Springy Springs Sprung

I find myself in a bit of a dilemma writing my Blog this week.

The SEO side of the blog wants me to write a blog about keyword or tag items.  They want me to mention them a lot  SPRINGS and use them over and over SPRING MANUFACTURER. They want me to load this article up with COMPRESSION SPRINGS and WIRE FORMS that the search engines, what ever those are, seek out.  The SEO side doesn’t really care about content EXTENSION SPRINGS just the words. With my great literary ability I slid all those tags by you completely unnoticed,  right?

Now on the other hand the Blogger advocates and books want me to write interesting, exciting, captivating content.  Content that draws readers in and wont let them go.  Content that starts everyone talking.  SPRINGS?  Seriously,  They want me to make springs interesting, exciting and captivating.  Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE springs and love being a spring manufacturer.  It pays the bills and is really interesting to the few of us in the business.  To the rest of you….. Not so much.

So that’s my challenge, mentioning SPRING, SPRING MANUFACTURER, COMPRESSION SPRING, EXTENSION SPRINGS and on and on while entertaining you. So here goes nothing.

We’ll start with the obvious.  The Slinky.  The Slinky is fun, right.  Everyone loves the Slinky. In 1943 Richard James, a Navy mechanical engineer was developing springs to support and stabilize sensitive instruments in rough seas.  James accidentally knocked a spring off the top of his work bench and watched it “walk” down the shelves onto a stack of books and to the ground, ending up standing upright.,  The Slinky was born.  Today Slinkys are made of metal and plastic in almost any color you can think of.

How about your computer.  Yea I know,  everything in there is digital electronics, no manual springs.  You might be surprised, holding down fans, doors and other parts very well maybe springs.  The one place you will almost always find them is in your keyboard. Every key I touch on this keyboard has a tiny spring behind it.  Without that spring this blog would read, IIIIIIIII….  That was the first letter I typed.  Without the spring, the key would not have returned, stuck down destined to type “I”s until I pulled it back up.  The page might look interesting but I don’t think it would be very exciting.

Let me try to wow you with spring math.  In your car engine you have valve springs.  If you have a 6 cylinder car and have 4 valves per cylinder, that is 24 valves.  When you drive your car on the highway the engine will turn around 1,500 revolutions per minute or RPMs.  That means that 72,000 times every minute one of those springs is either opening or closing.  Each spring will open and close for every revolution.  If you drive to Dallas, and it takes four hours, 17,080,000 times one of the springs will be opening or closing.  Think how many “Dallas Trips” you’ve made and tell me how those springs are still working. Kinda a modern marvel all though it isn’t that modern.

Since we started traveling, if I may take my literary license and extend our travels to a vacation in St. Thomas.  I really like St. Thomas. Since we are using my literary license (and I’m writing this so I can do anything I want) we can even say we are going there to buy a vacation home,like those people on House Hunters International. but remember our budget is $1.3 million, nothing over.  Seriously, if you’ve watched the show they keep showing 30 and 40 something couples with million dollar budgets for vacation homes.  I really did something wrong in my career. I mean a million for a damn vacation home, how much is their home they live in the rest of the time.. and how do they get that much time off work to go to their vacation home, I mean….  Oh well back to our sponsor, we board our flight and escape springs.  I don’t know of any springs in jet engines, just because I don’t know them doesn’t mean they are not there. Don’t start writing to me about the bypass coupler induction manifold spring,  I don’t care,   It’s a story remember.   But I do know there is springs in the cabin.  We happen to make the springs that hold up the flight attendants jump seats.  We also make springs that help close the lavatory doors.  That’s pretty important. Every time you go in the lavatory and that door slams shut and hits you in the #$$, you can thank us. We also make a few (million) springs that go in hydraulic valves.  The flaps, the ailerons, rudder, landing gear and almost everything that moves is controlled by hydraulics, all with springs in them.   Without springs, that plane is going nowhere.

You arrive in St. Thomas and check in at your 5 star resort hotel.  The flight made you a little sleepy so you lay down to take a nap. Ohhhh that bed feels really good.  Wished yours at home felt this good.  The difference is the mattress and the element that separates the good from the bad is the quality and number of springs in the bed. You can’t even get away from springs in your sleep.

