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Matt Kirchner: Porter’s Five Forces in the Finishing Industry
Higher barriers to entry, minimal competitive rivalry, fewer substitutes and less powerful customers and suppliers—pay heed to Porter’s Five Forces and your next expansion will more likely be a lucrative one.
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A Fight for the Future of Finishing Shops
The driving force of changes is often a generational battle, too.
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The Keys To World-Class Finishing
What underperforming finishers don’t know (that good ones do)
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Redneck Jokes and Finishing
At the ECOAT 2012 Conference in Orlando, Fla., last month, we addressed the topic “What Underperforming Finishers Don’t Know (That Good Ones Do).”
Read MoreFive Market and Industry Trends in Surface Finishing 2012
Consider market and industry trends, and modify strategy to take advantage of them
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Taking It to the Max: Throughput changes that amount to 300% finishing improvement.
When it comes to getting maximum throughput and optimal first pass yield from their finishing departments, Metalcraft of Mayville has quite a story to tell.
Read MorePredictive Analytics
Imagine for the moment you could predict the future. Suppose you could foretell how your customers, employees or suppliers would behave during the next year or two. How would you use the information? Would you introduce a new finish to the market before anyone else?
Read MoreThe Number One Problem Facing Surface Finishers Today
With nearly one in five American workers either unemployed or underemployed it seems inconceivable that coaters and manufacturers alike would have such a difficult time finding the right people. Mention this problem to a friend working outside the manufacturing sector and your statement produces a confounded gape. Raise the issue with a coater and watch for the knowing acknowledgement. What’s the problem? There are three, actually.
Read MoreYou’re Fired
So think back to your first day on the job. Remember the healthy mix of enthusiasm, eagerness and anxiety wrapping around you. You likely had a list—mental or written—of how you could do it better than your predecessor.
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KIRCHNER: The “Wasted Day”
An accidentally technology-free day yields unexpected productivity.
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