Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
Episode 25: Clearing the Path to Success w/ Tucker Holladay
30 Plays1 month ago
Welcome to Episode 25! Today we had a great discussion with HFW's newest employee, Tucker. Discussing everything from lean to lake effect snow, this was a fantastic conversation.
Thanks for listening!
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction and Guest Welcome
00:00:00
HFW Industries
vari right Everything's a learning experience. Well, we'll of do a soft intro live in um Episode 25. Like i said, I'm still figuring it out. 25 episodes in.
00:00:13
HFW Industries
ah But Shop Talk podcast. um We're here with HFW's newest employee, ah Tucker Holiday. Tucker, thanks for being here.
00:00:23
HFW Industries
of course. This is awesome. I'm so glad you invited me in. Well, it wasn't so much I invited me in or invite you in is as you asked before you even started. ah yeah, that too.
00:00:34
HFW Industries
which I love. That was awesome.
Podcast Style and Learning
00:00:36
HFW Industries
And I think we're going to, so normally I kind of script out, not script out, but I put together a bunch of questions. um Now I still have most of those questions in my head, but i there have been a couple of podcasts that have just kind of been free flowing.
00:00:50
HFW Industries
And I think those are better. So I want to experiment with that today. and We've already had a good conversation here. So I think, I think we've got something good going. um But yeah, we were just talking about,
00:01:04
HFW Industries
Right as we hit record um learning and in the power of just kind of figuring things out, which I think is, you know, you and I have talked about that a lot already and obviously you're a weekend now.
00:01:15
HFW Industries
um And you're just kind of diving into stuff here at HFW
Tucker's Role at HFW
00:01:20
HFW Industries
headfirst. mean, what's that been and like? ah It's a little overwhelming how much new stuff I have to learn.
00:01:28
HFW Industries
um Coming back from where I was previously, i wasn't doing any manufacturing at all. um it was more union based so i had somebody else doing all the work and i was more supervisor more than anything else and uh being able to actually touch tools here has been fantastic i actually like getting my hands dirty doing stuff and i learn way better that way too so just being able to actually get my hands dirty and do stuff is just so amazing here
00:02:01
HFW Industries
Well, that's awesome. I think that's what we've always talked about as a smaller company you have to have – that hands on mentality like because in some way you're going to be involved you really have to have the manufacturing knowledge you can't get by um you know I see in the in the bigger companies um you can get by maybe not being super technically proficient at things there or being a master in one small area where at least HFW it's a lot more um you know learning the
00:02:34
HFW Industries
whole environment and you really have to become a ah understand the process and understand how we build things um in order to be successful so I mean we you touched on already but and I'm curious to dig a little bit more into your background we we found each other through Instagram actually yeah you reached out to find me Yeah, I did.
00:02:57
HFW Industries
which And I found you through, think it was Nush's post when I had her take the shop tour because she happened to be in the area. And I was like, hey, why don't you come by? And then you reached out like, hey, I saw your shop tour with
Networking and Sales in Manufacturing
00:03:11
HFW Industries
Nush. And ah by the way, if you don't know Nush,
00:03:15
HFW Industries
um ah what is it? Oh, she's going to kill me. I can pull it up. she's the swiss queen yeah nushrata yes nushrata she is a fantastic person she came by for a tour of my shop and then you reached out after i made a post and you said hey um i heard your company that you're working for is closing ah we want you to come in to do you know a shop tour see what we're doing and i immediately went yeah i love seeing everybody's shops i want to see what everybody's doing and see if i can make mine better by looking at what other people are doing so i jumped on that and said yeah i want to come in want to see what you guys are doing why not
00:04:06
HFW Industries
Yeah, that's basically how I remember it. it was It's just funny, though, because I think it shows the the power of relationships and connection, too, which has been the big unlock for me over the last year or so, both on like the recruiting side, but also the sales, too.
00:04:22
HFW Industries
like I realized you know the best salespeople, for the most part, aren't necessarily the ones that are calling 1,000 day. It's the ones who are really fostering deep relationships. and you know so they know they can call Jim, who will call Bob, who can connect them to Tim. and ah you know they can They'll weasel their way in. um Yeah, the network of those the web of network people.
00:04:47
HFW Industries
So who knows who really is super important in this world. Oh, absolutely. And manufacturing it' just that on steroids too. Because everyone knows everyone. And then also you have to learn who's influential at a company too, especially on for our customers who tend to be the large companies we were talking about.
00:05:06
HFW Industries
You have all these different ah fiefdoms and um divisions and um you know people are reporting to maybe two or three different people at a time. You have to figure out who's really calling the shots.
00:05:19
HFW Industries
Aaron Shaw, Ph.D.: ah is responsible for what and then also how people are evaluated and and what their you know what their look what success looks like for them. Shaw, And that's how I think we've been able to foster deep relationships with our customers is you know really work with them to understand on an individual level okay you got.
00:05:38
HFW Industries
you know, Mary, who's an engineer, how is she evaluated and what does success look like to her? If we can help her do that, I think we'll win in the long term. ah But we're getting a little bit off topic. We'll we'll talk about that another day.
