New Year’s resolution in metalforming: Dream, visualize, and execute

A vision board is just one tool that can help a manufacturing team define and visualize its goals. selamiozalp/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Many successful athletes and businesspeople use visualization to set and meet their goals. Imagining yourself doing something or accomplishing a goal is proven to be a useful tool in goal development and execution. In fact, a study at Cleveland Clinic found that virtual workouts actually generated physical improvement.

Your mind is an incredibly powerful tool. Using your mind to visualize and accomplish your activities can, and will, improve your results in operations, business, and troubleshooting.

I started writing a very different article for the new year. Then, the Monday after New Year’s Day, I talked to a young lady at my favorite coffee shop. Her name is Julia. She recently graduated from University of Alabama (for which this LSU alumnus forgave her) and wants to work supporting sustainable agriculture. Discussing her evolving personal and career objectives, she mentioned preparing a vision board.

Vision boards are something of an Oprah-style phenomenon. However, considering Oprah Winfrey’s media success, something she uses cannot be ignored. A vision board is simply a board of pictures, drawings, and thoughts. These components help to seed your ability to define and visualize what success means to you.

Forming sheet metal involves many variables that happen in the dark. Mechanical properties, friction, work hardening, metal flow, die wear, and plastic tensile instability all happen beyond our eye’s ability to see. We only notice the consequences (wrinkling, splitting, galling, and dimpling) in the formed component when the variables are out of specification. When you design your production activities, or troubleshoot issues, visualization walks you through the many tools and variables used to form your component. Visualization supports good design and solves issues.

Of course, we have virtualization software to simulate production with the tools and materials you use. Unfortunately, real-world things don’t always behave as consistently or predictably as our virtual simulations. Your software provides excellent assistance and guidance. However, your best tool for design remains your own knowledge, experience, and versatility to design for your environment.

Troubleshooting skills are a persistent problem among production managers. I’ve had many discussions about whether troubleshooting is a natural talent available only to a select few. In my opinion, we often fail to train employees adequately to stop and think their way through a problem. Proper training must involve teaching all the tools, technologies, and variables that affect production success. Production and maintenance employees also must understand how to step back from a new situation and visualize all the issues that could lead to a specific production problem. Of course, we have failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) and production/maintenance checklists. Your best tool to solve issues quickly and effectively is your ability to assess a given situation thoroughly before removing panels and replacing components.

Business growth is the result of explicit visions that result in action. Understanding your strengths and weaknesses allows you to see opportunities for growth in your work environment, production results, and market offerings. Be willing to build a vision from your strengths. If you’re particularly skilled in a forming operation, look at new materials and industries you can pursue. If communication is an issue, envision how much improved work life will be with effective communication channels and, perhaps, fewer long meetings.

The following are some ideas to help you and your employees build a work environment that encourages visualization for real results:

1. Use a vision board. You can place a cork board or white board in a common area to collect employee and management ideas, photos, and drawings to develop a vision about what you want to do and why. You can accomplish this by building common values and allowing all employees to express their ideas about growth, opportunity, and rewarding work life.
2. Explain the details. When your business or employees want to grow, it’s important to use the vision board to clearly explain what life will look like after their vision is implemented. This can include forming a new material, focusing on supplying a new industry, improving manufacturing operations, improving maintenance activities, and improving company communications.
3. Visualize. Once an idea is accepted, start building a vision of the actual outcome and its requirements. Will you need new equipment, a new marketing project, new software, or training? What will the benefits of this vision be to employee work life and business growth? How much will employees or customers value your improvements?
4. Start taking action. Many of your growth projects can be accomplished with small steps. Communication and behavioral changes can happen and be tested incrementally. Large projects require you test markets, prepare business use cases, and develop budgets. Take a step at a time. With a positive and persistent approach, you can accomplish quite a few of your goals. Those that fail will offer learning opportunities.
5. Persevere. Of course, you will face challenges and resistance. Anticipate the hurdles you may meet and prepare for them. Your best chances for success are your ability to share your vision accurately and concisely and to adapt and develop your versatility.

Visualization is a remarkably effective tool in supporting company and employee growth. Visualization also can identify and resolve production and business issues. Software tools used in simulation and production management are terrific supplements to your skills and capabilities. Your mental exercise in seeing and defining where you want to be is, however, your greatest tool to support both your enjoyment of work and your production and business goals.