10 Reasons American Businessmen Should Travel Internationally

As I write the Blog this week, I am located about a hundred miles off the coast of western Africa cruising towards Las Palmas, Canary Islands.  Jo and I are making a transatlantic cruise from Rome back to New York.  I have had (and made) the opportunity to travel a reasonable amount, traveling to all continents except Antarctica (yes, it is on my “bucket list”). 

I truly feel travel is an essential element of remaining relevant in the new world market. 

Outlined below are my 10 Reasons American Businessmen Should Travel Internationally:

10 – See How Much Work You Can Do in the Week Before You Leave.

Have you ever noticed that during the week that you are preparing to take an extended trip you are able to get an amazing amount of work completed?  The amount is impressive, but the hidden gem is not the amount, it is the what.  I submit to you that the type of work that you choose to do immediately before a big trip is “important” work.  We can all stay busy, but too much of our time is spent on busy work and not important work.  Use the unintentional qualifier of the “push to the finish” of preparing for your international trip to sort out what is busy and what is important.

9 – Take a Time Out.

Go away.  Take some time off from your routine.  Do something different.  The new surroundings will force you to do things differently.  Embrace the changes.  When we are at home doing a million things, both important and menial, seeing things can be like looking through a frosty windshield.  When you experience new surroundings it is like taking a scraper to the frost on a windshield.  You can see things more clearly.

8 – Experience New Approaches.

If E-Mail had been invented before the telephone, think about how extraordinary the telephone would be.  You not only can communicate ideas, but you can actually hear the other person’s voice and be able to detect nuances of joy, anger, irritation, and sarcasm as though you were right in front of them.  There are many different approaches for doing things around the world and some of them are better than the way you are currently doing them.  After an experience abroad, you may return home with a completely new paradigm that will allow you to implement something into your business you would not otherwise have uncovered.

For example, the cruise lines have created a virtual economy at sea by staffing with people from developing countries.  They receive wages that are far higher than they could receive in the home countries, but the wages are far less than those paid in developed countries.  This allows working people from America and from other developed countries to have luxurious vacations at affordable prices.  This is a true win/win; better wages for the staff than they could get at home and affordable vacations for working people.

Is there an alternate approach, similar to this, you can adapt for your business?

7 – Learn from History.

While in Rome, one of our excellent tour guides told us about what a Roman citizen’s day was like.  Their day was centered on leisure and gluttony of food, wine, and debauchery on many levels.  It reached a point where there were not many citizens who were “producers” and eventually the mighty Roman Empire fell into disarray and was overrun by what they had perceived to be an inferior and less sophisticated group of people. 

While we all were taught these facts about ancient Rome in high school and college, the weight of the decline and the potential parallels to our own society is much more dramatic while hearing the story in the Roman Coliseum.  Truly those that do not learn from history are condemned to repeat the same mistakes.

6 – Talk with New People.

Most of us have about three or four close friends, associates or acquaintances with which we discuss topics on a continuing basis.  Have you ever considered how insular this can become and how much this situation leads to “group think”? 

When you are traveling internationally you have the opportunity to talk with people who are very much outside your normal “group”.  This can help you to see things within your personal life, business and political view with a new and refreshed perspective. 

I continually promote to the managers in our company to get out of the office and visit with other people by reminding them that the odds of all new and great ideas coming from 7948 Second Flag Drive, Austell, GA is very low.  When you travel internationally, you increase your chances of a refreshing new perspective exponentially.

5 – Appreciate the Joy of Work.

It seems counterintuitive to expect to attain an increased appreciation of work while you are on vacation, but I have experienced this while traveling.  When you travel internationally you can see people who really seem to enjoy their work. 
It may be because they are immigrants making more money than they could ever dream of in their homeland doing domestic labor, or it may be because their trade has been passed down from generation to generation.  Watching people perform high level metalwork or masonry in the same manner their father and grandfather did is awe inspiring.  Whatever the reason for their enjoyment, it seems you have more time to observe people doing work when you are traveling.  The joy that some people bring to their jobs is invigorating and could lead to a way to help replenish this in your company.

4 – To Learn What is Old and Tired.

You will see approaches when traveling internationally that may be relatively new “at home”, but have been utilized for some time in the country that you are visiting.   However, they just do not seem to work well.  The newness of the approach at home “masks” the futility of the approach, while the “business as usual” of the approach highlights the futility in the foreign country.

