Industrial Bridges

It is a very different marketplace today than just 12 short months ago.  Even lower material costs cannot induce people to turn loose of the Purchase Order.  On the near horizon there seems to be an uptick in quote activity  That is good but will it proceed to the order stage?  Only time will tell.We, at Bluff Manufacturing, surveyed our dealer customers.  If we keep our pricing competitive, our delivery fast and our customer service high…..what can we do to help you?

Overwhelmingly, the response was …send us leads.  In response to that we have reassigned our sales team toward lead generation.  Derrick, Tim, Harry and Russell have changed their routine.  They are spending less time in the airports and more time in activities designed to tell the public about Bluff and our products.  The thought is, as interest develops we will hook those end-users up with a Bluff partner in their area who can “add value” for them.  Not rocket science but pretty easy to measure.

At the same time we are setting up a training program for you dealer salespeople.  While it is nice to fly to your town, buy donuts and show up at your place of business at 7:00 am for a 30 minute training session….sometimes it is not a good value for us or our dealers.  Try this on for size……

You hire a new salesperson.  He or she is indoctrinated into your way of business and your processes.  At the appropriate time you schedule an hour with the Bluff Trainer for that person.  Using the new technologies, we will hook up with them on the web and go over all our products, how to sell them….discuss some typical applications (supported by photos and videos)….describe how to use the Bluff Customer Service environment to your companies best advantage.  After, we will touch base with you to schedule other training and make sure we are doing our part in being a good vendor.  What you have now is a salesperson (or CSR) who is “expert” in a line of products, who knows how to navigate the system for maximum advantage and will become an evangelist for this profit stream in your organization.  WIN   WIN

There is a new day dawning, “What can we do for you?”

 As of Febuary 1, 2009, all of us at Bluff Manufacturing, Inc., headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, are proud to expand our standard powder coat offering from the highly successful safety yellow to include 5 additional colors.  These new colors include orange, red, blue, green and black.  All in a beautiful gloss finish.

 

 

 

 

Our success since 2004 in powder coating our entire line of safety products has encouraged us to broaden our horizons by expanding the color options available to our customers at no extra charge.  Over the years we have made happy customers across the U.S. including Harley Davidson Motor Company, the U.S. Mint and Rolls Royce just to name a few.  We look forward to many opportunities to continue producing high quality, powder coated products… and to seeing something besides yellow before our eyes.  Our entire product line can be found at http://www.bluffmanufacturing.com

 

I just finished reading “Hot, Flat, and Crowded - Why we need a Green Revolution - And How it Can Renew America” by Thomas L. Friedman.  I had read “The World is Flat” when it came out back in 2005 and had waited anxiously for the release of the new book earlier this winter.  I am not selling books here, and there is probably no-one on the planet that I disagree politically with more than Friedman.  But I will give him this …he is one of the great thinkers of our time.

He holds out that while a “green revolution” is needed, most commercial concerns are throwing a “green party”.  Not really doing anything but taking credit for helping to clean up the planet.  With that admonition we at Bluff are doing something that is a major deviation from business as usual and we ask you our dealers and customers to join with us.

Having been a dealer for many years prior to joining the Bluff team, I had a literature room with shelves full of slick glossy literature furnished by the companies whose products I sold.  A stack of 50 each of 10 different models might represent 2,500 pages of printing.  Multiply that by 15 to 25 product lines and at any given time my stock of printing might reach 50,000 to 75,000 pages.  At a moments notice a model change or a change in address or any number of reasons might be cause to trash a model or a whole line.  Filling a dumpster or at least a 32 gallon Brute.  This is waste and there is a cost to waste well beyond the obvious.

I am not politically an environmentalist, but was taught from an early age to respect my surroundings and take good care of my tools.  It does not matter if you and I can agree on the cause of problems, but we must recognize when a problem exists and do the right thing.  We at Bluff have put our heads together and decided to do what we can to offer the best customer service yet not be wasteful.

Bluff will print a four page “full line” catalog with photos of the different product families that we manufacture and sell.  That general document will be the only printing we will do in 2009.  It will be distributed freely to our dealer family and on request from our industrial partners.  The individual product models will each have a professionally designed single sheet with photos and application benefits on the front and drawing and specifications on the back.  Each has been designed to be visually pleasing but not use up a cartridge of ink each time one is printed.  These will be available in our Literature Room as PDF files.  Click to view or right-click and “save target as” gets the right piece of literature in your hands in an instant.  Our price list will be a PDF file and be available to our dealers upon request.

It will cut costs and those savings will allow us to build more and better products and keep our costs low.  What a great side benefit of doing the right thing.  We currently have a good supply of all Bluff printed literature and will continue to fill requests with those until supplies are exhausted.  Waste not - want not.

Together the American people will solve our own problems - then the government will follow us.

Find out more about the books….Thomas L. Friedman http://www.thomaslfriedman.com/  

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I was in Chicago for the national material handling show last week.  It was billed as the largest to date and lived up to that hype. 

