Feb
17

LEED® 2012 Update

Posted by Mike Miller, Dir. of Environmental Stewardship

LEED® 2012 is now holding its third public comment period and it will take place from March 1st through the 20th. This marks the start of the LEED 2012 program delivery process.

According to the USGBC, the focus of this third draft is on “providing a simple-to-use, technically advanced and more robust system.” Members will be able to access the updated draft along with technical refinements, scorecards, and responses to comments from previous public comments in order to comment on this third draft. Members will be allowed to comment on any changes made since the second public comment period which ran from August 1 through September 14, 2011 and was discussed in a previous blog post.

Important Dates to Remember:

  • March 1-20 - Third public comment period is open
  • March 1 – Eligibility deadline to bring membership to “good standing” status to vote in LEED 2012 ballot per USGBC Membership Policies & Procedures.
  • April 2 – May 1 – LEED 2012 ballot opt. in period
  • June 1 – 30 - LEED 2012 ballot voting period

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Feb
7

Triple Play

Posted by Karl Jerde, Corporate IT Manager

Whenever I talk to other IT managers, consultants or read the blogs about IT technology that is reshaping the landscape, it’s about three things: mobility, cloud computing and social media. This “Triple Play” of technologies is being researched, planned and implemented by companies all over the world. Data-demanding devices of all kinds, from Android, BlackBerry and iPhone to the iPad and other tablets are being deployed in all types of business operations.

Back in November, I discussed cloud computing and its impact on the way we do business.  Cloud computing was defined as applications (Apps) or services provided over the internet. This month, I would like to review the “mobility” one-third of the triple play; where mobility is defined as wireless.

Last year, some 5 billion smartphones were used worldwide, according to Gartner Research, and by 2015 a projected 6.7 billion will be used around the globe. Apple is projected to sell iPads at the rate of 60 million units a year, and application software is being developed at a feverish pace.

So what does all this mean for you?

The inevitable business demands of an anywhere-anytime-any device future will require a different approach to network structure, software and security. Just two short years ago very few phones in the company had email, let alone Web access or an App. Today, it’s getting difficult to buy a phone without a data plan and more and more employees are mobile and using smartphones.

At Eggers we recently ran into a minor problem when our Sales dept. sent out a standard report to our outside sales reps that wasn’t readable on all of the various company mobile phones. The report had to be reproduced in a different file format and a universal conversion app was loaded onto the phones. This sounds like a simple thing, but it underscores how closely mobility will need to be accounted for in the future.

As we all move forward in 2012, all hardware, software and development projects must keep the mobility one-third of the Triple Play in mind. The inevitable business demands of an anywhere-anytime-any device future will require the leveraging of this technology.

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Feb
1

Project Spotlight – Quanta Services

Posted by Scott Balliew, OEM Sales Manager

Eggers continues to expand its partnerships with office furniture dealers by delivering doors and veneered components as a design solution for office and healthcare facilities throughout the country. These companies provide their customers with modular office solutions that can benefit from the warmth that architectural wood products provide.

The project highlighted today is the offices of Quanta Services in Houston, Texas. Quanta Services is an S & P 500 company that provides delivery solutions for the electric power, natural gas, pipeline and telecommunication industries. Quanta has major offices in 40 states and provides services in all of the United States and Canada.

Their new offices in Houston, designed by ART Architecture, consisted of Eggers’ plain sliced walnut doors with a stain and painted finish. Doors with painted black tops and bottoms were designed to blend seamlessly with the wall systems and our customer was pleased with how the doors worked flawlessly within the project.

Eggers’ attention to detail and beauty is evident in every office furniture component we create. Please visit our website for information on the endless selections available or download our veneered components brochure here. From one-of-a-kind items to signature lines that outfit an entire office space.  Our custom, hand-crafted products include cased goods and library furniture components, desk components, frames, paneling and doors.

