Build Your Supervisory Skills at our May Workshop

This 4-hour workshop provides an introduction to three simple methods that build supervisory skills. Managers, Supervisors, and Team Leaders have many needs but most critical to the company’s success are their skills at:

•  Good Job Relations  •  Instructing Employees  •  Making Job Improvements

Using training materials originally developed in the 1940’s by the Training-Within-Industry (TWI) Service, but updated for a 21st century work environment, attendees discover simple methods that could be practiced in their workplace. Sample tools used in each method are provided at the workshop that help attendees immediately start building their supervisory skills.

Are You?
• New to the supervisor role?
• Having trouble supervising others?
• Not getting the most from your employees?

This Workshop Focuses on How to:
• Effectively lead employees,
• Create more productive employees, and
• Improve troublesome processes.

Learn Supervisory Skills Such as:
• Making decisions and taking action based on facts
• Breaking down a job into important steps & key points
• Instructing employees on important steps & key points
• Analyzing a job to uncover waste
• Identifying ways to improve a job

What will be covered?
• Job relations
• Job instruction
• Job method improvement

Who Should Attend?
Anyone with direct reports, or anyone who directs the work of others, whether new to the position or in need of a refresher.

Date:       Tuesday, May 19, 2015
Time:       8:00 am to 12:00 pm
                sign-in and continental breakfast at 7:30
Location:   Holiday Inn Express,
                  Horseheads, NY
Cost:       $125 ($75 for AM&T Associates)
Instructor: Lloyd Johnson (for more info, call Lloyd at 607-227-6229)

Register on-line at www.amt-mep.org or contact Kathy Peacock at 607-774-0022 x308

See this and other newsletter articles at May 2015 Newsletter

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

Manufacturing Day Host Toolkit

Host Toolkit

The Manufacturing Day Host Toolkit is designed to help manufacturers plan successful MFG DAY events from start to finish. While specific to event hosts with manufacturing facilities, the Host Toolkit answers common questions and outlines steps that every MFG DAY host will find useful.
Download the Host Toolkit from: http://www.mfgday.com/playbook/MFGDAY-2015-Host-Toolkit.pdf

Topics covered in the Host Toolkit include:

Event FormatsThe first step in the event planning process is to decide on what to show visitors and how to share it with them. The Host Toolkit covers some common options, including:
• Facility Tour — the classic plant tour modified for MFG DAY audiences
• Presentation — a live presentation, demonstration, or video followed by a question-and-answer session
• Roundtable — an open discussion about a designated topic

AudiencesOne of the goals of Manufacturing Day is to give hosts a chance to show visitors what present-day manufacturing looks like. The Host Toolkit offers some suggestions for reaching out to the following audiences:
• Friends & Family —invite the children, spouses, and other relations of company employees, as well as close friends
• Politicians — connect directly with elected officials at the local, state, and national level
• Current and Prospective Customers and Suppliers — make business connections
• Press — gain event and company publicity
• Students — inspire the next generation of skilled workers

Tips for SuccessThe Host Toolkit also offers a number of suggestions for making events memorable, as well as reminders about the little things that can really make a difference. Some tips include:
• Directions & Signage — make it easy for guests to get to the event
• Scripting — create presentations and handouts for guests
• Displays — determine what capabilities to demonstrate and how

The Host Toolkit also includes a useful checklist to help hosts keep track of their planning process, as well as links to templates for writing letters to community leaders and press contacts.

Download a copy today to start planning your MFG DAY event from: http://www.mfgday.com/playbook/MFGDAY-2014-Host-Kit.pdf

If you have any questions or plan on holding a MFG DAY event contact us at 607-774-0022 x304

 

MFG DAY is October 2, 2015

See this and other newsletter articles at May 2015 Newsletter

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

Made in the Southern Tier - an Online Directory

Increase Your Exposure

AM&T has launched Made in the Southern Tier - an online directory that showcases our region’s companies and the vast array of products that are manufactured here.

Inclusion in the directory is free to all Southern Tier manufacturers. Benefits include:
• Enhanced exposure to top-level search engines such as Google
• Greater likelihood that world-wide customers can find you
• Ease of finding regional suppliers and partners for your production needs
• One source for regional companies to find manufacturing suppliers

In addition to descriptive text and contact information, the company profiles include logos, product images, videos, and more – a comprehensive yet compact showcase.