3 – To Learn What is Up and Coming.

Conversely, you may be fortunate to see an approach at its infancy that is not only new to you, but is actually innovative and refreshing.  I have an associate in Mexico that has centered his business on the concept of finding new products and services at international trade shows before they are available in Mexico, and then being the first company to offer the item at home.  You may find the next “new thing” and find a way to exploit this for your company’s advantage.

2 – To Learn What is Timeless.

When you travel to cities that have been in existence for millenniums, you can experience things that work well.  These cities are timeless because they work.  For example, well designed, tree lined streets provide the backdrop for selling upscale fashions and other consumer products in urban environments because they produce a pleasant experience for a pedestrian.

Be on the lookout for similar “timeless” solutions that you can adapt for your business.

1 – To Appreciate What You Have.

As you can tell from the earlier potions of this Blog, I am a fan of visiting other parts of the world.  The experiences you gain from travel make you a better person and businessman.  But the number one benefit is that it will make you extremely grateful for winning the birthplace lottery of being born in America or your good fortune of becoming a naturalized American Citizen.  Our country certainly has its faults and challenges, but there are very few people in the world that would not like to have a chance at being an American businessman.

First of all, our rule of law and justice system is not available in many parts of the world.  Tyrants, both politically and otherwise, can operate with impunity in many parts of the world and no one’s assets are secure as a result.  Also, the American market is the most valuable in the world.  Every business person in the world would like to have a shot at the American marketplace.  The combined wealth of our prosperous middle class dwarfs every other marketplace in the world.

We are also free to voice our irritation at how any of our institutions are being operated.  That is not the case in many parts of the world.  Our creature comforts are superior to most parts of the world.  Most of the world can only dream about the relative ease with which an American pet lives daily.

We are a blessed people.  But remember the old saying; to those to which much is given, much is expected.

So that is it for this week.  Add to the discussion with your comments.

Tool of the week:  Please give me a pass on this for the week since I am traveling across the Atlantic.  I promise a good one for next week.

Thanks,
Ted S. Miller

The Suit Doesn’t Make the Man and the Machine Doesn’t Make the Company

Recently I was visiting with an associate who had bought MCM Panels from us in the past.  His company is a mid-size installing subcontractor that offers metal walls and roofs in a vibrant market.  We had done several projects together where Miller Clapperton designed and fabricated the panels and he sold the panels installed in a subcontract relationship with General Contractors.  The projects had been profitable for both of us and they progressed with few problems.

As the relationship developed, my friend, and he has become a friend as well as a customer, decided that he wanted to expand his involvement into the MCM panel market. He investigated and purchased a computer controlled, 3-axis, machining center for the fabrication of the MCM panels.

This practice has become commonplace because the purchase price of these machines has fallen dramatically over the last two decades.  To my knowledge, Miller Clapperton was the first company to use this type of manufacturing.  We adapted a very robust machine that had been developed for the wood working industry so that it could machine MCM panels.  At that time, the machine cost more than $250,000.  This was back in the early 1990’s.

Since that time, lighter duty machines have been developed for less than $100,000 that perform similar functions.  Due to this lower required investment, many companies have entered the field of MCM fabrication.  However, as my friend has learned, the machine is the easiest part of the total investment required to become a full service MCM fabricator.

Let us look at some of the other things required:

Estimating and Sales

Because of the relatively high cost of the raw MCM sheet, it is necessary to perform a quantity survey for every individual panel in order to accurately determine the cost of a MCM panel project.  Unlike metal siding and roofing where “close enough” is good enough, for MCM panel projects you really need to know how many panels you can obtain from a sheet of material because the cost of “drop” is an important factor in determining the cost of a project.  Therefore, a great deal more time and hence money is required to perform an accurate takeoff, estimate and proposal for MCM panel projects.

Design

MCM panels have become the “go to” product for challenging intersections of building materials on projects.  Therefore, the skill level required for producing approval drawings, part drawings, and the subsequent instructions for the machining center is much higher than for many other types of building materials.  MCM panels do not have “trim” to hide tough intersections…they are the trim and designers expect that these panels will be nearly perfect without exposed fasteners.  “Nearly perfect” requires much more care and more skilled people to accomplish this goal.