After a short nap you open your I-Pad to check email.  I’m a big I-Phone, I-Pad, I-Cloud, I-Ron (sorry  saw that in a joke and couldn’t resist) type of guy.  I don’t think any of them have springs.  I never opened them up, but I’m pretty sure NO SPRINGS.  What’s the deal Apple. Haven’t springs proved themselves.  Let’s attach one of your ICs to the valve on my car and see if it will make it to Dallas.  Why not take one of your touch screens in a hydraulic cylinder on a 787 to St Thomas and see how it fares.  WHY DID YOU LEAVE OUT SPRINGS APPLE???  I guess if your stuff would last as long as springs do you would never sell the I-Phone 2  3  4  5  and on and on.  I think they’re just a fad anyway.

So that’s my story  SPRING.  Did I captivate you with creative writing SPRING MANUFACTURER enough and excite you with informative content COMPRESSION SPRING.   I feel pretty certain I made my SEO people happy SPRINGY  SPRINGS SPRUNG. 

My blog shared two stories today.  For springs, hopefully a better appreciation by the readers of everything springs do for us.  A glimpse of the importance of springs and in many cases how our lives depend on springs.  For SEO Social Media Blogger types a little over the top commentary on how ridiculous our task is when we seek the holy grail of SEO.  The most important thing is   I hope some of you enjoyed it.

S P R I N G

Original Ideas Don’t Exist

You heard me right,there are no original ideas left.

I-Phones that’s was an original idea, right?  Cell phones already existed, smaller lap tops were popular and touch screen devices were everywhere.  Apple was bright enough to figure out the right combination of technology to bundle, but nothing they did was original.  It was nothing more than the evolution of some things that already exist.

How about the original telephone, that’s an original idea. Not so much.  Telegraphs crossed the country allowing communication and the human voice had already been captured and recorded.  The telephone was the natural progression.

What about the internet itself.  HA!  That was original.  Well not in my book.  Telegraph lines crossed the country.  News telegraphs sent stories over the wires and onto to typewriters all over the country.  Computers were sharing data from digital tapes carried from one to another,  Sooo again, not original.  just a brilliant use of all the existing technologies to form the logical next step.  Original idea?  NO!

I recently mentioned at an Ebsco management meeting that I had never had an original idea in over 30 years of management.  I stole every idea I had.  It’s true.  In my past position I had a reputation for being an innovator.  I freely admit not one idea was original, I stole them all.  The appearance of being an innovator came from my ability to successfully bundle the ideas I stole.

I guess I didn’t actually steal them.  I simply copied pieces from several different places and formed them into my own.  Bundling?  Might be a good word for it.  Innovation,  Now that word fits.

Innovation is the art of listening to what the people want and then looking at all the elements out there to create the right combination to meet those wants.  That’s innovation and that is what separates successful from un-successful companies.  I mentioned in a previous Blog that if a company was not growing it was dying.  That growth is innovation.

Successful leaders are always looking and listening.  Listening for what people want and looking for the parts to make that a reality.  They look at competition, suppliers, other industries, the media and every place they go.  They take in everything, always with an eye to how that can be made an advantage for them, how that will meet a customers needs.  That’s what I try to do.  I never go to a customer without seeing ideas that will make us better.  Every time I see product or hear comments on competitors I see small opportunities for Ebsco to improve (I seem to only find SMALL ideas from our competition.  Any interaction with another company of any kind holds opportunities for innovation, you just need to listen and see.

So a word to the leaders that are listening.  Get out of your head, locked in your office, trying to come up with the next brilliant idea to make your company a success.  Get out in the world and take it ALL in, with an eye for what will work at your company.  A dash from here, a piece from there, a strategy from elsewhere all matched up with what the customers want and you might be on your way to the next big thing.  Just don’t call it original.  We know you stole it.There are no new original ideas.

