A Brief History Of Quality

By Jesse Brasseur

Resources were limited in Japan in the 1940s due to World War II.  During that time Japanese motor companies Mitsubishi, who built the zero planes for the Japanese army, and Toyota, who built the vehicles for the Japanese army, came together to form the original Quality Management System based on 2 very simple principles:

1. Don’t create waste.
2. Don’t spend money unless you absolutely have to.

After the war, both companies nearly shut down.  So Toyota doubled down and developed the Toyota Production System Manual.  The TPSM is an airtight system that has a requirement for literally everything.  I used the TPSM when I worked for Futaba Indiana of America as a Quality Team Leader in Stamping. Futaba was a tier 2 company that  built the majority of the frame components and instrument reinforcement panels that Toyota installs.  I learned some basic principles that I’ll be working with Nick DePompelo and the rest of the team to implement.

After the second world war, the International Standardization Organization was founded in London to have standards for rebuilding the country, who saw constant bombing and turmoil.  In the 1970s and 1980s, American automotive companies were losing a ton of revenue to the Japanese companies.  American automotive quality was basically the wild west, with no rules to govern it.  So they looked over at Toyota’s Manual and started copying it.  They then worked with ISO and the Society of Automotive Engineers to create the first ISO Automotive playbook, based in Toyota’s already used standards.  Years later in 1996, the International Automotive Task Force was founded, and in 1999 they created IATF 16949, which is a list of procedures an automotive company should use to govern themselves.

And here we are today using these standards as a result of the second world war. I look forward to working with the Quality Team and discussing some of the standards that I learned and potentially implementing them.

Interesting facts about Toyota-  Toyota is the largest Automotive Manufacturer in the world, and if you buy a Toyota in America, it was completely assembled in America.  No other Automotive Manufacturer in America can make that claim.

How To Run This Business

My dad and I had a close, but often contentious relationship. He had a much different idea on how to run a business than I did. Part of this was the result of his life experience, experience that made him much more “hands-on” than I was. Back in the early days of Fastco, my dad and his partner Steve Frantz pretty much did everything on their own. If they did not do it, it was not because they couldn’t do it, it was because they finally hired some people to do other things. From his early days to his last active days at Fastco, team members always knew who was in charge: Arv.

I’ve been at Fastco nearly as long as my dad, hand-feeding parts into machines at the tender age of 13, doing a lot a different jobs (including fair amount of goofing off and creating mayhem). I was back and forth between Fastco and school for several years. I came back for good in 1996. My dad and I frequently clashed over how to run a business. He was devoted to a hands on-approach. He’d been successful. Why deviate from success? I wanted a less centralized approach with more emphasis on delegation and consensus decision making. In some cases, we did not have some of the right people in key places, so things never seemed to work out the way I envisioned. He would often challenge me with the question, “Show me how you are going to run this business?”

My journey to find a different approach was frustrated by key events that made it difficult to stay the course and be consistent. From the so-called “Great Recession of 2008-2010” to the Covid-19 pandemic, I have had to deal with a lot of uncertainty and disruption in my tenure as President and CEO.

The Great Game of Business

During the pandemic years, I became familiar with Jack Stack’s The Great Game of Business. I read it and subsequently read a companion book entitled Get in the Game. Both intrigued me. I tried to familiarize the management team with these materials and concepts, and I (we) made a couple of attempts to implement GGOB principles at Fastco. We began attending the GGOB conference in 2021. The team that went in 2023 came back with a lot of enthusiasm for the Great Game, and it was quickly decided that we needed to hire a coach. After a team was assembled to evaluate GGOB coaches, the decision to hire Alia Stowers was made.

After hiring Alia things quickly took off. We have scoreboards, departmental huddles, various committees like the Culture Crew, and, of course, the crown jewel—the weekly company huddle. We’ve just begun to play the GGOB. There is much more to do. Having said that, though, I must say how incredibly proud I am of each and every member of Team Fastco. They have indeed risen to the challenge and have proven that they can play the Great Game.

Looking Back, Looking Forward

We did our first official company huddle the week before Memorial Day this year. If my dad had been able to attend our first huddle, I would have said to him, “this is how I want to run the business.” My dad, however, passed on April 29, 2024 nearly a full month before we implemented our huddle. He was not really focused on Fastco in the last couple of years of his life—something that was very surprising for me. At the same time, had he been able to come back and observe the huddle, I’m sure he would have been very pleased and proud of everyone at Fastco. Would we have convinced him that this was a better way to run the business? I’m not sure, but I know he would have given the matter very serious consideration. That, in and of itself, makes me very proud.

Looking back, I took nearly 25 years figuring things out. I must really be a slow learner. How, however, I am very confident that my team is going to take the ball and run with it. As Jack Stack says, it is easy to stop one person but hard to stop 100. We will keep this in mind as we move forward. We are stronger together than we are individually.

by Bruce Tap, President & CEO

New Equipment at Fastco

This year, Fastco has added / is adding three new (to us machines). Here’s a breakdown of each machine.