00:05:52
HFW Industries
So, we yeah, we we connected through Instagram. but and And first of all, your Instagram is is really cool. Thank you very much. I think the first thing, i think I sent a link to your Instagram to our leadership team when I was like, you guys got to check this out.
00:06:06
HFW Industries
And this is super cool. Um,
Innovation with Instagram and CNC Machining
00:06:09
HFW Industries
For anybody who doesn't know, I am tuck underscore garage on Instagram, and you should immediately go follow and check out everything I do.
00:06:18
HFW Industries
um I'm just kidding. But you will find me on Instagram. I'm reasonably active. And what Jack is referring to is i have made a Iron Man suit out of plastic. So I'm really Plastic Man, but we're going to skip over that little thing.
00:06:36
HFW Industries
detail there. and so i made Iron Man suit to wear for Halloween and it is now like the pinnacle of what my Instagram profile is about.
00:06:47
HFW Industries
so becoming right I have it all over the place. I have a Freddy vacuum that has Iron Man all over it. I have multiple different variants of Iron Man suits now throughout my shop and multiple helmets and I'm already working on another suit.
00:07:04
HFW Industries
So you will see ah all of the progression along with I dabble in CNC machining and manual machining in my garage. I have a lathe, mill, surface grinder, bridge board, along with a whole bunch of the inspection stuff. So that's kind of my hobby and um lately my hobby from machining has been 3d printing hence iron man and we're talking about bringing some of that into into our shop which i know we've already found some probably entry-level applications that things little things that we can just quickly do um and kind of dip our toes in the water too so which is really neat
00:07:46
HFW Industries
yeah We just need a 3D printer first. Yeah. And we're getting there, right? but shit well well We will discuss that later yeah and figure out what we need and what we're going to do with it.
00:08:01
HFW Industries
Yeah. Yeah, i mean, and that's the other thing we're trying. and and one of the reasons we brought someone like you in was to not just shoot from the hip constantly, which when you're in the thick of things and you just need to get product out the door, it's okay, just figure out a way to get done. But it's like, all right, if we want to grow, should probably think a little bit more systematically, which I think it comes naturally to to you.
Tucker's Background and Expertise
00:08:24
HFW Industries
Now, I'm sure one of the questions that everybody's going to be asking is, who is this guy and why did you bring him on board and what is he going to be doing? So you guys kind of already know who I am, Tucker.
00:08:35
HFW Industries
um I was brought on board because I kind of lost my previous job and I really like what they're doing at HFW. But what am I going to be doing to help you that you see?
00:08:47
HFW Industries
Yeah, I mean, that's a good question. And i we put a lot of thought into this. So the basic, what we saw in in you was as a person who understands manufacturing, understands systems. You were actually working in a position ah as a reliability engineer, right? correct that Is that typically who we're selling to?
00:09:10
HFW Industries
So you understand that side of it. um But... I think the the vision was um you're someone you have the manufacturing background, specifically machining.
00:09:21
HFW Industries
um You have the engineering, you understand systems. um And so we're just looking for talented people. um We've. Aaron Shaw, Ph.D.: lost number people last couple years through retirements and so we've talked about wanting to build a bench of the absolute best manufacturing talent and that's primarily engineers machinists thermal spray operators and then a couple various.
00:09:50
HFW Industries
um offshoots of each of those. um And we we thought that having someone like you to focus on ah certain areas.
00:10:00
HFW Industries
So like, you know, grinding was one, our new CNC grinder in particular, we thought um that's an area where someone like you, you've got the experience, you know, you like trying new things and experimenting with the technology and seeing the extent of ah absolutely how far we can push things.
00:10:17
HFW Industries
um we We thought someone like you would be perfect for that.
CNC Machining Evolution at HFW
00:10:21
HFW Industries
And you know what came up a lot in the discussion was we thought back to the early days of CNC machining at HFW, which wasn't that long ago, by the way.
00:10:30
HFW Industries
So Peter, who's our plant manager now, he was really the one who got CNC machining off the ground at HFW. We still have our original CNC machine, our Akuma Mill.
00:10:46
HFW Industries
I think it's from 1984. It was purchased in 1984, or it's 1984 machine. But, you know, we it's been around since the mid to late 80s. Yeah.
00:10:58
HFW Industries
And so that was something new and that you that back then it was, oh, yeah these CNC machines are going to kill jobs. They're going to know how to do it. It's you know, it's not really a good fit for a job shop.
00:11:10
HFW Industries
And now ah my grandfather sometimes get frustrated because we'll machine one key way in a CNC machine is like, do you really need a CNC machine to do that? um which technically you probably don't um but now that's just kind of become the way we've run things and the way we run things best in most cases um you know, there's still applications for manual machines, but the CNC is a lot of reliable.
00:11:35
HFW Industries
It's reliable. um You have the the precision, you you have more, you can understand what's going on better. um And not to mention the fact a lot of our customers now have models.
00:11:48
HFW Industries
ah So, you know, you'd be stupid not to take advantage of that. um So all of that to say, you know, that's kind of where we're at with grinding too. and And, but We were were're kind of at that this this ah inflection point with grinding.
