Time matters in sports. This was on display during the Olympic men’s downhill ski race. Bode Miller, the American favorite, was on a quest to finally win this race in the Olympics. He DID NOT.
The winner, Matthias Mayer won with a time of 2:06.23. This was about half a second faster than Miller. In fact, the top twelve finishers were within one second of the winner and all 47 competitors were within 10 seconds of each other. For more details, see the citing by the New York Times. Detailed here in the results), as well.
The Relevance of Time
Another sport that catches my eye is F1 racing. These cars are built for speed (averaging about 185 mph over tracks with winding turns). This sport also puts a premium on time. I am used to seeing NASCAR pit crews working at around 14 seconds. However, the Formula 1 cars are only about 2 seconds long as they do not refuel, they just change tires. This video shows the fruits of their practice, labor, and choreography. Little things such as hitting a gate or a bump while skiing can have an impact. Even taking an extra second while changing a tire can mean the difference between winning and losing.
In manufacturing Time Matters. Time Matters when paying for labor or running machines. Time Matters when your customer is waiting for their products. And when Time Matters Intercept Technology™ can save you money.
We worked with an aerospace client whose manufacturing process had a complicated packaging procedure which took about 25 minutes per unit, a geroter.
The packaging procedure had 5 steps, required 4 materials, and air handling equipment (for vacuum sealing). We worked with them to develop a new process using zipper bags made from Corrosion Intercept®.
Reducing Client Process Time
Instead of 5 steps we created a procedure that had only one. Intercept Technology™ does not depend on oil or grease coatings, foil bagging, or vacuum sealing. In process time alone, our Corrosion Intercept® zipper bags created huge savings for the customer. Moreover, the best news is that over 10 years later there are zero part rejections.
This change saved them time and money. It also eliminated oils/greases from their manufacturing, making their process safer and greener (click here to retrieve a detailed case study.
Just like the two seconds that an F1 pit stop crew is constantly looking to be improved upon, we believe there are always opportunities for saving time and money in every operation and we invite the challenge to see how we can use our technological insights to serve you.
For more information on how Intercept Technology™ can be of benefit to you, please call us directly at (847) 821-8280, or send us an email.