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EDITORIAL
Big things, small packages
I've been intrigued by the Chinese horoscope
ever since I discovered that I was born in the Year of the Monkey. This
may be nothing to brag about, but it sounds like an interesting 365 days.
For those of you keeping track, we've just entered the Year of the Rabbit.
We can only imagine what a year honoring a spry quadruped will hold--perhaps
it will race by. At the very least, it should be productive.
Whatever the fate of the Year of the Rabbit, small manufacturers have
encountered some good fortune already. The US Dept of Commerce and the National
Governors' Association declared 1999 as the Year of the Small Manufacturer
to honor the enormous contribution these organizations make to the nation's
economy.
America's smaller manufacturers--technically, those with 500 employees
or less--make up nearly 99% of all US manufacturers and employ more than
65% of our manufacturing workforce. According to the National Institute
of Standards and Technology (NIST), small manufacturers produce over one
half of all American manufactured goods.
While we're splitting hares, here's one more stat for you:
Small firms produce 55% of all innovations, reports the Small Business
Administration. They also boast more than twice as many product innovations
per employee than large firms.
Brawn and brains--what a package. Not only are small manufacturing companies
the building blocks of our economy, they are the idea factories of our nation.
At one such factory, Texas Nameplate Co (TNC), Dallas, TX, idea man,
President, and CEO Dale Crownover should be feeling larger than life. After
saving his family-owned business from possible bankruptcy, he turned the
organization around. So far around, in fact, that TNC won the 1998 Malcolm
Baldrige National Quality Award.
"We began our journey with a full appreciation of the contributions
of our employees, then concentrated on fine-tuning those," said Crownover
in his Baldrige acceptance speech. "This is a practice, I believe,
that can drive all small businesses in America to succeed."
TNC is solid proof that good things really do come in small packages.
Sixty-six employees strong, the company is raking in the accolades while
maintaining perspective. In his book, Take it to the Next Level (http://www.nameplate.com), Crownover
explains that he and his employees respect their capabilities and limitations
before taking TNC to the next level.
"We have learned that simply growing bigger is not necessarily growing
better," adds Crownover.
TNC's story demonstrates why the future of a company doesn't hinge upon
how many people it employs, but how it employs them. Words to remember in
the race for productivity and profits.
Christine M Taylor
Associate Publisher/Editor-in-Chief
ctaylor@metlfax.com
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