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Howard's Story:
Feldman Engineering is not all things to all companies. Our clients are in industries where
we have unique expertise, much of it based on my own work experience. I started
out as an engineer in a mass production job shop - where we would and did make
anything out of wood. I then started my own business making point of purchase
displays. From there I helped a plastics injection molder develop
processes to simulate wood. This diverse background was extremely helpful when I
became The Singer Company's worldwide consultant for wood products
manufacturing. (Singer produced sewing machine and TV cabinets for local markets
and exported wood components, cabinets and guitars.)
In 1975 I started Feldman Engineering and have since provided assistance to
hundreds of manufacturers - from small shops to multi-national conglomerates.
Their products range in size from dowel pins to truck flooring and I no longer
am focused solely on wood processes as our clients also cut fabric, mold plastic and weld metal. Not only do
materials change but so has manufacturing technology and today an
important aspect of our assistance is computer systems. (Please look at SIM*plicity
on our website.)
Manufacturing systems and their support are complex undertakings. I have been
blessed with an excellent programming staff and therefore I restrict my input to
strategy and interpreting clients needs. Factory layout and manufacturing
methods are a different story. Clients need my unique industry expertise and
experience, and so I do all the fieldwork myself. I rarely do turnkey
projects because most companies need more. Instead, I work with the client's
staff and try to leave behind a motivated, trained, team who understands
what they are doing and why.
Some projects are "green-fields" where I start from the beginning, assisting
with the strategy to relocate, site selection and building construction before
focusing on the equipment, methods and systems. However, for many clients, I
just provide technical assistance to resolve specific problems. Let's talk
about how I can best help your company!
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The Perfect Consulting Story:
"$50". That was my reply to my wife's
question, "What did the doctor say?" Of course he said a lot more and
his advice was worth a lot more than he charged.
I woke up one morning with a swelling on the back of my hand and my first
thought was to treat it myself by putting ice on it. When that didn't work, I
went to a general practitioner who held my hand, looked at it, said he wasn't
sure, but though it might be caused by an insect bite. To cover himself, he
prescribed an expensive antibiotic and had me return for x-rays. They didn't
show anything and he said that if the swelling didn't go away in a week or so, I
should come back and he'd look at it again and perhaps then recommend an
orthopedist.
When the swelling didn't go away my wife reminded me our company motto: Get
the best, cry only once, and sent me to a super specialist: an
orthopedist who specialized in hands. He took one look; asked me to place my
good hand alongside the injured one and then pointed out the differences. He
explained that it was a dislocated tendon; and prescribed a very
simple cure - no drugs, just a piece of string - to temporarily tie two fingers together.
It worked!
The analogy to consulting is very simple. If you have a problem, first try
the remedies from your past experience. If they don't work, you may choose to go
to a general practitioner but more than likely he'll spend lots of time
hand holding and covering his rear end: collecting information and prescribing
general purpose solutions that can't hurt. This is the most dangerous kind of
consulting! Not only is the time to "study your problem"
expensive but it delays your getting the proper solution.
If a consultant first insists on doing a complete checkup or survey before
looking at your real problems, he's spinning his wheels and your wallet. The
initial cost of a specialist could be more, but the total cost is less because
he immediately focuses on solving your problems.
Please go to the right expert! The only medical advice I can give
is to Pinocchio. However if you need help in manufacturing: long term
strategy; factory layout; methods or systems, I'll bring the experience, knowledge
and tools to properly analyze and solve your problems!
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