New Cold Heading Equipment: Nakashimada NP-121

In the spring, we onboarded a Nakashimada NP-121. We were able to find this gem with the help of FH Machinery out of Pennsylvania (Thanks John!).  These machines are rarely produced, and it is even harder to find a used machine in decent shape.

The machine ended up getting is the equivalent of finding a unicorn that is being ridden by leprechaun.  What I’m trying to say is this was an exceptionally rare find.  This machine in particular was delivered to the former owner as a brand new machine in 2019 and only ran periodically, which means it has very few hours of run time on it.  This was a machine type that Fastco had been looking for to strategically add both capacity and capability, and we hit the used machine jackpot.

We currently have two Nakashimada NP-100 (2 die 3 blow) cold formers that stay very busy.  The addition of another 2 die 3 blow machine adds capacity, and the increased size of the new machine allows us to quote larger parts that have a geometry that is appropriate for this type of forming sequence.  The big advantage to 2 die 3 blow machines is the second punch (hammer) transfers the first station blank to the second (final forming) die.  When loading the 1st station blank into the 2nd die, you are able to upset the head stock, allowing for a greater deformation ratio before the 3rd punch (final hit) forms the head / drive geometry.  Also, by using the 2nd punch as the transfer mechanism, you are able to run parts that would be very difficult to transfer on a standard progressive cold former.

New Equipment in Thread Roll: Saspi #40

This year, Fastco also procured and began using a new (to us) Saspi #40. This machine provides us with some additional capabilities. More importantly, the machine’s location will help streamline our manufacturing process. This roller is set up in the middle of our cold heading west bay. There, it will be the second half of a manufacturing unit with our 6-die Jern Yao.

This shift to a cellular manufacturing setup for our largest parts will help reduce downtime. It will also create a more efficient and cost-effective manufacturing process.

Coming Soon: Ingramatic #50

Finally, we are excited for the impending delivery and installation of a new (to Fastco) Ingramatic RP7 #50 thread roller. In addition to gains in capability, we will increase our annual capacity for larger parts by 4-5 million parts per shift.

In terms of capabilities, this thread roller will allow us to roll up to 6” of M20 threads. This is slightly over what we are currently capable of cold forming.  Having a machine of this size allows a safety factor on the size of blank we are able to roll without causing undue stress on this machine.  This roller has a variable frequency drive. With this, we can roll at a maximum of 120 parts per minute.  We should also be able to run current #40 size thread rolling parts with #50 dies at a faster PPM, allowing us to be more efficient with existing work.  With the larger #50 roll dies, we will get more revolutions to make the threads. This translates into better die life and speed by spreading the stress over a larger surface area.

by Josh Symon (Engineering Manager), Jonathan Wright (Manufacturing Manager), and Bethany Tap

Safety Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (SFMEA)

Over the last year and a half, Fastco’s safety team has been developing a Safety Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (SFMEA). We identify safety and health risks using a failure modes and effects analysis. We adopted this from the quality methodology used in the automotive industry to reduce the risk of product failure.

The Purpose of SFMEAs

The purpose is to identify risk and put into place controls that lower risk.  We identify every hazard in the facility with a severity, probability of occurrence, and current methods of detection prevention.  Then, we rate severity, occurrence, and current detection controls on a scale of 1-10.  They are multiplied together creating a risk priority number (RPN).  The goal is to work on hazards with high RPN and put in place controls that lower the occurrence and increases prevention.

Updating Safety FMEAs

Departments within the organization update their SFMEA on an annual basis.  Examining occurrence data from the list of hazardous or potentially unsafe activities in each department allows an evaluation of whether current practices are effective and if implemented improvement have led to statistical improvements in accident prevention.  In addition, when an accident or injury occurs in a department, we re-evaluate SFMEAs to determine if we need to recalculate the RPN. This could be due to an additional occurrence of a type of injury and for an evaluation of whether additional controls are possible and/or appropriate—different guard, additional PPE, and re-vamped training for example. In this respect, the SFMEA is a living document, updated and amended to address specific safety situations.

SFMEAs and Risk Management

The establishment of SFMEAs also allows for a historical record of risks within the facility, including how risks have been handled, what controls and improvements have been implemented, and what the success rate has been for implemented improvements.  The SFMEA is a tool to help everyone take charge of their own safety. With SFMEAs, each team member reviews hazards and comes up with ideas for making their workplace safer. SFMEAs also provide a place to review and record those ideas. Overall, the SFMEA provides a solid foundation for a culture of continual improvement.

What is an Engaged Workforce?

What do we mean by an “engaged workforce?” You might not know the definition, but you can probably picture someone on your team that embodies the company’s values and purpose in everything they do. An engaged employee is one who is committed to their organization’s culture and mission as well as to their team. They work with enthusiasm, always looking to improve on the status quo.