Fabrication Staff and Facility

What my friend discovered is that unless you sell a lot of projects, there will be many times when your building and staff are not profitably being utilized.  There are sometimes weeks at a time when the fabrication area of the building and the fabrication staff are not busy.  What you find out is that it takes a great deal of the management’s time and effort to make up “busy work” for these people, not to mention the cost of the people in wages and benefits.
Bottom line:

Unless you plan to do a whole lot of these types of panels, your investment will be underutilized and you may be better off just buying the panels from a “full time” MCM fabricator.  Remember, this idea did not come from me.  It came from someone who has done it both ways and to quote him directly, “I would not do it all over again.”  In fact, he is considering selling his machine to us. Enough said.

Tool of the Week – http://www.fontcapture.com/ -   Font Capture allows you to develop a computer font in your own hand writing.  This might add a “personal touch” to some of your communications.  Check it out.

That is it for this week.  Post your comments on the Blog and let us stimulate the discussion.

Thanks,
Ted S. Miller

Finally – the Fog and Myst(ery) surrounding ‘Rainscreen’ has almost lifted…

… well, at least there are now valid and objective means to define the Rainscreen types and their respective performance levels.

Written by J. David Clapperton, Partner – Miller Clapperton

Most of the national and regional MCM fabricators and installers have been responding to the growing interest in the “Rainscreen” design concept. In fact, it should be termed and understood for what it is … The Rainscreen Principle. Knowing the proper classification and name of the principle does not however automatically bestow practical understanding. It is because of this ‘misunderstanding’ that the industry ‘fog’ has existed for some time now.

Although the ‘concept’ has been in use in one form or another in the building industry for centuries now (likely dating back to the 1600’s or earlier in Norway with the shingle-lap siding for housing and agricultural structures known as the ‘open-jointed barn technique’), its formalization and value-recognition took root initially in Europe in the early 1900’s, then expanded into Great Britain and Canada where pressure-equalization studies took on a new interest.

It seems, though, that a ‘fuzzy line’ still existed between what had evolved as two distinctly different performance criteria for rainscreen cladding systems – be they wood, metal or masonry. Despite the efforts of many highly recognized research authors and organizations such as Birkeland (Norway), G.K. Garden (Canada) and the NRC-CNRC Institute for Research in Construction (Canada), the principle distinctions within the ‘Rainscreen Principle’ cladding family remained misunderstood by the domestic design and building industry as a whole. To be specific, not many in the industry truly understood what differentiated a ‘Drained and Back-Ventilated (D/BV)’ rainscreen from a ‘Pressure Equalized (PERS)’ rainscreen and what performance differences should be expected. Finally, in 1988 J.M. Anderson and J.R. Gill, CIRCA (Construction Industry Research and Information Association), London, England published what has become the industry definitive treatise on rainscreen entitled Rainscreen Cladding a Guide to Design Principles and Practice.

This ‘fuzzy line’ misunderstanding has led to numerous specifications blending the two design principles and suppliers of systems either knowingly or unknowingly laying claim to performance levels of one type, when in fact their system was truly the other. All the while, the critical weather resistant surface of the building envelope received little attention in specification or detail … the air/water barrier (or weather resistant membrane or coating) seemed a secondary thought or concern. According to the abaa (Air Barrier Association of America … www.airbarrier.org) this critical weather-proofing element should receive as much attention as the aesthetic building envelope system, if not more!

In an attempt to try to clear up this lack of understanding before injury to the industry took hold, the Metal Construction Association (MCA), Chicago, IL appointed a Rainscreen Task Force in January 2005 as a research and educational group attached to its Wall Panel Council. The result of this effort to educate the industry culminated in February 2007 with this issue of the Task Force’s white paper entitled Understanding ‘The Rainscreen Principle’, dated December 14, 2006. This paper presents background, conventional wall design summaries, and fundamental performance criteria, but most importantly, delves into the fundamental differences between ‘Drained/Back-Ventilated (D/BV)’ and ‘Pressure-Equalized/Compartmented (PER)’ rainscreen systems. These two approaches to controlling weather penetration of the building envelope exist equally underneath The Rainscreen Principle banner; however they are distinct and different in their performance and design principles. Accordingly, they should not be blended, nor should they be confused as to their respective levels of expected performance. Just because a cladding system is a ‘Rainscreen’ does not automatically mean it is pressure-equalized! I would urge all readers of this blog to go to the Metal Construction Association’s website at www.metalconstruction.org and download this white paper. It should be the beginning of a clearer understanding and eradication of the ‘fuzzy line.’

