Exciting New Developments at K & E Sheet Metal LLC

Some exciting things have been happening over the last few months here at K & E Sheet Metal. First off, as always, none of this would be possible without all the great customers and partners we have done business with over the years and for the new business to come.

Early in the year I decided to build on our ability to fabricate straight duct quicker, which would help us keep a small inventory of trunk duct on hand, making it easier to get materials out for customer orders. To do this I needed to add a few new pieces of equipment to help speed the process. Therefore, we have added a hydraulic 5-head notcher, 52" pneumatic shear, 60" pneumatic duct former, pneumatic cleat bender and take-off notcher. These machines along with our plasma table, which we added last year, will help to speed the process of custom and stock orders for clients.

Because of the purchase we needed to add space, so a few weeks ago we made the decision on moving the shop to the building behind the one we currently occupy. Therefore, our physical address will change from 22 Hudson Falls Road, Door# 3 to 22 Hudson Falls Road, Unit# 22 with shop entry at door# 26. Because the numbering of the building can get confusing I have added the door# 26 portion to help with direction. Over time this will be tweaked after we get settled.

My father and I are very excited about the new developments and hope everyone else will be too. Please bear with us for the next month or so as we get settled in to the new space. There may be some lag in time frame of order completeion but as always we will complete all orders ASAP. I'm sure there will be questions and you can direct them to Kevin via email at main@kesheetmetal.com

Thanks for your patience, we appreciate all the business and hope to see you all soon at the new fabrication shop!! 

3 Mistakes I Made and You Can Learn From as a Small Business Owner

Have you made mistakes as a small business owner? I know we have and in the early days I'm not sure we even recognized what those mistakes actually were. Over the last few years however and after seeing our business from new perspectives, my father and I have started to recognize and learn from those previous mistakes.

Here are three of our biggest.

Not Paying Attention to The Numbers

When I started working for the company all I cared about was getting to the end of the day. That same feeling you have as a teenager, sitting in class, staring at the clock waiting for the bell to ring. Wrapping my head around being a small business owner, profits and losses of the business and daily invoicing duties were the furthest thing from my mind.

Then the 2007-2008 economic crisis came and the learning process became a necessity rather than a choice. Learning what money was coming in and what cash was going out became my top priority, finding where the money was coming from and where it was going. Basically the lifeblood of the company and I was neglecting what was most important to our company.

If you don't know your numbers as a small business owner, you don't know your company.

Obviously, this seems like first day kind of stuff. Meaning, you should be concentrating on this from the get go. However, my father and I were never businessmen, we are tradesman and the numbers took a backseat. 

We have since learned from our mistakes and I have taken hold of dealing with numbers on a daily basis. Because of these changes we have turned a corner and been doing very well as a result.

Not Embracing New Technology

We have always been scared by big investment, putting large sums of money on the line to grow the business. The conservatism in the family is more of a curse then a benefit when it comes to building a company for success. 

But you can't run a sheet metal fabrication company without embracing some newer technologies along the way to make the job move quick and easy. We needed to learn from our mistakes of not taking a chance earlier in the business. We needed a change for the better and embracing new and proven technologies in our industry was something we needed to do.

So, after dealing with our numbers issues, we took the plunge and purchased more technological equipment to make our fabrication job easier. By easier I mean:

• Work is getting done twice as fast thanks to our new CNC plasma machine
• Money is being saved everyday because we are able to get more out of a sheet of metal, our most used commodity
• Health savings: Our main form of fabrication was cutting by hand. It wouldn't have been long before complications set in.
• Business has increased as a result

Everyone will tell you change is a good thing, but until you see the benefits for yourself, especially as a small business owner, it's tough to believe. We made the technological changes we needed to and are benefiting. Now we are looking for the next machine or employee to help us in the future.

Not Focusing on The Business

We all go through so much in our lives, neglecting friends or family along the way. But when you're a small business owner the last thing you want to do is not make it a priority. The business is your livelihood, the asset keeping you from working for other people. You have the benefit of making a living, supporting your family on your own watch, no one else's. 