Photos Courtesy of Maureen Light Photography.
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Jan
31

Change Management – The process of managing change is as important as the change itself

Posted by David Potter, Quality Systems Specialist

It has been said within the corporate world that if you’re not changing you’re dying. But as anyone who has ever been involved with implementing change within an organization, change is not looked upon favorably by the masses; most everyone resists change.

So how can an organization successfully implement change when it is often times regarded so negatively? With proper change management.

Several books have been written on the subject and since I wasn’t one of those authors I won’t pretend to have been, however, their themes and premises are all basically the same.

  1. Develop a Corporate Culture Open to Change
    This is often achieved by showing real life situations where change has helped an organization (the use of email over interoffice mail) or where change in one’s personal life has been for the better (the advent of the remote control over the manual dial).
  2. Involvement
    All too often we fail to involve enough individuals within a given change and wonder why those not represented grow resistant; if we preach that everyone’s opinion is important we should recognize what message is being sent when we fail to include a broad cross section of employees in a given project.
  3. Acknowledgement and Praise
    Once a change is implemented the follow-through is critical in order to leave everyone with a sense of accomplishment. Everyone wants to know and feel that their hard work and effort was not in vain and led to the betterment of an organization so I always attempt to write a wrap up article on every project giving credit to all the participants as well as the individuals on the periphery who were critical with the various stages of implementation of the change.

As I mentioned in the beginning, change management is a very real and necessary tool in all of our proverbial tool boxes and if we don’t use the tool correctly the results can be disastrous.

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Jan
19

Twitter 101 Part 2 – What to tweet?

Posted by Eggers Industries

Becoming a resource for your Twitter followers can be a bit tricky at times. It is a fine balance between simply touting your stuff and genuinely offering useful information in a personal and creative manner.

Twitter users are hungry for new ideas, opportunities, information, services and products and you have about 10 seconds to catch their attention. How are you going to do that? Here are ten tips and best practices to get you started:

  1. Become a Sponge. Gather as much information as possible about your product and/or service and share it with your followers. Go beyond the basics and tell them something new, something that sets you apart from your competitors.
  2. Initiate a Two-Way Conversation. Twitter is great for opinions and feedback so get the conversation going by asking some questions.
  3. Mix it Up. Share advice and technical information, direct users to industry-related links and news alerts, or share the human side of your business. The goal is to keep your followers engaged and wanting more.
  4. Be Open and Friendly. The Twitter community values interaction with real people. Invite several employees to tweet for your company that represent various areas of expertise and personality. This will create the variety that generates conversation and followers. Set up guidelines but avoid becoming too stringent that it takes away from the natural way people communicate.
  5. Be Consistent and Tweet Regularly.
  6. Attach and Link. Continue telling the story by directing your Twitter followers to pictures, blog posts, company website, or other links.
  7. Follow the Right People. Quality definitely outweighs quantity here. Keep your list clean, find connectors and use the search function to find like-minded Twits to follow.
  8. Don’t Toot Your Own Horn Too Much. Make sure there is balance between talking about your company and offering valuable content to your followers.
  9. Again, Ask a Question. When promoting blog posts, newsletters, website features or links of any kind, ask a question and explain what the link has to offer as opposed to simply attaching a link.
  10. Have a Sense of Humor. No one likes a drone. Adding a little here and there is positive, just keep it business appropriate.

Developing a presence in the social media arena does not take a lot of time – you just need to be consistent. Be smart and strategic and most of all – have fun!

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Dec
27

We Tweet, Do you?

Posted by Peter Natzke, Regional Sales Manager

The growth of social media over the last few years has certainly introduced a new method of communication to our lives both personally and professionally. It has also led to an entirely new language which will be discussed later.

Whether you are simply reading a tweet or writing tweets, it has become imperative that you have a good understanding of what exactly a tweet is and how Twitter is affecting the corporate world today.

