In-Line with Fi-Tech – Spring 2022
Todd Bassett
Welcome to the spring issue of In-Line with Fi-Tech. We have a lot to share with you in this newsletter with an active schedule ahead for exhibitions and conferences.
But first, I would like to recognize Fi-Tech’s 50th Anniversary milestone which was reached recently. On February 5, 1972, my dad and mom started Fi-Tech in a one room office in the Bon Air suburb of Richmond with the goal to serve the growing customer base in the Synthetic Fibers Industry with a couple of key principals. From those humble beginnings, Fi-Tech has grown to 70 employees with offices and operations in US, Mexico and the UK. Fi-Tech now serves key markets in the Nonwovens, Synthetic Fibers, Textile, Tobacco and Leather Industries.
Fi-Tech’s 50th Anniversary Celebration took place on Saturday, February 26, at the Jefferson Hotel in Richmond (see inset picture). Celebrating together with our Fi-Tech Richmond based employees and spouses were: retirees and spouses, key employees and spouses from our Mexico and UK operations as well as our Fi-Tech Board Members and spouses. It was quite an evening to reflect on the first 50 years with those representing our past, present and future.
Looking forward we have a busy spring/summer with several exhibitions planned. One of the highlights will be IDEA Show in Miami Beach, March 28-31, where the supply chain for the Nonwovens Industry meets every two years. Fi-Tech will have a booth (#4101) featuring representatives from our key nonwovens principals Asten Johnson, Spoolex, Saueressig, Schill + Seilacher, Brückner, and Tokuden. Reifenhauser Reicofil and Enka Tecnica will be located in the booth next to us (Booth #3801).
In May, Fi-Tech will be participating in the Techtextil Show in Atlanta (Booth #1900) which serves the Techncial Textile and Synthetic Fiber markets in North America. We will also have representatives at the Techtextil Show – Frankfurt, June 21-24. We finish June with the World of Wipes Conference in Chicago, June 27 -30.
We hope you enjoy this issue of In-Line with Fi-Tech and look forward to seeing you at one of these up coming Shows or Conferences. As always, you can find more details on Fi-Tech and our principals at www.fi-tech.com
21st Century Digitization and Lean
At the end of the 20th century, a man named John Vincent Atanasoff (with the help of Clifford E. Berry) was credited with inventing the first electronic digital computer at Iowa State College known as ABC (Atanasoff-Berry Computer). Sometimes, the most impactful breakthroughs of the future have quiet and humble beginnings. At the start of the 21st century, Fi-Tech continued growth towards the future by launching the SPPS project (started 6/1/2021). SPPS stands for:
• Streamlining Workflows
• Process Improvement
• Paper Elimination
• Storage & Retrieval Systems
This classic lean project aims to identify redundancies, aka waste, and eliminate them in our current processes. The project will eliminate elements of our process that do not add overall value.
SPPS will focus our company to be a better and more efficient organization by making job functions easier – not more complicated. Paper usage will decrease eliminating the pain points caused by missing files and missing instructions. Another benefit is that our team will electronically retrieve records from our archive, which have only been accessible via hardcopy.
The first half of this project has been focused on documenting current state and defining the problems. At the end of Q4, the work showed that our next step would be the purchase of Papersave Software.
The software is on track for implementation at Fi-Tech Headquarters at the end of Q1/start of Q2. This software will ensure that orders will be handled efficiently and accurately as Fi-Tech is obligated to provide superior service and value to our customers and principals. This project is proof that Fi-Tech is committed to maintaining and investing in the company infrastructure to meet our customers’ needs.
Currently, the project involves entire US team, but could have future connections with the offices located in Mexico and the UK.
Read Full Newsletter: Fi-Tech 2022 Spring Newsletter