Learn more at www.amt-mep.org. Click on “About the Directory” or “View Manufacturers”.

To qualify for inclusion in the directory, a company must be a manufacturer, with a NAICS code between 311-Food Manufacturing and 339-Miscellaneous Manufacturing. Also, the company must be located in one of the following New York counties: Broome, Chemung, Chenango, Delaware, Schuyler, Steuben, Tioga, and Tompkins.

See this and other newsletter articles at May 2015 Newsletter

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

Bridge to Success Loan Program

The Purpose
Empire State Development (ESD) will expand access to short-term Loans for New York State Certified Minority and Women-Owned firms doing business with New York State.

The “Bridge To Success” Loan Program will invest at least $20 million to expand access to short term bridge loans for Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprises (MWBEs).

NYS MWBE Resource Line - 855-373-4692

Participating Lenders
New York Business Development Corp - 518-694-8552
SEFCU - 866-733-2880 x6005
Tompkins Mahopac Bank - 845-278-1027
Carver Federal Savings Bank - 718-230-2900

See this and other newsletter articles at May 2015 Newsletter

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

Export Business Plan Seminar

Learn the essential elements of an Export Business Plan.

Creating an international business plan, i.e., export plan, is important for defining your company’s present status, internal goals and commitment. Preparing the plan in advance of making export loan requests from your bank can save time and money.

Visit www.cnyiba.net

Date:     May 20, 2015

Time:     3:00 pm to 5:00 pm

Location: Center of Excellence
               727 E Washington St, Syracuse, NY

Cost:     $25 CNYIBA Members
             $35 Non-CNYIBA Members

Contact:  315-470-1800 | info@cnyiba.net

See this and other newsletter articles at May 2015 Newsletter

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The Fool & The Thinker

By: Doug Hall

The Fool believes that by doing the same thing they can get different results. The Thinker knows that change is the only certainty – they embrace it, ignite it and encourage it.

The Fool believes that if it’s not broke don’t fix it. The Thinker knows that when you find out it’s broke it’s too late – to the proactive go the rewards.

The Fool believes that CONTROL creates smarter creativity. The Thinker knows that creativity comes from ENABLING employees, and that part of enabling is giving strategic direction to What ideas are needed, Why they are needed, and being transparent about constraints.

The Fool overrates the value of expertise. He believes that qualitative conversation are statistically reliable. The Thinker knows that the ONLY way to reduce risk is with data – quantitative data statistically analyzed. Anything else is gambling.

The Fool believes that the mission of the company is to make money. The Thinker knows that making money is a consequence of a mission that is meaningful – meaningful to the customer, the company, and most important of all, to the employees who make the mission happen.

The Fool believes that employees are motivated by financial bribes. The Thinker knows that the only true motivation is when people are doing “Cool Stuff that Matters!”

See this and other newsletter articles at May 2015 Newsletter

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Five Rules for Selecting the Best Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

By: Jason Piatt

There’s no question that KPIs are needed to help drive operational improvements. KPIs are absolutely essential for organizations to present performance information for all levels of the organization. The key to success is selecting KPIs that will deliver long-term value to the organization.

It’s problematic that the terms KPI and metric are used interchangeably within manufacturing operations. A KPI is always a metric, but a metric may well not be a KPI. Key to the concept of KPI is that it must be a metric that will drive strategic competitive advantage (and in turn value) for the organization. A metric can be a measurement of any business-related activity.

Here are five rules for selecting the best KPIs for your manufacturing organization:

1. Focus on the critical few, not the trivial many: If you measure too many things, you’re really not measuring anything. Managers have a habit of adding KPIs but never “rightsizing” the list to drive strategic intent. This causes confusion as to what is really important.
2. Ensure that selected KPIs drive toward your strategic intent: KPIs should not just measure performance. They should measure performance toward the strategic objectives that you’ve laid out as part of your operations strategic plan. It is absolutely critical that these KPIs measure the most important factors in achieving your success.
3. Ensure that KPIs are relatable on all levels of the organization: It is very easy to measure performance purely in terms of financial factors. It’s important to remember that members of your production staff at all levels should be able to relate to the metrics. KPIs such as overhead absorption percentages are common, but they are not particularly effective for production personnel. Instead, metrics such as units shipped per hours worked will give a meaningful KPI (if your objective is to increase production and/or reduce hours per unit).
4. Ensure the data for KPIs are valid: Much like any Six Sigma project, before seeking process improvement, we should ensure that our measuring system is valid. This means validating the repeatability and reproducibility of our measuring system. Will the system yield data that are meaningful, timely and reliable for sound management decision-making?
5. Ensure controllable KPIs are selected: When someone is placed in charge of KPIs for their portion of the organization, is it really something they can control? Is the individual empowered to make necessary changes in order to drive performance of the KPI? This is an often-forgotten factor in successful operational strategy. What you measure is what you get ... but more importantly, what you measure must be controllable in order to obtain the strategic objectives you desire.