There were new lines, old lines with new models and demos galore.  I guess that most people spend the time and money to go to these shows for the new and different.  There was some of that there …but there is so much there that it is difficult to process.  Most of the demos, whether it was a forklift truck or a conveyor system revolved around the fact that there was a computer intergrated into the equipment and it could calculate and then act on the most efficient route or pick.  Made me think we should have a “smart dockboard” but then …what should it know?  I’ll have to get back to you on that one.

During my career in this industry I have made many friends.  I have worked with people who, like me, stayed in this industry their whole life.  It is the best part for me at one of these shows.  Walking down the aisle and a shout…turn around and someone you have not seen in 20 years or more is walking toward you with a smile on their face and reaching out to shake your hand.  Spend a little time to catch on each other and promise to call the next time I am in “…..” and “It was good to see you and I am glad you are doing well”.

Walking thru the show with my work collegue Tim Vehr on Tuesday it took us three hours to walk one aisle.  While Tim is not quite as old as I am…he knows as many people as I do.

Here is a few snapshots of a trip to ProMat…

 

Welcome to Chicago in January

Dave Chalmer and Tim Vehr a couple of Bluff guys.

Another Bluff guy…Mark McKinley

Everyone was in Chicago

Out my room..looks like a postcard….minus 1

At the end of December 2007, Bluff Manufacturing, Inc., through the guidance of Transglobal Industrial Services, made an investment to improve lighting in the manufacturing plant and to reduce energy consumption.  Our move from metal halide, 1000 watt high-bay lights to high-efficiency fluorescent lighting has proven to be well worth the investment.
 

Through first 10 months of 2008…
 

23.4% reduction in KW consumption    Â
            On pace for annual savings of more than 152,000 KW.
 

20.9% reduction in electric utility costs
            On pace for annual savings of more than $18,000.
 

 

Project was expected to pay for itself in 18 months… will do so in 15 months.
 

Positive features of the lighting upgrade:
No wait time for lights to power-up.
Motion sensors on all fixtures with 10 minute timers to automatic shut off.
Throwing switches not required to power up or power down.
Instant, 100% illumination upon power up… no waiting as with metal halide fixtures.
 

 

Light level measurements taken at 33 locations before and after the retrofit showed the following improvement in light levels:
            21.2% minimum measured improvement
            30.6% average measured improvement
            85.7% maximum measured improvement
 

This project has certainly proven to be a win/win for Bluff and for conservation of energy resources.

John Key 

Plant Manager 

Bluff Manufacturing, Inc. 

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Bluff forklift loading ramp line has been expanded over the last few months.  We have always made special sizes but many of you may not know that.

The unit that has proved to work the best for loading or unloading material from ground to truck is the Bluff #16SYS8436L.  That unit at 84″ wide (78″ usable”) is perfect for entry into a “over-the-road” van.  The van or container is 92″ clear width inside.  If the ramp were wider it would be difficult to put into position, any smaller and the maneuverability into the trailer would be made more difficult. (see movie) It is 36′ long; 30′ of incline and 6′ to level the forklift and load before entering the trailer.  30′ (360″) divided into a 52″ dock height gives you a percent of incline of 14.4%.  Refer to your owner’s manual for your forklift truck’s operating range.  A guideline is - electric equipment up to 14% and gas or propane up to 19%.  Like all operating ranges it should be modified according to conditions, but it is a good look at the capability of the equipment.  For this operation a platform gets in the way as it does not move up and down with the truck’s weight passing from ramp to trailer.  It is a single coordinated transfer of weight.

 

The perfect solution for a ground to dock application is the Bluff #16SYS7030.  At 70″ (64″ usable) it is wide enough for all but the largest of forklift trucks and since there is no need for maneuvering or for the load to be leveled prior to entry the length of 30′ is all incline.

Bluff Manufacturing has recently added a set of standard ramps at 24′ of incline.  Those will be available in all the widths for different applications.  This shorter ramp will yield more aggressive inclines.  However, vehicles are able to handle these steeper grades….so if your application is to put up the trucks at night to save on insurance premiums or move the lawn equipment into the building to prevent theft, we’ve got just the thing.

Remember, when you are loading a 8,000# load riding a 12,000# forklift in a light rain, it is not a good time to wonder if the ramp you are on is the right one.  A call to (800) 433-2212 will always get you the correct product for the job.  And, yes it will have a blue “B” on it.

Dockboards and dockplates or dock boards and dock plates if you choose, are still the equipment of choice for millions of transits per day by all types of equipment.

One of the most frequent explanations I hear our customer service team giving is what is the difference between a dock board and a dock plate.

A dock plate is a flat piece of metal, either steel or aluminum, that will typically have one bend in it.  Something in the range of 9 to 11 degrees.  That allows both ends of the plate to keep contact with the floor and truck bed.  There will normally be a pair of locking legs who’s length will be mated to the length of the plate to prevent movement as loads are moved back and forth.  Add a bevel edge to the leading and trailing edge and you have a smooth transition for your equipment.  Dockplates should never be used for any powered equipment.  Forklift trucks, power pallet jacks and walkie stackers should be used with a dockboard. 

