FABTECH 2015: Innovation to serve the company, not the process

“You don’t want innovation to serve the process. You want innovation to serve the company.”

So said Cullen Hackler during a conference session he held at the FABTECH® trade show last week, which drew more than 40,000 to Chicago. There was a certain excitement at this year’s event, and not just because it was the largest FABTECH ever, covering three halls at McCormick place; and not just because the show’s opening day drew more than 16,000 people, the largest opening day ever.

The excitement I think hinged on Hackler’s comment. Hackler is executive vice president of the Porcelain Enamel Institute, but his comment (and entire presentation, for that matter) rang true for any type of manufacturing operation.

The show had plenty of innovation. Fiber lasers dominated the cutting arena; in bending, it was about automation and flexible design—press brakes that, with a crane fork truck, can be moved from one place to another in a matter of minutes. Welding power sources now connect to the cloud to share welding data. The event also showcased industrial 3-D printing, a young but fast maturing industry. The possibilities all seem tremendous.

But as I walked the show floor, my mind always came back to Cullen’s comment. Innovation can’t serve the process; it must serve the company. That is, it must make the company more successful and, ideally, people’s lives easier. Who cares if a laser can cut a million inches per minute if it can’t be unloaded in a timely manner?

And if the piece needs to be formed, welded, or assembled, a fast laser alone won’t ship a product out the door any faster. Even the smallest shops now are tackling front-office planning, scheduling, and often investing in software to streamline information flow throughout an organization.

At the same time, slick software can only do so much. You need the right culture, with people who get along, engage in the process, and question the status quote. Yet again, good people, software, and information flow can only do so much if a big processing bottleneck remains somewhere on the floor.

The innovation fabricators uncover at FABTECH involves smart people working a complicated puzzle. It’s about finding together the right people, processes, and technology. No one idea or technology at the show could solve the puzzle on its own. But still, all the pieces were there at FABTECH, ready for smart people to fit them together.