Dealing with Change |
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by Richard Yaun |
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Years ago when I was just coming into the business my grandfather, R.D. Yaun, Founder of Yaun Company, took me aside and gave me a piece of advice. He told me that once you "learn" the business technically that success would be assured as long as I didn't get distracted by the "grass is greener" syndrome and focused my efforts on our main business.. He was a pioneer with the new technology “oil burning equipment” in his starting years. This new technology was not as trouble free as those of today and not broadly accepted. In the railroad town, his customers were threatened with bodily harm or loss of jobs if “one of those contraptions” was installed. Remember their main income was from transporting coal. The railroads weren’t above the use of threats to keep things as they were. I remember the introduction of the 1st Flame Retention High Speed Oil Burner by Crane Company and the TPI PVC Plastic Piping and ground fault breakers. How about computers, plasma arc burning tables, the internet, Radiant heating, modulating furnaces and ProPress fastening systems? All of these things have substantially changed our business and I know companies who have not embraced new technology and are now out of business. They said "if I have to change what I am doing I will close my business down". Unfortunately in many instances that is exactly what happened. Invariably new technologies are both problems and opportunities for the small business owner. How do we implement the technology with existing and limited staff? Each business is different with different circumstances but if change is not a part of your philosophy and embraced at all levels of your company then be assured the new technology will be accepted by your competition and you will either be forced to implement it later at a time not of your choosing or you will "retire" from your business because you have not kept up. On the positive side when accepting new technology you make an investment which allows for the continuation of your business and drives competitors out of business because they are unable to keep up. Several technologies are now in place that are driving our business. The advent of the mechanical piping systems such as ProPress, Wirsbo, Viega, and pex has substantially impacted the labor ratios and material ratios of piping jobs. Low temperature heating sources of modulating and multiple stage fuel burning equipment are economically more realistic than ever before and end users can ill afford technology that is not state-of-the art. The internet and higher band-widths are making a digital revolution both in terms of opportunities for more business for our customers as well as making it easier to manage our businesses. Online order entry is here and being offered by many supply houses. We have offered this technology for over ten years and customers tell us that it has substantially reduced the time required to order and stage jobs. The fact that this allows better use of available management time and more time in the field allows more business to be written and completed with the same or less staff. Combined with new installation technologies and new markets gives the Mechanical or Electrical Contractor an opportunity to grow your business based on changing technology where such growth would not be available by ignoring it. |