Fast

You hear it all the time...."we move fast". I love that statement because it is so completely subjective and usually monumentally incorrect!!! Lots of people believe they are fast until they meet someone who actually is fast!!!

It applies to every walk of life, sports, academics, but these days, especially industry and technology, lots of companies convince themselves that they are moving quickly into new technology but sadly most resist it kicking and screaming. It's not their fault...or is it? We set up safeguards and bureaucracy that is designed to protect, but truth be told a better description would be those systems and safeguards prevent. They stand obstinately in the way of the true speed necessary to innovate! 

I see it all the time in re-manufacturing, especially the cutting edge technology side of our business. Companies that should be pushing the envelope pull back and play it safe. The result is mediocre product, mediocre market share, and mediocre financial results. The adage "no guts no glory" has never been more accurate than right now! We find ourselves suddenly in a place that is immersed in new technology and is advancing rapidly...who will be the next visionaries to take advantage of this opportunity?

Electrification and autonomous vehicles are no longer a pipe dream...there are amazing breakthroughs coming in from all across the sector. But how will those systems be serviced? And how will we keep cost of ownership and ecological responsibility balanced so that we don't create something amazing yet impractical?

Re-manufacturing will be a critical element in this emerging technology. Yet other than a few innovative Universities and "Point of the Sword" companies that see this and are beginning to try and add it into their engineering and manufacturing curriculum, the rest of the world seems oblivious to the change. 

The next wave of modules and sensors will be very expensive to build and equally as painfully expensive to service. They will drive insurance cost up and make maintaining vehicles much more expensive and if not properly planned for they will fill our scrap yards and landfills with machines taken out of service because of expense and poor planning!!

Re-manufacturing will offer solutions that can capture the base value of both hardware and software without remaking expensive service parts from scratch, parts that use valuable natural resources and equally valuable intellectual resources. The companies that push technology but keep the service side of their products economically viable for their end customers will dominate the market. They will become the few that are fast!!! 

So let's be fast together...let's push the envelope but keep this next wave of technology eco-responsible and economically viable. Change is coming at warp speed, let's make sure that it's good change....together we can do it!!PT

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