-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- pcb007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueThe Sustainability Issue
Sustainability is one of the most widely used terms in business today, especially for electronics and manufacturing but what does it mean to you? We explore the environmental, business, and economic impacts.
The Fabricator’s Guide to IPC APEX EXPO
This issue previews many of the important events taking place at this year's show and highlights some changes and opportunities. So, buckle up. We are counting down to IPC APEX EXPO 2024.
Getting to Know Your Designer
In this issue, we examine how fabs work with their design customers, educating them on the critical elements of fabrication needed to be successful, as well as the many tradeoffs involved. How well do you really know your customer? What makes for a closer, more synchronized working relationship?
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Events
||| MENU - pcb007 Magazine
It's Only Common Sense: Looking Good!
February 16, 2015 | Dan Beaulieu, D.B. Management GroupEstimated reading time: 4 minutes
How good is your company’s appearance? Remember, it’s the little things that make a big difference.
How good do you think your company is? How do you think you’re doing? What do you do well? What do you need to work on? What do people think when they walk into your lobby?
These are questions you should be asking yourself at all times. You should be constantly thinking how your company presents itself to the outside world: what it looks like when you walk through it, what it sounds like when customers call in. Does your company appear to be a well-run lucrative company or does it look like a company on its last legs, ready to go out of business?
Then you have to consider what you want your company to be. What do you want to look like to your customers?
Walk into your lobby. What does that look like? Is it clean and welcoming? Is there a live person waiting to help you? If you must have some sort on contact system, make sure it is apparent, effective and easy to use. I have been in a couple of companies lately who are using an iPad on a stand to connect you with the person you want to see. If you’re going to have a system instead of a person, this is by far the least of all evils
Make sure the lobby is well lit, well painted and clean. It is, after all, the face of your company. Make sure your magazines are new. What do you think a 10-year-old copy of CircuiTree says about your company?
The same holds true for plaques and awards. Unless it’s the Nobel Prize for Technology, don’t display awards that are more than 10 years old! No one will be impressed with an award for your work on the Minuteman missile program.
You want your company to look good, sharp and up to date. This is not a money thing; paint does not cost a fortune, and clean floors don’t cost anything but a little soap and elbow grease. And don’t get me going about those restrooms. I once talked to a quality auditor for a large OEM who told me the first places he looked when he surveyed a company were the restrooms. He told me that was the most telling place in the factory when it came to indicating how the company was run…seriously!
Seven Ways to Create a Welcoming Company
Here is a list of seven things you can do to make your company look fresh, modern and well run:
- The lobby. Make sure it is well lit, freshly painted, has modern comfortable furniture and up-to-date awards and product samples. Remember that your customers and vendors will spend a lot of time with nothing to do but study your lobby.
- The restrooms have to be spotless, not just for your visitors but for your own employees as well. Sloppy restrooms indicate a lack of caring, and that’s all there is to it. No argument.
- Hallways should always be clean, the floors should shine and if you have windows that look into the various departments, they should be as clean as that proverbial whistle.
- All departments from the drill room to lamination to inspection must be neat and orderly. Everything should be in its place, with shelves and racks neat and well organized. They should reflect the look of a craftsman’s workshop.
- The same applies to the offices. Desks should be clean and organized and look like people who know what they’re doing work there. I don’t want to hear any excuses from that slob who says he knows where everything is despite the mess. Take my word for it: he does not. Oh, and make sure that the calendars are turned to the right month, never mind the right year! Or the right decade? I’ve seen that before.
- How about the front lawn? Let’s not forget that. Make sure that everything in front of your company looks great. That shrubs are shaped and the lawn is mowed. By the way, things should look great all around the building, especially shipping and receiving. I once visited a company that had four wet mattresses on the ground in front of the loading dock. Those mattresses completely destroyed that company’s image.
- Make sure all your lights work inside and out. You don’t want any dead lightbulbs. And forget that argument about saving energy by only using every other light bulb…you look like you’re going out of business.
- And one more. Always under-promise and over-deliver. Make sure your equipment is all up to date and taken care of. There is nothing that gives a better impression than well-maintained equipment.
There you have it. Now it’s time for you to take that walk. Look around and see what your place looks like. What do you see? Does it look fresh and clean and new and well organized? Does it look like the people who work there care about what they do?
More important does it look like the people who work there know what they’re doing? If the answer to these questions is yes then you’re on the right path to success. It’s only common sense.
Suggested Items
Ventec Giga Solutions Announces Exclusive Refurbishment Service for PCB Lamination Plates
02/22/2024 | Ventec International GroupVentec Giga Solutions, the equipment division of Ventec International Group, has started offering a refurbishment service for separator plates used in PCB lamination processes.
Cardel Appoints Ventec Giga Solutions as Distributor of Specialist PCB Lamination Materials
11/10/2023 | Ventec International GroupVentec Giga Solutions, the equipment division of Ventec International Group announces it has been appointed as sales agent and distributor of specialist PCB lamination materials from Cardel. The agreement covers the EMEA region including the United Kingdom.
Stiffeners for Flex Circuits
08/10/2023 | Mike Morando, PFC Flexible CircuitsOne of the most recent topics in the flex world has been the evaluation of materials required to build a rigid-flex or flex circuit. Discussions around flex and materials include variations of polyimide and copper. Here I will discuss another material that plays a very important role in the world of flex circuits: stiffeners. These are critical components to a flex circuit because they broaden its scope and potential applications.
Equipment Technologies LLC Launches New Website for New Equipment Sales and Maintenance Services
08/07/2023 | Equipment Technologies LLCEquipment Technologies LLC (ETI) has launched a redesigned “from the bottom up” website as it continues its rapid growth. ETI specializes in selling and installing new manufacturing and automation equipment as well as offering maintenance and repair services to the circuit board industry. ETI product and service offerings are supported by Insulectro, the largest distributor of materials and services for PCB manufacturers in North America. ETI is owned by the Redfern Companies in Southern California.
How You Know You’re Working With a TQM Company
07/27/2023 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007We spoke with Tim Rodgers, PhD, a senior faculty instructor at the University of Colorado (Boulder) and an expert in supply chain about a wide range of topics. In this excerpt, I ask Tim how to determine whether a company in your supply chain follows TQM practices. His well-informed reply leverages his years of experience in the electronics manufacturing industry.