Dayton... First in Fuel

by Steve Staub (Staub Manufacturing Solutions)

About once a month I will be highlighting historical items that were invented or manufactured right here in the Dayton, Ohio region.

To get things started on our historical items page, I will be listing one item this week and one item next week. The items appear on the surface to be unrelated… but are they? I'm looking for some help to figure this out. More on that in next week's posting.

Pictured above is an old banner from the Refiners Oil Co. of Dayton, Ohio. The very rare banner in this photo is from my personal collection. It is one of two known to exist and was produced sometime between 1923 & 1930.

Want to Grow Your Business? Take the Easier Route!

by Debbie Wanamaker (B2B Marketing Consultants, LLC)

A lot of companies are trying to enter new markets in order to find new customers to boost their profitability. Great idea! However there are some ways that are easier than others. . .

Many times companies go 'whole hog' into their initiatives - going after a different type customer base, with new products / services, in a new geography. That's a big leap! For most companies it's actually more profitable to sort of 'sneak' your way into new markets and customer bases.

When the DRMA Speaks...

by Angelia Erbaugh (DRMA President)

There have been some really exciting things happening here at the DRMA over the past few weeks! Here are just a few examples of why over 300 companies belong to the DRMA - the Voice of Manufacturing in the Dayton Region.

• The superintendent of the Greene County Career Center asked to meet with me to find out what his school could do for manufacturers.

• The director of Harrison College, a new outfit starting up in Fairborn, met with me to ask what his college could provide to benefit DRMA members.

• Brad Proctor (DRCC) and Paul Piechota (UDRI) are investigating an idea to help drive business to our members from the Base.

• Senator Portman’s district director, Connie Laug, spoke with Bill Lukens (Stillwater Technologies) and I to get an understanding of our industry, focusing on our workforce development needs.

New EVENTS page on MadeInDaytonBlog.com

Did you know that you can now find information on industry related events on the brand-new EVENTS page of MadeInDaytonBLOG.com?  

Here are just a few of the listed upcoming events that you won't want to miss:

• February Member Meeting - Dayton Region Manufacturers Association (DRMA) with Eric Burkland (OMA)
• Problem Solving Workshop - TechSolve (Dayton)
• DRMA Extreme Bots Competition
• Ohio Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Conference
• Secrets of Organizational Change - Sinclair Workforce Development

Be sure to send us your upcoming events so that we can include them on the calendar as well! 

MadeInDaytonBlog.com is the place for all the latest industry NEWS and EVENTS.

Recruitment Underway for Advanced Manufacturing Specialists Program

Sinclair Workforce Development, in partnership with the Dayton Region Manufacturers Association (DRMA), is recruiting eligible candidates for its Advanced Manufacturing Specialists (AMS) Certification Program scheduled to begin February 16 and continue through June 21, 2012.

“This program is ideal for individuals and groups who will be leading improvement efforts for their plants,” said Donna Hoying, Manager, Advanced Engineering and Manufacturing Solutions and AMS Certification training leader. “Employees who would benefit from this training include machinists, CNC programmers, quality technicians, manufacturing technicians, and manufacturing engineers.”

Join My Club?

by Rick Little

With the economy the way it is, what would you think if I offered you a job, but then told you one of the conditions of employment was that you had to join my private club? Oh, and you have to pay a membership fee for the privilege? I’ll make it easy for you though, I’ll just deduct the fee from your check, you’ll never even notice. When you inquire what the money goes for I assure you that we only do good things on your behalf, but you just have to trust me on that.

For employees in twenty eight states that is the scenario. It’s not really a club you need to join; it’s more of an alliance… a union. In twenty eight states you must join a union as a condition of employment if fifty-one percent of the employees at a company at some point thought a union was a good idea.

Technology... Friend or Foe?

by Heather Martin (Innovative Interchange, Inc.)

It’s a safe bet that 2012 will bring even more exponential growth in technology than we saw in 2011. The early adopters will line up at 3 a.m. to get the newest iDevice, while those who believe they’ll be caught in an information-age tsunami will sleep in.

And there are positives and drawbacks to both points of view.

A couple of positives: As a business owner or manager, you may have clients and prospects who look to you to help them understand and use the latest technology. Being able to help them gives you a competitive edge. And the more refined technology gets, the more it can simplify parts of our lives.

Manufacturing – Is it really important to our region?

by Steve Staub (Staub Manufacturing Solutions)

Is manufacturing really that important to the Dayton region? … Read on, you might be surprised by what you learn!

Here is a quick glance at the local manufacturing industry:

• 2,400 companies 
• 100,258 employees – that’s 14.1% of the areas workforce! 
• $ 4.7 billion annual payroll – that’s 17.4% of the regions total payroll! 
• $ 2.5 billion economic development 
• $ 32 billion annual sales 

And that is just here in the 12 county greater Dayton region!

Selling is Selling is Selling, Right? - WRONG

by Roger Wentworth (Sandler Training)

There are different types of selling and understanding the differences can save you a lot of headaches and LOTS of money! There’s a lot of frustration for companies trying to hire salespeople. A good salesperson is worth their weight in gold and always will be. However, a good salesperson for someone else may not be a good fit for you. There’s a rule of thumb I share with everyone I meet that manages salespeople – “eight out of ten salespeople hired are the wrong person”. Sounds outlandish but over the years I’ve only had one person argue with me and he said the number was low!

There are lots of reasons the “wrong” person is hired. But it’s not out of neglect or incompetence that companies make hiring mistakes, it’s mostly out of a lack of understanding what type of selling they need and how to assess potential candidates.

The Latest Industry News

Did you know that you can find links to the latest manufacturing industry news on the news page of MadeInDaytonBlog.com?

Here are some recent headlines:

• Area company sees 140 percent jump in net income
• Sherrod Brown to speak at DDC annual meeting
• Report: Kodak preparing possible bankruptcy filing
• UD part of $2.4M grant to buoy engineers
• Jan. 26 workshop offers tips on doing business with government
• Local builder delivers crime-fighting cruisers
• Manufacturing sector ends 2011 strong
• Dayton Development Coalition sets 2012 plan
• Air Force awards manufacturing technology contract
• Dayton region stands to boom as UAV hub
• Trade ruling threatens Ohio companies

Know of something newsworthy? Let us know at info@MadeInDaytonBlog.com.

Stay up to date with MadeInDaytonBlog.com.

Hall of Fame Inductee #2

Charles F. Kettering
(August 29, 1876 – November 24, 1958)

It is hard to sum up in a few short paragraphs who Charles Kettering was… he was simply someone who made a huge impact on the world as we know it! “Boss Ket”, as he was often called, held more than 140 patents, possessed honorary doctorates from nearly 30 universities and was responsible for more major inventions than any American except for Thomas Edison.

Mr. Kettering taught for three years in country and small town schools to finance his higher education. Entering The Ohio State University at age 22, he dropped out in his sophomore year because of poor eyesight. He worked for two years as a telephone lineman, then returned to Ohio State and graduated at the age of 28 in 1904.

Start the New Year right... Backing Up

Are you one of those people who always pulls head first into a parking space? You are? … I was afraid of that. I hate to say it but you may be guilty of procrastination parking.

Now, I don't mean to pick on you for the way you park. I'm actually more concerned with the way you start your day. Here’s what I mean. Backing into a parking spot is hard - at least harder than pulling straight in - but so is backing out. Whether it’s now or later, you will have to back up and it will be challenging.