00:12:06
HFW Industries
We had Joe, who was our grinding supervisor and had been grinding for – I think he he ended at HFW with 43 years of experience here. Wow. um And he retired little over two years ago.
00:12:23
HFW Industries
And so you go from that to and now we ah we introduce a new CNC grinder. um There's a lot of change. There's a lot of knowledge that um walked out the door.
00:12:35
HFW Industries
And so now it's I don't know, like on the one hand, yeah, that's a little scary. But on this, on another hand, it's okay, here's an opportunity to tend to start with a blank piece of paper, you know, not be burdened by um years and years of that's the way we've always done it.
00:12:55
HFW Industries
and really take a systematic approach. OK, how are we going to do this? What's the optimal way to do this? And then how do we get as close as possible to that?
00:13:06
HFW Industries
And that's really what we thought you could be beneficial and helpful with. And um already, it seems like you're doing that. so um And, you know, I think we see, lastly, you know, we see, you know, the growth of the company and and where we want to go and we need leaders in the business. And we thought this was a great way um not to ah necessarily ordain you as having any future position, but to say, like, this is a great proving grounds, you know, see what you like and see where you're really drawn to. And then,
Hiring and Growth Opportunities at HFW
00:13:38
HFW Industries
if you know, as we grow, there's going to be opportunities for leadership. And we wanted to build kind of a pipeline of talent, like we said.
00:13:45
HFW Industries
Excellent. um It is worth noting that HFW is always hiring. So if you feel you are up to the level of joining our team, have skills, or are just generally interested, please send a resume to us.
00:14:02
HFW Industries
Yeah. You can find our contact on our website, which is, I don't have it memorized. HFWindustries.com. There's information there. And then honestly, I mean, probably the easiest way to get Yeah, I have an intimate ah personal conversation with with myself or even with you, Tucker. It would be on social media, primarily Instagram, but I know I'm on LinkedIn. You're on LinkedIn as well.
00:14:26
HFW Industries
um I check both LinkedIn at least weekly. I'm on both more than I would like to admit. but think we all are on both more than we like to admit. Yeah.
00:14:37
HFW Industries
But ah I think it's – I'm glad you said that too because really the biggest constraint to um our growth right now is is people. ah we have If you look at our – our shop and the hours we work.
00:14:52
HFW Industries
Um, there's a lot of capacity there. It's just, um, uh, people. yeah Um, so, you know, and we've got a number of people that we've brought in over the last couple years that I'm really excited about.
00:15:05
HFW Industries
I mean, not to mention the, you our, our vets, uh, that have been with us for several years where we've got three guys this year, who are celebrating their 25th anniversary. Um,
00:15:17
HFW Industries
But all have to say, if you think, you know, this business makes money when the machines are running, obviously. and We want you. and they And I answered the call when they said, we want you.
00:15:29
HFW Industries
So there is no one we won't say no to as long as you have the right skills, I suppose. Yeah. We will see. Yeah. i well We like talking with people. i don't think it ever hurts to talk. I think that's kind of how we set it up. like We said, hey, there's no expectation. No, no expectation when I walked in going, I'm going to get a job. No, it was a shop tour and that was it. And then it was.
00:15:51
HFW Industries
we like what you do and we want you to come and maybe talk about something else. Okay. Awesome. well Here I am. It also back to the relationships too. It just builds the relationships and you know, even if something doesn't work out now, it's like, may or maybe come back in a couple of years, you say, Hey, I have this opportunity or you say,
00:16:11
HFW Industries
you know hey, I thought of you guys. and Or we say, hey, you know you're probably not a good fit for us, but we know these guys over here, you should go check them out. um I can't tell you how many times that's happened too. so yeah i mean the The labor situation, that's our biggest constraint. That's why I'm so focused on you know building a really good team in a place where people want to be.
00:16:32
HFW Industries
um I really look at Sean McDermott and the Bills as an example of where we want to be because I think you know If you look at ah where the Bills were before he came in, and it was it was very bleak.
00:16:46
HFW Industries
and it was you know No one wanted to be here, and it was not it was not ah great place. And now, you know, the best talent wants to be here because he's fostered that environment. He's brought in ah arguably, you know, ah one of the best, if not the best players in the league.
00:17:06
HFW Industries
um And they've, they've fostered that culture of winning. And I think that's what we're doing here too um with the the people we have. So yeah, That's kind of the vision. we want to treat We want to attract the best manufacturing talent out there, and then um we understand that to do that, we have to um treat everyone the best.
00:17:27
HFW Industries
And so that's that's my promise. that i will always make sure that we we take care of you, and ah we're going to do whatever we can. And I think when we do that, um where we're going to be in two, five, ten years, it's going to be pretty incredible, and everyone will everyone will benefit from that. and you know the the rewards from that will be plowed back into the company um and into our people. So, um well, I'm glad you brought that up. Thank you.
00:17:54
HFW Industries
So let's let's take it way back. So you grew up in Massachusetts, is that right? Or where did you grow up? Yes.
Tucker's Career Path
00:18:02
HFW Industries
So I spent my childhood growing up in Massachusetts. I am actually a Rochester native. Oh, I didn't know The beginning of my life started in Rochester.
