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Techniques
YIkes, I've Got Wrinkles!
Fall is here and the little goblins will be knocking on our doors looking for treats. I love the signs of the season changes and Indian summer. However there is a part of fall that isn’t so nice, and that is when I start getting calls from customers in a panic because they have had a different kind of goblin showing up... Read More
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Coatings
Choosing the Right Finish
Product design can have many meanings beyond the basic design of the product you manufacture. It can include the design of materials from your suppliers, the manufacturing process, cost, function, form, environmental, etc. Read More
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Marble & Granite
White Marble Gaining Popularity in Kitchens
An interesting trend is developing in the natural stone business and it signals a return in interest to some classic stones. More and more, homeowners and kitchen designers are calling for the use of white marble...Read More
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Troubleshooting
A Taste For Wood
The origin and evolution of styles in woodwork has been an ongoing interest of mine. The most popular furniture styles of all time originated in the 18th and early 19th centuries. In fact, this period of time is referred to as the “Golden Age” of furniture. Read More
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Technique/Process
My Black Granite Countertop is Fading?
Your phone rings and the lady on the other end is yelling at you complaining about her black granite countertop that you installed for her about a month ago. She tells you that there are gray faded spot appearing all over it....Read More
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Finishing
Spray Gun and Equipment Cleaning
Equipment clean up may be the least desirable part of a spray operator’s job; however, good cleaning of equipment is essential to achieve consistent quality of finish and to maintain the equipment to operate at peak performance. Read More
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Manufacturing Strategies
Minimally Disruptive Product Design
There are always opportunities to add new products or make major changes to existing products, but both introduce a level of risk and often come at a cost which can be higher than prudent in a soft market....Read More
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Green
Are Your Papers In Order?
Recent articles in the Wall Street Journal and other news media have brought to light some of the implications of the recently amended “Lacey Act”. Read More
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Design
Functional: The New Fancy
Or maybe casual is the new luxury? Any way you slice it, kitchens and baths are moving away from ornate styles and homeowners are embracing clean lines and simplicity. It’s not only true for kitchens and baths. This trend can be traced throughout the...Read More
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Productivity
Do You Test All Your New Hires?
These days it is so important to test all new hires for drugs. According to reports about half the new hires in the United States are now being tested. Checking with companies that do test, pre-employment drug testing shows a freighting 25 percent...Read More
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Green
What is Green for Countertops?
I love Kermit the Frog, how can you not? He has some very famous quotes and one of them applies to us and our industry. “It’s not easy being green!” I love it; and how true is that saying? ...Read More
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Material Selection
Paper Covers a ... Counter?
Paper clothes never made the grade, and paper plates are a one-and-done deal. So can anyone be serious about paper countertops? ...Read More
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Scarlett Machinery Notes 45 Years of Service
Survival of the fittest is an evolutionary business concept that one Grand Rapids company has embraced since automobiles had fins.
For 45 years, Scarlett Machinery has cast a wide net over the woodworking industry in the Upper Midwest. But as business paradigms morph and the economy evolves, this third-generation machinery supplier, headquartered on Grand Rapids’ southeast side, has creativity addressed new challenges and opportunities in a still uncertain business-to-business climate. more... |
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Turning Things Around with a New SOP System
The Millwork Specialist solves its consistency problems from the inside out
When the only consistency among your problems is that none of them are consistent, how do you solve the problem? You start from scratch, just like The Millwork Specialist in Richmond, Va. ....more..
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Commodity or Service? — Why Seilling Isn't Just About Price
A commodity according to Websters’ is “a mass-produced, unspecialized product” or “a good or service whose wide availability typically leads to smaller profit margins and diminishes the importance of factors (brand name, for example) other than price.” more...
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Product Design is More Than Form and Function
Part of me wants to focus on new product development initiatives. I also realize that in the current market people are reluctant to or simply unable to undertake product development projects that demand significant resources from already-stressed organizations. more...
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Leverage the Potential Value in Your Suppliers
Implementing any type of improvement program normally begins at home. However, to fully realize the potential of a lean initiative or any similar program implementation must extend beyond your walls to the companies that supply components, machines and services to you. more...
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