The Outsider

Are you just a project manager?

Or are you a project manager…and a plant engineer…and a maintenance manager…and an HVAC troubleshooter…

…and a half dozen other miscellaneous functions?

This makes for an exciting life, but it’s not conducive to good project management. Project management can’t be done properly with 5 minutes here, 10 minutes there, and 2 hours somewhere else. It requires fairly large blocks of time to be done right. Complex projects may require 100% dedication.

But few plants have that luxury these days.

Some companies have corporate project managers. They will take the project onboard, develop it, and then drop the completed project into your lap. The idea here is to take the workload off your plate. It does relieve some workload, but it also takes away control. You may wind up with a new line that may not be what you needed. Even with a corporate project manager, you still need to be involved.

Let’s say you have years of experience with bottled juices, but now your company wants to make a “powder in a pouch” line extension.

You get assigned.

Buying a new liquid line might be a lot of work, but you know what you’re doing and can do it well. You’ve never worked with powders before and don’t know where to start.

You could figure it out if you had the time.

You don’t.

The clock is already ticking.

Very few of us (especially us guys) like to ask for help. We feel that it’s viewed as an admission that we don’t know what we are doing.

Well, sometimes we don’t know. Or we don’t have time.

This is when you need to call in an outsider’s help. An outsider can be solely dedicated to the project. An outsider will have the specialized expertise needed. An outsider will have seen other companies’ successes and failures. An outsider will have the broad knowledge needed to select the most appropriate machinery.

An outsider will make you look good. And that’s what you really need, isn’t it?

At Frain Industries, we are dedicated to making you look good. Visit our website at www.fraingroup.com or call us at 1-630-629-9900.

Next time you are in the Chicago area, stop by for a tour.

Coffee is on us.