Finally, when selecting and implementing KPIs, please be certain to train your employees to work in a KPI-driven environment. All too often, manufacturers roll out the latest and greatest KPIs for their production environment with little or no plans to educate production personnel as to what it takes to be successful.

See this and other newsletter articles at May 2015 Newsletter

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

 

Seven Lessons in Leadership and Innovation from Top Tech CEOs

By Matt Lush

How some of the world’s highest-profile leaders overcome defeat, stagnation, and uncertainty.
Mastering the art of leadership takes time, dedication, and a willingness to fail, and we all need some inspiration from time to time.

Here are some valuable leadership lessons from seven of today’s top CEOs.

1. Focus On People, Strategy, And Execution

“If you get those three right, the world is a great place,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a 2013 talk at his alma mater.

Excellent strategy and execution are the result of high-caliber people who believe in the pursuit of better.

Be your company’s Chief Inspiration Officer and remember that one of the most powerful skills in your leadership arsenal is your ability to focus. Do a few things well and run circles around those doing many things adequately.

2. Be Tough And Tell It Like It Is

Raised in the public housing projects on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, Ursula Burns attributes climbing the ladder to CEO of Xerox to “leaning in” to difficult situations.

Burdened with leading Xerox to success in a world without Xeroxing, and as the first African-American woman to steer the Fortune 500 company through the treacherous waters of an economic tailspin, she knows a thing or two about being tough and shows us how to be confident, resilient in the face of uncertainty, honest with where you stand, and how to fight like hell to get to where you want to be.

3. Know When Your Team Needs A Confidence Boost

If humanizing Microsoft is the goal, CEO Satya Nadella is the man for the job. With a thoughtful panache, he’s changing the culture of a company that seemed perpetually stuck to one that excites his employees.

Nadella’s “women shouldn’t ask for raises” gaffe aside, his leadership style is people-centric and strategy-focused, which has garnered him an 83% approval rating on Glassdoor.

Bolster the confidence of the people you’re leading by mastering the art of knowing when to intervene and when to step back. If you get it right, they will do great things.

4. Move Fast, Adapt Quickly, And Be Bold

“What keeps me up at night is speed,” said IBM’s Ginni Rometty in a 2014 Fortune interview.

“Speed of transformation, [and] continuing to move to that future.”

As fast as you think you’re moving, odds are someone out there is moving faster. Be thoughtful and strategic, but at the same time, be bold and move fast. The need to adapt is constantly imminent—be fearless, try new things, and course-correct along the way.

5. Think About Reinventing Everything

Starting a meeting with 20 minutes of silence so everyone can read a memo isn’t the way most businesses operate, but Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is everything but orthodox.

He demands excellence from everyone around him, and constantly think about reinventing everything—even small things. Refuse to accept conventional wisdom, think big and be supremely uncomfortable with the status quo.

6. Press On With Fortitude And Ferocity

As the CEO of both Tesla and SpaceX, Elon Musk possesses incredible drive and tremendous self-confidence. He’s said to work 100-hour weeks and never be satisfied.

When the flight of the Falcon 1 rocket failed, Musk addressed his company with a motivating speech before addressing the press, quickly channeling despair and defeat into massive determination.

Rocket science or not, challenges will present themselves—press on and conquer.

7. Embrace Your Crazy Ideas

“When no one else is crazy enough to do it, you have little competition,” Google’s Larry Page said in a 2005 commencement speech. “Have confidence, fail often, [and] have a healthy disregard for the impossible.”

The pursuit of excellence is a never-ending one. Be audacious, believe in audacious ideas, and set audacious goals.

See this and other newsletter articles at May 2015 Newsletter

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

Associates’ Corner - Silicon Carbide Products

Silicon Carbide Products, Inc. (SCP) is located in the Airport Corporate Park in Horseheads where its 30 employees manufacture abrasion-resistant products used in the power generation, mining, hydro-fracking and molten metal contact industries.

