Process control out of control

As a self-described “factory rat,” I've spent my entire life working in factories. While attending high school, I worked nights and weekends at the Infant seat Co. in Eldora, where I mowed the lawn and helped in the warehouse. I also worked a little in an “egg factory” where thousands of chickens produced millions of eggs.

Today, as chief executive officer of an Eldora company, I've come to understand a little something about process control. It's mass production without waste. It's called a lot of things: ISO, sigma, lean and so on. Without process control, you can throw money and people at a problem all day long and it only hurts more.

The United States is on the verge of throwing more money and people at a problem that is a result of a process that's out of control. The solution can't be achieved by forcing jobs or money into an operating model that no longer works well. The solution starts by changing the model.

The new paradigm, or operating model, must include tax reform both for individuals and for corporations. Everyone must pay a fair share, with only limited and strategic exceptions, or everything we've done and are about to do will be wasted. It is a fact of life in a factory and it is a fact of life in our economy.

Steve Throssel, CEO

Whink Products Company

Eldora