In order to further publicize the rainscreen issues and concerns, MCA’s Rainscreen Task Force presented a seminar at the 2007 METALCON International (www.metalcon.com) show in Las Vegas on October 3rd entitled Effective Design & Installation of Rainscreen Cladding. This seminar presented the history of ‘The Rainscreen Principle’, differences between the ‘D/BV’ and ‘PERS’ rainscreen types, a review of general design types, technical design and performance elements which distinguish the two types, and finally the ongoing AAMA testing programs and protocols being developed for both types.

It was this last subject matter (the testing programs by AAMA) that truly held-out a glimmer of real hope for the industry. Up until this point in time, while numerous technical documents and papers had been issued describing scientific analysis and laboratory testing results supporting the theories for both ‘D/BV’ and “PERS’ (the latter receiving much more attention as the fine line of pressure equalization is not easily achieved), no industry-wide definitive test protocol had been developed or adopted by any recognized industry organization. Not until now anyway!

GOOD NEWS!!

The American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA) has stepped up to provide the sorely needed testing protocols that will, in large part, take the guesswork out of whether or not various systems truly perform under the banners of ‘Pressure Equalized’ or ‘Drained/Back-Ventilated’ rainscreens. AAMA has now concluded two separate Task Group Studies resulting in specific and distinctive testing and classification methods for both ‘Pressure Equalized’ and ‘Drained and Back-Ventilated’ rainscreen cladding systems.

Pressure Equalized Rainscreen (PERS) – After a little over two years of meetings and data collection as a result of various testing methods development, the AAMA Pressure Equalized Rainscreen Task Group submitted for and gained approval from AAMA’s Methods of Test Task Group in December 2005 AAMA 508-05 Voluntary Test Method and Specification for Pressure Equalized Rain Screen Wall Cladding Systems. Subsequently, this test procedure was updated, revised and re-issued as AAMA 508-07 Voluntary Test Method and Specification for Pressure Equalized Rain Screen Wall Cladding Systems in May 2007. This testing procedure and protocol is available for a nominal fee at AAMA’s website www.aamanet.org ; click on Publications Store.

Drained and Back-Ventilated Rainscreen (D/BV) – Beginning toward the end of 2007, the Drained and Back Ventilated Rain Screen Wall Cladding Systems Study Group (D&BV Study Group) began work under the auspices of AAMA and hosted by Architectural Testing, Inc., York, PA. On July 31, 2009 the Study Group concluded its testing and technical meetings by addressing all balloted comments and concerns. The final proposed draft of Voluntary Test and Classification Method for Drained and Back Ventilated Rain Screen Wall Cladding Systems was transmitted to the Chairman of the AAMA Methods of Test Task Group on August 17, 2009 for formal approval, processing and publication. The proposed testing and classification method of test was approved during the AAMA National Fall Conference in September 2009 and subsequently was assigned formal test method number AAMA 509-09, and released for publication in October 2009. This formal document is now available publically through AAMA’s website ‘Publications Store’.

Let’s all work to assure that these definitive testing methods become the standard for evaluating performance of proposed systems so that conjecture, supposition and subjective claims become a means of the past and our road to clearly understood and expected performance criteria creates a solid foundation for the entire industry.

Your comments are welcome!

Follow us on Twitter @mcppanels

The Surprise Birthday Party

I did not want to write this Blog because it is very personal for me.  However, one of my younger associates, Scott Stafford, somewhat insisted that it could be helpful to many people and I am learning to listen to my younger associates more and more.  This is partly because I feel they are smart and more in tune with current communication trends and partly because they are making us money and that deserves respect.

So, here it is.

I turned 60 last week.  My dear wife, Jo, threw a very nice party for me and we had over a hundred friends and family members at the party.  Thanks, Jo.

Several of the invitees had asked Jo if it was a “surprise party” and Jo said, “yes, because we did not expect Ted to be here.”  You see, in 2002 I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Colon Cancer.  There is no Stage 5.  I guess you could say that Stage 5 is death.  In general, approximately 8-15% of people with Stage 4 Colon Cancer are still alive five years after their diagnosis.  So, you can see the reason for the “surprise”. 

I am certainly a blessed man, both in terms of my current longevity and because of the support of my family, friends and medical professionals over the last seven years.  Also, when you are confronted with the prospect of death, you will evaluate how you are spending your life. 

