MarketScale Manufacturing

Not all anti-fatigue solutions are the same. With many variables and factors to consider, Bob Bisho, President of SmartCells, lent his knowledge and expertise to help host Tyler Kern break down the importance of making the right decision regarding anti-fatigue solutions to ensure optimal cushioning and support.

Bishop said there are nine main points that people need to ask themselves when purchasing a true anti-fatigue solution.

“At the top of that list of questions,” Bishop said, "is, 'Are the mats, or anti-fatigue surface, optimized?'”

A surface that is too hard or too soft can be equally strenuous on the body when standing on them for long periods. People need a "baby bear" solution - one that’s just right.

Comfort is not the only consideration.

“Not all products are suited for all environments,” Bishop said. “It’s especially so when you look at the common materials that make up many anti-fatigue products. Most anti-fatigue products, especially those at the lower end, are made out of foam, gel-based materials. They might have some thin top cover on them, but that wears through easily.”

Bishop cautioned that, in environments where the flooring gets wet frequently, those foam, gel-based mats soak up the water like a sponge, creating hazards and reduced longevity.

“One thing that doesn’t get brought up a lot,” Bishop said, “is the responsiveness of the materials. “SmartCells can take a vertically loaded force, or somebody stepping on a mat, and distribute that energy horizontally. And, because of the material’s rubber, it’s responsive to people’s movement. So when you move on SmartCells, these cells spring up to their original dimensions, returning energy to whoever’s using the product.”

From manufacturing to the ticket counter, and from the coast guard to the operating room, any work environment where standing is an essential part of the job, anything that can provide comfort can make a big difference in employee morale. Chad Lindstrom, VP of Marketing for SmartCells, knows the importance of reducing pain in the workplace. It’s something SmartCells incorporates into all its cushioning technology. Lindstrom expanded on the full range of industries experiencing the benefits of SmartCells’ solutions.

“The industries we typically see the most activity in terms of the biggest need are industrial manufacturing in areas where people stand all day,” Lindstrom said. “We work a lot with distribution centers. In the healthcare industry, we do a lot of pharmaceutical applications, blood-draw labs. We do a lot of government military for the department of defense. We also work with the aviation industry. Think ticket counters and baggage areas.”

But with all of these different industries, is it a one-mat-comforts-all strategy, or are there different considerations that go into which SmartCells’ solution makes sense for a particular business or application? “It’s a consultative process,” Lindstrom said. “We want to make sure businesses aren’t changing their infrastructure or set up to fit with us. We want to make it seamless to fit right into whatever our customer has going. It’s a learning process. We want to learn the business, what they’re doing, where the pain points are, where the employees currently stand, what the work area looks like, and what the work conditions are.” Lindstrom said it’s critical to understand these factors so SmartCells can meet the customer’s needs.

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Whether a cashier, a pharmacy technician or a fulfillment center worker, many jobs require employees to spend long hours on foot. That can lead to significant pain and, beyond the human costs, decreased production.

The solution for many employers has been to stick a foam or gel mat under their employees and call it a day. However, according to SmartCells President Bob Bishop, those mats often aren’t made with the best material.

“Anti-fatigue is a balance between cushioning and support. We know, [when] standing on concrete all day, people get injured or have foot pain or get tired because of that rigid, hard surface. And if we think softer is better, you know, why don’t we just bring our mattresses in?” he said. “There is a psychological effect of, ‘Oh, I’m stepping on this, and it feels soft, so it must be good for me.’ Part of our mission is trying to educate our customers that softer is not better.”

Too often, the mats also are the wrong size. While SmartCells has mats in traditional sizes, it also works with businesses to do total installs on entire workspaces rather than simply trying to put two or three mats together, which can create a situation that can look aesthetically unpleasant, cause mats to move around or, worse, create a tripping hazard.

“We developed the concept of wall-to-wall flooring. We have a 3x3 tile product that we can assemble into virtually any configuration,” Bishop said.

“We can do a custom area with transitions that eliminate trip hazards and slip hazards, and the edges of SmartCells do not curl up. We’ll come in, look where your workers are at [and] what they’re doing during their normal day and make suggestions to you as to where you really need the anti-fatigue materials.”

The SmartCells CEO had a product with cushioning technology, born out of legislation to improve playground safety and now utilized to help workers experiencing fatigue when standing at their jobs or athletes who need more cushioning for plyometrics.

Then, his aging mother-in-law took a fall, and the pieces came together.

“We realized that, here, we had this company that I’m running that could provide some protection for her if she should fall again,” Betteridge said.

She did suffer another fall but had her injuries mitigated by the SmartCells technology, later passing of unrelated causes.

