“It always seems impossible until it’s done” – Nelson Mandella

These is a tricky blog subject to connect with a broad audience.  Prioritization of principles is such a subjective topic that there really is no one way to frame it.  Principles that work for one organization may be vastly different than others, while both may be wildly successful.  Let’s examine the differences in one of the most well-discussed company principles known to us all – work hours. 

Elon Musk is commonly quoted with messages suggesting that most successful people simply put in more hours than others.  He has famously been known to work 100+ hour weeks, and suggests that if you work twice the hours of a competitor in a given year, it will take you 6 months to achieve what they do in an entire year.  Sure, this sounds idealistically simple coming from a genius with laser focused visions, but the point is well taken in concept.  And in principle it is true, you have to be willing to out-work your competition.  There are no two ways about this in anything you do.  Now, the art lies in how you outwork them.  If you implement systems modeled around efficiency, perhaps you can accomplish things in 24 hours that would previously require 48.  In theory, with efficient modeling and hard-work, your organization can even out-pace competitors working 100+ hours each week, right?  The debate around working harder or smarter is a circular one.  With the winning position going to working smart and hard. 

On the other side of this spectrum, let’s consider Richard Branson.  Branson believes in a flexible working condition in which employees can utilize technology to work from home and have unlimited leave which Virgin believes adds to an increase in their happiness and productivity.  Now, if you’re like many of us, your reality probably lies somewhere in the middle of these two extremely successful business owner approaches.  So, which the right one?  My humble belief is that it encompasses all of the topics in this blog series, People, Partners, and Products.   

Throughout 2018, you will see this common structure to the monthly blogs I post in the Conference Room Series.  We hope that you will start to notice the breakdown of People, Partners, Products, and Principle.  This should provide you with a behind-the-scenes snapshot of what we are all about at Alchemy-Spetec.  So, getting back to the question of what is the correct working hours principle?

• Find the right people. Only bring on professional adults who respect themselves and the quality of the work they produce.  And appreciate them for it. 
• Partner with like-minded companies and people up and down your vertical. Partner people are just as important as your own co-workers.  (See #1 above.)
• Know what your products do and don’t do. An experienced team with conviction of what their products do, and more importantly, what their products don’t, advances your brand with much greater strides than what over-promising ever will. 
• When #1, #2, and #3 are done correctly, work ethic Principles take care of themselves. You see, it all goes back to people.  Branson and Musk are great visionaries who create great Products, enter into the right Partnerships, and surround themselves with the best People.  Those are the Principles.  Don’t blame your business success or failure on work hours. (See #1 above.)

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“A brand is no longer what we tell the consumer it is – it is what consumers tell each other it is” – Scott Cook

Most of us have a product line. And all of us at least have an offering.  Unless we’re in the small percentage of companies that are offering uniquely differentiated proprietary products, we also all have similar competing products.  The key word here is Product.  Just because we have competing products, does not mean that we all have similar competitors.  What’s the difference?  And why am I seemingly commoditizing all of our offerings?  Let me explain…

So much more of our inherent value as sales organizations is not in knowing what products we offer, but in knowing what the products we offer do.   Sticking to my own wheelhouse of construction chemicals, the examples of a technical rep making or breaking themselves due to technical expertise are countless.  We all know, too well, the overheard conversation of a product recommendation over-promising on functionality and/or project scope.  The over zealous sales rep quick to state, “it should work in that application.”  This is the sound of a disappointed client, upset customer, stressed rep, tarnished brand confidence, and ruined future relationship flushing down a toilet.  And all of this could be avoided with a truthful statement such as, “I don’t know”, or “I’m not confident recommending this product for this application.” 

When I started my recently new position, I jumped on a conference call with a new customer with great potential.  In this call, we discussed a specific application, and a high-ranking member of our team responded, “I wouldn’t recommend that yet, we still have a lot of testing to do.”  This was music to my ears.  I automatically knew that I was in the right place.  I’m quite confident that this sincerity only leads to more confidence from our customers, which fosters a better relationship.  And whether you know it or not, often times the end-user on the other line is just as knowledgeable on application.  They often times know the right answer, but want to see if you do too.  You’ll always get second and third chances to guess right.  But you typically never get a second chance to guess wrong.  

Be confident in your products, and what they can do.  But I genuinely believe that amateur technical support ends with what products can do, and true technical expertise starts with knowing what they can’t.  Support your products and service with conviction in both. 

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“Our success has really been based on partnerships from the very beginning” – Bill Gates

It doesn’t require a merger or acquisition to create a 1+1=3 partnership.  It requires two companies, through open communication, identifying alignment of supply and demand services rendered and required.  Seems simple enough, right?  Absolutely not. 

Whether we admit to this or not, every business fulfills their agenda first.  We have to.  We have to turn our own lights on before we worry about who else has turned on theirs.  But, how far does this culture trickle down?  What messages are being sent to sales and marketing teams?  After all, the message sent to the sales team is the market-facing message with which our brands enter the arena.  Sure, marketing campaigns paint a picture, but what is the dynamic when you sit down with a representative and share dialogue?  Next time you’re on a sales meeting call, listen and compare how many times WE or US is used compared to THEM or THEY. This alone will be a very indicative sign of company culture and how it pertains to our view of our own partnerships. 

