Q: IN YOUR ROLE, HOW DO YOU HELP ATLAS METAL “MAKE METAL PERSONAL?”
I should start by saying we do not work for AMI, we are AMI. We work for our customers.
But pretty regularly, we circle back to a discussion with team members about their role as consumers in their daily life. We all make purchase decisions starting with who to do business with based on our perceptions of value, product quality, customer service, convenience, consistency and any number of other determinants of satisfaction. We stress that those perceptions come from the conduct of a company’s employees, not some vague business entity.
The purpose is to have employees recognize that our customers are evaluating AMI with every order that we receive, process, produce and deliver. And most importantly, we want to establish that the AMI the company is not making products, we as people are. The message is that individually, we each have the means and responsibility to mold the perception of AMI. By thinking like consumers in service to our customers we can better protect AMI’s reputation and future while also producing the best possible products.
Q: WHAT EMOTIONAL FEELING WOULD YOU USE TO DESCRIBE ATLAS METAL’S CORPORATE CULTURE?
Reassuring.
AMI is committed to being a steady, supportive, long-term partner for our customers, all while providing unwavering product quality. We can be counted on to do what we say we’ll do, to do what’s right for the customer regardless of policy, and to be fully transparent in our pricing and discount schedules.
As a privately held company we can take the long view. This affords AMI the chance to manage the needs of all our stakeholders: owners, customers, employees and community. This, in my opinion, stabilizes the business and positions it for long-term success. We’re not just a financial instrument for shareholders, which is the reality for so many public companies. Our belief is that by striving to be the best partner for all of these constituencies, profit will naturally follow in time.
Q: WHAT ARE ONE OR TWO WORDS THAT BEST DESCRIBE WHY ATLAS’S PRODUCTS ARE BETTER THAN THE COMPETITION?
Integrity of purpose.
This is what drives our material choices, our process methods, our quality standards and our approach to aftermarket service and support. It’s what help us to be the most reliable partner in the segment.
Q: LOOKING BACK ON YOUR CAREER WITH ATLAS METAL, WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF?
A cultural shift operationally to a more flexible, responsive organization with customer focused goals.
We believe that “you master what you measure,” and that “we are what we repeatedly do.” As a manufacturing group, we track those performance elements that are essential to our competitive standing: on-time delivery, total lead time, in-field warranty incidents, first-pass inspection rate, internal efficiency, inventory velocity, etc. We use them to drive accountability and predictability into our daily output but also use them as guidance for performance goals adapted to each customer’s point of view. For me, this is critical to AMI’s long-term success and is something that needs to be ingrained in our culture.
When we first introduced these performance elements many years ago, it was a hard transition, but that’s typical when instituting any change. Today these standards are an integral part of our DNA, embraced and readily transferred to new hires. Because I believe that culture has cross generational staying power, I am most pleased that I may have had a role in effecting that change.
Q: LOOKING AHEAD TO 2020, WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS FOR THE YEAR?
I just want us to continue to do what we’ve done, but maybe just a bit better across our performance measures.
Q: HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE AN IDEAL CUSTOMER FOR ATLAS METAL?
One that understands and appreciates the value we bring. One that can differentiate between unit cost and total cost of ownership. AMI will generally be more expensive to purchase that other companies, but our value proposition is in our durability and lower total cost of ownership.
Q: IF YOU HAD ONE WISH FOR THE FUTURE OF THE EQUIPMENT INDUSTRY, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
To be an industry that can attract and retain higher-level talent and derive the benefits thereof.