I did that seven years ago and what I found through my self analysis was that what I was doing then (at the time of the original diagnosis) for work, play and spiritually was exactly what I wanted to do if I only had a few months to go.  Therefore, I did not need to change any of my personal activities except for the time I invested in treatments.  That made me feel good about my life choices in spite of the situation that I was facing.

That is enough prologue.  Now we get to the part of the story that Scott insisted I share.  I could possibly have avoided most, if not all, of the ravages of seven years (and counting) of treatments for colon cancer if I had been smarter.  By smarter I mean this:  most health professionals suggest everyone get a colonoscopy at age 50, unless you have a family history of colorectal disease.  I had my first colonoscopy at 52 after some other symptoms of problems occurred.

If my first colonoscopy had been performed at age 50, probably the most I could have expected were some polyps that could have been removed during the procedure. 

DO NOT BE HARD HEADED, LAZY OR SQUEAMISH ABOUT A COLONOSCOPY.  GET IT DONE!  NO EXCUSES!

The same goes for prostate screening, breast cancer screening, etc.  There are many things that we cannot control about our health, but these are some things that we can.  Let us raise a toast (and an appointment card) for good health and good health practices.

So, I hope you do not think this Blog was too personal but I think Scott was correct.  Confession is good for the soul but possibly bad for the reputation.  I will take the chance on exposing my poor judgment if it will help others.

So, back to the “surprise party”…. SURPRISE!  I am still here and glad to be here.

Tool of the Week – http://www.cancer.gov/ – The National Cancer Institute has a very comprehensive website that can give you current information on cancer and screening recommendations.  Use it.

That is it for this week.  Post your comments on the Blog and let us stimulate the discussion.

Thanks,
Ted S. Miller

Thirty Years Later and a New Day, Every Day

On October 15, 1979, Dave Clapperton and I stared at each other across my kitchen table and, if not audibly at least figuratively shrugged and said, “Okay, what do we do now?”  We had left employment for the wild world of being in business for ourselves. 

Thanks to two good wives who had steady employment and a small but immeasurably thoughtful loan from two friends we were able to start our business.  We were able to pay back the friends within a year or so, we will never be able to pay back our wives for their confidence in us and their support.

We began our business as a traditional manufacturer’s representative firm but over time we gravitated to projects that required design and project management skills.  We became the “go to guys” in Architectural Metalwork for metals like; stainless steel, brass, bronze and porcelain enamel in our market area.  Several years later, Doug Bruton, joined us to add design talent and added so much to the firm that he became a full Partner in time.

Later, we started to fabricate Metal Composite Material panels and have since become one of the leaders in this field.

This Thursday, October 15, we will celebrate with employees, family and friends our 30th Anniversary.  It is an appropriate time to contemplate the growth of Miller Clapperton and our industry.

Thirty years ago:

• We had a manual typewriter and used carbon copy sets for typing proposals
• U. S. Mail was the normal way to send correspondence and sending anything by Federal Express was a power statement
• To make a takeoff you would have to “wait your turn” at the Builders Exchange for the drawings
• And custom construction products took 16 to 18 Weeks for Delivery

Today:

• We have Computers, E-Mail, cell phones, internet, websites, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn
• Drawings are instantly uploaded via FTP sites and printed out in your own office with large document printers
• And custom construction products take 16 to 18 Weeks for Delivery

So, many things have changed and many things have not in these thirty years.

Some of the things that have changed at Miller Clapperton are:

• The number of employees has grown from 2 to more than 60
• The volume has grown from $0 to more than $17 Million per Year
• We have produced thousands of Projects and Millions of Square Feet of Product
• We have advanced from selling other companies’ products to manufacturing our own products
• We have worked within a few miles from our facility to Beijing, China and many places in between
• Miller Clapperton has become an Employee Stock Ownership Program company

When I look back personally at the last thirty years what pleases me most is the opportunity that this company has provided to scores of employees to provide a good living for their families (including mine).  Also, as corny as it may sound I still get a great sense of satisfaction when I go visit a Project and see the part that our company had in the Project.  I like building things.

Also, our work matters.  Every day in the construction business is a challenge.  You are constantly balancing design considerations, scheduling demands, labor constraints, workmanship, training, financial planning, human resources and more things than I can recall. 