Mattew Dixon, author of The Challenger Sale, profoundly suggests “what sets the best suppliers apart is not the quality of their products, but the value of their insight—new ideas to help customers either make money or save money in ways they didn’t even know were possible.”    We are all suppliers.  In some way or another, we supply our products to service an industry need.  How valuable is your insight?

Invite yourself to your client’s next sales meeting to understand THEIR needs.  Report back to your sales manager only what THEY are trying to achieve.  What is the best-selling line for your distributor?  How can you compliment THEIR efforts selling to THOSE customers? What are THEIR sales goals in 2018?  How can you help THEM achieve that goal?  What is the most profitable service your contractor performs?  How can you supplement THAT service?  How can you improve THEIR sales and marketing targets for this service?

I’ve always believed that money is a by-product of being good at something, and if you think making money is the industry you’re in, you have a far less chance of ever being industry-leading.  And the industry-leader there, Jeff Bezos, still did it by offering partners and customers industry-changing service.  Firstly, be the best at servicing your partners needs, and your company’s bottom line will fall into place. 

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Alchemy-Spetec….We've Got Your Back!

Announcing the MixMaster Pro Stand Up Attachment

On our website, catalogs, and marketing materials we use a catch phrase “We've got your back”.  We try to live that every day and that focus has helped us become known for consistent product performance backed by superior support.

For the 2018 World of Concrete show, we want our slab lifting contractors and prospects to know that we not only have their backs, but that we also want to help their backs.  This year we are introducing our patent pending MixMaster Pro Stand Up Attachment.  No longer do you need to be on your hands and knees in order to level concrete with AP Lift polyurethanes.

The MixMaster Pro is already the fastest slab lifting production gun on the market, with the lowest operating cost.  But we just had to take it to the next level by designing an ergonomically friendly, back pain reducing standup system to go with it.  Sorry Advil and Aleve, we are going to be cutting into some of your business with this development.

For the most part slab lifting is not a physically demanding business.  Many of our customers are amazed at how easy it is and how rapidly you can achieve results by letting the equipment and the AP Lift 430 or AP Lift 475 do all the heavy lifting.  There has, however, always been that issue of having to squat down and standup so many times on the job.  If it’s a big warehouse job, that can be particularly grueling.

The MixMaster Standup Attachment takes that out of the equation.  Certainly there will be times when you cannot substitute getting down on a knee and having a close look at a crack or a joint.  But there’s no reason to do that on every injection.  Made of lightweight forged aluminum, the standup system operates the MixMaster while the operator stands comfortably.  For a stabilization job, like in a warehouse; you can rapidly inject points without wasting time kneeling and standing back up.  And when the job is complete, there’s no longer that aching lower back issue.

Come see us at our World of Concrete booth (Silver Lot #O40551) and have a look at the MixMaster Pro Standup Attachment.  You’ll see that We've Got Your Back in more ways than one.  You also won’t have to worry about being on a knee if someone happens to play the national anthem while you’re working.  Now the MixMaster Pro is also the most patriotic slab lifting gun on the market. 

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Easy to Clean and Easy on the Wallet

Today’s blog is part 3 of a 4 part series on the MixMaster Pro Slab Lifting Gun.  The big news is coming on Friday when Part 4 arrives just in time for the 2018 World of Concrete.  But that’s Friday so you have to wait.

In Part 1 and Part 2 we covered the advantages of the Mixmaster as it pertains to job safety and production maximization.  In part 3 I want to address the “Painless Procedures” part of maintaining the MixMaster Pro. 

When I first started in this business, I worked with a lot of contractors that used traditional spray foam guns that had been adapted to slab lifting.  We had the MixMaster gun at the time but we still had to penetrate the market with it.  My first contractors were skeptical of our system; a gun designed just for slab lifting.  But I remember watching them struggle with cleaning guns, dealing with crossovers, and ordering long lists of parts.

Now 5 years later, the MixMaster Pro is even more refined and we have well over a hundred out in the market.  Slab lifting contractors rave about how it takes less than 10 minutes to clean at the end of the day.  Getting the hang of operating it is very easy and it’s nice that clean up procedures are just as smooth. 

How about the spare parts?  Those of you who own all of the other types of slab lifting guns out there may not want to hear this; it’s going to hurt.  I have seen the orders that you guys are placing for gun parts.  It’s thousands of dollars per year.  I have one contractor who says they averaged from $1000 - 2000 per month on gun parts, to maintain one rig with two guns.  That is nuts.  They have been converted to MixMasters for about 4 months now and they just finally called to order a few spare parts.  It wasn’t because they needed them either; they just wanted to have a few things on hand just in case.

