Welcome to the factory

A friend sent me a link to a band he heard on an Internet radio station. The band hails from downstate Illinois, and one of the bands I really admire, Uncle Tupelo, came from the same part of the country. So I gave it a quick listen.



A day later I purchased the CD, The Places We Lived. (Downloading music is for people who don"t appreciate the artistic effort required to create a package—songs, cover design, and liner notes—of music. I"m a dinosaur in this sense. And I"m OK with it.)


Backyard Tire Fire is a completely enjoyable group with plenty of songs describing life in small-town America. Cutting through cornfields, gossiping about other town folk, and wondering what lies outside the city limitsall themes found in other music, but always worth revisiting because everyone seemingly can relate to them.



The music is completely accessible for anyone that likes a little country and a little rock "n roll. With that statement, I realize that I"m making this sound like a Donny and Marie effort, so just check here for a good review.



The one tune that really struck me is Welcome to the Factory. Melodically, it"s not a beautiful song, but the lyrics are pretty heavy, which also kind of describes the music. Edward Anderson, the group"s lead vocalist and songwriter, sings:



Welcome to the factory

Welcome to the job

Blank stares and bright lights through the night



Charge up your battery

Fill the tank up to the top

No change. It"s the same game here tonight



That"s an image of manufacturing that every metal fabricating company is battling to change. Unfortunately, mindless workers doing the same thing over and over underneath solitary lights that dot an otherwise dark factory is an image shared by plenty of people.



You could probably take the lead singer to task, but honestly, it"s probably real to him. A friend or relative&mash;but more likely the friend of a friend—worked in that type of factory.



I write in my February 2009 Editor"s Corner in The FABRICATOR about the need for manufacturing companies, and metal fabricators in particular, to publicize their successes and embrace their role in the community. Ultimately, it"ll be good for that company, while simultaneously improving the image of manufacturing in the eyes of the general public. It worked for The FABRICATOR"s Industry Award winner for 2009, Shickel Corp., and it can work for others.



But before a company lets the world know what it"s up to, it has to ensure that everything is OK back at the ranch. Are workers engaged? Do they enjoy their work? Is the work environment acceptable? Happy employees make quality products, many fabricators will say.



For those who say humbug to such advice, so be it. However, they should be forewarned. As Backyard Tire Fire"s Anderson sings at the end of his song:



You"re locked on the clock you"re ready to blow

And nobody knows

You"re capped and you"re trapped you"re on your own

With no place to go

No place left to go



Desperate people caught in desperate times make for a volatile mix. That"s got danger written all over it.