Custom Carbon & Graphite Machining

17 Nov

Overall Labor Effectiveness (OLE) is Working

In last month’s blog, we discussed the OLE (Overall Labor Effectiveness) tracking program we began implementing recently at Semco. Efficiency in graphite manufacturing, as in any manufacturing business, is crucial to our bottom line and to our ability to serve our customers well. By eliminating waste when we machine our clients’ custom graphite components, we save them money on materials costs and get these components to our customers more quickly. The program also helps our managers determine where more training is required on the shop floor and what parts of the manufacturing process are producing unnecessary scrap. OLE is the...

10 Nov

Dave Myers Ten Year Anniversary | Graphite Materials Manager

We would like to take this opportunity to celebrate Dave Myers’ 10th anniversary as a Materials Manager at Semco. Dave is a key team member, responsible for much of the growth and success Semco experienced in the past 10 years. As a Materials Manager, he was instrumental in developing his department as we moved into the new building 10 years ago. As we’ve settled into our new facility, Dave has been key to the effective management of the graphite material that is the lifeblood of our company. When he arrived at Semco, though, Dave couldn’t have told one graphite grade...

26 Oct

Safety Committee

While it may be a cliche, it’s not far off to describe the workforce at Semco as a family. Many of us have worked together for years (or even decades), we all share a common purpose and interests, and we look out for one another. As we’ve outlined before, when working in graphite industries (or any heavy manufacturing industries), safety must be a top priority. The work environment can be a safe place, but workplace safety most certainly doesn’t come about on its own. Graphite manufacturing involves powerful machines, heavy blocks of raw materials, extremely high temperatures, and a host...

19 Oct

OLE: Overall Labor Effectiveness

Businesses, it is frequently said, run on data. From targeting specific audiences for online advertisements to running sophisticated cost comparisons, contemporary businesses crunch a lot of data to maximize profits. Much of that data comes from within the company itself, as the performance of salesmen, marketing departments, and managers is tracked and subsequent adjustments to strategy or personel is made. In the manufacturing sector, it is common (even necessary) to carefully track the performance of equipment. A program for doing this is called OEE, or Overall Equipment Effectiveness. An OEE program helps provide the management with valuable hard data on...

12 Oct

Non-Disclosure Agreements

There are reasons that so many Semco clients have been with us for years. One of those reasons is, of course, the expert graphite machining work we do for our clients. Another reason is trust. We would like to take the opportunity in this blog to address a particular type of business contract, the non-disclosure agreement, which is essential to establishing trust in long-term business relationships like the ones we build with our clients. The non-disclosure agreement is a legally binding contract that establishes a confidential relationship. The party or parties signing the agreement agree that sensitive information they may...