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I hear that train a comin’

You’re back! I can only assume you read something in the previous issue that made you say, “This guy is nuts! I can’t wait to see what he says next.”

I am a firm believer in author Howard Zinn’s theory that “you can’t be neutral on a moving train.” Times are changing, from facing the prospect of disruptive technologies like additive manufacturing (3-D printing) to new social and economic norms affecting our employees, our communities, and the products we make. I know that if Qualtek isn’t agile and responsive at all times, we’ll be run over where we stand. My family has endeavored to build an enduring organization not just to make money, but to be an active participant in the manufacturing conversation locally, regionally, and nationally. We have learned over the years that if we try to defend the status quo, we will be left behind.

Qualtek is moving at a lightning pace these days. It’s as though the narration of our story has accelerated to the cadence of an Aaron Sorkin script.

Maybe it’s because we’ve hired a new CEO. After’s all, that’s the kind of effect an executive should have on a company. And, to be sure, Troy Roberts’ joining Qualtek in November 2016 has been a necessary catalyst. The raw materials were waiting here, and Troy’s spark has ignited confidence in our people to get on the bullet train. New systems are being introduced and adopted. We find ourselves using words like forecast, variance, and capacity loading on a far more regular basis. We have been working for years toward the inevitable expansion into the NADCAP anodizing business. In the last four months we have focused those efforts, built the marketing plan, and identified the equipment necessary to expand and consolidate our metal finishing operation.

Now, you might say, “Sorry Chris, you lost me there. Expanding and consolidating don’t generally happen at the same time.” Let me explain.

We are building a state-of-the-art finishing line capable of running aluminum anodize, chem film, and elecropolish. The line will house larger tanks than the current operation and take advantage of a new control system that will expand our existing capacity by nearly 300 percent. We also are adding the ability to run stainless steel electropolish on the same line, which will allow us to consolidate the current process from two separate lines into one--while (again) expanding the throughput capacity.

A project like this involves nearly everyone in a company as small as ours. We have had meetings where the mood in the room has gone from “at each other’s throats” to “high fives all around.” Troy has brought a sense of cool, calm, and collected to the entire process by challenging us to make our case with cold, hard numbers. It’s not like we have been shooting from the hip all these years (although my Dad is from Kemmerer, Wy., where it is customary to settle disputes with a proper duel in the town triangle), but the managerial accounting approach Troy has brought seems more accessible to everyone. We are seeing our numbers up on the screen and taking ownership of where the data is coming from.

When it is all said and done, this project will be pushing $2.5 million. For an $8 million company, that is a lot of coin. No one wants to make a decision that sinks the company, but we all know this could be an enormous part of our future growth. People are jumping on the train left and right because the change is coming. At first we were staring at a project that seemed too big and too complicated, so we did what any good management team would do: We made it bigger!

Just as Troy Roberts joined us, another staff member is leaving us. Recently our director of human resources informed us that she would be retiring. She and her husband are finally going to take those trips that have been on their list a little too long. Judy has more than 20 years of HR experience, and in her last 2-1/2 years here with us, she has added new levels of professionalism and order to our human resource policies and operating procedures.

So the coming of a new CEO and the leaving of a valued executive have created a buzz. But change has been a long time in the making. It’s the result of years of team building, skill development, and fostering trust within a group of like-minded individuals.

Like most businesses, we’ve had our wins and losses, our entries and exits. But as Washington Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann is fond of saying, “Never had a failure in my life; only had an educational opportunity that didn’t go my way.”

So here we go. Breaking down barriers and challenging conventional wisdom is going to be a part of our plan to endure as a business; so we will need to apply the same thinking to our operations, IT, process technology, quality assurance, and business development. Bring on the NADCAP line. We can handle it!

Christopher Fagnant is the third-generation president of family manufacturer Qualtek in Colorado Springs, Colo., www.qualtekmfg.com. Please send comments or questions to cfagnant@qualtekmfg.com.

About the Author
Qualtek Manufacturing

Christopher A. Fagnant

President

4230 N. Nevada

Colorado Springs, CO 80907

(719)-598-3394