SCP was founded in September 1994 by Martin Metzger and Mark Witmer, and in 2010 and 2015 was named to the list of Best Companies to Work for in New York, specifically as one of the top 25 companies in the category of 15-249 employees. The company also received the SBA’s 2011 Small Business Excellence Award.

The company casts its custom products from a variety of grades of silicon carbide, a synthetic material known for its hardness and strength, and its resistance to high temperature and corrosion by other materials. There are several grades of silicon carbide, each with unique physical characteristics. Metzger, the company’s  President, explained that the combination of high-performing materials and industry-leading customer service has led to the company’s on-going success.

One key to consistency and quality is that the company designs, develops, and manufactures its own family of silicon carbide formulations used to cast SCP’s products. SCP’s competitive advantages include in-house pattern making, close monitoring of process controls, and proprietary furnace controls that optimize firing consistency and material performance.

The company expanded its rapid prototyping capabilities by acquiring two 3-D printers that can create ABS plastic molds from specifications provided by the customer or internally developed. They have also added a portable coordinate measuring machine that enables precise field inspection and reverse engineering.

SCP products include power plant burner liners and flue gas spray nozzles; mining components; liners for natural gas industry including frac sand handling; petroleum industry components; material handling liners; molten metal pump sleeves; hydro cyclone apexes; crucibles; bearings and similar wear components; centrifuge port liners; and other abrasive environment applications. More than 2,400 unique components have been produced and installed in over 17 countries.

With assistance from AM&T, SCP has completed ISO 9001:2008 Certification, conducted Strategic Planning and Sales Training, and implemented Lean Manufacturing including 5S programs.

For information, contact: Martin Metzger at 607-562-8599 or visit www.scprobond.com.

See this and other newsletter articles at May 2015 Newsletter

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Associates’ Corner - MPL

MPL has been a contract manufacturer of printed circuit board assemblies in Ithaca, NY since 1990. In 2000 MPL moved into a new 8000 sq. ft. building in the Warren Road Business Park in Ithaca, NY. In 2006, MPL completed a 7,000 sq. ft. addition and now occupies a 15,000 sq. ft. facility.

MPL can handle a variety of assembly needs. Their surface mount department features four DEK® surface mount screen printers, three manual printers, four prototype assembly lines with paste and adhesive dispensing capabilities, eight Samsung® full vision pick and place machines, two of which have a 40mm camera specifically for placing fine pitch components and micro BGAs, and four Heller® 1800 model reflow ovens. Complimented by ten through hole work stations, a through hole insertion push line and an Electrovert Econopac one wave solder machine, along with selective solder systems and in-house X-ray inspection capabilities.

MPL provides surface mount, thru-hole, and mixed technologies, consignment and turnkey options, labor intensive hand and automated PCB assembly, and box build capabilities.
MPL’s customers include start-ups to Fortune 500 companies in the fields of networking, telecommunications, computers and peripherals, medical electronics, instrumentation, and consumer electronics. The company’s manufacturing capabilities include quick-turn prototyping, pre-production, and low to high volume production assembly, functional, in-circuit testing, and manufacturability recommendations. In addition, MPL provides board rework, repair, upgrade service and conformal coating.

MPL works under the IPC-A-610 Class II and Class III, Workmanship Standards and is working toward ISO compliance. In addition, they meet all the EPA requirements and are ITAR registered.

For more information, contact: Shane French at 607-266-0480 or visit: www.mplinc.com.

See this and other newsletter articles at May 2014 Newsletter

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TWI – A “Lost” Approach to Building Supervisory Skills

In 1940, it became apparent that the demand for military equipment would be greater than anything we had ever experienced as a nation. To meet the demands of our defense, a completely new approach to training and the use of people in industry was established, called the Training Within Industry Service. As a result of TWI, in combination with lean production, productivity skyrocketed, especially in aircraft and shipbuilding. However, as orders began to decline in 1944, TWI was quickly forgotten and “lost” for more than 60 years.

Today some of those basic methodologies are being rediscovered, helping US businesses build supervisory skills, workplace stability and improve competitive positions.

TWI has three specific job training components for production supervisors -- job instruction, job methods, and job relations. Each component is a ten-hour course that teaches practical supervision skills.

