September/October 2006 Issue of  "The Crucible"
"Measuring Success"

Letter from the President                                                   By: Robert Beard, Sloan Valve Company

When I started my term as President of NFFS at the Annual Meeting in Pinehurst last year, I shared some of my thoughts about what it is that makes NFFS different from other associations I belong to, and why being a part of the Society is so important to me and to my company.  

As I looked around that room, it struck me that most of the members there probably shared some of my feelings for the organization, and might even have a similar appreciation for the Society and what it does for their companies and for our industry.  But in thinking about what I wanted to say in my first Annual Report as NFFS President, it occurred to me that the people who most needed to hear what I said that day weren’t the ones that came to the meeting.  In fact, many probably aren’t even members of the Society – yet.  

Unlike most of the other members of the NFFS Board, I don’t own my foundry.  It’s not my own business or my own money that pays the dues.  Fortunately, my company’s owners see value in allowing me to participate in several industry associations, but because it’s their money and not mine, I feel I have an ongoing responsibility - an obligation - to spend their dollars wisely.  In the case of NFFS, that’s not hard.  

Some of the things that have impressed me the most about NFFS is its focus on its mission and its commitment to serve its members’, along with its history of tackling hard issues and getting results. I’ve been impressed by the knowledge the Society’s staff has of key issues affecting members and the industry and by their ability to get things done quickly, often with limited resources.  I’m also impressed by the dedication of the Board and committees in working together for the common good.  

I promised that NFFS would continue to work to increase the value that members get for their dues investment, and I’m very pleased to report that the Delivered Value Committee created by the Board last January has been very busy doing just that.  In the last three months alone, NFFS has announced three new membership programs aimed at increasing the direct cash savings members can realize from their NFFS membership.  And the best is still to come.  

The real message I want to share with the industry via this Annual Report is this:  If you think you’re saving money by not investing in NFFS dues, you’re making a big mistake.  When you add up all of the ROI benefits and the different ways you can save by becoming a NFFS member, it’s not as expensive as you might think.  In fact, joining NFFS is the smartest investment you can make for your foundry – whether or not it’s your own company.  

Read the rest of this report, talk to someone whose foundry is already a member, then fill out an application and join.  You won’t regret it.

Letter from the Executive Director                                  By: James Mallory, NFFS Executive Director 

For more than 20 years now, I’ve known that the Non-Ferrous Founders’ Society is a rather remarkable association.  Now - for perhaps the first time – there’s a fairly simply explanation for why that’s true, though I’m sure the source didn’t know they were describing NFFS at the time.  

As the end-product of a three-year study aimed at understanding what differentiates a “remarkable” association from one that’s just “good,” the American Society of Association Executives and the Center for Association Leadership have just published a new report entitled “7 Measures of Success: What Remarkable Associations Do that Others Don’t.”  Building upon techniques used by management guru Jim Collins, author of the book “Good to Great,” the research team identified certain factors that they believe are common to the most successful associations that participated in the study.  In reading the book the day after it was released, I was pleased (but not surprised) that many of those factors accurately describe NFFS.  

A Customer Service Culture – A “we’re here to serve you” approach that not only permeates all individual encounters with members but also is built into the organizational structure and processes.  

Alignment of Products and Services with Mission – The depth and breadth of offerings are consistent with the organization’s mission, which remains central and unchanging even in the midst of changes in the external environment.  

Dialogue and Engagement – An internal conversation continually occurs among staff and volunteers about the organization’s direction and priorities.  

CEO as a Broker of Ideas – Although the CEO may be visionary, what’s more important is that the CEO facilitates visionary thinking throughout the organization.  

Organizational Adaptability – Remarkable associations learn from and respond to change; although they’re willing to change, they also know what not to change.  

Alliance Building – Associations that are secure and confident in their own right seek partners and projects that compliment their mission and purpose.  

