MARCH 2019
WHY GREEN SHOULD NEVER BE A BAD WORD THE COMPRESSED AIR CHALLENGE
Manufacturing is a decidedly old-school industry. For the most part, that’s a good thing. We work with people who live by their word, are always respectful, and do their darndest to treat people the right way. That’s a rare find in 2019, and it makes my job a joy. I get to work with team members and for clients who I would happily invite into my home. I don’t think most business owners get to say that. Unfortunately, bucking the trends of the modern world isn’t always advantageous. The greatest challenge facing manufacturing today is our impact on the planet. I’m guessing many people reading this do a great job living green at home but aren’t as scrupulous when it comes to their professional lives. Frankly, we can all do a whole lot better. I don’t exclude myself or my company from that statement. We are constantly looking for ways to become more sustainable and environmentally conscious. It’s a battle, and an urgent and important one at that. I don’t want to veer into hyperbole, but I feel that the impact we have on this sphere we call Earth is the most pressing matter of our time. That’s why we’ve partnered with the U.S. Department of Energy to participate in the Compressed Air Challenge. Here’s what the organization has to say about its purpose. The Compressed Air Challenge is a voluntary collaboration of industrial end-users; manufacturers, distributors and their associations; consultants; state research and development agencies; energy efficiency organizations; and utilities. This group has one purpose in mind — helping you enjoy the benefits of improved performance for your compressed air system. In our world, becoming greener is a no-brainer. Running more energy efficient systems isn’t just good for the earth; it’s also good for the bottom line. Lower energy bills mean higher margins. Eliminating waste properly means the EPA won’t levy fines that cripple your company.
responsibility to treat it correctly. This crisis also provides an opportunity for America to lead the way in manufacturing once again. Right now, producing goods at the lowest price point isn’t possible. The reason is because other nations don’t care about paying their workers fairly or manufacturing with ethical processes. But if we can lead the way in the green manufacturing industry, we will create more reasons to choose domestic products instead of cut-rate alternatives. Join us in Atlanta on March 25–27 for the Compressed Air Challenge. It just may be the most important event you attend all year. For more information, visit AtlantaCompressor.com and CompressedAirChallenge.org. –Morty Hodge
More significant than any monetary benefit, the call to be energy efficient is a moral one. We all profit from the planet, so we have a
THE REASON EMPLOYEES ARE QUITTING IN DROVES
CLEAN RESOURCES’ OIL-WATER SEPARATORS
A1 Oil-Water Separators
The EPA requires that all compressed air systems include an oil-water separator. The reason for this mandate is obvious. When condensate is not fully removed from water, it contaminates the water supply and damages the environment. Despite the common-sense wisdom and legal imperative to install these vital machines, less than half of all systems have them. That’s a shame, but it can be easily remedied. We recommend Clean Resources’ line of oil-water separators to solve this pressing problem. Clean Resources has been designing and manufacturing separators since 1997. They’ve helped innovate the condensate management products to create a more environmentally friendly industry. Their separators use an alumina silicate substrate to safely and efficiently remove all kinds of air compressor system lubricants from water. Once separated, the water can be easily and safely disposed of. Lab tested and proven to deliver EPA- compliant results, they are easy to install and require no maintenance. In addition to being required by law — and, you know, the right thing to do — installing a high-quality oil-water separator will save you money by lowering energy costs and increasing the operational efficiency of your system. We also have services to help safely dispose of condensate on site at all of our locations. Much like printer cartridges, you can’t just throw this stuff away. We are proud to offer products like oil-water separators from Clean Resources. They work for our customers and help decrease the environmental footprint of the manufacturing industry. When you can improve your system’s efficiency, lower operating costs, and help the planet — well, we call that a win-win-win.
According to a survey conducted by Randstad, 60 percent of American employees either quit or strongly considered quitting their jobs last year. That’s a number that should terrify any business owner. However, instead of panicking, consider this record-breaking moment in U.S. employment history an invitation to take a long, hard look at your organization. Are members of your team waiting for the perfect moment to bail? And if so, why? It’s not because the majority of employees are ruthless careerists or disloyal money-grubbers. If we look at Mental Health America’s 2018 Workplace Health Survey, it mostly boils down to the fact that over half of American employees feel unappreciated, unsupported, and disrespected by management. In fact, 21 percent of respondents said that instead of being paid what they deserve, they’re nickel-and-dimed when raise season arrives, and 77 percent believed that instead of being lifted up for their accomplishments, employees were forced to toil away in the corner, feeling invisible. Sadly, scarcely more than 34 percent of respondents believed they could rely on the support of their managers and colleagues. The numbers paint a disheartening picture of the average workplace. If you’ve been a manager for a long time, it can be difficult to imagine how frustrated an undervalued member of your team can feel and how these feelings can spread throughout your organization, leaving all your employees discontented. It’s imperative to listen and respond to your employees’ concerns. It takes more than instituting an open-door policy and relaxing work requirements — two characteristics of healthy workplaces, as rated by respondents. You need to commit resources to eliminating the problem. Start with the highest-level leaders of your business. Work with them on how to interact with the rest of your team in more human, empathetic, and responsive ways. Training and assessments are a good start, but you may also need to revamp the mentality and core values of your company. In a world where finding a new job is easier than ever, managers cannot afford to ignore the needs of their employees. Evolve and acknowledge the emotions in your workplace or risk losing all that you’ve invested in your top performers.