The central thing to remember is this; in Project Construction you are making something out of nothing that has never been done before and will never be done again. 

Think of it this way, what if Michelangelo had to create the statue of David on the basis of a 100 page subcontract with onerous contract terms, outside in inclement weather, under the pressure of an unrealistic schedule and it had to house thousands of people and meet access requirements for mobility challenged occupants? 

These are the challenges that face the construction industry every day.  There are no dull days in the construction industry and I find this level of challenge invigorating.  I have been invigorated every day at Miller Clapperton now for thirty years.

I hope that everyone has an opportunity to experience the joy of doing work that they enjoy like I have.  I hope that you get to do work that matters.

Now, as the Partners are nearer their final days than their first days at Miller Clapperton, I must admit that I am envious.  I am envious because I see so many opportunities in front of them and the rest of the construction industry that were merely dreams to us 30 years ago.

We now have an online offering in Rapid Materials (www.rapidmaterials.com).  This new building materials concept can finally provide a method to cut the time for custom construction products from 16 to 18 weeks to just 2 to 3 weeks and possibly even shorter.

The possibilities now presenting themselves with new technology are amazing.  Terrestrial Scanning can become the “silver bullet” for obtaining field dimensions, Building Information Management systems can help to coordinate dimensional information for all of the trades.  Social media and communication advances can “get the story out” to customers, vendors, owners, contractors and other interested parties. 

In total these advances and others can help us to overcome all of the challenges that Michelangelo did not have to face so that we can approach his level of artistry and genius demonstrated in his work.

So, thirty years later, every day is a new and exciting challenge every day.  I hope that you enjoy the ride as much as I have.

If you are a former employee, current or former customer, valued vendor or friend and are traveling through the Atlanta area next Thursday, October 15 around 5:00 PM give me a call (770-941-8050) and I will give you directions to our 30th Anniversary celebration and you can enjoy a Varsity hot dog and onion rings with us.

Tool of the Week – http://sketchup.google.com/.  You can use Google SketchUp to create, modify and share 3D models.  While this may not be as full service as some other CAD software, I would never bet against Google.  Check it out.

That is it for this week.  Post your comments on the Blog and let us stimulate the discussion.

Thanks,

Ted S. Miller

What are you doing?

This week I am in Tampa for Metalcon 2009.  This is the major industry trade show for the portion of the construction industry that utilizes metal for construction products.  It is invigorating to be with the exhibitors and attendees of this trade show.

Metalcon is not immune to the downturn in the economy, and the construction industry has been hit particularly hard.  Metalcon exhibitors are down about 24% from last year, but compared to the Glass Show in Atlanta last week which was down about 50% from the year before, it is doing well.

So, you may ask why I am invigorated by the exhibitors and attendees of this show.  It is simple really.  There are over 200 Companies that have chosen to be here and more than 4,000 have pre-registered to attend.  These are MY PEOPLE.  Not because they are in the Metal Construction Products industry, but because they have chosen to DO SOMETHING about the challenges of the economy rather than do nothing and just complain about how bad things are.

The people and companies that participate are the real movers and shakers of this and all industries.  They feel certain that some companies are going to not survive but thrive and they intend to be one of those companies.  They come to trade shows, visit new customers, ask existing customers about their businesses, check out other industries, anything but just sit still and hope.

As I said before, these are MY PEOPLE.  So I urge everyone, try something new.  Remember, the definition of insanity is:  Doing the same things over and over and expecting a different result.

 

Tool of the Week – Check out our new online offering:   www.rapidmaterials.com.  To my knowledge, it is the only place where you can actually order custom construction products online.  We are exhibiting this product at Metalcon.  It currently features Metal Composite Material panels, but Coming Soon you will be able to purchase a variety of other materials, like:  Atas products, Dri-Design panels, Fabral products, VMZinc, and metal panels from Fenco.  Rapid Materials is the most convenient way to order custom construction products and can become a valuable tool for construction.

That is it for this week.  Post your comments on the Blog and let us stimulate the discussion.

Thanks,
Ted S. Miller

It’s 8:00 AM, Do You Know Where Your Computer Guy Is?

I heard a self deprecating preacher tell this story once; if all of the preachers and all of the garbage men went on strike at the same time, which one would you think the citizens would demand come back first?