00:18:12
HFW Industries
Moved to California for a year or two when i was... um ah Lower than knee height and then moved to Massachusetts for the last, oh, I don't know, 18, 20 years and then moved out here to Buffalo because I had an opportunity to work at a company that my dad was working at, which then fell through after I had moved out here.
00:18:33
HFW Industries
Because i already had housing. My brother and my dad were out here. I moved in with them and started paying down my student loans, which were astronomical. um I went to college in Massachusetts for mechanical engineering and learned that CNC machining is a thing because I did an internship there.
00:18:56
HFW Industries
where I made scale models, um would take a picture, make a model in SOLWORKS, manufacture it on CNC, ProtoTrek CNC machines, and then would assemble them with really tiny double-out 90 screws and smaller and not much bigger than a quarter-twenty ever, except for um attaching the model to the base of the display. um After that, I moved out here.
00:19:25
HFW Industries
um I got a job as a CNC machinist where I learned CNC lathe at the same time. I already had experience in three axis knee mills and manual mills or manual mills and manual lathes.
00:19:41
HFW Industries
um Learned a lot at that shop. um Moved on to my previous job, which I was um maintenance planner, which then moved into more reliability related um troubleshooting and process improvements stuff and that was at Sumitomo Rubber um here in Buffalo, New York and after that because they had closed down I started here awesome yeah so you've been you moved around quite a bit I didn't even know that I did
00:20:17
HFW Industries
And I think it's interesting. So you come out of engineering school and you go into manufacturing and in a pretty small shop too, right? yep Yeah, it was um less than 10 employees.
00:20:28
HFW Industries
Wow. So, mean, that's not super common. Let me close up this window here so this stops making noise at us. There we go. Yeah. That was like I'm thinking even now of where, you know, when you're in in college and in school, um it's typically the large employers that they come in and recruit. And ah how did what was it like then going to a small shop and what did you learn through that?
00:20:59
HFW Industries
um What did I learn? I learned a lot that my ego was a lot bigger than my skills. So I had walked in with a really big head and not as much experience as I thought I had.
00:21:11
HFW Industries
um Went, I can do anything. And I was very quickly humbled into, i don't know anything. I need to learn really fast. They're like, well, you know just you know go um manually program G-code to do these drill points. and I was like, i don't know how to do G-code. What is that? um I know it comes out of Mastercam, which is what I'd previously used, but I had to learn it all on the fly.
00:21:38
HFW Industries
You learn very quickly, adapt, overcome, survive, or you just won't make it. I can't even tell you how many times. Anytime my ego starts getting just a little bit out of check or I'm like, okay, I finally got this figured out or I think we're really making momentum on this.
00:21:58
HFW Industries
Manufacturing just has a way of absolutely humbling you every single time. Oh, yeah. We all eat humble pie every day. And if you're not, you're lying to yourself. I think it's what makes it fun and in some ways because it's it's like you know you're going to get beat up sometimes. You know things are going to go sideways. And exactly like you said, it's, okay, what are you going to do about it?
00:22:20
HFW Industries
you know the You can complain, and you complaining drives me crazy because it's like complaining is not doing anything. Either do something about it, um fix the problem, or quiet because if you're not doing something about the problem to make it better or to ensure that doesn't happen again,
00:22:38
HFW Industries
You are the problem. Exactly. Which, and by the way, I'm saying that, like, I have to remind myself of that constantly because it's so easy to complain, right? It's so easy to say, oh, this is stupid. what Why this Oh, absolutely.
00:22:49
HFW Industries
you ah You honestly, you have to be your own cheerleader in this industry because nobody's cheering for you. ever, except, you know, any of your friends who are also going through exactly the same thing as you and you can, you know, you, you slowly end up with a bunch of friends who are really interested in machining who all go, wow, yeah, that was awful. ah Good luck. Try again.
00:23:14
HFW Industries
you got this. It's so funny because I've built, again, through social media, um a friend group of just absolute manufacturing nerds. And it's so much of it is just commiserating on what went wrong.
00:23:27
HFW Industries
um But we all must be messed up in the head because it's like, all right, I can't wait to get
Challenges and Solutions in Manufacturing
00:23:32
HFW Industries
at it tomorrow. But it's not the problems we face on our way to the end. It's the rush at the end of the success that pulls me back into this whole thing. Because when everything assembles and it all works and everybody's happy, it's like, oh, I can't get enough of it. I got to do the one more. I mean, it's how hard could it be? The last one wasn't so bad looking at the end result.
00:23:56
HFW Industries
And you could just start again. and is it's it really is so much fun. I love doing it. I just, I like making stuff. That's the whole reason I got into this.
00:24:08
HFW Industries
Well, it's just the it's the nirvana too, right? When when everything flows, and everything works the way it's supposed to, it's like, man, this is awesome. And you see the opportunity. you see you know how much money can be made. And especially in in our industry, um there is so much opportunity too because like we we were talking about earlier, so much of the talent is gone or leaving soon.