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STOICISM AND SUCCESS IN THE MODERN ERA ‘THE OBSTACLE IS THE WAY’ and TASER. “The Obstacle Is the Way” represents a distillation of Holiday’s personal philosophy for success. The book gets its name from a modern rephrasing of a Marcus Aurelius quote. The philosopher turned Roman emperor once said, “What stands in the way becomes the way.” From this principle, and the foundational tenets for stoicism developed by the ancient Greeks, Holiday presents a no- nonsense approach to problem-solving that is as old as time. Packed with examples ranging from American Civil War generals to Amelia Earhart, “The Obstacle” paints a clear, compelling picture of what this ancient philosophy has to offer the leaders of the future. The book has a hardline stance: “It doesn’t matter what happens to you. It matters what you do,” which removes factors of luck and talent from the equation. To Holiday, persistence trumps everything else. Those looking for feel-good quotes or self-affirming platitudes should probably skip this book. But for those who are serious about reaching their personal or professional goals, and who are willing to put in the work, “The Obstacle” is just the kind of kick in the pants you’ve been looking for.
Would you rather read an inspirational book favored by some of the biggest stars in the NFL, or a strategy guide found on the nightstands of some of the world’s most powerful political figures? Well, thanks to Ryan Holiday’s latest work, you don’t have to choose. “The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph” has been championed by leaders in almost every field, from musicians to governors. To understand why this work is winning such high praise, you first have to understand the man who wrote it. In classic entrepreneurial fashion, Holiday dropped out of college when he was just 19 years old, choosing instead to get his education under the direct mentorship of author and strategist Robert Greene. Eventually, his focus on media manipulation and human nature would land him at the top of the American Apparel marketing team. Now the head of his own strategy firm, Brass Check, Holiday and his team have advised major brands like Google
For a More Environmentally Friendly Air Compressor System As you can tell from our sponsorship of the Compressed Air Challenge, we believe that environmental stewardship should be a concern for everybody who works in or around the manufacturing industry. With that in mind, we wanted to share our top five tips to lessen the environmental impact of your system.
Sigmund Freud once famously said, “Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.” However, when it comes to selecting a cigar, that statement doesn’t hold up. With so many options to choose form, it can be hard to make an informed decision. A good place to start is knowing the basics of cigar sizes, shapes, and colors. SIZE & SHAPE Cigars come in two major shape categories: parejos (for anything that’s a straight cylinder) and figurados (for everything that isn’t). Among the parejos, you’ll find the corona, the standard bearer for cigar sizes. The grouping also includes the super-sized Churchill, and the short, fat robusto. The most common figurados are those with pointed tips, like the pyramid, but they can come in any number of shapes. COLOR Colors range from the greenish-hued double claro to the pitch-black oscuro. In between, you’ll see the claro, Colorado, and maduro varieties. As cigars get darker, their robustness increases.
1. Install an EPA-approved oil-water separator to ensure there is no oil or condensate in your water supply.
2. Fix all air leaks, which are the number one cause of wasted energy in air compressor systems.
3. Fix all oil leaks, which can be just as harmful as air leaks.
4. Calculate proper storage requirements to prevent leakage of excess compressed air.
5. Research heat recovery options for your system.
In addition to being good for the planet, these improvements will lower your energy costs, a win-win if we’ve ever heard one.
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Let’s Make a Better Industry
Why Employees Are Quitting in Droves A1 Oil-Water Separators How to Sound Like a Cigar Expert 5 Tips for a Greener System
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Awesome Automation From Zapier
ZAPIER
For us and many other business owners, it isn’t a lack of tech that is the problem, but rather a lack of connectivity between tech resources. We use apps from numerous companies that don’t share data with each other. Each app, as it were, functions as a silo of valuable information. To address this problem for tech savvy businesses, Zapier developers created an incredible tool that allows you to connect and automate workflows between disparate apps. It works like this: Let’s say, for example, that you use Facebook for marketing posts and Slack for internal office communication. With Zapier, you can create a Zap (their name for an automation) that will allow you to instantly send a Slack message when a Facebook post is published. That way, your team will be kept up-to-date on all of your latest marketing efforts.
The best part about Zapier is that it allows you to create detailed, multiplatform automations without needing to know code. It functions on simple if-then statements that anyone can implement. Zapier offers a free tier that allows you to run five Zaps concurrently and perform 100 actions per month. At the very least, we recommend trying it out and seeing how it works for you. If you use a variety of tech platforms, Zapier is the tool that will bring them all under one automated roof.
As you can probably tell from our recurring “App of the Month” feature in this newsletter, we believe that modern technology significantly improves our overall efficiency and customer service. All you have to do is look at the fervor surrounding Slack’s potential IPO to know the trend of using business and productivity apps is a widespread phenomenon. If your business isn’t already using them, it’s time to start.
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