Twitter is a free service allowing anyone to say almost anything in 140 characters or less. Many people may be using Twitter to say essentially nothing to no one in particular but many business professionals are beginning to rely heavily on Twitter to network, market and advertise their product or service. It is also another method of redirecting traffic to your website or blog.

Twitter is outfitted with the ability to subscribe, share, friend or follow and it’s very easy to get started. Log onto Twitter and sign-up for a free acount. You will also find excellent help via Twitter 101 : The Basics.   Eggers began tweeting this past year and enjoys sharing technical information, industry news bites, new product information, tradeshow appearance information, new blog posts and much more. Check out our profile at @EggersInd.

There is an entirely new language that must be mastered to understand the World of Twitter. Some are merely creative names such as Twaffic (Twitter traffic), Tweeps (your Twitter followers) or Twitticisms (witty or funny tweets) but others have purpose.

Here is a quick guide to the basic key terms:

  • Tweet:  A 140 characters or less post
  • Handle: This is your Twitter name and it should be both short and descriptive, @EggersInd is our handle
  • Follow: When you add someone to your list of people you wish see tweets from, you are ‘following’ them.
  • Replies:  When someone writes a tweet directly to your handle, for example: @EggersInd it was great to see you at DHI this fall
  • RT: A “Retweet” is simply republishing someone’s tweet and it then it is viewable by all of your followers.
  • DM:  A “direct message” can be sent to anyone who is following you.
  • Hashtag (#): This is a method for organizing tweets of a similar subject. #eggersdoors
  • Trending Topics: This is what the majority of people on Twitter are talking about at the moment and they update in real time.
  • Shortened URL’s: This is important whenever you wish to add a link to your post without it using up all of your characters. Many third-party tools like hootsuite will offer this when you are creating a post. Other websites like bitly will also shorten links for you.

Why should you become a Twit?

  • Connect and network with others in the industry.
  • Gain instant access to what is being said about your company, people, products, brand and/or competitors
  • Obtain a steady stream of ideas, content, links, resources, tips, news bites and leads
  • Share your expertise and leadership
  • Promote your skills, knowledge, company, product and/or service

As you get started, do not be afraid to share your personality. Talk to people about their interests too and its also acceptable to talk about non-business. There is a reason its called “Social Media”. It has personality!

Look for a follow-up post on Twitter in the New Year that discusses what to tweet and what not tweet.

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Dec
27

Maine Starts the Push for Other “Green” Wood Certifications

Posted by Mike Miller, Dir. of Environmental Stewardship

The Governor of Maine, Paul LePage, has signed an executive order expanding the requirements of green building standards to include other forest management organizations besides the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC®). This is the first step by a major forest products producing state to include other forest management organizations for green building certification.

Maine is a major forest products manufacturing state which has millions of acres of forest land which are not FSC certified.  It has the largest amount of certified acreage in the United States; these lands are certified by FSC, Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), American Tree Farm System, and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Systems (PEFC). Maine, along with the other petitioning states, has a large financial responsibility to its forest land owners in promoting other organizations which certify their forests.

Last year Governor LePage along with 9 other governors petitioned congress to require that the USGBC include other forest certification programs in their LEED® rating systems. Currently, LEED still only recognizes FSC for certified wood claims with no change proposed for the new LEED 2012, which is due to be released in the 4th quarter of 2012. Ten U.S. governors have written letters of their own asking LEED to recognize other wood certification systems. It is yet to be seen if the other nine governors from Arkansas, Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Oregon, Virginia and Washington, will sign similar executive orders.

The USGBC still contends that the FSC certification program is the most stringent and comprehensive management system in place today and to accept the other programs would be a step in the wrong direction for protecting the forest resources and rights of the indigenous people who populate those forests. We will keep you posted as this story continues to develop in 2012.

