President’s Message From Bert Goering
Commit to a Proactive Safety Culture This edition of Springs Magazine focuses on “Safety First,” which is ironic as it is “safe” to say that I am so happy to be passing the duty of creating salient and meaningful president’s messages for our treasured magazine to our next leader! Being an engineer by education, this is not in my wheelhouse, and I want to pay credit to the team in charge of this great magazine for helping me sound somewhat relevant and on-topic! That being said, safety is fundamental to any successful business, regardless of industry. However, for those of us in the world of spring manufacturing, it’s even more critical. Manufacturing requires workers to engage in potentially high-risk activities, from unloading raw material on the receiving dock, to running a 15-axis former, from packing a shipping box to operating a punch press—the opportunities for injury are endless. Due to the inherent risk of working in an industrial environment and operating machinery, it is essential for employers to take action to mitigate safety hazards, educate employees on potential risks, and incorporate safety into the culture of their organization. I have been a member of a family held business for decades, and we have always come from a perspective that we have a duty to our employees to provide them with a safe workplace, one that allows them to excel in taking care of our customers’ needs. Our employees must first see and know that we care for their well-being while at our facilities. With a focus on creating an active and engaged safety culture, this has proven to help ensure a level of trust that shows up in so many aspects of employee engagement, loyalty and tenure. Safety has evolved over the decades that I have been hanging out in the spring industry. Back when dinosaurs roamed the earth (meaning that fax machines were the edge of technology), safety was about the “obvious” levels, such as proper machine guarding, electrical/fire prevention issues, and then to PPE opportunities. Now we focus on the “invisible” safety risks of hazardous dust and chemicals exposures, and our newest nightmare, COVID-19 (and other potential pandemic challenges yet to come). As a result, it is more important than ever to engage professional help in navigating these increasingly complex challenges (which SMI can help you with through our regulations compliance consultant Laura Helmrich-Rhodes!). Nowadays with so many lawyers crawling around, it is not only good business to fully commit to creating a proactive safety culture, but it may be the difference in remaining in business with new and severe liability exposures. Cheers! Bert Goering
SMI Executive Committee President: Bert Goering, Precision Coil Spring Vice President: Gene Huber, Jr., Winamac Coil Spring Secretary/Treasurer: Don Jacobson III, Newcomb Spring At Large: David DeVoe, Plymouth Spring Past President: Steve Kempf, Lee Spring Executive Director: Lynne Carr, SMI
SMI Board of Directors Jennelle Carlier, S3 Wireform • Kelley Christy, Diamond Wire Spring • Dave Deerwester, The Yost Superior Co. • Joe Devany, Betts Company • Chris Fazio, Diamond Wire Spring • Linda Froehlich, Ace Wire Spring & Form • Brett Goldberg, International Spring • Agustin Estalayo Ibanez, RPK Mexico SA de CV • Don Lyons, JonSpring • Peter Mendel, Kern-Liebers USA • Rob Meyers, RK Trading • Alex Melnikow, Midstate Spring • Tony Pesaresi, Winamac Coil Spring • Keith Porter, Newcomb Spring • Tim Zwit, Michigan Spring and Stamping
Springs Magazine Staff Lynne Carr, Advertising Sales, lynne@smihq.org Gary McCoy, Managing Editor, gmccoy@fairwaycommunications.com Dina Sanchez, Assistant Editor, dina@smihq.org Lisa Plefka Haskin, Art Director, lisahaskin95@gmail.com
Springs Magazine Committee Chair, Keith Porter, Newcomb Spring • Reb Banas, Stanley Spring & Stamping • Lynne Carr, SMI • Hale Foote, Scandic Springs, Inc. • Patrick Gillum, Gilco Spring of Florida, Inc. • Adam Jacobson, FENN/Torin • Lucas Karabin, Acme Monaco • Michael Shapiro, Gibraltar Corporation • Europe Liaison: Wolfgang Hermann, VDFI • Technical Advisor: Dan Sebastian Advertising sales - Japan Ken Myohdai, Sakura International Inc. Head Office: 3F,4F, ENDO Sakaisuji Bldg., 1-7-3, Bingomachi, Chuo-Ku, Osaka 541-0051, Japan Phone: 81-6-6624-3601 • Fax: 81-6-6624-3602 Tokyo Global Office: 5F Kamei No. 2 Bldg., 2-17-13, Kiba, Koto-Ku, Tokyo, 135-0042, Japan Phone: 81-3-5646-1160 • Fax: 81-3-5646-1161 E-mail: info@sakurain.co.jp Advertising sales - Europe Jennie Franks, Franks & Co. 63 St. Andrew’s Road Cambridge United Kingdom CB41DH Phone/Fax: +44-1223-360472 E-mail: franksco@BTopenworld.com Advertising sales - Taiwan Robert Yu, Worldwide Services Co. Ltd. 11F-B, No 540, Sec. 1, Wen Hsin Rd. Taichung, Taiwan Phone: +886-4-2325-1784 • Fax: +886-4-2325-2967 E-mail: stuart@wwstaiwan.com Springs (ISSN 0584-9667) is published quarterly by SMI Business Corp., a subsidiary of the Spring Manufacturers Institute: 2001 Midwest Road, Suite 106, Oak Brook, IL 60523; Phone: (630) 495-8588; Web site www.smihq.org. Address all correspondence and editorial materials to this address. The editors and publishers of Springs disclaim all warranties, express or implied, with respect to advertising and editorial content, and with respect to all manufacturing errors, defects or omissions made in connection with advertising or editorial material submitted for publication. The editors and publishers of Springs disclaim all liability for special or consequential damages resulting from errors, defects or omissions in the manufacturing of this publication, any submission of advertising, editorial or other material for publication in Springs shall constitute an agreement with and acceptance of such limited liability. The editors and publishers of Springs assume no responsibility for the opinions or facts in signed articles, except to the extent of expressing the view, by the fact of publication, that the subject treated is one which merits attention. Do not reproduce without written permission. Cover designed by Lisa Plefka Haskin utilizing Shutterstock photographic imagery.
2 | SPRINGS | Winter 2022
