Red River Co

There once was a fella named Henry. Henry liked steak, building things and he liked America. Henry was a really smart guy who worked as a technician in the industrial sector for many years. As he was working along, he stumbled across a problem that wasn't being solved very well. Working weekends and nights, he came up with a solution to the problem. He worked more evenings and weekends to build a prototype and tested it in his garage. He sold that unit to a shop next door and they loved it, so he built another one and sold it to the mechanic in town. He quit his job and continued this way until a big corporation saw what he built, designed their own, started manufacturing it overseas and before long, Henry was back at work as a technician. Narrator: "Okay, that stunk, let's try that again...." After testing his prototype, Henry got funding from his neighbor's rich uncle, partnered with a marketer named Lucille, and an engineer named Charles, and together they patented the unit, started building a brand and taking this thing to market in a big way. Henry and his team quickly realized that their product was in such a high demand that they simply couldn't keep up. They had to market, sell, design, source, fabricate, test, paint, electrify, assemble and service each unit and they were finding it nearly impossible to scale each area as quickly as they needed to. They realized that they simply didn't have the attention and resources needed to do all of those things exceptionally well. They argued and yelled and didn't cry but they ate steak, and they eventually decided that the most critical parts of the business were branding, sales, assembly and service. These four things would allow them to keep the customer's needs first, control the quality of finished product, get feedback for improvement and the brand would get the credit it deserved. Because they were smart people and very motivated, they set out to find a manufacturer to partner with that met these requirements. The manufacturer had to make what they needed, be trustworthy, looking for growth, and they had to care enough to handle issues quickly and without pointing fingers. Through a friend of a friend (who also liked steak) they found a little ol' company (that liked steak) in NE WY that advertised just these things, and the best part was that they were looking for customers just like them. They all built stuff in America, ate steak, and lived happily ever after. #fabrication #pressurevessels #madeinamerica #manufacturing

Calling all tank, pipe and vessel manufacturers!! The industrial equipment industry needs and deserves nothing but the best service, quality and lead times they can get. Treat your customer like they're the ones paying your bills or we will. We're here to help bring back American manufacturing. We do that by supporting the engineers and inventors by being the most effective and reliable part of their supply chain. Sorry, not sorry. #madeinamerica #pressurevessel

As long as industrial companies are buying things overseas, Americans are failing. #pressurevessels #MadeInAmerica #ASME

We spend more of our waking time with the people at work than anyone else in our lives. It's inevitable that we're going to have problems with the people we work with. When we have a problem with someone, we have three choices. Option 1: We can try to swallow it and not say anything, avoiding conflict. This usually ends with head trash, ulcers and probably going to another job where we find ourselves in the same situation. Option 2: We can tell everyone else what a jerk the other guy is which makes us feel a little bit better. This usually makes everyone else unhappy and discontent, doesn't do anything to solve the problem and most likely will end with us finding another job where we start the whole thing all over again. Option 3: We can talk to the person we're having the issue with. If we do this, we need to go into it with a clear understanding that, most likely, I'm the one at fault. According to our research, 99.67543% of the time, this option will make us stronger, as long as we both want to be here, and want to make it better. Options 1 and 2 are what jerks do. Don't be a jerk. #pressurevessels #madeinamerica

If you look closely, you can see some fledgling vessels peaking out from under their mother’s skirt. What should we call baby vessels? #pressurevessels #manufacturing #madeinamerica

We all want to get better at what we do... The service we offer or the product we produce is only as valuable as we make it. The shortest path to improvement is feedback. We have to know what needs improved. There are many types of feedback but the most effective is customer reviews. If our customer tells us what stinks or what they love, that's the most valuable feedback we can get. Take a minute to call or email your key vendors. How they respond will tell you a lot about how engaged they are with your success. Use this format for a win/win conversation: I especially love this about your product or service: I would love it more if you did this: We have open ears.

This is what work looks like. #bluecollar know that dirt, grime, dust and exertion pays the bills. *Leather aprons are handy for welding, pockets for marking tools and makes your clothes last longer. #manufacturing #madeinAmerica

Hold points are critical. QC checks at the right points in your process can save a ton of time and money. *A hold point is a step in a production process where production does not proceed until signed off by QC. #bluecollar #manufacturing #madeinamerica

Anyone seen this before? Check out the water in this vessel during a pressure test… #pressurevessel #madeinamerica #bluecollar

Someone is getting carried away with the label maker. #manufacturing #bluecollar