Tell everyone THANK YOU!”

“You take such good care of me. Thank you so much!

“You have so made my weekend! TGIF!”

We recognize recognize that that aa key key component component of of your your buying buying decision decision We based on on customer customer service. service. Our isis based Our goal goal is is to to be be the the best best at at customer service service and and support support in in our our industry. industry. Based customer Based on on our our customer comments comments,itit isis clear clear we we are providing the customer the service service levels you need.

We will not rest until every customer levels you need. We will not rest until every customerfeels feels the above above statements statements could could be be written written by by them! them! the

employees you can employees count on. From ourcount newest in the and knowledgeable you can on.hire From our warehouse seniortoemployee management. newest hireto in our the most warehouse our mostinsenior employee in Men and women who carewho about thecare workabout they do management.

Men andtruly women truly the work and the customers they serve. so many leading they do and the customers theyThat’s serve.why That’s why so many companies have chosen to partner with us. leading comanies have chosen to partner with us.

Since 1956 1956,Gibbs GibbsWire has and represented combinationaof Since Steel hasarepresented responsiveness, innovation and leading edge the combination of responsiveness, innovation andtechnology, leading edge lowest totalthe costlowest and a total teamcost of dedicated and of knowledgeable technology, and a team dedicated

®

The People You Can Rely On For Wire And Strip 1.800.800.4422 www.gibbswire.com

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