00:24:30
HFW Industries
And so one, the opportunity for people in our positions now is to learn from the the guys that have been on the job for 35 or 40 years are and getting ready to hang it up. And then when they leave, like, the world is our oyster, right? We can, there's, you you take their position, then you can, I mean, we're going to be running this thing pretty soon. And I think that's the opportunity I try to present to students when I go to talk to schools, too, is like, guys, you're coming into this industry at an incredible time.
00:24:56
HFW Industries
You got the technology, which if you embrace will only help and will only make you more valuable. But then, i mean, just the opportunity, whether you're you start your own shop um or you find a really good company to work for, um there is no telling what you can do and and what you can make ah in this industry.
00:25:17
HFW Industries
Absolutely. Also, there is no shame in working for yourself and then going to work for somebody else. If anybody tells you that that is wrong, they are incorrect because I know for myself, I don't work for myself very well.
00:25:35
HFW Industries
I need somebody to tell me what to do and it makes me more efficient. yeah This way I have ah kind of a little directive and i won't work at home. I have to come to work to work.
00:25:47
HFW Industries
I won't work at home. I just I can't do it. Even if I could take stock that needed to be a CNC machined, I could take it home to my CNC mill, throw it in there, make it and then come to work. Go next day going. Yeah, I made it. I worked from home today but or yesterday and I won't do it.
00:26:03
HFW Industries
I can't stay focused. It's just it doesn't work for me. It's so hard. I think, you know, because I'm interested and I read the news and whatever, and, you you know, this whole work from home debate that i corporate America is going through right now, and they've been going through for like the last four years.
00:26:22
HFW Industries
um It's so funny looking in from a manufacturing perspective when it's like, we've been on the job the whole time. Essential. Well, exactly. That's where I was going.
00:26:33
HFW Industries
I think... I'm not, you know, ah desk jobs, there are a lot of there are a lot of desk jobs that you need and that are important, right? Like whether it's accounting or sales and even marketing and all these things, like they all play a ah role. But I think you really saw whose jobs were absolutely critical and we couldn't live without during COVID. Absolutely. Yeah.
00:26:54
HFW Industries
And manufacturing was like number one or two on the list, right? Because you don't live without manufacturing.
Manufacturing's Role During COVID-19
00:27:01
HFW Industries
um And i think there is something to be said to how cool this stuff is.
00:27:07
HFW Industries
And that's why like I try to show as much of it ah ah as I can on social media. Yeah. It sucks in our industry because you have to be somewhat careful. You can't show a lot of the really cool stuff because it's proprietary.
00:27:19
HFW Industries
MBAs are a thing, unfortunately. But if you wanted to come in and take a tour, I think we would offer, if you reached out, we' more than happy or jack Jack is more than happy to give everybody a tour because I will be a little bit busy as I am literally am my starting my second week.
00:27:39
HFW Industries
yeah So I have no power here. i am still learning a lot and I'm just getting situated with everything that goes on around here as much as I can help out too, though. I'll introduce you to Tucker. I'm very busy too, but I have realized the power of those tours is is well worth the time. So I'm yeah, like you said, I'm absolutely willing.
00:27:59
HFW Industries
um We love setting up tours and bringing people in and showing off the people and what we're doing. um It's the best way for people, especially young kids, to get exposed to what goes on behind these factory walls. And I can't tell me how many times I've heard.
00:28:15
HFW Industries
Oh, I've seen your building or I've driven by. I had no idea what you guys did or I had no idea you guys were back here. that's i had no idea you were here. and I've been living here working five minutes away from here.
00:28:28
HFW Industries
and I had no idea you were here. Yeah, and that's exactly what I'm trying to change, you know. i think i think it's working, slowly but surely. um One of our other guys, who Greg, who started recently, said his boss saw a video of him on social media, um which could be good or bad. but you know Just getting that name out there, I think, is is important. than And then just glorifying the trade. not even um Obviously, there's a self-interest to it. right We want to show off our company what we can do and and and our people.
00:28:57
HFW Industries
But it's also, i think, just showing what's possible in manufacturing. and And you do that as well. and You show like all the cool things you can do. like I don't know. i was I was a decent student, but I really didn't enjoy most of school. I liked college.
00:29:11
HFW Industries
But you know most of the K through 12, a lot of it bored me Yeah, i wasn't a fan of English. ah I was pretty good at writing, but you just sit at a desk all day. It's it's not it's not fun.
00:29:22
HFW Industries
that's what I loved tech classes where we got up and we were building things, even though I was not the best at it. But it was just like you're using your hands, you're walking around, you're you're staying busy, and you're um you're engaging your mind and your body. um yeah It's not for everyone. Some people like sitting at a desk and you know having your standing desk. Empower to them.
00:29:43
HFW Industries
Yeah. because They found their calling. It's all essential in some way or another for the most part. um Obviously, there are there are some jobs. that you know Some companies are bloated and whatnot, but you know every every person has a purpose, um and especially in in smaller companies, you know there's not a lot of that those people that just do nothing. most you know Most of the time, that gets weeded out pretty quickly, which I think is a benefit of small business.
00:30:13
HFW Industries
So, you know, I'm curious, you just got back from Japan.
