Exploring metalcasting's softer side.I am writing this having just returned from a walk on The National Mall National Mall: see National Parks and Monuments (table). in Washington D.C. For those of you not familiar with our nation's capitol, the Mall is the location of the Washington Monument Washington Monument, obelisk-shaped tower, 555 ft 5 1-9 in. (169.3 m) high, located on a 106-acre (43-hectare) site at the west end of the Mall, Washington, D.C.; dedicated 1885. , Lincoln Memorial Lincoln Memorial, monument, 107 acres (45 hectares), in Potomac Park, Washington, D.C.; built 1914–17. The building, designed by Henry Bacon and styled after a Greek temple, has 36 Doric columns representing the states of the Union at the time of Lincoln's , Jefferson Memorial Jefferson Memorial: see Thomas Jefferson Memorial. , Smithsonian Institute and countless other symbols of our nation. This walk is something I do at least once a year. While many people use their place of worship Noun 1. place of worship - any building where congregations gather for prayer house of God, house of prayer, house of worship bethel - a house of worship (especially one for sailors) as a place of reflection, I find that this walk allows me to think about issues affecting my life. For some reason, the ambiance am·bi·ance also am·bi·ence n. The special atmosphere or mood created by a particular environment: "The noir ambience is dominated by low-key lighting . . . brought forward by the center of our democracy helps bring clarity and peace when chaos rears its ugly head. My walk this morning was focused on a variety of issues. Many centered around my wife and two daughters (my wife and I are trying to figure out where to send my 8-year-old to school), but I also took some time to think about the metalcasting industry. Specifically, I was thinking about what is important in today's industry and where our focus should be to ensure prosperity in the future. Most of today's metalcasters are focused on manufacturing and production. Since most plants are busy, we are focused on how well and how profitably we produce our metal castings. Obviously, this is important, because this is the end result of our business. This is our product. However, there is a "softer" side of the business that we often neglect. To me, the softer side includes human resources The fancy word for "people." The human resources department within an organization, years ago known as the "personnel department," manages the administrative aspects of the employees. , marketing, strategic planning Strategic planning is an organization's process of defining its strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to pursue this strategy, including its capital and people. and government affairs. Because of the location of my walk, I focused my thoughts on our relationship with our federal and state governments. For many metalcasters, any time spent communicating with state or federal representatives would be the first time. This communication isn't viewed as adding any value to the engineered cast components we produce and sell, so it often isn't at the forefront of our business activities. The problem with this production-first mentality is that the government affairs related issues, such as trade and currency imbalances, environmental and worker safety regulations, health care costs and research funding Research funding is a term generally covering any funding for scientific research, in the areas of both "hard" science and technology and social science. The term often connotes funding obtained through a competitive process, in which potential research projects are evaluated and , often have as much of an impact on our businesses as our production rates. The cry I hear from some metalcasters is that our industry's trade associations and lobbyists have this effort under control. While to a certain extent this is true, as these groups serve as leaders for the effort, the reality is that these groups serve to represent our interests. The people we are trying to influence, congressmen and policymakers, hear from associations and lobbyists all the time. The lasting effect results when we, their constituents, make a pledge for support. Think about these three issues: * The undervaluation un·der·val·ue tr.v. un·der·val·ued, un·der·val·u·ing, un·der·val·ues 1. To assign too low a value to; underestimate. 2. To have too little regard or esteem for. of China's currency is a hot issue in Washington D.C. Would your facility like to see a more level global playing field? * OSHA's plan to reduce the permissible exposure limit The Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL or OSHA PEL) is a legal limit in the United States for exposure of an employee to a substance, usually expressed in parts per million (ppm), or sometimes in milligrams per cubic metre (mg/m3). to silica may arise again at the federal level in the near future. How would your plant fare if the exposure limit was cut in half?. * The research and development funding metalcasting receives from the U.S. Department of Energy to improve our energy efficiency is shrinking. Without government funding research, who is going to focus on the long-term technology development for our industry? Would any of these affect the long-term success of your plant? The time is now for our industry to stand up and make sure our voice is heard at every level of government. I urge you to take 15 minutes in the next month to contact your congressman at the state or federal level and invite them to visit your facility. This would then give you the time to explain your business and the issues affecting it. This would ensure your representative would think about metalcasting the next time he or she is faced with an issue that might affect small business or manufacturing. We must not sit back and let society dictate our future. We must set the course. It is time to make a difference. Alfred T. Spada, Editor-in-chief If you have any comments about this editorial or any other item that appears in MODERN CASTING, email me at aspada@afsinc.org. |
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