The point of the story is this; while some issues may not be central to you core mission, they often have more urgency.  In today’s highly technological marketplace a computer glitch can stop you from doing a good job even though you may have the best project managers, design engineers, production management, and field installation personnel.

We have reached the point in time in business where Information Technology is not an “add on” to your business strategy, it is an essential element.  We all need to have our work stations, server, E-Mail, phones and internet work seamlessly in order for us to do the job that we want to do for our customers.

For example:

1. Can your customers reach your key personnel flawlessly via phone, mobile phone, E-Mail, internet, etc?  Remember, in today’s marketplace each customer, vendor, and associate had a method of communication through which they are most comfortable and you need to accommodate their preference.
2. Do you have ready access to all Project information that you need at a moment’s notice?  If you do not, you may be making decisions based upon outdated or error filled information and we all know that will not serve you well.
3. Are you “telling your story” to customers, vendors and industry associates in a variety of formats?  If you do not tell your story through websites, blogs, social media, E-Mails, etc., you are not reaching the bulk of your intended audience.  If you want to get a feel for the developing importance of social media, go to the attached link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIFYPQjYhv8.  The statistics presented here are astounding.  Example: If Facebook were a country it would be the world’s 4th largest or that a 2009 US Department of Education study revealed that on average, online students out performed those recieving face-to-face instruction and that 1 in 6 higher education students are enrolled in online curriculum.
   Miller Clapperton and Rapid Materials are embracing social media to “tell our story”. Follow us on Twitter @mcppanels and @rapidmaterials or connect with us on Linkedin at http://www.linkedin.com/in/millerclapperton.
4. All of these things require an Information Technology plan and beyond that, continued maintenance.

Because of this need, Miller Clapperton has formed a new company to not only keep our business running smoothly but to also offer this service to other companies as well.  Keith Denner manages this company. 

Keith can be reached at either keith.denner@phase3it.com or at (678) 217-0306.  If you do not have your own in house IT expert, Keith may be able to establish a program for your business.

Tool of the Week – Try this new Phone App – Lockbox allows you to keep important information like account username/password, credit card information, etc all behind a password protected screen.

That is it for this week.  Post your comments on the Blog and let us stimulate the discussion.

Thanks,
Ted S. Miller

I Have to Give You a “Rain Check” on the Blog This Week

The metro Atlanta area has received approximately 1 Foot (12”) of rain in the last 24 hours and many of our employees are dealing with flood damage.  Therefore, we are trying to assist them in their needs.  So, you are officially entitled to a Miller Clapperton “Rain Check” for this week and you can claim your next Blog next week.

I have attached some photos from our employees so that you can see the depths of our challenges.

Tool of the Week – Try this new iPhone App – Lockbox allows you to keep important information like account username/password, credit card information, etc all behind a password protected screen.

That is it for this week.  Post your comments on the Blog and let us stimulate the discussion.

Thanks,
Ted S. Miller

40 Years of Excellence

Last week I received a very nice gift from Claus Leyting, formerly the President of the Architecture Product Market Unit of Alcan Composites.  The gift was a beautifully bound book of 164 pages that featured hundreds of outstanding Alucobond® projects.  Thanks, Claus!

The special occasion that created the opportunity for the book is the 40th Anniversary of the Press Release announcing ‘ALUCOBOND® – a new composite material’.  From this announcement a completely new industry was born.  For those of us who participate in the Metal Composite Material industry, we owe a debt of gratitude to the pioneers at Alusuisse Aluminum who started this industry. 

They developed a product that has become a “go to” solution for designers who are in search of a formable material to clad the exteriors of buildings.  It has become the preferred material to “trim out” the intersections of other major materials on buildings as well as the entire skin for many other buildings.

Most everyone in the industry knows that Alucobond® was originally produced in Singen, Germany and became an established construction product in Europe prior to its introduction in the United States in 1979.

I feel like Paul Harvey at this point; now, let me tell you the rest of the story.

How many of you knew the following:  where did the Alusuisse pioneers get the original idea for the composite material? 

Was it from a super secret portion of a well respected university complex in Berlin, Zurich, or Geneva?  No, it was on a “fact finding” information trip by Dr. Dieter Altenpohl in the autumn of 1964 to Bell Laboratories in the USA.  How Dr. Altenpohl got inside Bell Laboratories is not disclosed in the book.  But is it not very ironic that the technology was developed in the USA, but implemented in what was then a vanquished foe only 19 years earlier?  Is this a great country or what?

