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Re: Bending Machine
Had conversation last year with the head of manufacturing for EGL, who
advised me that EGL had gone through the exercise of evaluating automation
vs. manual production and had come to the conclusion that people were cheaper
and more flexible than machines when you consider the amortization of the
equipment and the continual maintenance costs. They finally went back to the
people approach and scrapped the machines.
Folks, you people think you are in a different business than you actually
are! You aren't selling bricks. You are in the ADVERTISING business, remember
that. You would never think of trying to automate the process of producing
art copy for print advertising, there is too much creativity and
individuality involved. If you reposessed a sign from a customer that
defaulted, where else could you sell it? Nowhere. It's an individualized
advertisement, for an individual customer. You have to sell it as
advertising, too, and not emphasize the lowest bid aspect of it. Sell it as
commercial art and commercial advertising, as an "investment" (a very good
word) that will pay back many times the money you put into it. Don't sell it
as a contracting job, as a cabinet or a window. Getting a high price for your
work is the very best way to profits, and don't feel shy about it, since your
customer will prosper far beyond his expectations if the job is done with
excellence and taste.