Sadly, the story of overcoming a fall is not what many senior adults in the United States experience.

“Falls are the leading cause of death from injuries amongst seniors over the age of 65. Accidental happenings, falls and injuries, are the leading cause of accidental death for those over 65,” Betteridge said. “That’s a huge statistic. If you do fall, 20% of those who do fall and break a hip or suffer a traumatic brain injury die within six months.”

With SmartCells cushioning technology, however, the falls are less likely to result in an injury that could lead to other complications or something more serious. The cushioning can be placed under several types of flooring to achieve the same effect.

Now that Betteridge has made the connection between his company’s cushioning technology and safety for seniors, many care centers are installing it in their rooms, or families with loved ones moving into those facilities are opting to do their own installation.

A boat is a significant purchase for anyone. But imagine the reaction when a newly purchased boat arrives at the dealership scuffed and dirty due to improper shipping wrap.

Bob Phillips, Sales Engineer, Transhield, and Bob vanVollenhoven, VP, Sales and Marketing, Stingray Boats, understand the personal nature of a boat purchase. Their mission is to ensure a customer’s boat purchase arrives in mint condition every time.

Stingray Boats has used a variety of methods for shipping their boats over the past 40 years, but, for most of that time, they used the traditional shrink wrap process. But ordinary shrink-wrapping methods require special tape for wrapping the boats, and the tape leaves behind a residue that dealers need to clean up.

“You also have to make sure there are no gaps when using shrink wrap, because any wind or air on the delivery truck can cause that shrink wrap to lose its performance and possibly fall off,” vanVollenhoven said.

Two years ago, Stingray Boats transitioned to Transhield covers.

“The difference is, when the dealer gets their boats delivered with Transhield, we’ve seen a major reduction in shipping damage warranty because of the tight fit and the quality of the material Transhield uses,” vanVollenhoven said.

What makes Transhield covers such an effective product?

“It’s a two-layer material,” Phillips said. “On the exterior side, you’ve got the traditional shrink wrap. Inside, there’s a polyester, non-woven material that’s laminated on the underside. This side rests directly up against the surface of the boat. The material will absorb moisture, breathe and dry that moisture out, so it’s not getting trapped between the boat and the cover.”

This cover is robust, and its thicker material provides better protection than shipping boats in traditional shrink wrap.

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Think of any motorsport series, and there’s a good chance VP Racing Fuels is there.

From the drag race track to tractor pulls, VP powers some of racing’s top teams. But there is far more to VP than high-performance racing fuels, said Bruce Hendel, Vice President, Sales, North America, Consumer Products and Race Fuel for VP Racing Fuels, Inc.

VP has a consumer line of small engine fuels, including solutions premixed with oil, and branded gas stations that dispense gas for the automobiles driving around cities and on highways rather than around an oval track.

“People that follow motorsports know us and have that connection and, as they learn more about us and learn what our background is, you go, ‘Well, these guys are performance fuel experts,’” Hendel said.

VP showed its versatility during the coronavirus pandemic, with the production of hand sanitizer going from an idea in early March to reality by April.

After floating the idea to a retailer it works with, VP got to work producing gallon jugs of liquid sanitizer. The retailer first requested 25,000 gallons, but came back the next day looking for twice that. Later, they requested even more.

“They said, you know, we could probably use 300,000 gallons. I’m going like, ‘OK, what timeframe?’ ‘Well, you know maybe the next three weeks,” Hendel said. “I’m like, ‘You’re kidding me. How are we going to get that done?’ But I’m going, ‘Yes, we can do it!’”

And they did, converting a plant in Tennessee to production of hand sanitizer and bringing on staff to make sure the project got done. It’s just another example of VP being more than just a leader in the racing fuel industry.

“The mountains are calling, and I must go,” naturalist John Muir is famous for saying.

These days, however, you might not answer the call if you don’t have the right equipment. While Muir wandered the wilderness long before #VanLife became a thing (or hashtags were a thing), many adventurers still have his spirit. But shivering in the back of a Honda Element after getting rained on during a hike just isn’t that fun.

Luckily, Wayfarer Vans utilize Havelock Wool in their camper van buildouts, making sure that the vehicle keeps its temperature and controls moisture.

“I really wanted a sustainable product, and kind of organic in a way, too,” said Ian Horgan, the creator, owner and operator of Wayfarer Vans. “Previously, a lot of our builds were insulated with recycled denim, but that was not the most ideal because, of course, it’s cotton-based and will absorb moisture, and we have van owners from coast to coast. We had to evolve out of that.”

The evolution took them to Havelock, and the partnership quickly made sense on both sides.