All Springs Are Not Created Equal

I have written in previous Blogs concerning the over use of the word quality.  Do you want “quality” or “real quality” or “the best quality”.   The same thing with precision.  I see business signs, “Precision Imports”, Precision Plumbing” or “Precision Muffler”.  Do you really think the muffler at Precision are any different form the ones at other shops?  Or do the plumbers at Precision really push the snake straighter down the sewer line than other plumbers?  I really don’t think so. Americans tend to do this to words. Much of it comes from our marketing and advertising sector.  They LOVE adjectives and are not real concerned if they honestly fit the company or product, just what emotion it may invoke in the consumer.

This over use and sensationalizing of adjectives struck me last week while doing an orientation with a new employee.  I think it is important to meet with all new employees to let them know what Ebsco Spring stands for and what they can expect as a member of the team.  The new hire asked me if we made springs like the one in their ink pen.  I smiled and said “No, we only make quality precision springs.”  After I said it, all puffed up in pride, I realized those terms were so over used that I had really said nothing to the team member.  They had no more idea of who Ebsco is and what we make than when he walked in the door.

I believe myself to communicate well and realized I had just failed miserably in that instance.  So how do I communicate the difference in Ebsco’s springs.  How do I get someone to truly understand what we manufacturer?  Application and consequences of failure.

Ebsco spring manufacturers springs that are in the U.S. Navy’s F/A 18 fighter.  We have springs in the U.S. (and several allies) F-16 Falcon’s gun control unit.  How do I communicate the quality of our products?  Imagine that pilot over Afghanistan and the spring in their gun control stops working.  They have no weapons.  We have springs in safety valves used in refineries, pipelines and off shore platforms.  If the spring fails and the pressure is not released explosions can occur.  How do I describe what Ebsco Spring does.

Ebsco Spring manufacturers precision, quality springs that have to work the first time and every time or people get hurt.compression springs,extension springs,wire forms, sring company, springs

That does paint a pretty good word picture of what I want to say, but why is it so difficult to describe.  According to “The Global Language Monitor” there are 1,010,649.7 words in the English language as of January 1, 2012.  I’m not sure which word only counts for  .7  but I imagine it’s a sad little word.  I hope someday it can achieve a full word status.  They claim that a new word is created every 98 minutes (and if we include my miss spellings, every paragraph).  You would think with that many words to choose from, I should be able to find the proper adjectives to describe the springs Ebsco manufacture.

With the torrential avalanche of media, everyone is screaming to be heard above the noise (and here I am adding more to the turmoil with this Blog).  We are bombarded with sooo much, that people are stretching descriptions to be heard. ”Would you like a large size?,  can I SUPER SIZE that for you?, Would you like a GIANT ROUTE 44?,  May I put that in this convenient 55 gallon drum with trailer hitch for the back of your car? (We’re not there yet but remember you heard it here first).

So what I’m saying as I amble along here trying to be heard is, Let’s all try to get real, and stop over sensationalizing things.  I need to be the first in line for this one.  That way when we do experience something truly spectacular, we can describe it to others and they can experience a little piece of what we did.

All springs are not created equal.  Ebsco Springs are super, incredible, untouchabley unimaginably, unequally,fantastically grandourously, marvelously terrifically superb.      GUESS I STILL HAVE SOME WORK TO DO.

KISS to Success

No I do not mean that all you need to do is press your lips to another to succeed.  I’m speaking of Keep It Simple Stupid. Generally this works out best in life and in business.  In manufacturing it always rules.  If you really dive in the Toyota Production System, KISS is at its core.

I recently learned Boeing’s method to keep track of the final assembly for the technical marvel 747.  The plane starts final assembly at one of the building and exits the opposite end when complete. Final assembly includes attaching and testing some of the most complicated systems in aerospace today.  The cutting edge of technology.  To constantly monitor the status of this assembly schedule, Boeing writes the date and time on the floor, where the plane should be in the process.  If the plane is not to that line, they are behind.  KISS at it’s finest.  Boeing instituted this system as they phased in the Toyota Production System.

So in a job shop, with different parts, some taking an hour and some taking days to run, different size machines with work loads falling on different pods of machinery each day, how do we monitor our schedule?

On time delivery to our customers is crucial, just miss a date and you will find out quickly.  When you have customers assembling parts worth several thousand dollars, going in equipment worth several million dollars, try to tell them it will be delayed due to a spring worth a few cents. On time delivery of every component is essential to the effort.