Before making the changes I laid out previously, I was not focusing on our company. My thoughts were always somewhere else, leaving the business to suffer. My focus was lacking and it showed, rubbing off on my father and others around us. I gave off the impression we didn't care as a company, that other things in our life were more important.

Don't get me wrong, family comes first, so I am not suggesting you place business at the top. However, I was giving get rich quick schemes, girl troubles and other non-necessary situations priority above what needed the most attention at the time. Our company.

Conclusion

Learning from this mistake has been the hardest of all, but the most rewarding. Strangely, putting my energies into what I'm good at has made much of those other issues in my life fall into place. My focus and organization are better than ever and the business is succeeding because of it.

Small business owners will always make mistakes when it comes to their company. My father and I have made plenty and we will make more. The trick is making sure you recognize and learn from your mistakes before they can ruin the business completely.

ISM Manufacturing September - Business Insider

ISM's monthly report on the American manufacturing sector is out. The headline index from the report unexpectedly rose to 56.2 from August's 55.7 reading. Economists predicted the index would fall to 55.0.

Any number above 50 indicates expansion while a sub-50 reading indicates contraction, so today's report suggests that the pace of expansion in American manufacturing accelerated last month...READ MORE

I try and keep an eye on how things are progressing in the manufacturing sector even though we are the tiniest of cogs in the wheel. Any information is good information in my opinion.  

The news also gave me a chance to try out the Squarespace "Post to Squarespace" button that can be used to post items such as the ISM manufacturing numbers to your blog quickly and easily. I don't hate it.

Source: American Manufacturing Is On A Roll (Business Insider)

How I Rid My Desk of Paper Mountains

I am a note taker, heartbreaker, dream maker.....you know the rest.

I scribble everything on whatever I can find. Fabrication orders, notes, thoughts, you name it for work and life. The office at the fabrication shop littered with scraps of paper listed with measurements, stuffed in folders or drawers for reference and invoicing ect. I would have notes from previous months just stacked up for no reason.

The whole disorganized situation and process became a metaphor for my brain in general. I needed something to get rid of the clutter and still keep me on task. My file system was stupid and broken.

Then I downloaded Evernote.

Wow! What a product and I am now kicking myself for not heeding the warning of others I had read or heard about who praised the service months before. Paper? What paper?

My desk and mind have been transformed into a cornucopia of organization. I can transfer from email, my iPad notebook app, take pictures of paper notes and drawings. Yes I still take good old fashion notes, difference being I immediately recycle the paper after. Nothing is stored in a folder, cluttering a cabinet.

The bottom line being, Evernote has made my daily life simpler in regards to organizing and getting things done at the fabrication shop. Errands are easier to remember and get done. Believe me, I have tried many calenders, task apps, the whole lot of them are mostly terrible. Evernote and a Chrome app I use, Workflowy, are the creme de la creme and have helped me get and stay organized.

Then today I read an interesting little tid bit. Evernote has made a deal with 3m company's Post-it note where you can take a picture of your post-its and Evernote's software can recognize and organize your sticky notes. No more sea of Post-it notes littering your desk and office.

From Wall Street Journal Digits Blog

Evernote’s software will be able to recognize the sticky notes’ distinctive colors and help organize them within the app. In other words, Evernote’s 75 million users may soon say goodbye to the legions of Post-its hanging from bathroom mirrors, car dashboards and computer screens in favor of thumbnail photos of their scribbling.

3M says the app partnership is a natural evolution for people who prefer to jot things down — but are looking for more efficient ways to organize all those ideas. “Paper really is still the easiest way to write a thought down and remember it,” said Jesse Singh, vice president of 3M’s stationery and office supplies division. “This partnership seemed an obvious choice for us for the brand.”

I had read Evernote and Moleskine notebooks had struck a deal as well, which I use and love, with this same technology. I have not yet tried either the Moleskine or the Post-its, but it won't be long until I do.

If you're a note taker like me, run a small business where jotting things down is a must, then Evernote will be your best friend.

I love when technology and the real world make nice and come up with great and innovative things. People will always take notes with paper and pen. Evernote just helps to organize those musings in a simple and easy to use web based service.