Tucker's Japan Experience
00:30:16
HFW Industries
Yep. I know I've been wanting to ask you about that trip. First of all, like what was the, what was the reason for going in the first place and how was it? And what were, what were some of your favorite things you guys did?
00:30:29
HFW Industries
um The reason we wanted to go in the first place was it's one of the bucket places bucket places that me and my wife have always wanted to go. um We went for about two weeks. and We loved all of the sushi, the ramen, seeing a few sites, but we had a lot more interactive things we did. i made a a knife while I was there. I went to an actual Japanese blacksmith.
00:30:55
HFW Industries
They showed me how to use a hammer and their forge. I've got a little experience myself making knives, but having a Japanese blacksmith show me the way to make it was way too cool.
00:31:07
HFW Industries
um I also did a samurai event where I dressed up in a ah samurai outfit Got to use a real sword and was cutting grass mats in half with a sword, which was, I was having just so much fun with that.
00:31:26
HFW Industries
I couldn't tell you how exciting that was. um I went skiing near the slopes of Mount Fuji, and I saw the Sapporo... um snow festival which they make three story snow sculptures that are out of this world which buffalo and needs to start doing around here with all the extra snow we get because it's and you take the extra snow you turn it into artwork and everybody wants to go see it hopefully And it was amazing to see that they had taken blocks of snow, piled them three stories high, and just carved these very intricate statues into the snow.
00:32:07
HFW Industries
It was just an amazing thing to behold. My wife was had done some tea ceremonies. She got to wear a kimono, was walking around in that. We also brought our son, so that was fun. A four- and then 11-hour plane ride there and back.
00:32:22
HFW Industries
He got to use his tablet the whole plane ride, but he was fantastic. My son is two and a half. He's going to be three this year. And we did a few kids activities as well. We went sledding with him. We did some snow activities for kids, ice slides.
00:32:40
HFW Industries
um A bunch of other stuff. My son is a big fan of the adrenaline of roller coasters. We also visited um Tokyo Disney, both Tokyo Disney and disney seaor or Tokyo SeaWorld, which were both owned by Disney.
00:32:58
HFW Industries
separate parks that each take at least a day to go visit. We got a little popcorn bucket in one and just kept filling in and chewing on and eating all these different flavors of popcorn. Went on some roller coasters as the only roller coasters that, you know, somebody who's 90 centimeters tall could actually go ask. I was like, dang.
00:33:17
HFW Industries
So we got some baby roller coasters and I normally don't like roller coasters. So this is like the first or second roller coaster I've gone on in like 20 years. Wow. So I'm usually a bumper cars kind of guy. That's that is my bread and butter when I go to a theme park or amusement park.
00:33:36
HFW Industries
um we did that and i also got to see a few friends who um hang out on a precision machining discord server we have or i am a part of i got to see him i brought back some ah precision granite square along with some other tools um did some horse trading and bought a bunch of souvenirs pokemon cars because i'm a huge nerd um but overall i had a great time um Oh, and we ah also had a class to make sushi.
00:34:09
HFW Industries
So we had this woman brought us to our house. She showed us how to roll and make sashimi-style sushi by hand.
00:34:20
HFW Industries
So each of us made a roll, and then we ate it afterwards. And it was just the greatest being able to learn how to make sushi the right way. Oh, my gosh. That is – you guys got a lot in.
00:34:33
HFW Industries
We, my wife is an amazing planner. I will say that hands down, she planned the majority of it. And my job was to figure out what I wanted to do and be able to go yes and no to if I thought that was a good idea or not.
00:34:49
HFW Industries
And I was the final judgment call of, what do you want to do? Is this a good idea? And I would say, yes, that is awesome. Or I don't think we're going to have enough time to do that. and So why don't we space this out? And even still, we could always come back and do it later because we left ourselves a day to go shopping and do stuff, buy knives. I bought like six pairs of chopsticks.
00:35:12
HFW Industries
And I made my own set, too, while I was there by hand, which was a lot of fun. um But a lot of it came down to grab an Excel sheet, figure out what we want to do and just start planning. And we had been planning since...
00:35:26
HFW Industries
August or September of last year. Just slowly figuring out all the details. I had a bucket list of I wanted to go make sushi. I wanted to go make a knife. And I want to do skiing near of Mount Fuji. She had a few things she wanted to do. And we came together and went, all we can schedule all of these. and then we've got like a day or two. We got to find something. Then we started doing some research.
00:35:48
HFW Industries
And by we, I mean she did. ah um She planned everything else out. And I said, yes, let's go. That's awesome. And your wife's an engineer too. Yes, she is a quality engineer over at Moog.
00:36:03
HFW Industries
So two engineers. I can see where the Excel sheet came in for planning. I love Excel. Excel is my second favorite program after SOLIDWORKS and Fusion.
00:36:14
HFW Industries
I can see that. That's an incredible trip, though. That's super cool. and you Like we talked about, you documented a lot of it on social media, too, so you can check that out. That's super cool. Now, Japan's been on my bucket list for a long time. I'm hoping this year or next year.
