“I need a piece of used galvanized screw about 10 or 12 feet long, with trough. Do you have any?” This truly reflects the mind set of too many icemen still caught up in the way it was done in the 1970s. In the past, ice plant design consisted of figuring out what pieces of equipment were needed and connecting them, whether new or used, with some pieces of galvanized screw auger, hopefully used. It was an accepted norm that you had to learn all the “tricks” of your particular plant to keep from jamming up equipment with too much ice and burning up belts, breaking chains, or in some cases, actually laying back the flights on a screw auger from forcing too much ice in at one time. This was especially easy to do with vertical screws next to ice rakes. What a wonderful way that was to convey ice! Eventually some of those designs improved, sanitary consideration began to mandate stainless steel screw augers, and the concept of “used” augers started to fade. But not entirely. And the concept of just connecting the different pieces of equipment seems to still be the norm outside the engineering packages offered by Automatic ICE™ Systems. I’ll admit that when I first became associated with AIS I didn’t understand the terms.“Integrated, synchronized systems.” In fact I suggested to Doug Carpenter that he drop the synchronized word entirely. I thought it was too academic and didn’t say anything of value. At that time I was under the impression that all this referred to was that we had our own manufacturer for our stainless steel augers. Lost on me was the concept of having an exclusive conveying system specifically engineered for each plant. A system in which each auger was part of a total system specifically engineered to move product from the icemakers to bulk storage and throughout bagging. A system in which each auger was tied into an in-house built and engineered control system to synchronize and coordinate all this movement. This was a new concept, but it certainly made good sense! When you take this approach to moving ice and combine it with a focused approach to total ice plant design and integration, you suddenly have received value for your investment. AIS designs complete ice plants focused on efficient and highly productive operations engineered for future growth and expandability. Every Automatic ICE™ System incorporates proven equipment technologies to work as a synchronous, expandable system. We fully integrate each system component utilizing our exclusive AIS Conveying Systems and AIS Control Systems to produce simplistic, trouble-free ice plant operations. You might want to read this paragraph again. It makes sense. It isn’t talking about a cheap piece of used screw; it communicates value for the investment. Gone are the days of learning all the quirks and tricks needed to keep the equipment from self-destructing. Tearing up ice and creating snow can be a part of history rather than current operating procedure. But it is critical that the “integrated, synchronized system” be followed. Call us when you’re ready to invest in the best value instead of a cheap piece of used screw.
Archives for April 2011
What’s Your Excuse?
“I don’t know what’s going on with the economy. I’m just going to wait and see what happens.” “I think we better wait until after the presidential election before making any big changes.” “The rising cost of diesel is killing us. We can’t make any changes until the price goes down.” “It’s the wrong time of the year… we need to wait until next fall.”
These are just some of the excuses I hear this year from company owners and managers stating why they feel that they need to hold off on making needed improvements to their manufacturing facilities. So then when is the best time to make updates to your ice manufacturing and/or processing systems? The best answer is usually now. We have all heard the expression, “No time like the present”. Well there is truth to that old standard. If you are considering updates to your facility, the changes you have been thinking about are most likely already past due. Why is this? Because people don’t like change and typically hold off until the required change is at the state of an emergency.
Recognizing the need for change is important, but results don’t happen on their own, you need to take action. Don’t wait for the time to be perfect, because it won’t. And don’t blame outside factors. Excuses like the economy and forthcoming elections have been shown, year after year, to have little effect on the packaged ice industry. Let’s face it, the only real outside factor that effects our industry is weather. And since we have problems predicting weather more than a day or two in advance, we can not allow future weather to dictate our plans. If you have been thinking about replacing worn out equipment or rebuilding your operations to improve productivity, give AIS a call. We would be happy to discuss your ideas and help to determine the best time-frame and plan of action to making theses changes a reality. We draw upon our equipment and systems knowledge, together with our project expertise and field experiences, to make your change as smooth as possible no matter what time of the year that change is made.
Spring 2008 Vol 11, NO 1
What’s Your Excuse?
“I don’t know what’s going on with the economy. I’m just going to wait and see what happens.” “I think we better wait until after the presidential election before making any big changes.” “The rising cost of diesel is killing us. We can’t make any changes until the price goes down.” “It’s the wrong time of the year… we need to wait until next fall.”
Investing in the Best Value, How Not to Get Screwed
“I need a piece of used galvanized screw about 10 or 12 feet long, with trough. Do you have any?” This truly reflects the mind set of too many icemen still caught up in the way it was done in the 1970s.
Ice Merchandisers, Making the Right Investment
investments for their ice company. An important ongoing investment for every ice company is ice merchandisers, and year after year AIS recommends the Leer brands of ice merchandisers to our clients.
Think Outside the Box
Business owners, directors and managers live a paradoxical life. Most discover at some point in their life that general contentment is a link to happiness. The paradox is that the contentment, or comfort zone, that we seek in our personal lives can destroy the growth of a business. When we become too comfortable with the ways things are and stop striving for the way things could be, we set the course for the demise of our business.