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Dec
9

Eggers Implements New Specialty Door Labels

Posted by Dan Hibbs, Product Development Manager

There will no longer be any confusion as to whether or not a specific door is a specialty construction.  Eggers is now applying specialty door labels to all acoustical (STC), lead-lined and bullet-resistant door constructions.

This label can be viewed on the top rail of specialty doors and will outline the specific STC rating, lead thickness or bullet level as shown below.

These doors will still contain our standard door label with the order number, swing, veneer and other door specific details.  At Eggers, we are continually looking for opportunities to improve current practices and offer our customers additional conveniences.


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Dec
6

What is Fumed Veneer?

Posted by Mike Bauman, Research & Development Manager

Fuming wood is the process of exposing wood to ammonia vapors to achieve a warm rich chocolate brown color. Fuming has gone in and out of fashion and seems to be once again a desired unique and distinctive look. Many enhancements have been made to the process that was at one time achieved by placing unfinished furniture in a horse barn where the horses’ urine gave off ammonia vapors resulting in a darkening of the surface of the wood.

Today, the manufacturing process takes place in a professional multi-chamber machine as shown above and utilizes environmentally-friendly vacuum technology. After a short time of moisture extraction, the wood is exposed to ammonia gas. Once the desired reaction has taken place, a post-vacuum removes the excess ammonia. The entire process takes about 3-4 weeks to complete and results in a dark coloring going all the way through the wood.

Fuming of wood is an environmentally-friendly process producing no waste products. During the process ammonia is lead from the smoking chamber directly into the “washer” and is neutralized there. The entire process is subject to continuous control.

Fuming can be successfully performed on any wood containing tannin with the concentration of color being dependant upon the amount of tannin within the specie. The most common specie that is fumed is Oak but Larch, Eucalyptus and Sapele may also be fumed.

All photos are courtesy of Dooge Veneers.
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Dec
1

Improving Plant Efficiencies | How do we help Herbie?

Posted by Brian Hibbs, Industrial Engineer

“We aren’t moving at two miles per hour. So with five hours to go…It’s going to be DARK by the time we get there. And Herbie is standing here next to me delaying the throughput of the entire troop.”

This passage is from the popular business novel, The Goal, written by Eliyahu Goldratt and Jeff Cox. In the novel, a plant manager who is also a Boy Scout leader compares the efficiencies of his manufacturing plant to his Boy Scout troop on a ten mile backpack hike. The troop has one scout named Herbie who is a bit slower than the rest of the scouts. The scouts are behind schedule and the troop starts to spread out with Herbie lagging behind. The leader realizes the troop can only go as fast as Herbie. He quickly realizes that by removing most of the weight in Herbie’s backpack and putting him at the front of the line, the troop is able to double their speed, stay together and get to camp before dark.

A manufacturing facility, such as our Neenah division, that has many interconnected processes is very similar to a Boy Scout troop on a hike. Plant capacity is determined by the amount of material that can get through the slowest process. When production lines run at different speeds, several problems quickly appear: inventory builds up, risk of damage increases and production becomes inefficient.

In our Neenah division we see this occur as we coordinate various processes from order entry to the many manufacturing functions through to the packaging and shipment of the product. Each process can only manufacture the number of doors that the process in front of it completes. When one slows, all others are affected.

Which process is “Herbie”?

It is not as simple as pointing the finger in one direction or another because during any given week there is a time where each process plays the part of “Herbie.” Whenever an area runs out of doors or the queue in front of the line is full, plant efficiency goes down and labor costs go up.

Eggers steps up to this challenge by continually monitoring the flow of work through the plant and balances production to avoid the “bottlenecks”. On a daily basis we look to identify which process is causing the bottleneck and then move resources (employees) to create balance. This means our employees must be cross trained and able to step into various positions while continuing to maintain the high level of quality that Eggers is known for.

Our employees step up to this challenge each day to keep costs down and ensure that our customers are not simply receiving wood doors but more importantly, receiving Eggers’ wood doors. It is a distinction we take great pride in.

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