Letter Box.

Examining Our Industry's Dichotomy of Foundrymen

I'd like to examine your thoughtful editorial ["In Search of Solutions for All," June 2001,] by focusing on the statement "If our industry wants to compete... we are going to have to come together as separate companies to become one. The knowledge of a few is going to have to become the solutions for all."

Most foundrymen are creative, entrepreneurial types who relish solving someone else's problem. As such, they fit into a mold with four basic characteristics: a sense of mission, a customer/product vision, quick innovation (a constant application of "disruptive innovation"), and self-inspiration as a common behavior.

Their successful, practical solutions bring a flood of imitators bent on making money. That's okay, because it's the fruit of a free market economy. It keeps the innovator from being bogged down in the mundane and the mundane from wandering aimlessly through attempts at innovation.

Based on this information, we can postulate that there are really two types of foundries: the entrepreneurial (dare I say, job shops run by creative founders) and the bureaucratic (mass producers run by managers).

Too many domestic foundries are trying to live in the "in between" (i.e., too much market for the job shop and not enough for the mass produced). The mass produced will always be filled by the lowest cost, acceptable quality foundry (in the modem case, the offshore facility) and the creative, entrepreneurial job shopper (CEJS) will always be creating a market, wherever it may be. The CEJS is not driven by money per se, but the manager class is. Our domestic manager class is flying to make money "in between." So they dwell on the five responses you described in the beginning of the editorial.

I agree the "in between" need to come together, but for the purpose of an attitude adjustment to entrepreneurial thinking and a discarding of the bogus managerial concepts they memorized in college. The art and science of foundries is the creative solution to an unknown problem, the bettering of something not quite perceived, and the allure of obscure challenges in the recesses of the imagination. I know it's heresy to even hint that the managerial class has been fed a lot of high-priced nonsense, but the facts are evident--their plans don't work. The dreams of the CEJS do. The art and science of foundries is the art of the CEJS.

So I respectfully disagree with the idea that coming together to become one will have any benefit unless it is to embrace a fresh concept of responsibility to the customer, a reawakening to the mission of solving problems, a reckless abandon toward innovation and a motivation toward excellence (instead of crying over money). All business is a study in faith and trust, The CEJS has faith in his customer and trust in his own skill. The manager must learn to lose his love of money and faith in plans and regain a trust in his fellow worker.

These things can be obtained. They can be learned. Unfortunately, they can't be gained in the ease and comfort of objectives, plans and budget. They take faith, trust, a humility of imagination and hard work.

DICK SWANEY

CONSULTANT, RETIRED

UHLSTEEL

SPRINGDALE, PENNSYLVANIA