Job Instruction (JI) teaches supervisors how to plan for the correct resources they would need in production, how to break down jobs for instruction, and how to teach people safely, correctly, and conscientiously.

Job Methods (JM) teaches supervisors how to analyze jobs and make simple improvements within their realms of control. Every activity is considered for improvement. Supervisors learn to question why an activity is done this way, and if it could be eliminated, combined with something else, rearranged, or simplified.

Job Relations (JR) teaches supervisors to treat people as individuals and solve basic human-related problems in production rather than to ignore them.

Taken together, these three courses help supervisors create a basic routine, discipline, and sense of fairness in work teams.

Meet your Instructor

Lloyd Johnson is a graduate of Syracuse University where he earned a B.S.E.E. and an MBA. Lloyd has over 30 years of experience in manufacturing, quality and program management. Lloyd is a Professional Business Advisor (PBA), a certified Project Management Professional certified by the Project Management Institute, and is certified to teach Training Within Industry (TWI).

AM&T would be pleased to assist other companies with discovering this “lost” approach. For more information about AM&T’s TWI programs or to schedule an initial meeting to discuss the potential benefits to your organization, contact Jim Cunningham at 607-725-1225 or jcunningham@amt-mep.org

See this and other newsletter articles at http://amt-mep.org/files/7613/9955/0659/2014-05.pdf

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CNY Round Table Event

DESCRIPTION
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.

PARTICIPANT BENEFITS
Learn from your peers some of their challenges.
Learn how these challenges are being addressed.
Learn how companies are staying competitive.
Network with your peers.

AGENDA
12:45 - 1:00 Arrive - Meet in Visitor Lobby
 1:00 - 1:15 Introductions / Welcome
 1:15 - 2:15 Hardinge Inc. - Overview and Targeted Tour
 2:15 - 3:30 Roundtable Discussion - Issues / Challenges Facing Regional Manufacturers
 3:30 - 4:00 Networking Time
 4:00           Depart

Date:  June 11, 2014
Time:  1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Location: Hardinge Inc.
                One Hardinge Drive/Upper Oakwood Ave.
                Elmira, NY  14902
                800-843-8801
Cost:  Complimentary
Registration: ame.org or conference@ame.org

See this and other newsletter articles at http://amt-mep.org/files/7613/9955/0659/2014-05.pdf

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Transition-ready Management: Three Keys to Robust Organizational Strength

By: Jason Piatt

A sustainable manufacturing organization must not only be best-in-class, but also robust. By protecting against the loss of key staff, the organization can achieve both goals.
In order to survive the loss of key employees, whether anticipated or not, an organization must work to maintain a state of readiness. By focusing on three areas of the organization, performance can be improved while building a change-tolerant business.

1. Process
In order to build processes that are very robust and capable of withstanding the loss of key personnel, processes must be well documented and properly defined. This goes beyond the often-generic process descriptions used for ISO 9001 compliance. You need to document what really happens – not what should happen. Further, we must ensure that process design is completed to optimize business performance, not designed around the capabilities of particular individuals.
To further enhance the process mindset, you should coach employees on proper process change. All employees should be motivated to identify performance improvement opportunities. Meanwhile, employees should be reminded that freelance change of process is unacceptable. Once improvements are confirmed, the process should be changed, documented and communicated throughout the organization.

2. People
In order to be robust related to staff loss, you must train and cross-train staff. They should be trained to the level of exceptional performance in their present role and additionally trained to understand and accomplish the mission of peripheral roles in the event that it becomes necessary. This should also allow you to combine roles if capacity requirements diminish during a downturn.
Also, management should identify those performers who have potential for upward mobility into supervisory roles. Training should be conducted to allow those individuals to understand management and leadership roles within the organization.
Particularly strong performers should be trained for ascension into roles two levels beyond their current position. All staff, both blue- and white-collar, should be trained to understand global strategy and organization of the business so they can understand where they fit.
Particular focus on alignment of goals, strategy, and specific activities within the business should be given to all employees.

3. Geography
As much as possible, you should locate operations in geographies that offer supplier/customer ecosystems. Typically in these areas, the ecosystem sustains key personnel employment because staff can be pushed or pulled within the supply chain.
While ideally employees would remain with your firm, if they migrate to suppliers or customers, you still have access to them. So long as the employment relationship has been ethical and mutually beneficial, you will benefit from having these individuals within your supply chain (as opposed to leaving the supply chain and geography completely).
Secondarily, because your organization is located within a geographic ecosystem, you maintain the opportunity to recruit back the staff members to your organization. Of course, it’s preferred that these key employees never leave the organization.
Beyond the supply chain, your organization should identify and align with educational institutions and manufacturing training organizations. These organizations can assist with a staffing pipeline. You should consider both white- and blue-collar training organizations when identifying educational partners.