There are several lessons to be learned from this story:

GET OUT OF THE OFFICE

The chances of every great idea coming from your office is somewhere between slim and none.  Most great ideas develop by combining someone’s background knowledge with a new piece of information, often with no apparent immediate connection with current activities.  Dr. Altenpohl was able to combine his knowledge of a variety of potential uses of aluminum with Bell Laboratories undeveloped idea of combining metal and other products.  This probably would not have happened, and surely not as quickly, if he had remained in his office balancing chemical equations.

BE WILLING TO TAKE A PIECE OF THE PIE

Most of the applications for which Metal Composite Material products are utilized can be accomplished with solid metals.  What would happen if you brought an idea back to a producer of aluminum and said that you were excited about developing a product that would reduce the need for your core product by 70%?  That would be a tough sell in most companies. 

But that is what happened in this story.  By combining aluminum and plastics, a brand new industry was created and more aluminum was sold because the combination of materials created a better solution for many applications.  So, we should always be willing to change our current offering if we find a better solution.

WORK WITH GOOD PEOPLE

In order to accomplish an operationally excellent composite product, Alusuisse needed to gain knowledge of adhesive technology.  A collaboration with BASF was formed to develop an adhesive film that would provide the consistent adhesion to not only be structurally excellent, but provide the flatness needed for large surfaces.  The lesson learned here is that if you need expertise outside of your current field, seek them out, find the best people you can, and work with them as a valued partner in the venture.

So, on behalf of all of us involved in the Metal Composite Material industry, I raise a toast to the Alucobond pioneers and your 40 Years of Excellence and I hope that there is a Bell Laboratories facility that I can enter in the near future to see where the next “fact finding trip” may take us.
Tool of the Week – Try http://www.onlinecalculators.org/ for a variety of calculators.  They range from Monthly Payment & Amortization Schedules thru When Will You Become a Millionaire to Automotive Lease.

That is it for this week.  Post your comments on the Blog and let us stimulate the discussion.

Thanks,
Ted S. Miller

The “Non-Schedule” Tool

 

Miller Clapperton is working on a significant public project for a large national general contractor.  This project has suffered from significant conflicts between the architectural and structural drawings from the early stages of the project.

These conflicts have resulted in the structural frame being made to one set of dimensions, which conflict with the finished “skin” that is desired by the architect.  In order to make our panels fit the actual “built” substrate, we field measured the substrate.  We worked diligently to resolve the conflicts that had developed earlier in the building process until we finally had a developed solution.

Obviously, this corrective action took additional time.  Time that you would have expected would have been reflected in the project schedule.  However, when we were actually able to start our installation we were pressured to add more crews to make up the time that was lost.

Excuse me?  What the heck was going on here?  This is when we discovered that the project schedule did not reflect the current state of the project.  In fact, the time to design a fix for the inaccurate substrate had not been incorporated into the project schedule at all.  It was as though the project schedule had been placed in a time capsule, never to be touched, until the project was completed.

So, what happened?

• Was there actually a published schedule that was developed in the beginning of the project that was not updated to show changes?
• Was there a non-published schedule that the general contractor was using to attempt to get the project back on schedule?
• Was the general contractor using the published schedule as a “hammer” on the subcontractors in concert with the subcontract, without regard to the actual delays?

Unfortunately, the answer to all of the above is YES.  It is hard for me to believe that we are the only subcontractor that has run into this “non-schedule” tool.  Have some of you encountered a similar set of circumstances?  Did you find the subcontract lacking in remedies to the benefit of the subcontractor, but loaded to the benefit of the general contractor?  Do you have any tips for the readers of the Blog to combat this unfair practice?

It is not surprising that the remedies are stacked in favor of the general contractor, but the fact that there seems to be “two sets of books” on the project schedule is a new development.

The key question is, “how does a subcontractor protect their duration times and get fair treatment?”

Let’s use the Blog to share ideas, so post your thoughts.

I hope everyone has had a great summer and that the fall brings improved business and beautiful fall colors and weather.

Tool of the Week – This week the “Tool” is the quest for a transparent and published project schedule.  It protects those subcontractors that do their work on time and exposes those who do not; including the general contractor.  Seek it out and insist that it be kept current.

That is it for this week.  Post your comments on the Blog and let us stimulate the discussion.

Thanks,

Ted S. Miller