Darrell Whittenberg, President, Industrial Solutions + Innovation
We have all heard the adage, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." This phrase may sound clich©, but there is a lot of truth in it. If nothing else, the past few months have reminded us we have very little control over our lives and even less over the market(s) we serve. Life has handed all of us lemons, but how we choose to use those lemons is up to us. Every time there is a large-scale market disruption, the rebound allows us to evaluate processes and procedures and gain efficiency; this is the lemonade. The changes may not be enjoyable now, but the gains from these changes can be monumental.
This forced reset of operations gives us the opportunity to step back and reevaluate how we do things. Processes that "have always been done that way" must be examined. We will likely find there are ways to improve or do away with steps and processes that were previously accepted.
In the arena of pipe and vessel fabrication, for example, many shops utilize the same processes used decades ago. These old, antiquated practices are the lemons, and the shops have gotten accustomed to them. The manual layout of pipe and vessels using hard-copy, two-dimensional drawings; manual cutting of pipe to length; grinding to "make it fit"; and welding processes that rely heavily on very skilled welders is a prime example of what to reevaluate.
The above lists the lemons, but any good lemonade needs more than just lemons. There are more ingredients required.
A key ingredient in our lemonade is having partners that work with you and are not merely looking to sell another piece of equipment. Building key relationships with vendors who clearly express a desire to hear you out and listen to your challenges is the first step. Many fabricators have experienced poorly delivered solutions that, in all actuality, did not fully address their problems. The provider sold them something but was not working with them to find the best answer.
Take inventory of your relationship with your equipment suppliers. Do they bring a willingness to work with you and act as an adviser, especially when there isn't a purchase order on the line? Are they willing to walk your shop with you? Are they ready to run sample parts and perform trials on their equipment in their shops to validate the solutions they're proposing? Can they fully support any solution offered, from design to implementation, installation, training and ongoing support? If not, you might want to evaluate whether what you have is merely a provider, not a true partner. If the only thing your current supplier brings to the table is a low price, it may not be that low after all.
Another ingredient is flexibility. How will new technology be brought into the facility? With recent COVID-19 issues and the impact they are having on the market, it is crucial to stretch capital budgets. Having flexible solutions that can be rented, leased, purchased over time, or purchased in a structure modified to meet cash flow reduces the stress of having to attain immediate success. With rental options, there isn't the pressure of being the one who decided to purchase a new piece of technology with limited capital. By renting, shops can evaluate the solution and the ability of the solution provider to support and stand behind the product.
During this time, there is a rare opportunity to identify the problem (lemons), decide to make something out of the situation and use it as a launching pad (make lemonade). Collaborate with all pertinent parts of the organization as well as trusted partners on solutions (recipes for the lemonade), and then implement the selected solution. By having defined goals, you can make your success measurable and verifiable (your taste test).
If, due to recent events, your organization has seen a dramatic slowdown or work stoppage, modified workspaces to allow for "social distancing," or had to reduce its workforce through layoffs or furloughs, and this has impacted your production, you have been given a bowl of lemons. We don't get to control whether life or the market hands us lemons. We only get to control how we choose to use those lemons.
For more information, call Darrell Whittenberg at (281) 824-0356 or email him at darrellw@isi-llc.com.
