Technology and innovation are of particular interest to Tomaso Veneroso, the president and CEO of Am Cast Inc.
Veneroso is continuously exploring opportunities to apply new technologies to aggregate processing, including in-field networked connectivity, remote sensors to monitor equipment, and highly adaptable machinery made possible by digital controls.
Veneroso recently visited with PP&E to offer insights on emerging technologies; how the industry is adopting innovation; what factors make up a successful customer relationship; and what motivates him as a manufacturer.
PP&E: At a recent industry event you said: “The growth for any manufacturing company is a function of technology.” You also broadly mentioned that the adoption of innovation has been somewhat slow, at least in the aggregate industry. Why do you think this is the case? Is the rate of adoption similar in the C&D recycling market?
Veneroso: If a company wants to embrace innovation they often face the obstacles of upfront costs and the efforts to change the mentality of the end users, who are often set on doing things the old way. Few companies want to risk investing a tremendous amount of money in R&D. There is also great difficulty in determining how to teach users how to use the product you’ve created with new innovation, since they have not experienced the likes before.
One would assume that, in time, aggregate producers and C&D recyclers would embrace the many emerging innovative technologies emerging in their markets.
PP&E: What developments need to take place for manufacturers and their customers to be more aligned in terms of the use of innovation?
Veneroso: Manufacturers must be a catalyst for innovation. They must also think in a different way. Think about the ageless question: What is light? Is it the absence of darkness, or is darkness the absence of light?
This was posed to me at a young age and was perhaps the start of a lifelong deeper thinking process. I believe strongly that creating a good environment attracts talented people who will make the company thrive in the long run.
At Am Cast, we focus on signal over noise; we spend money wisely; we never spend money on things that fail to make the product better, but invest in R&D because this will help us and help our clients.
Being wary of trends is also important, and taking risks in the beginning is essential to a company’s long-term success rate. Additionally, concentrating on the parts of your product that have the highest value and focusing on the most realistic aspects of your vision produce the best results.
If you don’t work like hell, you’re not working hard enough. If I work 100 hours and my competitor works a 40-hour week, I have accomplished my goals at twice the speed and am now ahead of the game.
I’ve learned to never reason by comparison, in the sense that I am going to do something because somebody else did it. Instead, I reason by a “what-must-come-first” principle: What process do I need to improve? Then, I get that concept packed down and follow the steps backward until I’ve accomplished my goal.
Learning to deal with emotions from the beginning is crucial since excitement comes at the beginning, but failure eventually arrives at some point. One must understand that not all customers will fit your business model, but you should focus on appreciating those that do, and be happy to have them with you.
In terms of customers, it is essential to be open-minded with customers.
Maintain a positive partnership with your supplier. Be clear with your supplier in terms of expectations. Be clear with your supplier in terms of success and failure. If the product performs really well or really bad or in between, the customer must articulate this.
Follow the test protocol and collect data precisely. Maintain a clear line of communication. Understand that every innovative technology is perfectible and takes multiple tests to achieve this goal. Do not think that testing new things is a waste of time. Believe in efficiency.
PP&E: Is there a generational gap between those who are more willing to try a new crushing technology, for example, and those who are not?
Veneroso: I define a leader as somebody who acknowledges that his or her time has arrived to perform.
Yes, there is a generational gap. However, I hope elderly leaders realize that, at a certain point in time, they deserve to retire and enjoy the fruits of their labor. Also, the way businesses were run in the 1970s cannot be applied to the way of business in 2017.
The generational gap is not a concern of mine. Competitiveness harvests technological advancement and forces manufacturers to ultimately be up to speed with the latest moves in the industry. Those who fail to realize this are destined to disappear.
PP&E: You are a believer in the concept of sustainability and sustainable operations. What does the concept of sustainability mean to you in the crushing world?
Veneroso: My definition is this: Sustainability meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
There are many areas of improvements when it comes to sustainability. I focus on the crushing end of it. The main goal for me is the use of resources. I like to think, for example, about quarry byproduct (waste) as a renewable resource.
The other area is efficiency. Can I optimize the number of machines used to achieve a certain goal? Can I invent a machine that does the work normally produced by two machines? Can I make this process as efficient and therefore sustainable in the long run?
PP&E: What sorts of opportunities do you expect to emerge for operations with portable crushing and screening plants now that Donald Trump has been elected president?
Veneroso: I expect a sudden rollback of the Obama administration’s aggressive regulatory and enforcement agenda. The Department of Labor will scrap the lion’s share of its current agenda and begin to repeal regulations finalized over Obama’s two terms, since his economic plan relies heavily on easing regulatory burdens on businesses.
Trump continues to promise that he will create thousands of new jobs in construction, steel manufacturing, and other sectors to build the transportation, water, telecommunications and energy infrastructure needed to enable new economic development in the U.S., all of which will generate new tax revenues. He also promises to leverage new revenues and work with financing authorities, public-private partnerships and other prudent funding opportunities.