So how do we monitor our production to our schedules.  We have several reports we can run on the computers, but generally by the time they tell you anything, it’s already too late.  Management needs instant access to on time status on the production floor,  where it is happening.  KISS

Simple Visual Ques are the key to monitoring on time production.  Toyota lives and dies by the visual ques they use to monitor on time production, many no more sophisticated than chalk boards or colored magnets. KISS

We are currently instituting our KISS solution for monitoring spring production at Ebsco.   ”LIGHTS” We will install simple lights at the top of poles at each machine.  When the machine is running behind schedule, the operator will flip a switch lighting the bulb.  This will allow management to easily direct their attention to troubled areas.  They can then work with operators seeking solutions to get production back on schedule.  Solutions may include adding additional help, shifting work loads to other machines, providing additional training, machine repair or adjustment and many more.  The key is identifying the area behind schedule and addressing the situation immediately before it creates a domino effect.

It is essential that your KISS solution, in Ebsco’s case the lights, is NOT used as a weapon.  It must be used as a tool.  If management’s response to the light is to assign blame and criticize operators, I will assure you that your solution will not work in the long run.  No one wants to flip a switch to create themselves discomfort and criticism.  When addressing your visual que, your approach must be as an advocate for the operator.  How can I help!  If the operators see that identifying their section as behind brings help and assistance they will be motivated to “Flip their switch” and follow the program.

Just as important is when management does NOT respond when the operator indicates they are behind schedule.  Non-response shows the operator that management doesn’t care about the schedule.  This will quickly go through the entire organization and no one will care about the schedule and on time delivery to your customers.  Immediate response with true help are essential.  This is another opportunity to show everyone how important on time delivery is to you and your company.

Until someone finds a magic spell and achieves 100% On Time Delivery, good companys will always fight to achieve this lofty goal.  At Ebsco we are utilizing our technology to build and manage production schedules, but when it comes down to day-to-day execution, we are keeping our solutions simple. Flip a switch.  KISS.  Immediate feedback allowing immediate action from the entire team.

Coming Soon by Todd Pfeifer of EBSCO Spring

It would be a huge understatement to say I am amazed at the speed of the proliferation of the internet and social media on society.  Twitter, face book, LinkedIn, not even in existence a few years back are now daily staples of most people and the news media is covering stories on society’s latest addiction, social media. 

Coming from my previous background of retail management it was very easy to see the utility of these communication channels in tracking customer sentiment and providing offers as a call to action for your customers.  This form of communications fits with B2C business.  Social Medias benefits are a little harder to understand in my current B2B role.  Obviously tracking consumer attitudes is important anywhere but how do you even get your B2B clients engaged in this new media.

The good part of the ambiguity is that many B2B companies do not see any benefit in social media and utilizing the web as a marketing tool and have no plans to participate.  They create the basic about us/contact us web page and then rely on traditional channels to grow their business.  Companies like Ebsco, that understand the potential of these channels have a competitive advantage that will grow with the growth of these resources.

B2B companies cannot expect the web to be a direct marketing and selling tool as B2C companies.  B2Bs must utilize these tools to:                 

                  Track consumer sentiments

                  Build relations with customers

                  Provide useful tools to customers and potential customers

COMING SOON

I am proud to announce here that Ebsco has two exciting launches coming to the internet this summer.

 

Spring Design Workshop on YouTube channel Ebsco Spring

Ebsco has obtained a YouTube channel and is producing an informational series of videos covering spring process designs.  Engineers and purchasing managers are expected to be experts in several fields and we know it is impossible to know everything about everything.  The Spring Design Workshop series will have short videos capturing several optional spring processes with information provided on their benefits and potential costs.  It is designed to help engineers and purchasing managers determine what costs are truly necessary in designing the quality springs they need.  The Video series will be available on YouTube and will have direct links on our website www.EbscoSpring.com.

 

 

Spring Design Forum

Ebsco will be launching a new web site, www.SpringDesignForum.com.  This web site will be sponsored by Ebsco but will be opened to EVERYONE, including our competitors.  It will not be linked to Ebsco’s company web site in any way.  We are creating this web site for engineers, designers and purchasing agents to ask questions and share knowledge with one another and with other experts in the spring field.  We are reaching out to wire suppliers, metallurgist, outside processing companies and other spring companies to participate in this forum.  The forum will be completely opened and hopefully will become a major resource for spring related questions.  We are looking forward to launching and participating in this site when it is launched in Spring 2012.

