- Your quarterly “State of Business” please — we’ve had a nice rebound with a few machine orders coming in recently, no?
Orders remain strong. It looked like there could have been a dip coming last time we talked, but orders are right where we want them to be with a solid backlog of business and a lot of great machinery coming up to be built. Rolls are a little bit slower than we’d like. I don’t know if people are tightening up their pockets a little bit or what that issue may be. But, that’s one area of the business we’d like to see pick up a little bit more to provide that consistent volume that we’ve grown to know over the years. - Talking about that backlog of orders… any unique builds coming up that deserve special mention?
We’ve got a custom project coming up for two pretty-big machines, both for the same customer. That will be a lot of engineering hours because of the custom specs and the sheer size of those machines. So, those will be two big ones to tackle and will be great for everyone with all the jobs and direct labor that we can put on those to keep everyone busy as we close out the end of the year. The panel market remains strong. We are (currently busy with) Panel Express lines, Cold Press lines — so those are two full lines and great to sell as a complete system and really wire (the equipment) together to make a complete product out of it. We’re excited for all that, and also our other lamination markets with the different webs we are doing like insulation and things of that nature. Those orders will provide more fun projects for us to take on that we should all be excited about. - “Uncertainty” has been a keyword when addressing tariffs and the economy… still murky waters? Or are things clearing up a bit?
I wouldn’t say it has gotten clear. There is a ton of negotiating going on at the federal level with world leaders. I think we are seeing some nice investments back into our country as well, but it’s such a large, global economy. I’d still say it hasn’t cleared up to the point we’d want, and I don’t know if anyone can say exactly when it will clear up in terms of economic conditions. But at the end of the day, our business is strong and we continue to see other U.S. manufacturing staying strong for the most part. I know the job growth and that data hasn’t been great, and there is supposed to be some federal interest rate cuts coming as well to help inflation and help the consumer. So, not out of the woods — who knows if we ever will be with the craziness that happens day-to-day — but we are extremely thankful for the business we do have. We’ll keep doing our thing and take on challenges as they come. - For sure we will. Black Bros. recently hit 365 safety days, a nice accomplishment. What are the significant factors that go into it?
We’ve been doing the STOP® For Safety program for six years now. I think we’ve just grown more accustomed to it and the best way to format and track different data points. Finding out through (various resources) what are the most likely risk scenarios. We’ve really looked into that data and made it a point to check on it. You see it in our facility. It’s always been a nice, clean working environment, but now our
areas look (above and beyond) and show we are invested in safety. It all plays a key part in the culture we want, and obviously our team members have done a very good job of keeping themselves safe and looking out for each other. We’ve had great buy in with the Near Miss Program, and we’re doing all the right things. There’s always room for improvement, but we have a lot to be proud of in terms of that safety record. - On the topic of safety, I’m told our new U/L-Certified Control Panels are an added value for customers in this area. How so?
It’s just another step to make sure we are at the top of the standard. Basically, we are agreeing to have our panels inspected, and (it assures) we are using the most up-to-date code for panel safety, component labeling, all things of that nature to provide the most easily understood safety information. Everything is spelled out and as transparent as it can be to really point out hazards and all the details to each part or component within the panel. Our Electrical Engineers, notably Eric Skinner and Aaron Perryman, have been pushing on it for a while, along with a couple of our Electrical Assemblers. And they did a great job working with our U/L rep to have all the paperwork ready. We had our first panel inspected two weeks ago and passed with flying colors. So, big shout out to that group because it does involve (more work and attention to detail), but they brought it to our attention for all the right reasons. It was time to keep raising the bar for our electrical safety. - The new Roll Building has been open for about a year now. Has it lived up to the hype, in terms of climate control and efficiency?
It handled the summer exceptionally well. It’s a seal-tight building with one of the highest R-value ratings possible. Beside the emergency doors and an overhead door it is air tight. It was specced out and built to be the most climate economical building possible and I think it has lived up to that hype, for sure. The (air conditioner) has a thing call an “economizer” where it knows how to handle the cool air outside in the morning and run the fan to save energy cost and be a little more green. We’re still learning a little more about that as we make our way through the four seasons. Every day we are learning a little bit more about the system. But, yeah, (the building has) been outstanding. - You’ve been stationed in the Engineering Department for two years now. How’s the growth been and what’s next?
The growth, on my own personal scale, of my knowledge and the processes of our company has been very satisfying. Still have a long way to go, but I am happy with all the things I’ve been able to take away so far. They’ve been a great group to learn from and, seriously, any question I have they always have a solution for and a reason why. Different tips and tricks to help me learn our software, ERP, our filing process, and that’s helped in how I am able to communicate that to others on a more novice level. So there’s been a lot of growth, but I’ve got a long way to go. Definitely enjoy what I’m doing and working with that group up there so there’s no rush (to move on) at this point.
