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A Few (Sometimes Rambling) Thoughts

Its all about Relationships

Growing up my father constantly it seemed preached to me the importance of relationships.  Way back then I knew what he meant (for the most part) and got it (kind of) but today I have a real appreciation for the free lesson he was throwing my way.

In business as in life making contact with people and nurturing those interactions is key.  Nothing new here; and certainly nothing any of us hasn’t heard before.  But when I think about where I’ve been, where I am, and where I want to go personally, professionally (and yes even spiritually ) relationships are absolutely critical.

My career is the result of jobs I’ve held, places I’ve worked, people I’ve met and relationships I’ve forged – and yes a lot of help and a little luck along the way.   I think people sometimes complicate things. I don’t pretend to have unlocked any of life’s secrets.  After years of lessons learned and good and bad experiences I’ve learned to keep it simple, be upfront with people, keep learning and develop lasting relationships.

 



It’s the People

Since venturing out on my own in 2015 I’ve been asked a few times what I enjoy most about being an independent MarCom (choose one: consultant, freelancer, specialist, service provider, business owner, guy).   My knee-jerk reaction to expand on the wide variety of industries I’ve been introduced to; from manufacturing and engineering to warehousing/distribution, simulation, testing, industrial equipment, service and software providers alike. Heck I even do a little work with a foster care recruiter.

The experience is educational to say the least. What a great feeling when something really clicks and you have an a-ha moment and see things in a new light.   Still while I’ve learned so much in the past five years or so – I’m only scratching the surface.

But what I’ve enjoyed most is the people I’ve met.  I cannot separate these relationships from the learning aspect.  These professionals exude such levels of energy, confidence, and  expertise; that one cannot help but be impressed.  They radiate a passion that’s nothing short of contagious.  Perhaps the most inspiring thing about these people is their thirst for learning.  To a man/woman each has demonstrated a desire to advance their expertise even further.  Simply put they never stop learning.  I know, you hear that a lot – I heard that so many times that I became numb to it.  But when you witness this first hand it becomes obvious that learning the key.  Its a trait that successful people share.

I think I’ll take a page out of their playbook and try a little harder to do the same.



Product Validation

Far removed from the days of 2D drawings and countless physical prototypes, today’s product development environment is largely driven by intelligent 3D Computer-Aided Design (CAD) models. In the 1970s the engineering community began to investigate ways to analyze product designs in order to better investigate failures in the field. By the 1980s, simulation was being used to validate designs more quickly during upstream design process. The intention was to enhance reliability while significantly reducing the number of physical prototypes that are built and tested. Moreover, validating a product early upstream in the product development process reduces or eliminates excessive warranty claims, lost contracts, and lost market share.

Sounds great in theory; and to be fair, the majority of larger organizations are achieving just this; and have been for some time. But some companies may struggle with the validation process because they may not have the experience base or formalized processes needed to reap the benefits others are achieving.

Read the entire article here.



Are we there yet?

I’m going a little off topic in today’s bolg.  When I was young (like 50 years ago) I used to like winter – I think.  I can even tolerate the cold and snow through February and early March. But when April arrives I’m ready for some warm, dry weather.  Time to play some golf, get the garden planted; and start mowing… which I’m sure I’ll regret in a few weeks.  When baseball season starts its time to break out the short pants and sun glasses right?

So I got to thinking about a few other ways that time has tainted me.  Not to sound too much like a cranky old man. Here are some other things that seemed like they were a lot bigger deal when I was growing up in small town, USA:

And a couple of things I would love to do just one more time:

I was feeling a little more nostalgic than usual today for some reason and got off topic a little.  (Maybe its because a Golden Buckeye Card materialized in today’s mail with my name on it.)  Anyway, thanks for allowing me this.