 

At Ebsco Spring we are committed to utilizing our over 70 years experience as a Spring Manufacturer while operating on the leading edge of technology and innovation to be the Spring Company in the market.  The Spring Design Workshop Video Series and Spring Design Forum is just another way we deliver the cutting edge in service to our industry.

Where Are They?

It’s the lead story on their nightly newscast every night,

Unemployment Figures.

They just released January figures.  8.3% or 13.7 million unemployed in the United States.  For Tulsa, December figures show 6.8%, over 28,000 unemployed

I have one question,  Where are they?

Recently Ebsco Spring has been searching for up to 4 entry-level positions, requiring little experience or skill. We utilized local temp agencies but it was understood that these were not temp positions.  We went weeks with no credible applications.  No one interested in applying.  So where are all of the unemployed?

In more skilled positions, such as maintenance, I am seeing near bidding wars for qualified applicants.  Companies are buying out the temp agency contracts and paying signing bonuses to attract qualified applicants.  Again, not a lack of jobs, a lack of qualified applicants.

I am not doubting these people are out there, just questioning who they are.  Are these highly skilled individuals from high paying jobs that are looking.  If so I can understand why they would not be interested in our entry-level positions.  The point is that I am seeing sales rebounding to and beyond pre-crisis levels, positions opening and help wanted signs everywhere. Yet no applicants.  A shortage of qualified help.

Are these individuals being left behind by an economic recovery?  Has businesses permanently shifted their needs away from the skills these individuals posses and moved on?  Has anyone told these individuals there may not be any jobs like they had available in the future?  Has anyone talked to them and encouraged education and training in new directions for them?

I propose a lot of questions and do not pretend to have any of the answers.  I do not know if I am even asking the right questions.  What I do know is I have a problem reconciling Ebsco’s record sales and struggles to find enough employees to keep up and other companies hiring and expanding with these unemployment numbers.

I hope there are much smarter individuals out there asking the right questions and finding the answers so the unemployed can find the jobs they need to put their lives back on track. Prosperity has a place for everyone.

EPS Ebsco Production System

The Toyota Way

I have been reading the book pictured here “The Toyota Way” by Jeffrey K. Liker (McGraw Hill 2004).

Professor Jeffrey Liker  teaches Industrial and Operations Engineering at the University of Michigan.   Liker has been involved in analyzing Toyota since 1982.  He has spent a great deal of time at Toyota and developed a relationship and access to the company that is unparalleled.  In his book, Professor Liker looks at the underlying culture that drives Toyota’s TPS (Toyota Production System), the basis of Lean and so many other production systems and theories.

According to Dr. Liker, the point is NOT lean. Lean is simply a byproduct of Toyota’s DNA.  Toyota’s DNA, directly links to the principles of the founding Toyoda family.  When they developed TPS it was not intended to be a system.  It was simply Toyota, reacting to obstacles that threatened the company.  Toyota met the challenges head on and created new methods and philosophies to overcome.  It was years later they published their system to pass on to suppliers and global partners that went on to become the driving philosophy behind manufacturing today. Too many companies focus on the steps for lean production directly as an answer to their obstacles, while the underlying character and culture of the company hold the answers.  Lean in itself is not an answer. I do not believe Professor Liker is in any way diminishing the value of Lean.  In fact he is a major proponent of Lean.  His point is that lean requires a foundation or base.  Without the proper foundation, the structure will fail. He presents TPS as a “system based on structure, not just a set of techniques”, At the base of the structure is “The Toyota Way Philosophy”. In the center of the structure is continuous improvement, waste reduction and people.  Without the foundation and the central core supporting the pillars (the techniques) the house collapses.

