Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Associates’ Corner - Stamped Fittings, Inc.

Stamped Fittings, located in Elmira Heights, is a union manufacturer of heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) products.

Family owned and operated since 1997, the company started in a 4,000 sq. ft. facility with a three person staff.

Stamped Fittings has grown to employ 30 people in a 45,000 sq. ft. manufacturing and distribution facility, and produces a complete product line of spiral pipe components for the HVAC industry.

The company’s signature products are die-stamped elbows that are produced in the widest variety of materials, sizes, and gauges available in the industry, explained Shana Graham, president.

She said that these products plus their complete line of HVAC spiral pipe components are manufactured with the latest technology to allow consistent quality and precise tolerances for a proper fit.

In addition to producing ductwork fittings that use traditional metal-to-metal joints, the company’s EDGE® product line is self-sealing, incorporating factory-installed EPDM gaskets that reduce installation labor and do not require taping or other additional measures to prevent air leakage.

Stamped Fittings employees are members of the Sheet Metal Workers, Local #112. The company’s products are currently sold in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico.

For more information, contact: Shana Graham, 607-733-9988 or visit www.stampedfittings.com

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Associates’ Corner - Stan's NoTubes

A dozen years ago, Stan Koziatek took a fresh look at a problem that had forever plagued bicyclists -- flat tires. Since the root cause of the problem was failure of the inner tube to hold air, his solution was to enable riders to eliminate the inner tube and make the tires self-sealing. This idea propelled Koziatek into a series of innovations and experiments, resulting in a patented sealant that was honed over thousands of test batches.

Like many innovators, Koziatek’s ideas were initially dismissed by industry experts, but he was persistent.  He would show up at the start of national-series mountain bike races and punch holes into his own tires with an ice pick. His sealant would almost immediately fill the holes and allow Koziatek to ride as low as 18psi. The world’s top riders took note, often switching to Koziatek’s products and peeling off his decals to avoid upsetting their sponsors.

In order to offer his better tubeless tire system to an expanding bicycle market, Koziatek founded Stan’s NoTubes. The company is located in Big Flats and has grown to employ 31 people.

The core product line of Stan’s NoTubes is a range of kits that enable riders and bike shops to convert an existing bike rim and tire to tubeless use. These kits include molded rubber rim strips with an integrated valve, tire sealant, and related materials, and all the kit components can also be purchased individually. The company has also expanded into new product categories, including tires, hubs, rims and complete wheels. More recent product development at the company focused on tubeless rims with short side walls and Koziatek’s patented Bead Socket Technology (BST), a highly successful tubeless rim design with short sidewalls. BST allows for lighter rims, improved durability, increased tire traction, and decreased chances of flatting. Koziatek’s rim design rolled across the line first at the Beijing Olympics, and the company’s product line is now broadly acknowledged as being the worldwide industry leader.

Stan’s NoTubes products are sold through US dealers, international distributors, and the company’s own website which incorporates extensive customer support content, both for pre- and post-sale. Their marketing program also relies on active use of social media sites. Two major industry publications have included Koziatek in their short list of the most important people in cycling.

For more information, see www.notubes.com or call 607-562-2877.

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Driving to Zero Defects "8 Step Quality Defect Reduction Method"

HOST COMPANY: The Raymond Corporation

The Raymond Corporation, a Toyota Industries (TICO) member company is a global provider of materials handling equipment, technology, expertise, and support. Raymond manufactures electric lift truck products for the narrow aisle and very narrow aisle market segments in Class I, II, and III (Counterbalanced, Narrow Aisle, Pallet Truck).

The company was founded in 1922 and is based in Greene, NY. It has manufacturing sites in Greene, NY and Muscatine, IA, and a parts distribution facility located in Syracuse, NY.

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION
Raymond will provide a tour of its manufacturing operations highlighting how it has applied the Toyota Production System (TPS) Principles and Tools.
In the afternoon, Raymond will review its 8-step method for reducing quality defects, including how each step is performed and its key points. A critical part of this method is Raymond’s daily morning market or Asaichi meeting, which will also be highlighted during the workshop.
Asaichi morning meetings are used to communicate problems, share countermeasures, and speed overall resolution. Since every problem is an opportunity for improvement, this process helps leader’s and associates understand that quality is everyone’s responsibility.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND
Any level of the organization from front line Team Leader to CEO.
Individuals and teams encompassing a cross section of your company.

