55 guys, as much as can use it with a crew of
125 guys on the shop floor,” Wixom said.
“It’s our ability to ramp up or ramp down –
depending on the customer’s needs and the
type of machinery required to process the
product that they require – and then our
organization inour up-front process.
“Our shop drawings, we believe, reflect as
much if not more detail than anyone else in
our competitive industry. Though we
strongly feel we have the best carpenters in
the world on our shop floor, we still like to
give them what we affectionately refer to as
Lego drawings. We take the guesswork out
of those drawings so that their crafts-
manship can show in the finite details.”
Still, no matter how much the front end
may change, the back end remains a hands-
onproposition.
In fact, Fetzer has eschewed a trend toward
automating the finish process with a
rolling-line systemthat’s become popular in
the industry, in favor of a throwback to its
TheodoreRoosevelt-era roots.
“It’s the control you get,” Wixom said,
156 | BusinessWorld |
July-August 2014