A Last Resort: Plan B
As a last resort, you should also identify “Plan B” alternative service providers for key roles within the organization. For instance, small manufacturers may identify a CPA or other accounting provider to assist if their internal controller were to be lost on short notice. Having an alternative that, while costly, can be rapidly deployed within the organization will help avoid loss of momentum that two weeks’ notice may create.
In order to build a sustainable manufacturing organization, it must not only be best-in-class, but also robust. By protecting against the loss of key staff, the organization can achieve both goals.

See this and other newsletter articles at http://amt-mep.org/files/7613/9955/0659/2014-05.pdf

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Teaching is More Powerful than Criticizing

By: Art Petty

I recently committed the classic gaffe of assuming that I had reasonably set expectations for performance around a set of fast moving, first-time activities. These were both new to the team and new to the individuals. They had no prior experience in executing on these tasks.

The fact that I’ve worked with other professionals experienced with these very activities lulled me into a false comfort level. I naturally assumed things would go as they always had with the other groups, which was historically close to perfect.

When the results didn’t meet my very clear (to me) expectations, I became a bit agitated until it dawned on me that I owned this issue.

I completely failed to take into account the learning curve challenges for the group and I compounded the issue by failing to execute on my responsibility to teach and to set clear performance expectations. It’s unfair of me or anyone else as manager to assume that people automatically understand performance or coordination expectations without proper context.

I work with great people who have high standards of performance in their own right and they conquer every new challenge placed in front of them. However, they clearly need more support from their manager as a teacher instead of a critic or a passive observer.


The Bottom-Line for Now:

Don’t make the same mistake(s). Talk with your team about expected outcomes. Discuss potential roadblocks and headaches. Redouble your efforts to support their efforts if the activities are pioneering ones for the group. Just don’t walk away expecting everything to line up nicely if you haven’t done your part of the job.

See this and other newsletter articles at http://amt-mep.org/files/7613/9955/0659/2014-05.pdf

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What Is the Value of Process Improvement?

By: Chris Anderson

What’s the value of process improvement? One way to look at it is by examining the reason for having a quality system in the first place. Let’s start by understanding the basics of six sigma, which define the maturity level of an organization’s management system. By that, we don’t just mean just a quality management system, but your entire system of management.

Sigma Levels
1 sigma = 67% error rate (or “2 out of 3 transactions are in error”)
2 sigma = 33% error rate (1 out of 3 transactions in error)
3 sigma = 6.7% error rate (1 out of 15 transactions in error)
4 sigma = 0.63% error rate (1 out of 160 transactions in error)
5 sigma = 0.02% error rate (1 out of 4,300 transactions in error)
6 sigma = 0.00034% error rate (1 out of roughly 290,000 transactions in error)

We define a system as “in control” when an organization’s processes exhibit a “3 sigma” (6.7%) or lower error rate. If your organization has not defined its processes, effectiveness criteria, and competencies, it’s more likely that you’re at a 1 or 2 sigma level. In order to achieve the “3 sigma” level, your company must consistently make no more than 6.7 errors per hundred — that’s a 93.3% success rate.

“Improve constantly and forever the system of production and service, to improve quality and productivity, and thus constantly decrease costs.”
From W. Edwards Deming’s “Fourteen Points”

Are You Operating at a 93.3% Success Rate?

Let’s say you see 60-70% as normal, which is about 2 sigma (66% success). The “delta”, or difference, between 2 and 3 sigma is about 27%. We believe that by adopting a quality process improvement program, you should see your success rate rise from 66% to 93%. That’s a 41% improvement over your current rate! What organization wouldn’t be interested in that?

Once you hit 3 sigma, your next goal is to improve to a 4 sigma level, then 5 sigma, and finally 6 sigma (which is as close as you can realistically get to “zero defects” in most operations).

Now quantify the benefit. What is 27 percentage points of success worth to your customers? The cost of implementing a six sigma process improvement program is small compared to the benefits to your customer (and, of course, to your bottom line). Process improvement practically guarantees customer retention, and can lead to customers advocating for you.