Professor Liker talks about the Toyota DNA.  He states the company carries on the core values of the founding family.  Management seeks long-term answers and avoids short-term gains. Developing and empowering people are the keys to success.  After WWII Japan’s economy was in ruins and cash had little value.  There was plenty demand for Toyota trucks, but little money to pay for them.  Kiichiro Toyoda, Toyota’s CEO had trouble paying employees as most companies in Japan.  Wages were cut by 10% and 1,600 workers were asked to ”retire” voluntarily.  This led to work stoppages at Toyota which were common in Japan at the time.  Kiichiro Toyoda took personal responsibility, even though everyone knew events were beyond his control.  He resigned as President of Toyota.  His personal actions helped quell worker’s dissatisfaction and put Toyota back on the assembly line.  This is part of the Toyota DNA.  Kiichiro felt he had let his employees down and sacrificed himself. Since I have the honor of being married to the CEO of Ebsco, I have unique insight into her core values of Ebsco. I remember in 2009 during the recession.  The manufacturing industry was hit very hard and Ebsco suffered it’s share.  Management took a salary reduction.  Sales were down, some months up to 50%.  When Cheryl came home from work I never heard her talk about her pay reduction or her future.  What kept her up at night was fear for the employees future.  She constantly talked about all of the people who were counting on her for a job.  Her concern was for the team, not herself.  This has always driven Cheryl.  She looks at Ebsco as what it offers the employees, her family.  She looks at Ebsco as a group of people who count on Ebsco for their futures and families and takes that responsibility very personally. Waste reduction is one of the three elements in our central core.  Ebsco tackles this daily.  We address it not by engineers or management reviewing KPIs (yes we do look at these also) but by empowering our team to question everything.  I have repeatedly retold a story at Ebsco about a manufacturing company in England.  A consultant at the company asked about a column on a production report that workers checked NO daily, (The heading at the top of the paper was gone)  The workers replied they didn’t know what it was for but knew to put NO down every day.  One day the consultant found the original form with the heading still in tact.  The company had been around pre WWII.  The column said AIR RAID YES/NO.  Obviously this had meaning during the Battle for Brittain but workers continued the practice today, just because that’s what they always did. (SOURCE  BusinessBalls.com)  We take nothing for granted at Ebsco.  We ask why on everything, but most importantly is who asks.  EVERYONE asks.  Those doing the job know what has value to the customer and what is waste.  They are our source for eliminating the waste. At Toyota they challenge everything. It is part of their DNA.  The key is EVERYONE challenges everything.  It’s in Ebsco’s DNA also. The second item in our supporting core is continual improvement. This is actually written into my job description as a responsibility.  I am evaluated on continuous improvement at Ebsco.  If you have followed my Blogs you know where Ebsco is on that.  Baby steps… One Million at a time. We’re changing many things at the same time.  Is change actually improvement?  In The Toyota Way, Cho Toyoda, Toyota president in 2002 is quoted, “There are many things one doesn’t understand and therefore, we ask them why don’t yu just go ahead and take action; try to do something? You realize how little you know and you face your own failure and you can simply correct those failures and do it again and at the second trial you realize another mistake or another thing you didn’t like so you can redo it once again. So by constant improvement, or, should I say, the improvement based upon action, one can rise to the higher level of practice and knowledge.”  At Ebsco we encourage everyone to try, mistakes are not “got yous” but opportunities to learn. I think Nike’s “Just Do It” applies at Ebsco. The third item in our core is people.  My management philosophy is “It’s People Stupid”.  That’s it.  Nothing else to say.  Without people nothing happens.  Our commitment to our team is in our Mission Statement.  At Ebsco we learned that management doesn’t have the answers.  Management has the questions and the team has the answers.  In lean you talk about elimination of waste, anything that doesn’t add value.  The team adds value, management supports the team. In any other capacity management becomes a source of waste, which I am sorry to say is the case at many companies.

So what about the Ebsco Production System compared to Toyota’s TPS?  We’re not there yet but isn’t that the key.  It’s impossible to even define where there is.  There is no final destination for Toyota or Ebsco, both under a constant form of improvement driven from the employees within.  Beyond the TPS, Ebsco values fun in the workplace as an additional important element.   The keys are in the right position.  Like everything else, hold on for the ride, it’s going to be fun.

What Am I Talking About?

We have recently switched at Ebsco Spring, to Word Press for our Blogs.