PARTICIPANT BENEFITS
* Gain an understanding of how to effectively reduce quality defects.
* How Asaichi meetings work.
* The benefits of Asaichi morning meetings.
* How to engage all team members and departments and be part of the solution.

COURSE AGENDA
 8:00 to  8:30 am: Registration and welcome
 8:30 to  9:30 am: Overview of The Raymond Corporation
 9:30 to 11:00 am: Tour of The Raymond Corporation
11:00 to 11:30 am: Q&A
11:30 to 12:00 pm: Lunch (provided)
12:00 to  3:30 pm: Driving to Zero Defects
 3:30 to  4:00 pm: Wrap-up

Workshop Objectives:
* Review 8-step method for reducing quality defects
* Review asaichi meeting roles, format and process

The workshop will be facilitated by Scott Campbell, TPS Manager at The Raymond Corporation and Carol Miller, Principal Consultant at AM&T.

See this and other newsletter articles at http://amt-mep.org/files/9413/7883/1821/2013-09.pdf

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Upcoming AME Events

The Lean Management System
September 10, 2013
WEBINAR
While much has been written about various aspects of managing lean operations rarely do we see a comprehensive view of how all the pieces fit together into a system. Attendees of this webinar will learn to understand how to go beyond the application of Lean tools and create an organization that embodies a culture of continuously improving customer value and eliminating waste. You will learn how to unlock the potential demonstrated in the islands of improvement in your company and tie them together into an entire value stream of people focused on improving flow each and every day.

CNY Round Table
Networking Event: Hosted by
The Hilliard Corporation
September 26, 2013
What about your business keeps you up at night? What are the compelling changes needed to keep your organization viable? Has your continuous improvement effort come to a plateau, or worse, hit a wall? Are you looking to build your network of contacts? AME is providing a forum to share, learn and grow. This venue is a short duration, highly localized, friendly format. All attendees will be participating in a “Roundtable Discussion” on topics of importance to you and your organization.

See this and other newsletter articles at http://amt-mep.org/files/9413/7883/1821/2013-09.pdf

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The Power to not Point

By: Paul Tillich

Here is a tiny fraction of a list of people who changed the world through the power of speech:
  • John Fitzgerald Kennedy
  • Martin Luther King
  • Winston Churchill
  • Ronald Reagan
  • Eleanor Roosevelt
  • Patrick Henry
  • Mother Teresa
  • Margaret Thatcher
  • Ralph Waldo Emerson

And here is a complete list of people who changed the world through the power of PowerPoint
Remember that list the next time you prepare a presentation and consider that it could BE different.

See this and other newsletter articles at http://amt-mep.org/files/9413/7883/1821/2013-09.pdf

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5 Signs that Your Failed Team Merits More Time

By: Art Petty

  1. An absence of finger-pointing and excuse-making. In my experience, there’s a direct inverse correlation with finger-pointing and the potential for team success.
  2. Genuine group and authentic distress at the failure. While a judgement call, it’s not that hard for a leader to distinguish between embarrassment, fear or repercussions type distress versus genuine “We failed and it bugs the crap out of me/us,” distress.
  3. “An emerging Apollo 13 mentality… “failure is not an option.” A sense of emergency, an intense focus on the goals of the initiative and extraordinary efforts to innovate are healthy signs that the team merits more time.
  4. External validation that the initiative is (still) highly relevant. There’s a tendency for firms and teams to irrationally pursue failed objectives. Avoiding this sunk cost/escalation of commitment trap is difficult and important. The assumptions of and need for the project from an external customer or market perspective must still be valid before offering more time to the failed team.
  5. A hunger for insights and knowledge from outside the team. Instead of turning inward and developing a bunker mentality, the team recognizes the need for help and pursues it. I’m particularly convinced of a team’s legitimacy, when they seek outside critical feedback on technical and performance issues.
The Bottom-Line for Now:
Sometimes, good performance is just a bit further down the road. Don’t discount how critical it is to give good people time to gel on big projects.

See this and other newsletter articles at http://amt-mep.org/files/9413/7883/1821/2013-09.pdf

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Keep Your Projects On Track

A “train and do” workshop introducing the basics of Project Management, including classroom presentation and exercises on how to organize and manage projects and bring them to a close – on time and on budget.