But if that’s not for you, don’t implement a quality program. Learn to live with a 2 sigma error rate — and hope your customers can live with it, too.

See this and other newsletter articles at http://amt-mep.org/files/7613/9955/0659/2014-05.pdf

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Governor Cuomo Launches Fourth Round of Regional Economic Development Councils

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today launched Round IV of the Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) initiative, officially kicking off the 2014 competition for up to $750 million in state economic development resources.
The Consolidated Funding Application (CFA)
will open to applicants on May 1, enabling businesses, municipalities, not-for-profits and the public to begin applying for assistance from dozens of state funding programs, through a single application, for job-creating and community development projects.

“New York’s economy is on a come-back in large part because we have adopted a grassroots approach to economic development that is creating jobs and growing new industries across our state,” Governor Cuomo said. “The Regional Councils are working and we plan to continue that success with the fourth round this year. I look forward to seeing the new projects that the regions come up with as we continue to grow our economy and put New Yorkers back to work.”

Lieutenant Governor Robert J. Duffy, Chair of the Regional Economic Development Councils said, “A fourth round of the Regional Economic Development Councils will continue the achievements we’ve seen in every area of the state over the past three years. Under Governor Cuomo’s leadership, these councils were assembled to invest in our local communities from the ground up, and we’ve seen them do just that. I applaud the work being done by each of the Co-Chairs and their teams—jobs are being created, businesses are expanding, and New York State is back on the right track.”

The REDC process has transformed economic development in New York State, creating a statewide framework for bottom-up regional economic growth and streamlining the state funding application process. Over $2 billion in investments from the past three rounds are supporting more than 2,200 projects that have already created or retained more than 100,000 jobs statewide.

Round IV of the REDC initiative will award up to $750 million in state funding and tax incentives. To continue to motivate investment opportunities and job creation, the REDCs will compete for up to $150 million in capital funds and $70 million in Excelsior Tax Credits for projects and activities identified by the Councils as priorities in their regions. Additionally, up to $530 million from state agency programs will be awarded through the CFA process.

The competition this year will focus on:

• Implementation of regional strategic economic development plans;
• Performance in encouraging economic growth through job creation and investment; and  Identification of global marketing and export strategies.

The competition will be split into two parts: the five regions identified as Top Performers in 2013 will compete for two awards of $25 million each; and the five regions not identified as Top Performers in 2013 will compete for three awards of $25 million each. The balance of the $25 million in capital funds will be divided among the remaining five regions. Each region will also be eligible for up to $10 million in Excelsior Tax Credits to help attract business and create jobs in the region.

The 2014 REDC Guidebook and list of available resources will be accessible at regionalcouncils.ny.gov.

The CFA will open to applicants on May 1st and the deadline for applications is Monday, June 16th at 4 p.m.

For applicants, the CFA is available at https://apps.cio.ny.gov/apps/cfa/

Call Jim Cunningham at 607-725-1225 to learn more about this.

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Associates’ Corner - Cameron Manufacturing & Design

Cameron Manufacturing & Design’s (CMD’s) 200+ employees create custom fabrications of typical or exotic metals, custom built machinery, and provide a variety of engineering services. The company was founded in 1983 and operates from a 122,000 sq. ft. facility in Horseheads.  In addition to the Horseheads facility, its recently created subsidiary Cameron Bridge Works, LLC is located at a 90,000 sq. ft. campus on Elmira’s Southside, and focuses on pedestrian and light vehicular truss bridges ranging anywhere from 40 ft. – 220 ft. spans.

Typical products at the main CMD facility range from process machinery or equipment design and build, upgrading and refurbishing existing equipment, to field installation or modifications. The company furnishes welded and complex machined components or assemblies to customer specifications, in sizes ranging from hand-held to large scale. The company can efficiently produce volumes of parts ranging from sample quantities and prototypes to high volume production runs.

Examples of Cameron projects include:

• Glass Forming Equipment
• Energy Industry Infrastructure Components
• Material Handling Apparatus with Robotics and Conveyors
• Dairy, Food, and Chemical Processing Equipment

Cameron provides a full range of Mechanical, Chemical and Electrical/Controls Design and Engineering services. The company’s engineering staff provides the capability to handle almost any automation project. They also offer contract engineering services to other companies that need engineers for short- and long-term projects, regardless of whether or not they are working on Cameron projects.