As I struggle to learn a new format and new tools, I have begun to ask myself, “What am I talking about?”.  I have been blogging for almost a year now. It’s time to refine what am I trying to say and who am I trying to say it to. 

I actually have two audiences I want to reach.  The first is the team at Ebsco.  I hope these blogs give them a better understanding of who I am and why I am attempting the things I do. I always attempt to convey the why behind the what but my hope is these blogs will provide a better understanding of the who behind the why.

My second audience is other business leaders.  Most of these blogs focus on a theory, practice or school of thought in leadership.  I hold no illusion that I am the best qualified person to provide guidance in leadership.  What I can provide is Real World examples of the theories and practices applied. These blogs will allow others to see the theoretical meet the practical.  My stories share my experiences applying knowledge I have gained in my 32 years of management. 

Some of my stories will hold triumphs that reinforce the theories and practices, others will share failures where they were not applied properly, not used at all or maybe a case where they were just wrong.  Regardless they should all provide opportunities to learn.

Learning from academics and text books is an important part of leadership.  This blog offers the practical side . Where the rubber meets the road.  You will see first hand, what to avoid and what to embrace.

I hope others will follow this blog and find it of value.  I do not consider myself a great writer but I always strive to provide real situations, in real terms that are easy to follow.

So on to my second year of blogging at Ebsco Spring. Hope you enjoy the trip.

It’s Been ONE YEAR

This is the team I am very proud to say I am a part of now.  It’s been one year since I started this new journey at Ebsco and in a couple of words, “It’s a BLAST!”  The Community Involvement Team paired Ebsco with a local event to support breast cancer research and this pic shows how everyone gets behind the team.

I wanted to look back and share some of the lessons and experiences I’ve had over the last year. It has been a unique opportunity.  Many of the things I had taught at my previous job for over 30 years were really put to the test at Ebsco.   I’m proud to say I have come along way since that first day I took the wrong turn in the warehouse and got stuck in a dead end and looked foolish, only to compound it by pretending to look at boxes on the shelf like I had a clue.  Oh I still do stupid things everyday but now the team has learned to expect it from me.

I have always preached that any team will look at leadership, decide if they are going to succeed or fail and then set forth making their decision a reality.  Their determination on the leaders fate is based on if the leader cares about them and has the entire teams best interest at heart.  I really do care about the pink mob pictured above and I think they all know it.  They have responded posting one of the best years ever at Ebsco and driven positive change to new levels.  They are making us a success.  It took a little time but when we develop a relationship on trust, they responded. When I asked for ideas on change at Ebsco they responded and responded and responded.  It wasn’t necessary to sell change to them, my problem was keeping up with all of their ideas for change.

Another point I have always preached was that management was the same everywhere.  You do not need to be an expert on the industry, you need to be an expert on caring and leading a team.  Again they have proved this correct.  I knew I didn’t know anything about spring making when I walked in and the only progress I’ve made is to realized I didn’t even know how much I didn’t know.  That might not be completely true.  I found that people like to talk about their jobs and love to teach the boss.  They have taught me a great deal about spring making and Ebsco.  Now I might know a tenth of what they do, but they keep trying.

I read several books before starting my new position on manufacturing, lean, TQM blah blah blah.  what I found was none of the books had any answers.  What they did have was the questions.  They providing me with the right questions for the real experts, the Team Members.  The knowledge I gained from reading didn’t apply directly to Ebsco but it allowed me to ask the right questions and they provided the answers. Reading can spark the imagination or start the kernel of an idea.  This is just the starting point.  People hold the answers.

I discovered that being a catalyst is an important trait for a leader.  Being inquisitive and asking why or why not sparks the minds of team members.  Those sparks lead to the fires of invention and unlimited potential.  When you can take the combined knowledge and experience of the entire team and create a spark, the results will often knock you down.  Coming in from outside gave me a real advantage at this.  I had a complete different wealth of experiences and didn’t have the “we have always done it that way mentality”.  This made it easy for me to “spark”.  Now, what keeps me up at night is that I am becoming an insider and may loose some of that spark.  I have committed myself to continue reading, visit customers and vendors to see and experience new things.  I don’t want to loose the spark.

