Page 4 - CMA PROfiles Fall 2017

THE PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Disruption, years back. To remain relevant and
to grow, it’s no longer going to be a
Shifting matter of changing out a router bit to
another profile, but questioning whether
Paradigms something altogether different may be
the best solution.
& Futurism This got me thinking: If you look at
the increasing use of both 3D printing
technology and the software licensing/
I’ve been watching as the software
suppliers in our industry (and in general) leasing model, it doesn’t seem far-fetched
switch over to subscription-based user to imagine a time when we may find
fees versus selling the software to matter how many great fortunes Miss ourselves buying or leasing machines
customers outright, as they did for years. Cleo promised would await me, I knew that make our parts from something
comparable to an in-house 3D printer.
This change is bringing major disruption my future would be over the moment my
to our notions about the “norm”/how parents got the phone bill.) Imagine you have a vending machine of
things should be, but we don’t really have All these years later, here I am, reacting to sorts: Your software places an order for
a choice in the matter: We have to go changes, running a business (and all that your requested quantity of hinge plates
along or forever be irrelevant. goes with that) and attempting to plan in the size you need, and the vending
machine begins spitting them out. It then
I grew up in a shop where we bought for the next big thing, all the while hoping automatically deducts money from your
things like router bits and shaper cutters the bottom doesn’t drop out while we’re account to pay for the licensing of the
with the hope that we could run the same leveraged with the debt we took on based design and the system (as opposed to the
profiles for years on end – job after job – on our best forecasts about the future. It plate itself); you pay a royalty to make
and make money on the same investment kind of makes us wish there was a 1-900 each part and rent a machine to produce
for years to come. The only “disruption” hotline that could offer us a sure-bet look the parts at your facility. The machine
to our way of working was sharpening at the months and years ahead. Instead, would then automatically re-order the
these parts. we have to rely on futurists, economists, material that was used to make the plates.
These days, we’re looking at tooling on industry leaders, our peers and yes, our This is a huge paradigm shift: Rather than
a per-job basis. Like many of you, we’re gut instincts – sometimes at the expense ordering a box of 250 hinge plates from
investing in tooling – and in some cases, of a good night’s sleep. a distributor – which results in piles of
smaller machinery – that is specific to Our company has re-invested like never cardboard, transportation, wait times,
a project, even though there is little before. Some of this is a matter of warehousing, handling, storing and paying
likelihood of finding another use for it in catching up from years of making do; for finished product inventory – we
the near future. some is what we call our “crystal ball” simply use a giant 3D printer to make
Back when my wife was my girlfriend, equipment, because that’s easier to them on demand.
and I was meeting her family, I was say than “machine that puts us out of Will this happen any time soon? It’s hard
introduced to one of her distant uncles business if things slow down.” I don’t to say, but when you allow yourself to
whose professional title is “futurist.” I want to think about where we’d be right put on that futurist hat for a few minutes,
was a little put off by the idea that he now if we had not taken chances and the sky’s the limit, as the saying goes.
was getting paid to talk about what was listened to great advice, and yet there is a In today’s business climate, I believe we
going to happen in the future with regard lingering doubt that I hope is normal. all need to be a little futuristic in our
to technology. After all, my frame of The keynote speaker at Stiles’ Executive thinking in order to survive!
reference for people in the business of Briefing Conference this past spring
predicting the future was my childhood spoke on the theme of disruption and
experience hearing the psychic Miss Cleo major change. He said this force will
on Saturday morning TV, urging me in her shape the world we live in due to the
Jamaican accent to call a 1-900 number. speed and scale of how we experience Matt Krig
(Side note: I never called, because no change now, compared to even a few President, Cabinet Makers Association