WorldWide Drilling Resource

! " # ! Sometimes Change is Difficult, but Needed by Britt Storkson Owner, P2FlowLLC Several months ago, I learned of a company that had a need for better controls for their “wrapping machine”. This machine was basically a repurposed lathe that wrapped materials - much like wrapping paper toweling on a roll. I checked it out and found the existing system was overbuilt, complicated, and costly - with a lot of components which produced very little in the way of practical “smarts” to run the machine. Thinking I could offer a greatly improved and much lower cost alternative using my computer con- trols, I spent about 15 hours of my time and a few dollars in materials to build a working model. I figured it was worth my time because it was so much simpler and less expensive, I wouldn’t have any problem “selling” it. I made an appointment with the company principals and presented the working model and method to them. I don’t know what they paid for the existing equipment, but my guess is my approach would cost something like 1-5% of what they had. Not only did it cost less initially, but it could be easily modified in the future to further increase production and reduce labor costs as well . . . something which was very difficult and costly to do with the equipment they already had. Their reaction? They didn’t want it. Surprised, I did some probing as to why they didn’t want it. I explained I didn’t expect them to immediately throw out their existing equipment and install what I had, as obviously it wouldn’t be practical. This required only modification of the existing machines, not complete replacement. They owned several of these machines and one could configure an extra machine the “new and improved” way. Then, when everybody was comfortable with its operation, move it to the production floor and reconfigure another machine, then an- other, until the changeover was complete. After about ten minutes of trying to understand their position, I concluded they didn’t want change. Any change. No matter how good the change was. Corporate history is littered with companies which refused to change despite clearly seeing “the handwriting on the wall”. A good example of this is Eastman Kodak that resisted the digital photo technology. After years of throwing money at a tech- nology that was going nowhere and nobody wanted, they finally declared bankruptcy in 2012. They didn’t want change - no matter how good the change was. The ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus said, “The only constant in life is change.” Rather than resist change, I think it’s far more beneficial to make wise choices about what and how to change. Britt Britt Storkson may be contacted via e-mail to michele@worldwidedrillingresource.com 47 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® FEBRUARY 2019