“To be able to join forces with, number one, a fiber a lot of folks know about, then stick it inside a vehicle to go back outdoors and enjoy everything we’re trying to protect in the first place, you do feel stoked every day when you go home, like, ‘Everyone’s going to have so much fun! I’m going to have so much fun!,’” Havelock Wool Head of Sales Josh Schohn  said.

Everyone will be having more fun enjoying the great outdoors. Relaxing in a wool-insulated camper van with a custom build-out definitely beats the old way of roughing it.

Host Tyler Kern was joined by Andrew Haring, VP, Business Development for the National Glass Association, Scott Rowe, Principal at Rowe Fenestration and Lindsey Parker, Rowe Fenestration’s Marketing Director to tackle a big question – how can cross-functional partnerships provide value for B2B companies and industries?

In particular, the quartet examined how Rowe Fenestration, which offers product selection, design support and more to major players in the glass industry, and the NGA have seen immediate benefits from a mutually beneficial partnership.

Parker highlighted the educational, resource-based aspect of the collaboration, adding that being able to share the deep library of resources at the disposal of the NGA with Rowe’s customers has brought incredible value and reach for both parties.

“That is part of our relationship with the National Glass Association – to bring to our audiences, and those that we interact with daily, resources they may not know about,” she said.

This symbiotic nature is a key aspect of taking advantage of any cross-functional partnership in the B2B space – if there’s an opportunity for two parties to come together and facilitate an exchange of ideas, resources, value and more, it is often a win-win for both organizations.

Kern and his guests also touched on NGA’s GlassBuild Ambassador Program established in 2019, and last year’s GlassBuild Conference, a valuable event that provides key collaboration opportunities, as Rowe Fenestration and the NGA explore their strategic partnership.

Fall Safety Protection is essential for any industry that deals with employee risks at climbs of more than four feet. But following the proper requirements to keep employees safe doesn’t have to be complicated. Daniel Huntington, National Sales Manager for Kee Safety, spoke with Tyler Kern about this issue, and how companies can maintain a fall safety protection program without making it complicated.

One of the things Huntington does in partnering with customers is to work to simplify the safety manager’s job. “Fall protection isn’t scary. We can break it down, make it super simple, make it bite-sized chunks. Everyone has to work within a budget. Let’s take a logical approach to it and start solving problems one at a time,” Huntington said.

The primary areas Huntington’s company focuses on is rooftop protection equipment, internal fall protection and barriers, and work-at-height platforms. While many might think safety is covered and under control, Huntington pointed out that in 2017, The Bureau Labor of Statistics indicated 887 died from fall-related roof accidents. That is the highest number yet. Fall-related injuries result in 70 billion dollars of workman’s comp claims annually. Huntington attributes some of the issues due to the nature of roof work being out of sight-out of mind. A factory may take extra safety precautions on the floor but overlook protection for areas where one doesn’t always think of safety needs. “People don’t always take falls as seriously as they would noise pollution or abatement issues. They don’t recognize falls for the true danger that it is, even when exposed to it.”

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The process of launching a new product contains a multitude of steps, from the idea and concept phase through final rollout.

Lucas Pearl, VP of Product Development for Watson Furniture, gave his perspective on that journey and what some of the best practices for launching a furniture product today are.

“We start all of our product developments in cardboard. To start making decisions, we have to have a physical object. It’s too easy to lose scale in a computer program,” Pearl said.

One thing Pearl said about making product decisions in the design stage was that his team doesn’t make the item look like the finished product. It is important not to get caught up in the specifics of the end unit and instead focus on the functionality of the creation.

As for what are the hot trends in furniture design right now, two came to Pearl’s mind. Activity-based working, where users can move throughout different workstations as their tasks change throughout a workday, is one.

“There might be a lounge area, different high desks, the typical workstation, a variety of places one can go,” Pearl said.

Hot desking is another trend Pearl mentioned. Hot desking is the practice of unassigned workstations throughout the workspace where, every day, one can go and find a new space to work and gain a different perspective rather than remaining at one location all the time.

“At Watson, we took a step back from the open office concept to put the focus back on the user, Pearl said. "We have a firm belief that, yes, ancillary spaces are important, but a user does their work at their workstation.”

One of the things Pearl and his team do to stay current is to get over to Europe and study office furniture designs there. While attending the Stockholm Sweden Furniture and Light Fair, Pearl poked around the various office windows to see how people were working in real situations.

“You can’t get that sense from a trade show, but you can walk through a city and look at the windows and see what people think of wire management. How do desks move when it’s left up to the user? And that’s where we try to find our inspiration,” Pearl said.