The Walmart Society
“At AIS,we focus on real value, better investments and partner relationships for better business.”
It is undeniable that the success of the Walmart Corporation is a story of the American Dream. An enterprising, hardworking man of little means has an idea of doing things a little different. He thinks “outside the box”, against the hard written rules of retailing and in a relatively short period of time lays the groundwork that becomes a global empire of retailing.
There are countless business and sociology lessons to be learned from the success of the Walmart Corporation, but one that I wish to explore is the change to the mindset of the purchaser. Our society has developed tunnel vision in our approach to a “good deal”. Unfortunately we now equate a good deal with getting the best price. Clever marketing, merchandising and the simplicity of one stop shopping have blurred the lines of distinction that separate one product option from another. Very rarely do we stop to question the value of the purchase. Who, where and how was the product made? Will the assembly and components of this item yield a long product life? Is this cheaper food item safe to consume? What are my other options? Can I make a better investment somewhere else? We have sold value and our values for the sake of a better price, and our laziness has closed the deal for the sake of convenience.
Unfortunately this tunnel vision to a good deal through a better price has found its way into all forms of purchasing. This flawed form of buying is not limited to daily household shopping, but this habit has found its way into business development and growth. Multimillion-dollar contracts are being awarded to the cheapest bidder and not for the investment in the best value. We have forgotten that free market enterprise is the consumer’s protection against paying more for less. With the possible exception of luxury brand merchandising, free market enterprise ensures the purchaser gets the value he or she pays for.
Market competition proves to be the insurance policy against paying too much for too little. Purchasing does not have to concede to the tunnel vision of price obsession. Trust free market enterprise to be your ally in better purchasing.
At AIS we have not lost sight of true product value and business values. We focus on real value, better investments and partner relationship for better business. Our real value comes from supplying only the finest equipment, parts and consumables. We are a distributor of only the best equipment brands. If you purchase equipment from AIS, you can be sure you are getting the finest available product every time. We don’t offer cheap alternatives; we help our clients to invest in the best value. The same is true for our equipment parts support. We offer only OEM parts, parts that are factory proven and tested to be the best components for the application.
Supplying the best equipment technologies and supporting those products with the right parts is only a portion of the product value we bring to the Packaged Ice Industry. Our 20 plus year relationship with our partner bag manufacturer has grown on the foundation of producing the best, most consistent ice packaging products. We also deliver these superior products with the highest level of customer service. At times our ice bag and roll stock customers have been lured by the promises of cheaper alternatives, but in the end they return to AIS for better packaging value. We extend this value to include the highest quality closing wire and other industry consumables and supplies. Our industry value does not end with the assurance of the best available products, but extends to include supplier client services.
Our design and engineering services are second to none within the Industrial and Packaged Ice Industries. Our experience coupled with superior equipment and market knowledge leads to the development of better ice manufacturing and processing systems. Fully integrated Automatic ICE™ Systems are more efficient, simplistic, more reliable and are always designed for future growth.
At AIS, our commitment is with the customer. Our ongoing client consultation and support aims at building and supporting better ice manufacturers. We strive to be a valuable asset to our clients and integral member of their support team like their accountant, banker, attorney or business mentor. Unlike Walmart, at AIS we are not interested in becoming the biggest, we are focused on being the best – Doug Carpenter
Change is Uncomfortable
I’m into my third year with the Automatic ICE™ Systems Team, and I couldn’t be more pleased. It is truly a pleasure to work with the most dedicated and qualified people in the packaged ice industry supply side. I had no idea that this level of professional services was available to packaged icemen prior to coming on board here. My biggest challenge these days is communicating to the independent ice manufacturers I serve the high quality of benefits AIS provides and the advantage of establishing a long-term relationship with a professional team like ours.
One of my easiest tasks so far has been presenting the AIS method of project development to icemen looking to expand their operations or build new plants. It’s a pleasure to present a truly integrated system with examples of our total engineering package included with every Automatic ICE™ System project. No one in this industry comes close to providing the level of detail in plant layout, electrical ladders and wiring layout, plumbing requirements, and refrigerant piping illustration. No one.
Because of this, we are rapidly becoming the “go to” company for new development and plant expansion projects. I’m glad, thank you; we appreciate the opportunities. It’s always good to know that we have projects for next year, or the following.
I also am finding it easier to discuss bag needs with many of the ice companies in my region. I can make the statement with total confidence that we have the best quality ice bag in the industry. We also have the added advantage of having a 20-year, exclusive relationship with our bag manufacturer. Because our marketing and sales are not directed at the “big boys”, we have the added edge of being able to respond quickly to changing raw material markets and seasonal customer demands to serve our client’s individual needs better without locking our customers in annual contracts for so called “bag programs”. If you need to change your order, move up a shipment, etc. we can better serve your ice bag and poly roll stock needs.