Benefits of an Engaged Workforce

Truly engaged employees can deliver many benefits to the company itself as well as the customers they serve, including:

• Increased productivity and efficiency
• Improved quality of products
• Better customer service
• Reduced waste and fewer errors
• Increased innovation

Leaders within companies want an engaged workforce. Customers want to work with companies that have an engaged employees, as this improves the customer service and quality experience. So how do you foster engagement?

The Great Game of Business as an Engagement Tool

At Fastco, we follow the Great Game of Business strategy for developing an engaged workforce via five key points:

1. Transparency: This includes open-book management, but also involves giving employees a clear line of sight as to how they can affect the bottom line.
2. Future Focus: We forecast every month where we think we will be as a means of affecting changes and improving outcomes.
3. Financial Literacy: Our employees are taught basic financial literacy so that they can understand how the company is doing. This knowledge helps break down barriers between managers and staff and between departments.
4. Open Communication: We openly discuss obstacles, innovations, successes, and struggles within our company to create an atmosphere of collaboration and teamwork.
5. Recognition: We applaud the efforts and achievements of individuals and teams. This goes a long way in creating a workforce that feels valued and important.

Fastco’s quality policy is striving to meet customer expectations through continuous innovation. We believe that the only way to continuously innovate and meet our customer expectations is through an engaged and productive workforce.

Why Do Core Values Matter?

Core values are the fundamental beliefs and priorities that drive team members’ and the organization’s behaviors. Core values act as internal compass of principles that guide decision making.

But why do they matter? At Fastco, we manufacture cold-headed fasteners; that is what we do. We hope to make a profit doing it. Is that why we do it? It is certain a piece of it, but it can’t be the only reason.

Core Values Reflect a Shared Purpose

In order to fully appreciate what we do, we need to know why we do it. And it has to be about more than money. Money matters. It’s how we feed, house, and cloth ourselves and our families. It stabilizes our lives. But it does not create happiness nor add meaning to a life or a company.

A company’s values should work to align a company around a shared purpose. That is, the why behind what they do. Fastco’s shared purpose is to create value and stability for our customers, team members, and community. It’s why we exist as an organization.

Our core values are the guiding principles that help us achieve our shared purpose. Fastco’s core values are:

1. Respects and helps all team members excel
2. Completes tasks with enthusiasm
3. Sweats the details
4. Gives honest feedback, but follows the company’s directive
5. Puts the interest of the company first

Every company needs to decide what its purpose is and what values its members will need to achieve that purpose. Ideally, this is done with company-wide buy-in. These values then serve as a metric against which to assess performance and to evaluate potential candidates.

Values Come From Teams, Not Managers

As a company evolves, their values may shift, since values are not necessarily imposed by management but discovered through the habits and behaviors of ideal team members. Over time, values may become better defined. The organization may choose to eliminate some values or replace them with others that better suit the culture and goals of the organization.

In the end, the main thing is to know who you are as a company and why you what you do. This is just as, if not more, important than what you do and how you do it.

Sustainability in Manufacturing at Fastco

As the climate crisis continues, we will all be pressed to come up with innovative ways to reduce our waste and our carbon footprint. From governments to corporations to individuals, there is lots of room for improvement, specifically in the area of sustainability.

While every company needs to look closely at their business practices to come up with ways to increase sustainability (and, more than likely, reduce expenditures as well), we wanted to highlight some recent improvements that our company has made to make our practices more environmentally sustainable and to reduce costs at the same time.

Scrap Reduction

This one may seem obvious, but it’s not easy! We have a goal to reduce our scrap by 25% this year. While the majority of our metal scrap is recycled, it is better to just not waste it at all, from a cost and sustainability standpoint.

In addition to reducing our carbon footprint and wasting material, our company can save tens, even hundreds, of thousands of dollars per year by reducing our scrap. We make this happen with frequent and thorough part checks on machines to avoid cost of poor quality scrap. It is also a matter of paying attention, watching machines, and being intentional when setting up parts and running them.

As a rule, cold heading is a low-scrap process compared to processes like stamping or machining. This is makes it a more cost-effective and sustainable means of fastener production.

Reusing Oil

We’ve got some really innovative team members and one recently suggested that we buy an air pump to add to oil totes in order to recycle cold heading oil for use in thread roll. Reusing the oil not only saves the company money by purchasing less oil and paying less to haul it away as often, but it is also better for the environment.

Timers and LED lighting

Over the last few years, we have been working to replace our old lighting with more efficient LED lights. In addition, many of those lights that are public areas are now on motion sensors to reduce usage.

Recently, one of our preventive maintenance technicians noticed that parts cleaners throughout the facility were always left on. He suggested adding timers to them as well to shut them off automatically when they are not in use.

What sustainable practices has your company put into place? Where do you see manufacturing continue to make sustainability improvements in the years to come?