A dockboard has the same features of the plate with the addition of side curbs.  The curbs add an amazing amount of strength to the design and that translates into handling of the heavier loads imposed by powered equipment.  Additionally, there are locking options available in boards that truely customize the board for a particular operation.  See Bluff Manufacturing’s “C” Board.  Not only is there a big capacity jump from a plate to a board but there is also the runoff protection afforded by the curbs.

If you wish to be expert in the material handling field….this is a foundational bit of knowledge.

Good selling,

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In April of this year amid all the recession talk I wrote an article on this blog entitled “Business is Always Good - For Hard Workers”. It was a good article and reflected what I know about troubled economic times having seen several since my first job in Material Handling in 1966.

I worried about the title. Not wanting to offend by implying that if your business was down it was because you were not working hard enough. I started to edit the title. But then I thought ….. in my career there have been a few that cared enough to say hard things to me. Things that were, at the time, difficult to hear. But over time have made all the difference.

I know many of you have challenged yourselves to excellence, or are being challenged by your company managers or company culture. I know this because, in the face of the current economic news, your business with us is good…..very, very good.

In light of run-away steel prices, increase transportation costs driven by four dollar gasoline and uncertainty many of you have redoubled your efforts and increased your reach. You have educated yourselves so that you are the expert that your customer desperately needs. It is up to you to guide them through the maze of products and processes to the “sweet spot” for their company. Many of you are embracing not only new tools but new ways of thinking. One area that always served me well as I made my way through my customer’s warehouse or manufacturing floor is to look for the seams. Seams are where one process butts up to another. A hand-off or transfer point. Many times the process is studied and improved and re-improved, but the seam is not addressed. This is a real opportunity for the alert and prepared salesperson. It is also much appreciated by the manager or owner. He or she worries about or thinks about their business all the time. After all it is their lively-hood and if you show concern and creativity you set yourselves apart. You put yourselves into the position of trusted advisor. That is a good place to be.

Keep up the good work, stay focused…work hard and play often. When you bog down, remember…Bluff is a partner with resources….

My friends tell me I’m like the little boy who is the subject in the psychological experiment. He finds himself in a room waist high in horse manure with a shovel in the corner. After leaving him alone for a time the psychiatrist returned to find him whistling while he shoveled. When he was asked about his mind-set amid all the obvious problems he replied; With all this ******** there must be a pony in here somewhere.

We are all in a market that is uncharted territory. Never have we been on a stage with so many big players. China, India and several middle-east countries have huge wallets and are reaching into our transactions and messing with the assumptions we use to guide our day. We (or at least my crowd) believe in the marketplace. Well, I say it is time to re-load, re-calculate, re-train and re-commit.

If your skills are “excellent” then you can eat the lunch of lesser souls during this time. If your skills are still being honed then re-double your efforts. It is worth the trouble and today is as soon as you can start. If your company is not positioned where you would like it…well guess what…there is a shake-up coming. Do the work and make the investment to make a quantum leap. If you do, as we emerge on the other side, and we will; you will be a different company. Leaner, meaner and moving on up.

We at Bluff would like to partner with you companies that want to do the hard work. We have help and encouragement for you sales and service people who want to become more than just an order-taker; a professional. Many of you already have made that decision and are “a cut above”. We salute you and offer you our help as you forge ahead.

A quick check list for you salespeople. Answer to yourself honestly; I did this very exercise at one point in my career and found that I was guilty of some of this.

• Do you pass out literature that you have not read?
• Do you use your quote as a selling tool, putting your best effort in front of your customer?
• Do you know who your competitor is…on each product?
• Do you know the sell points on your product?
• Do you know the sell points on your competitor’s product?
• Do you follow up?
• Do you listen?

A negative answer on any one of these can cost you an order. Think about it. If you want to talk, call us. We are looking for partners.

One down side to having a great product like the Bluff EZ-Pull Edge of Dock Leveler is that it is difficult to improve it. Well, difficult or not we have done just that. Welcome the new and improved GEN VI Edge of Dock Leveler.

The design objectives were;

• Improve competitive stance in the marketplace
• Improve unit durability
• Improve roll-over operator comfort
• Improve bumper design
• Eliminate installation errors

The good news all objectives were met and the Gen VI is currently being shipped by Bluff Manufacturing and Bluff Warehousing. The people installing the unit will quickly see the advantages; from the lifting ring that makes initial positioning a snap to the improved bumper which makes incorrect positioning impossible. The customer will get the more durable product and smoother ride the flat center section offers. You as dealers will have a superior product to offer…feature rich and at the right price.

If you have not talked to your Bluff representative about the GEN VI Leveler call today. We have something special and we are excited about it.