I have discovered new perspectives of leadership.  In my new position I have the opportunity to see the mile high view.  At that level the details are very fuzzy and that allows the total picture to be very clear.  This is a big portion of my job.  I may not understand all of the details but I have the opportunity to see how the entire process works and the relationship between groups.  I have been able to relieve the boss of some of her day to day activities and allow her to step back even further.  I think this has helped her with some big decisions that have really impacted Ebsco.  I can’t take credit for the ideas but hopefully what I have done has contributed to her being able to take a new perspective on things.

Organizational skills have turned out to be essential.  I’ve adopted a saying “Baby Steps… One Million at a Time”  To keep those million steps in line takes organizational skills.  A little OCD isn’t a bad thing when herding this many projects.  Outlook has become my best friend.  i have always utilized planners but in this job it’s my life line.  Without it, most things would just fall through the cracks.

So to recap, what have I learned.  A great deal and nothing at all.  I’ve learned allot about manufacturing, springs, ISO, Job Boss and many other specifics.  Generally though, I’ve learned nothing new, just reinforced what I knew all along.  “It’s People Stupid“  With all the technology and management theory it boils down to that one simple phrase.  PEOPLE.  I’m lucky I have the people at Ebsco on my team.

Critical Mass

Critical Mass is the point when you have enough of the right materials, put together in the proper way to create a sustained nuclear reaction.  It’s the point when it all comes together to make the BIG BANG.

Ebsco is reaching critical mass.  All the ingredients are coming together to create our Big Bang.

Ebsco listened and surveyed our customers to find out what was important to them.  What did Ebsco need to offer to create a Big Bang as there partner. This is what our customers told us were the right ingredients;

• The Best Quality Springs
• Competitive Pricing
• Short Lead Times
• Responsiveness to Needs

We then looked at what our competition was offering and set our goals to reach critical mass by exceeding what they had to offer. Ebsco fared well against the competition but nothing short of “World Class” was going to be good enough. We are going to reach critical mass.

The entire Ebsco team looked at every aspect of our company, searching for improvement. Communication and cooperation between every department reached new highs.  Employees took ownership and greeted the challenge with enthusiasm. Working together, with everyone’s input we are finding new and creative solutions and I must add, having allot of fun along the way.

Every aspect of quality is constantly monitored, recorded and communicated.  Anything short of perfect is analyzed and corrected.  The Quality Control department is now Quality Assurance, as everyone has taken on the role of Quality Control. Specifications are checked and re-checked by several team members throughout the process.  When something doesn’t meet our standards, everyone is involved in finding a solution.

Our team constantly evaluates every step of the process from the initial phone call to customer delivery. We look for more efficient ways to operate and reduce costs.  Beyond simply eliminating waste, we look for any opportunity to improve the process.  Our key to success is our team work.  Looking beyond ones specific job into the whole process is illuminating several new opportunities.  As we become more efficient we have been able to pass along savings to our customers in the form of better pricing.  Even with drastic material cost increases we have been able to hold many prices to our customers.

Our biggest successes from our team members has been shortened lead times.  Team members have followed work orders through every step of the process looking for wasted time.  Working together they have found new methods that have reduced lead times up to one half.  New technology has been implemented to focus these gains and continually monitor our efforts.

Customer responsiveness has always been a priority but like everything else you don’t find opportunities unless you take a critical look.  We have looked and improved several areas.  From the first call from the customer (to a team member, no automated systems here) to our reply, a new sense of urgency exists.  We strive to respond to any customer request, “NO PROBLEM” and make that response quickly.

We are proud of the improvements the team has made at Ebsco and are closing in on the “World Class” status we have targeted.  We realize we haven’t arrived yet but if you truly want to be World Class you will never arrive because it requires continual improvement. We are at a point that we can stand next to any competitor and say “We Are Your Best Choice” without hesitation.

We are extremely confidant in the abilities of our team to provide the BEST to our customers and now need to spread that word.  We have recently added a marketing department to support our sales department.  In addition to spreading the word about Ebsco, they will work with our production and process teams to produce and distribute valuable tools to our current and future customers.  These tools will assist them in cutting costs in design and engineering.

Ebsco has reached critical mass and is about to make a BIG BANG in the spring industry.