Cameron is one of the few ASME Code Certified Facilities in the Northeast holding “PP”, “U” and “R” Stamps. Products provided include Pressure Vessels and Pressure Piping, with Cameron handling part or all of design, fabrication, repair, and field installation.

Another interesting feature of the company is that it has been employee-owned since 2007 when the retiring founder created an Employee Stock Ownership Plan. In the ESOP, the company annually awards shares of stock to employees based on salary and years of service. When employees leave or retire, the company buys back the shares at the then-current value.

Christopher Goll, President & CEO, said that their employees have embraced the “ownership mentality” and look for ways to utilize this incentive to eliminate waste and maximize efficiencies.

For more visit camfab.com

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Associates’ Corner - C&D Assembly

C&D Assembly is an electronics manufacturing services company located in Groton. Founded in 1992, C&D specializes in low to mid-volume, high-mix production requirements that rely on the company’s core manufacturing services:

• Complete Turn-key
• Rapid Prototype Assembly
• High Mix Production
• Volume Production
• Leaded and RoHS Assembly
• Aqueous Chemistry
• No-clean Chemistry
• Multi-Layer
• FLEX, Rigid-FLEX
• Mechanical Assembly
• Box Build
• PCBA Repair / Refurbishment

Services such as product programming, burn-in, and adjustment/calibration are also available. A complimentary prototyping service includes a Design For Manufacturing review that enables customers to facilitate product realization from concept through production while optimizing manufacturability.

C&D serves a range of markets including Industrial Controls, Fiber-optic Telecommunications, POS Printers, Peripheral Devices, Refrigeration/HVAC Controls, Lighting Controls, Bio-Science, and Coin-Bill-Card Control Systems.

According to company president Jeffrey Cronk, “The key to C&D’s decades of success is their dedicated workforce that embraces a do-whatever-it-takes attitude while maintaining focus on product quality and customer satisfaction. C&D’s customer service philosophy is to treat the customer as they would expect to be treated.” Each C&D customer has a dedicated contact who follows through on quotations, new order confirmation, and current order status.

Cronk explained that continual re-investment in manufacturing technology and company infrastructure has enabled C&D to meet the changing demands of the industry.

AM&T was instrumental in C&D’s 7,800 sq ft facility expansion in 2005, providing project planning assistance and integration of Lean manufacturing principles. AM&T also assisted the company with Quality Management System improvements that resulted in C&D achieving ISO 9001:2008 certification.

For more visit cdassembly.com

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Associates Corner - Standard Printed Circuits

It takes a strong and innovative team with a commitment to quality to survive in an unsympathetic economy. Standard Printed Circuits, Inc. (StandardPC) has not only survived, but has prospered in the face of formidable global competition. In business for 45 years and located in Sherburne, NY, StandardPC serves a diverse group of industries including Aerospace/ Defense, Telecommunications, Medical, Instrumentation, IT, and Industrial Controls. Specializing in building printed circuits for RF/Microwave designs, their expertise covers a broad range of advanced dielectrics including PTFE, ceramic-filled PTFE, TMM, Polyphenylene oxide, thermally conductive laminates, and polyimide for very high temperature (250C) applications.

StandardPC is certified to both AS 9100:2009 and ISO 9001:2008 and is ITAR registered with the US Department of State. Providing prototype and quick-turn services, they work with their customers and suppliers as a team to get the job done and ensure total customer satisfaction.

Over the past several years, StandardPC has continued to invest in new equipment and processes that has facilitated the manufacturing of higher technology products and the use of more advanced materials. They are also at the drawing board for some new ideas and production plans that are expected to be released later on in this year.

For more information about StandardPC, please visit them on their Facebook page at www. facebook.com/standardprintedcircuits and their webpage at www.standardpc.com

See this and other newsletter articles at http://amt-mep.org/files/8413/6750/6481/2013-05.pdf

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Opening Doors to Government Contracting

What: The 2013 Albany Matchmaker & Expo is an opportunity for small businesses to meet face-to-face with buying representatives from prime corporations and federal, state and local agencies from throughout the Northeast.

When: Wed., June 19, 2013 8:00 am - 4:00 pm

Where: The Albany Marriott, 189 Wolf Rd, Albany, NY

Cost: $45 per person, maximum 2 attendees per small business

Register at www.sba.gov/albanymatchmaker

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