00:36:31
HFW Industries
But I know and I'll be there for business and for pleasure at some point. I'm a big fan of Toyota, too, which maybe we'll get into today. but Or maybe we'll save for another episode where we can talk for three hours. about I'm sure you'll invite me back or I'll just ah force my way into the recording room and go, all right, give me headphones, give me a microphone. I'm making ah i'm a part of this now.
00:36:53
HFW Industries
you you could get me go You almost got me going on several rabbit holes there. i mean Buffalo, too. i never understood the...
Buffalo Weather Myths
00:37:01
HFW Industries
It's like, well, Buffalo is a cold city. That's why no one likes it. I'm like, no. That's such an excuse. No, that's the south.
00:37:06
HFW Industries
yeah That's the south part of Buffalo. There is a part. If you look up Buffalo on a map, you will find somewhere on there next to um Interstate 90, there is a subset of that called the one...
00:37:23
HFW Industries
The 190, if you live above the 190, you do not get three feet of snow in a day. That is absolutely false.
00:37:33
HFW Industries
If you are below 190, yeah, good luck. Have fun. We're going to send rescue rangers to get you if you are snowed in. I don't know why people live down there. is I love It's just mind-blowing. love the snow. Have fun. It's not for me.
00:37:46
HFW Industries
um But Buffalo does not get 10 feet of snow every year. In fact, I think this is the most snow I've ever seen in the city yeah ever in the last decade of living here.
00:38:00
HFW Industries
Well, it's so crazy. um I do live ah live in Orchard Park um up by the Bill Stadium, which is where it gets the all the snow. And i can't tell you how many times we will be at work and it will be sunny here, like no clouds. And you will go home and there will be six inches or a foot of snow that day.
00:38:21
HFW Industries
I love watching the side of the road as you head south. because you I started up here, there's grass, and then it just slowly goes one, three, five inches to six inches to a foot to two feet, three feet on the side of the road. And I'm going, where did this come from?
00:38:37
HFW Industries
Lake Erie and and Lake Effect snow is just such a crazy beast. the The nice thing about Lake Erie, if you don't like the snow, though, is that it freezes over because it's the shallowest. Lake Ontario, if you live on the east side of Lake Ontario, they're still getting blasted because I think Lake Ontario is the deepest.
00:38:53
HFW Industries
So it doesn't freeze. So it's very interesting. I'm not very good with geography, so I will take a word for it. Well, and there's a place in Lewiston in Niagara County that gets like 300 some days of sun a year, too. So everyone says, Buffalo's so cloudy and miserable. It's like if you pick the right areas, and doesn't have to be. the ah The common term or common saying around here is keep Buffalo a secret because everybody thinks it's this cold, dreary wasteland that you come and visit and nobody sees the sun because there's snow over over their roof all the time, constantly.
00:39:29
HFW Industries
um Come to Buffalo, come check us out. yeah We will prove you wrong. Plus ah the food's really good here. The food's amazing. um I'm trying not to keep Buffalo a secret. I don't understand why people want to keep secret. People don't want a secret because they don't want to deal with traffic because Buffaloans get mad when there's 10 minutes of traffic. Yes, and coming from Massachusetts, you guys are equivalent, if not worse.
00:39:53
HFW Industries
Oh, my gosh. I've never seen drivers like those I saw in Massachusetts, I'll tell you that. That's saying something. It's about flow drivers and Ohio drivers, South Carolina drivers. These are all very bad drivers. in Massachusetts was a new level for me personally.
00:40:06
HFW Industries
um But we'll save that for another podcast, too. and we have so much to do in the next part of this and podcast. It's a good thing we're only on, what, 25? some of it Some of it may or may not have anything to do with manufacturing, but that's okay. that's We'll try and keep at least 50% manufacturing, if not us general rambo-rambo-rambo. I'd like to discuss like what what gets you
Continuous Improvement at Work
00:40:33
HFW Industries
excited. and then you know when you think about you know We've talked a lot about continuous improvement.
00:40:37
HFW Industries
um You know, how do you think about that and and what, you know, as you come in, you obviously have only been here a week, so I'm not expecting you have all the answers or think you'd have all the answers, but um yeah, how do you think through those things and as you' you're getting started on the job, I mean, ah what gets you excited about about the opportunity?
00:40:58
HFW Industries
um I see I look around and try and see all the things that could be improved, make things faster. i have found that and making things faster, it makes everything easier, cheaper, better.
00:41:10
HFW Industries
And be in working with the guys right now, I'm learning how everything flows through the shop. um comes gets quoted, and then goes gets worked on and goes out the door.
00:41:24
HFW Industries
um Looking at how we can try and make our processes better, either from, hey, you know all of our I can't find a trash can right now. We should just get all the trash cans wherever they need to be, or all of our V-blocks need better guards or shims to protect the shafts that we're measuring on them, or I mean so far as to go, we need i need a broom, I need a fork for lunch. i Just finding ways to find things better, faster, and easier um really excites me.
00:42:02
HFW Industries
I like making improvements. I like making things better. And if people end up being happier because of it, that is the goal. um In fact, if you were to read two second lean by Paul Akers, the one thing you take away from that is just go fix everything that bugs you.