Are You a Project Manager?
Today, everything is a project with more and more people finding themselves in a project management role of some type. You don’t have to have the title of Project Manager to manage projects.

A Project is a temporary collection of related tasks to achieve a desired and usually unique result.
What do you think? Do you find yourself managing a collection of related tasks to achieve a desired result? If so, you qualify as a project manager. Businesses today are evolving, downsizing, and pushing more work down the organization chart. You may be a project manager and not know it. But what if you haven’t been trained as a Project Manager with the necessary skill and tool sets?

WHO SHOULD ATTEND
This training is for manufacturing, engineering, and installation personnel with project leadership responsibilities, whether in a new role or just in need of a refresher.

COURSE OUTLINE
  • Introduction to Project Management
  • Individual Roles and Responsibilities
  • Defining the Mission & Approach
  • Methodology Overview
  • Work Plan Review and Sign-off
  • Project Tracking (Working the Schedule)
  • Action and Contingency Plans
  • Project Status Reporting
  • Book shelving Project Management Data

Date: September 12, 2013
Time:  8:00 am to 4:30 pm
Location: Treadway Inn, Owego, NY
Cost: $250 ($200 for AM&T Associates) [Continental breakfast & lunch included]
Register your interest on-line at www.amt-mep.org
or contact Kathy Peacock at 607-774-0022 x308

See this and other newsletter articles at http://amt-mep.org/files/9413/7883/1821/2013-09.pdf

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Business Growth Through Exporting

One way to grow your sales and profitability is through exporting. But many companies with strong potential to successfully export their products never do because they just don’t know where to start.

You can learn how to start, and discover all the resources available to US companies for international business development at an export workshop on September 18 in Binghamton.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the President’s Export Council, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Export Assistance Center, and the Small Business Development Center at Binghamton University join in inviting companies to participate.

Co-sponsored by AM&T and the Upstate NY District Export Council, this workshop will help take the mystery out of exporting and enable you to decide if you should put resources into making it work for your company. Among other things, you’ll learn...
  • How to find qualified foreign partners
  • How to tap no-cost sources of international market research
  • Where to get support for exhibiting international trade shows
  • How to get the government to advocate for your company in foreign markets
  • How the SBA can facilitate getting the working capital necessary for growth
  • Banking tools to protect your foreign receivables
  • How Freight Forwarding services can simply shipping complexities

Local Success Story
Tony Loup from Insulating Coatings Corp. in Binghamton will discuss the company’s experience with marketing and selling internationally.

 
Date: September 18, 2013
Time: 8:00 am to 11:00 am
Location: Binghamton SBDC
222 Water Street
Binghamton, NY
Cost: Free, but registration is required
 
See this and other newsletter articles at http://amt-mep.org/files/9413/7883/1821/2013-09.pdf

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Manufacturing Day - October 4, 2013

MFG DAY addresses common misperceptions about manufacturing by giving manufacturers an opportunity to show, in a coordinated effort, what manufacturing is — and what it isn’t.

On October 4, manufacturers, educational institutions and others will host events to highlight the importance of manufacturing to the nation’s economy and draw attention to the many rewarding high-skill jobs in manufacturing fields.
 
In its first year, more than 240 events were held in manufacturing facilities in 37 states and more than 7,000 people participated. This year’s celebration will feature open houses, public tours, career workshops and other activities to increase public awareness of modern manufacturing.
 
The official guide to organizing MFG DAY open houses, the most frequent type of Manufacturing Day event, is now available at www.MfgDay.com. In it, hosts will learn:
  • How to prepare and promote an event.
  • How to welcome guests and conduct a tour of the facilities.
  • How to follow up with attendees and the MFG DAY community.
Download the Manufacturing Day Host Toolkit today at:
www.amt-mep.org/files/7613/7753/8769/MFG_DAY_Host_Toolkit.pdf

If you’re wondering about MFG DAY events other than a plant tour, or know someone who wants to host an event but doesn’t know where to start, we encourage you to read or share “3 Types of Manufacturing Day Events” at www.mfgday.com/resources/3-types-manufacturing-day-events, an article about manufacturing communities and educational fairs -- two other types of successful Manufacturing Day events.

See this and other newsletter articles at http://amt-mep.org/files/9413/7883/1821/2013-09.pdf

Visit our website at http://www.amt-mep.org