Ice bags and ice system projects; those are the easy ones. Not only do we offer better quality products and much superior services, but our offerings are competitively priced and better long term investments. So darn it, there’s a need to provide other services to complete the package. All those highly trained AIS people need to stay busy supporting the day-to-day needs of our customers. We need your parts and supply business.
We are competitively priced on our parts, ice merchandisers, wire, and bagging and closing equipment. We have highly trained people available to trouble shoot and suggest solutions for everyday parts and equipment needs. Our inside sales staff is not comprised of “order takers only.” You won’t find a source of personnel better trained than ours.
My job is to get more of you used to the idea of calling AIS. Sometimes this isn’t as easy as it should be given the facts. Old habits are hard to undo. Speed dial numbers take a minute to change for some people, a little longer for others of us! There’s a certain amount of discomfort in talking to someone new. It brings to mind an experience I had last season with an iceman who had called me to come see him. It was a days travel to get to his plant from my office, but I was glad to go and see him, and hopefully establish a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship with him and his ice company. His main reason for wanting me to come was his interest in putting in a Keith WALKING FLOOR® bin. He told me he had heard that Automatic ICE™ Systems had the most experience with the Keith products and wanted me to take a look at his operation. I spent several hours with him and we came to the conclusion that he probably had too much invested in a different system to rip everything out, unless he planned to expand or move. Great visit. Not what I would consider a waste of time and informative for both of us.
As I was planning to leave he thanked me for taking the time to come see him and told me he probably was going to make a move in the next couple of years. That was good news for me. Future business is always good to have. I told him that meanwhile it would be good if we began a relationship by doing some business with his company, possibly his bags, certainly some of his supply and ice merchandiser business. That way we would have a better understanding of his company and individual needs when the time came to do his big project.
I told him he would find our prices competitive, and our service excellent. I informed him of our highly trained staff, and that we placed a lot of value on long term relationships. He hesitated for a few seconds, and then told me, “I always call Cynthia when I need any supplies. I’ve done that for years.” Well I don’t know when Cynthia was going to come see him (she’s an inside sales person), and I doubt he had checked for any competitive prices in a long time, but I felt somewhat baffled that he had failed to see any value in what I had brought to him. Change is difficult. It is uncomfortable, but necessary in the business world. Maybe he needed to put my number instead of Cynthia’s on his speed dial!
Change is not easy. I found it uncomfortable when I considered joining the Automatic ICE™ Systems team, but I’m delighted I made that decision. I’m surrounded by professional, enthusiastic, dedicated people that make my job a pleasure. My challenge is to make sure I constantly strive to maintain my own level of commitment to equal theirs. I want to share this experience with my clientele here in the Southeast. Let me provide you with the AIS level of service you and your ice company deserve. Change that speed dial, call AIS instead. – Ed Norris
FIFO Inventory Management
I recently visited an AIS client who utilizes our printed roll film. During the visit I noticed that the customer’s ice bag roll film inventory consisted of product manufactured within the last three months, mixed with product produced about a year ago and even product manufactured in 2005. I asked why they did not use FIFO (first-in-first-out) inventory management. The answer: “We just use the stuff that’s easiest to get at first.” While this is expedient, and may not appear to affect the bottom line, there are consequences to this lack of inventory management.
Polyethylene roll film and bags can block when stored at temperatures over 85º F or when kept for long periods even at cooler temperatures. Blocked film does not open easily and, in some cases, may not open at all. This is not a manufacturing defect; it is a consequence of the inherent characteristics of the film that show up when it is stored too long or at the wrong temperature. In addition to blocking, polyethylene film can also pick up odors when stored for long periods. The odors can then be passed to the ice when the packaging is finally used, and can affect the odor or taste of the ice. This is obviously not desirable.
Besides the obvious problems that effect packaging and quality of the packaged product, storing packaging products for long periods and / or mixing product from different manufacturing runs can result in warranty and replacement issues. Even the best manufacturers make mistakes. Machinery and people are not perfect. Machines malfunction and people make mistakes. The best way to isolate quality problems, if they occur, is to use an entire lot of packaging film or bags before starting on a new lot. It is much easier to diagnose and solve defects when they can be isolated to a single production run. Additionally, if a defect or mistake occurs in a production run, we need to know about it fast so we don’t blindly repeat it on future runs. Finally, because we cannot control how a customer handles or stores film or bags, it is common policy in poly manufacturing not to replace claimed defects on material over one-year-old. This includes claims about blocking, failure on folds, physical damage to rolls or bags, or odors in the film. We date code film and bags we produce for packaged ice manufacturers so we can trace material and determine date of manufacturing for quality control purposes.
Managing your packaging inventory on a FIFO (first-in-first-out basis) is good business. This practice is just as important with your packaging as it is for your packaged ice product. FIFO assures you will get the best results with your film or bags and helps us provide better quality and service.
This article was written by Charles Armistead, President of MPC. MPC is a flexible packaging manufacturer dedicated to providing the highest quality packaging products at the highest level of service. MPC has been the exclusive partner manufacturer for AIS ice bags and roll film since 1985.