00:42:20
HFW Industries
Even if it's a two second improvement, go fix it. One a day. And that's a book, by the way, um, Tucker was going to lend me his copy, but I will also, I think I said this in the last podcast, this goes for this book as well. If anyone wants that book in our company, I will buy the book for anyone that wants that.
00:42:41
HFW Industries
And we're also building a little HFW library we where we'll have copies as well. um but um Because that's exactly the mentality that we want to have. And I think most people here do. um But we want to just enforce it. and or Not enforce, but encourage encourage and instill that value.
00:42:58
HFW Industries
um And also, like i say all the time, like the job of engineering upstairs, manufacturing engineering, and and what I big picture view my job, job as is helping make everyone's job here um easier ah more enjoyable and you know as the inine engineering department hfw our job is to um set the company and each person that works on that job up for success make it as easy for them to ah put out a really solid product
00:43:33
HFW Industries
And so that's kind of, you know, all of these things in that system that that all plays into ah making someone's life easier ah so we don't have to um spin our wheels on and little things that come up.
00:43:46
HFW Industries
And to clarify, making process improvements will not cut jobs. It just makes the jobs easier yeah for everybody. Well, we like we talked about, um our our biggest constraint is labor.
00:44:02
HFW Industries
So when we find ah improvements or ways we ways we can save time, ah we're going to redeploy that ah somewhere else to help grow. And you know that makes you more valuable then. And when you become more valuable, you make more money.
00:44:18
HFW Industries
um You become more ah indispensable it' to the success of the company. um So it is it really is a a self-fulfilling loop. And yeah, I mean, this is not done.
00:44:31
HFW Industries
It's done to save money, but not through cutting jobs. i think um um Cutting jobs is the last thing we ever want to do. If you yeah don't have anything to do, ah there is so many things to improve. There's so many things to make better and fix. is It's never ending.
00:44:48
HFW Industries
Well, and the big thing for us too is also ah being, you know, cross training and people being able to do multiple ah skills and trades too. So if there's something you want to learn and you're hungry and and and you can complete your day job and can complete the things that are expected of you now, um there are so many opportunities to learn and grow. And and we, and and I certainly um do everything I can to foster that and encourage that.
00:45:13
HFW Industries
um And I mean, you see several examples of that throughout HFW now. um But yeah, I heard someone that said, and I think this every time I see, you know, companies that have layoffs now is layoffs are but so the easy thing to do, right? When you need to sit, you're like, okay, i need to save a million dollars. Well, we can just go cut five people or whatever.
00:45:32
HFW Industries
And it's like, That's the easy thing to do. But you're going to end up costing yourself more money then when you start growing again and then you need you go hire people back. It's just there are better ways to do it. You've wasted a lot of time. You've spent training them, and now you have to retrain somebody else.
00:45:47
HFW Industries
And yeah it's just not helpful. And if anybody at HFW does have it any idea to make things better and wants to track me down or Jack, come find us.
00:45:59
HFW Industries
I will make time to help you make your life easier. i don't see everything because I'm brand new, but i have a different way of looking at things. And I will help anybody who comes to me asking for help as much as I can.
00:46:17
HFW Industries
And then what I always tell people is um I can't promise I'll automatically be able to fix everything. But what I can promise you is I will listen and and um certainly take it into consideration and do everything I can to make it better. And, you know, anytime there's something like Tucker was saying, um anytime there's something that bugs you, like I don't want things to bug you.
00:46:39
HFW Industries
If there's something that there's something that really gets in the way, going to do whatever I can to help fix it again. you know I can't always, sometimes if that requires $100,000 investment, um knowing me, I'll probably push it, but that doesn't mean I'll be able to get it through the finish line, but I'll certainly try. And I want what's best for our people. And I think we, as a company, have a pretty good track record overall.
00:47:02
HFW Industries
I'm not going to say we get everything right. Cause I know we don't, um but we really try to look out for our team and and take care of people. And, um, create a work environment that fosters and sets up success. So um that's that's exactly what we're I think we're trying to do, we've done. And we're trying to make it more of a We don't want this to just be an exercise we do on Tuesday at 2.30. We want this to be an all-the-time kind of thing, and that's why we have people like Tucker.
00:47:31
HFW Industries
Awesome. Well, I think we're wrapping up. We've probably ah exhausted people's ears enough for once for part one, part two, and part three coming soon. ah What do you want to leave us with, Tucker?
00:47:43
HFW Industries
um If you want to go find me, go check out my Instagram at tuck underscore garage or my LinkedIn. I am Tucker holiday. ah You'll find me. I have Iron Man on everything. In fact, my LinkedIn profile is my linkedin profile picture is me in my Iron Man suit.
00:48:03
HFW Industries
I love it. Other than that, I have had a great time for my first week. I am not indoctrinated. I am just introduced to HFW, I swear.
00:48:13
HFW Industries
And all of these opinions are mine and my alone. And there is no gun aimed at me anywhere to make me say these things. yeah But I am so far having a good time, and I really look forward to doing this more with you, Jack.
00:48:27
HFW Industries
Oh, the feeling is mutual. This has been awesome, and we've got a great thing, and I'm excited to keep it going. Thanks, Tucker. Awesome. Thank you. Bye.