Subjectivity vs Objectivity

As humans we are are all about subjectivity. Its what keeps things interesting, fresh and innovative.  As a one-time co-worked of mine liked to say:  If we’re all thinking the same thing then somebody’s not thinking.  But when it comes to the subject of quality, there is no room for gut feel or personal opinion. Manufacturers and suppliers have to get it right.  Simply put, quality should not be left to human emotion. What’s unacceptable one day might be accepted the next; depending on any number of circumstances or how the individual feels on that particular day.  All reputable manufacturers implement some sort of quality assurance. But if quality is open to interpretation they are headed down a dangerous road.

I recently put the finishing touches on a story about this featuring the quality inspection solutions of Signalysis.  Check them out if you get a chance.



Democratizing Simulation: A Revolution in Simulation

I, along with a couple of colleagues, put our heads together a couple of years ago and launched a web site to support a growing movement known as “Democratizing Simulation”.   The result of that effort is RevolutionInSimulation.Org (or more concisely: rev-sim.org).

The underlying idea is that today there are a select few individuals within a manufacturing, product development, engineering organization with the experience and expertise to perform engineering simulation.  In a simplistic sense, engineering simulation (also commonly referred to as CAE or Engineering Analysis) is the process to validate product designs for quality, durability, manufacturability, etc.) in the very early upstream stages of new product development.  This greatly reduces – or even eliminates – the need to build and test multiple physical prototypes. The result is a shorter development cycle and less time to get products to market.

Democratizing Simulation allows companies to basically capture and extend the knowledge and experience of expert CAE analysts.  Make no mistake, simulation tools are costly and sophisticated; and represent a serious investment.  Even though simulation software is very advanced, the process to validate designs does not happen at the push of a button.  It requires the use of these technologies along with a certain amount of judgement that comes from experience. The problem is that this often causes a bottleneck as there are many more models to be analyzed than there are experts to perform the task.

Intelligent templates allow companies to capture the experience of their simulation experts extending the capability to perform simulations to non-experts. This democratizes simulation and allows companies to get products validated much faster and evaluate many more designs to boost innovation.

So what about the CAE experts? Does this mean that they are no longer needed?  To the contrary, Democratizing Simulation allows these experts to focus their time on more sophisticated or higher priority simulations.

If you’re interested to learn more about this visit rev-sim.org.  Here you’ll find a host of educational materials including success stories, articles, papers, webinars, videos, presentations, industry events, and much more.



Industries with an Identity Crisis

Labor shortages in manufacturing and distribution circles are certainly well documented.  I have some thoughts on why these industries are struggling with resources. I believe that both industries suffer from an identity crisis.

What do you envision when you hear the words “Warehousing and Distribution”?  If you’re like me – before I began working with a couple of clients in the industry – you probably pictured a forklift moving boxes on a loading dock.  At the same time, the word “Manufacturing” likely conjures images of a long assembly line or sparks flying across s shop floor a welder.

Conversely, the word “Technology” may get you thinking about a flashy computer model, robotics, or something not as manual-labor intensive as manufacturing or distribution.  The truth is that today’s manufacturing and distribution environments do have strong technical elements.  Today’s young workforce largely perceives these industries as manually-intensive and unsophisticated.  This could not be further from the truth.

Processing metal requires a level of technical expertise and experience that would surprise most of us.  Programming metal processing equipment for example requires a working knowledge of CAD/CAM software and experience with assist gasses and knowing how to process various materials.  Its not rocket science; but it is complex and technical.

At the same time, today’s warehouses are a whirlwind of automation. From conveyors and carousels to order fulfillment hardware and autonomous robots, equipment, resources and processes must be effectively managed.  Warehouse Management, Execution and Control Systems (WMS, WES, WCS) are driving today’s warehousing and distribution processes.  Understanding and leveraging the technology for specific and unique requirements can product measurable and sustained improvements.

Manufacturing and Warehousing are two industries that have been wrongfully pegged as low or no-tech.  In reality these industries offer fantastic opportunities for today’s tech-savvy young workforce.