Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1433652
22 SMT007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2021 when we talk to people in North America vs. Europe vs. Asia. North America thinks, "Why should I do this now? Show me how I'm going to get paid on this right now." European com- panies tend to say, "Of course, we're already doing this." Matties: e smaller the manufacturer, typical- ly the more limited the resources. But oen- times we're talking to a fabricator here that's low volume, quick turn. ey say, "We don't need automation. We just don't need that." Maybe they're right. Maybe they know their business. Mitchell: Maybe, but I also talked to low-vol- ume, quick-turn places that, because of the parts shortage, can't really be quick turn any- more. ey're having to shi their thought process to more mid-production. Instead of low-volume, it's mid-volume because they've got to do other things with the parts that they have available. Maybe they were doing things for 12 and now they need to do 100 to 1,000 times that. Matties: Exactly. It's not about the quick turn. Mitchell: It's about, "e stuff needs to work, and I need it in these quantities." ose are some of the things I think people need to be mindful of. Even the smaller companies you mentioned may not have the resources to go aer this. But that's where things like imple- mentation of CFX will help. ere are ways to retrofit existing machinery. You can send and utilize CFX messages and work with your larg- er suppliers and customers that are already us- ing those systems without having to buy brand- new equipment everywhere all at once. Matties: Part of the problem is that's a job func- tion—chief process improvement manager— that most companies don't have a dedicated person for. A chief process improvement offi- cer is worth their weight in gold. ey can add more to your bottom line than you can imagine in most cases. Mitchell: If you're doing $10 million worth of business and you get a chief process improve-