NFFS wasn’t one of the associations that participated in this study.  But 5 years ago – two years before this most recent study even began, in a similar study conducted for the NAM Associations’ Council, NFFS members gave the Society high marks for Understanding its members issues and priorities (89% rating Good/Excellent), Responding to members’ issues and priorities (NFFS was rated #1 among 10 associations), and Effectiveness in helping member with their issues and priorities (again, NFFS was rated #1).  

I’d never be so bold as to claim that NFFS is the best association around.  But matching six of the seven traits of a remarkable association tells me we aren’t doing all that bad.  Still, the Board, staff, and I know there are definitely ways NFFS can improve what we do for our members.  Remarkably, you can be certain we will.

NFFS Formula For Success 
By Ryan Moore, NFFS Director of Membership

By definition, success is a favorable or desired outcome. A simple word by definition, measuring success is as challenging as measuring things like quality or value. That is because companies each have their own ideas and interpretations of achieving success. From an industry association’s perspective, NFFS formula for success is providing programs and services that facilitate these desirable outcomes for our members. So whether a member relates success to profitability, cost savings, market growth, or any combination of factors, NFFS must provide a variety of services that influence all of these areas to help members succeed. The following summary highlights some member services that NFFS has been busy working on over the past year to help our members be successful.

Success = Promoting Business Opportunities for Metalcasters

NFFS is part of the American Metalcasting Consortium ( AMC ) which partners with the Defense Logistics Agency ( DLA ) and the cast metals industry to provide resources that stimulate cost reductions, quality, and market share growth. NFFS’s role in the AMC program has always been delivering value to DLA while developing tools and resources that promote business opportunities, efficiencies, and cost savings to the cast metals industry. NFFS activities have included the NFFSearch Database, NQS9000 Program, the Electronic Commerce Initiative for Metalcasters Program, and the Defense Tooling Database. These programs have provided valuable services to the industry in the areas of technology, quality and customer service...... 

NFFS: A History of Success 
By Jerrod Weaver, NFFS Director of Education

Another year has come and gone, and as occurs every year, we stand looking back to measure the success NFFS has accomplished for our members and our industry. We here at NFFS certainly feel that we have been effective in developing programs and services that meet the needs of our members and the non-ferrous casting industry. Sometimes, though, it is hard for the industry to measure the effectiveness of activities that occur within an industry association such as NFFS. Therefore, let’s look back together at several items of importance.  

Safety and Health Training Programs

The NFFStar Lead Hazards Training Module was released last year, and to date NFFS has distributed over 65 printed copies to metal casting facilities. An additional 28 companies elected to download the compliance materials from the website (www.nffs.org/nffstar/lead.html) for a total of 93 programs deployed into industry. The materials have received high marks in follow-up customer satisfaction surveys, with most respondents indicating that the materials are clear, concise, easy to understand, and an excellent resource for training their daily employees. Of course, we here at NFFS are not surprised. We have a history of providing relevant programs and services that are of the highest quality and tailored specifically for non-ferrous metal casting facilities like yours.  

Speaking of tailored and effective training programs, OSHA has once again recognized the quality of the NFFStar training modules with the provision of another SUSAN B. HARWOOD grant. In October 2005, NFFS received a grant to take the existing lockout/tagout training module and translate the materials into Spanish. Additionally, NFFS was asked to provide a series of lockout/tagout training seminars for the metal casting industry in conjunction with the release of the translated materials. (The seminars will be in English, although Spanish and English language materials will be provided to all participants.) These seminars are scheduled to take place in the first and second quarters of 2007. Among the list of locations for these upcoming seminars: Atlanta , Philadelphia , Cleveland , Milwaukee , Los Angeles , Dallas , Seattle , Detroit and St. Louis . These seminars are FREE, and details regarding this seminar series will be provided to you in the months to come........

Trend Alert:                                                               Reverse Migration of Manufacturing Base

For years, manufacturing jobs have migrated from developed countries to third world countries, most notably in Asia.  Movement within the past year suggests that this trend is reversing.......