Posted By Don Clouser, Chairman of the Board, Thursday, August 8, 2019
There is no maintaining anymore.
I remember in my dad’s shop having a stable workforce, stable customers, and basically just expecting the next POs to come in. Today if you are not making things happen, nothing will be happening for you. People don’t work for the same company for a significant number of years. Customers are constantly looking to develop their supply chain for cost reduction, lead-time reduction, and other efficiencies. Development is just another word for change, but it is change for progress or maybe even for survival.
Business development can be so many things. New customers. New products. New services. New industries to serve. The point is that nothing lasts forever. Are you taking your current situation for granted? Or is there a plan to continue and/or expand in other areas? The world will pass you by if you don’t. DRMA provides networking to help you find those resources to help you create your business development plans. Are you finding those resources in your organization?
Workforce development is a big topic right now, but the question is: “What are you doing to develop the workforce?” Are you putting together a plan to develop the workforce? Or at least supporting workforce development efforts? That is the only way that progress will be made to solve your challenges. Join us at our Breakfast with DRMA: Accessing the Workforce Supply Chain on 8/27. We can show you a lot of moving parts that DRMA has developed and/or found that can help you in your workforce development plans. We have also teamed up with UD for Professional Development Courses as well as with Sinclair and Fastlane for Lean Manufacturing Courses to further develop your current employees.
Economic development is the vaguest of all for me. Fortunately, DRMA has a great relationship with the Dayton Development Coalition, which is a group dedicated to economic development in the area. The DDC has been very effective in their mission, and we appreciate how a strong economy helps all industries in an area. It also seems to be a default responsibility of government entities. But we know they need our guidance. Of course, we always need to be in the ear of our elected officials which is something our Government Relations Committee works at. In fact, they have a Meet and Greet scheduled with U.S. Congressman Warren Davidson on 8/15. He is a friend to manufacturing as he was a successful manufacturer. Congressman Davidson not only lends his ear but also listens to us.
I like discussing development more than change. Change makes us uncomfortable, but we get a sense of purpose with development. Development will make us more successful in the future. Are you taking the time to plan on development? If not, you are heading toward some significant change that is out of your control.
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