Bob Vavra

Panes, not pains, in Ohio
April 10, 2008

1. Hope springs in Ohio: They’re making windows again, in Malta, OH. The Malta Windows plant closed in 2001, but economic development has reopened the facility and 40 employees of the new ABC Manufacturing and Malta Windows and Doors celebrated the reopening this week, the Zanesville Times-Record reported. After receiving a check for $3 million from a local bank, ABC Manufacturing president Wade Benjamin said, "We're going to take the window company back to the national level.”

 2. And this word from Congress: U.S. Rep Zack Space, who represents the Malta plant and the Morgan County, OH area was quoted at the event saying, “Morgan County is a pretty good example of an area that's been victimized, or even a better word, bludgeoned, by the dislocated economy. It feels really good as a member of Congress to stand up in these times and talk about this success story." There are success stories like this everywhere, Congressman, but you can’t get the pundits – or your own colleagues in Congress – to understand that it takes action, not finger-pointing, to create these success stories.

3. It also takes workers: This blog from Birgit Klohs, president of Right Place Inc. in Michigan, goes to what we’ve been saying for three years now about the disconnect between workers leaving manufacturing and a new wave of workers needed to support the next generation in manufacturing. Until we take the lead in making modern manufacturing attractive to young people, we’re going to face a crisis when it is the lack of workers, not the loss of jobs  that will be our greatest dilemma. And that day may already be here…

4. It’s the maintenance, stupid! I had to fight my way back from Boston this week thanks to the American Airlines debacle. I got another flight on United to get out of town Wednesday at the height of the flight cancellations, so I was one of the lucky ones. The whole event reinforces a point that we made during our Changing Role of the Plant Engineer study in November. We asked plant managers what their prevailing maintenance strategy was on the plant floor; 60% said they didn’t have one. Clearly, neither did American Airlines. If you don’t maintain your equipment, it doesn’t matter that happens in Congress or Wall Street or Bahrain or China or India – you cannot compete effectively. Period.

5. But while in Boston… I spent some time at the ICONICS customer event, and company officials were agog with their data visualization software, Genesis 64. The 64-bit processing technology allows ICONICS software to mesh with the new Microsoft operating systems and provide 3-D visualization of plant floor operations, tying the enterprise and plant floor operations together seamlessly.  Perhaps it meant without saying, but ICONICS president and CEO Russ Agrusa made a point of stating that ICONICS would continue to not just support its popular 32-bit technology, but continue R&D to enhance and develop it further. That’s good news for those on legacy systems who want the technology without having to change operating systems. There’s a huge cool factor to the 3-D imaging, though.

Posted by Bob Vavra on April 10, 2008 | Comments (0)