Branding … not very
American style (with bonus Godfather reference)
There is a nice short article in the Economist about artisan food producers and their geographic branding efforts. In short, “The EU is demanding protection for 145 food names, including feta, asiago, Gorgonzola, munster and fontina. … Americans are unimpressed. They see all this as an attempt to erect trade barriers and raise prices by reclaiming words that have long since passed into general use.”
America is a competitive economy and we respect branding … but we have limits. Attitudes in other countries are markedly different, where provenance matters a great deal more in branding. As for your blogger, I really like certain things, and if the provenance of a specific good wine involves a chateau with 100-year old vines tended by blind, tattooed monks, then GREAT! Otherwise, it’s what is in the glass that still matters most.
That said, on manufactured goods “Made in USA” still carries an awful lot of cachet with your humble blogger (see post from July 17), and usually for some very good reasons. That’s provenance, is it not? I guess you can count me as a hypocrite … but then again, Senator … we are both a part of the same hypocrisy (52 seconds into this clip, pardon the language).
One more plug for ADI
article in Farm Equipment Magazine
The July/August issue of this excellent publication is online now and can be seen here. The piece on Austempered Ductile Iron (ADI) is here, with a few comments from yours truly. Subscribe today!
I
stated in that article “Salespeople who understand how castings are being used to
reduce the complexity of farm machinery …”. Specifically, I was driving at the fact that anecdotal
evidence shows that more designers are seeking out castings for improved
dimensional repeatability over weldments.
Now, I have no numerical evidence to prove this as a systematic
condition, but I will be looking for answers either way. The fact remains that multiple current and
former casting conversions were made based on this criteria, like this
award-winning example from Dotson Iron Castings.
Skilled labor in the media
Advertising Age discusses a comprehensive campaign to recruit labor to the construction industry. A lot of this article applies to the cast metals industry as well as other manufacturing. The article states:
“Trying to shake its image as dirty, backbreaking labor and attract younger workers, the industry—from construction firms and trade groups to equipment manufacturers and machinery makers—is marketing itself as a place to use advanced math, science and technical skills. ... There's a good reason why the industry, now going into its busy season, needs to rework its pitch: 74% of construction firms report they are having trouble finding carpenters, electricians, plumbers and welders, according to a 2013 survey by industry trade group Associated General Contractors of America. ... "Construction work is somewhat different from what it was… There is much more use of laser and GPS-guided equipment, building-information modeling and other things that require computer skills and use of technology that was not common before the recession."
The takeaways for the cast metals industry:
1. There is a shortage of welders and machinists (but you knew that because you read this blog), which means more opportunities to sell castings
2. Other industries are committed to seeking ways to reach the job candidates they need by breaking up negative misconceptions ... which is what casting salespeople need to do when dealing with customers who have not seen the seismic changes in our industry over the past 20 years.
Lightweighting and free lunch
We all like a free lunch. But there is no such thing. See this from the Automotive Fleet News (hat tip to John Keough):
Ford's U.S. dealers began ordering the 2015 F-150 today after receiving pricing for the light-duty pickup that will increase due to the increased use of aluminum in the body. Prices will increase over the 2014 model by at least $395 and as much as $3,615 depending on the model, according to a Reuters report confirmed by a Ford spokesman.
Who knew? We all want things. But someone has to pay. I hope all of that added cost is made up in improved fuel mileage, but that is a blog post for another day.
Only in Pittsburgh
I very recently wrote “From a marketing standpoint I have always thought that “authenticity” always including a level of over-engineering. More specifically, using something for a purpose other than that for which it was designed ... I acknowledge that the relationship is not perfect - nobody wears welding helmets on the dance floor.” This notion is already outdated.
I was at a concert last night in downtown Pittsburgh (Offspring and Pennywise – buy your tickets now, punkers). I saw a guy in a Rancid t-shirt wearing green steel mill pants like these, probably from his dad’s dresser drawer. It was absolutely outstanding because I honestly don’t think he was trying … it just happened. That is the key – he wasn’t trying. Yinz can still drive in the Valley (that’s the Monongahela River Valley) and see some millhunk gardening in his green pants. You would not even bat an eye. That’s real, and that’s very cool.
Simon
Dumenco in Advertising Age touches on this ever so lightly, hoping that advertisers
would cease using “authenticity” as a buzzword. I’ll start now.