In my capacity I deal with a majority of the slab lifting customers we have.  In 2017 I would guess we have sold less than $5000 total in spare parts…for all of the MixMaster guns that we have in the field.  It’s time to stop beating your head against the wall with the other slab lifting guns. 

The MixMaster Pro has what you need:

• Lowest new gun price on the market at $1495.00
• Port travels with the gun – no tripping over ports, no wasting a port on every hole
• 10 Minutes to clean at the end of the day
• Lowest operating cost – It’s not even close
• Easily adaptable to Deep Lift accessories

On Friday we are going to roll out something really cool.  Make sure not to miss part 4 of the series.

Happy New Year from Alchemy-Spetec.

Over the next twelve months, I will be producing a monthly four-part blog, entitled Conference Room.  Producing content for forty-eight original blogs is quite an ambitious objective, but we all know not much gets achieved without setting lofty goals, and working towards them with diligence.  Our Conference Room blog will run concurrently with two other series focused on the Geotechnical and Waterproofing construction industry segments.  Through these blogs, we aim to provide our audience with an insight into not only the Alchemy-Spetec product line, but also the broader general industries as well as a behind-the-scenes snapshot of how we operate as an organization and how we prioritize our efforts.  We welcome questions, comments, and criticisms throughout, and look forward to finding ways to improve through this dialogue.  We hope you enjoy our blogs!

 “Getting the right people in the right jobs is a lot more important than developing a strategy” – Jack Welch

You read it in every business culture book, and you hear it in every management meeting.  Not only are people the most important dynamic to your business, good ones are extremely difficult to find.  We all realize that nothing in the business goes well when good people aren’t putting in their well-respected efforts day in and day out.  While this is certainly true inside each business, it is perhaps even more true outside of your business. 

The same phenomenon occurs when we don’t have the right people as partners anywhere along our respective verticals, or anywhere in our lives for that matter.  Do your suppliers share the same pillar principles?  Are you aligned with your distribution network’s goals?  As a supplier, do you share the same confidence in your product as the contractor has in their own skill and craftsmanship?  If the answer to any of these are ‘no’, then you’re not aligning with the right people.  In the often-quoted Best-Selling Book Good To Great, Jim Collins emphasizes the importance of first and foremost focusing on having the right people on the bus.  Why should this be any different for all of those people that make your brand uniquely yours?  Commitment to, and appreciation for finding the right people should be all of our #1 objectives. 

Tis the season for reflection and new beginnings.  Although you can’t throw someone off the bus who is sitting around your holiday dinner table, take some time to appreciate those around you who are the right people in your business and in your life.  And as we begin the new year, critically and reflectively consider if you’re performing as the right person on each bus you ride.  Next stop on this bus is Part 2 of 4; Partners. Be sure to stay tuned!  

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Ports are generally used to deliver resinous material and seal vertical or overhead cracks in concrete with epoxy or polyurethane chemical grout. 

Using Ports with Epoxy

For epoxy applications, ports are set directly over or into the crack. Epoxy is injected directly into the crack. A low viscosity epoxy needs to get at least 90% penetration and fill of the crack for a structural repair. It is not necessary to drill into the crack to set the ports for epoxy injection. “Top Hat” ports can be used to set and seal cracks. This seal creates a reservoir for the epoxy by not allowing any of the resin to leak out during and after injection.

Using Ports with Polyurethane

Polyurethane crack injection is done differently. Holes are drilled at a 45 degree angle to the crack in an attempt to meet the crack at its mid-point in the concrete membrane. Injecting the grout into the mid-point of the crack allows for expansion in all directions for a complete seal.

For polyurethane curtain wall grouting, holes are drilled completely through the wall in a pre-determined grid pattern and ports are set for the injection site. This method allows the crack or joint to be sealed from behind the wall. It is important to make sure you know where the steel reinforcing, possible post-tensioned cables, electrical conduit or any other systems that may be in or behind the wall are before drilling.

Polyurethanes and Epoxies

As mentioned in a previous blog, Polyurethanes vs. Epoxies, there are many different situations requiring either product type. The choice depends on the project at hand and the depth of your product knowledge.

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Do You Know Someone Who Would Be Perfect for This Position?

Apply online by following this link:  Alchemy-Spetec Manufacturing Representative Application

Please note, this is an independent contractor position; the selected candidate will not be an employee of Alchemy-Spetec.

Alchemy-Spetec is an equal opportunity employer.

When repairing cracks in concrete, which material is better to use? Polyurethane or epoxy?  Well the real answer is both products will work, but there are some rules that apply.

Polyurethanes Vs. Epoxies

If the crack is leaking, polyurethane chemical grout would be the better choice because epoxies do not perform well where moisture is present. Polyurethane is a fast setting foam product that can stop leaks in as little as 5 seconds. It can also fix hairline cracks and cracks that are a few inches wide. 

Epoxy can be used for cracks in need of structural repair because of the high compressive strengths they have. Some epoxies even have higher strength ratings than concrete. This is why they are the best choice for non-leaking structural cracks.

A few years back I was asked by an engineer to look at a parking garage that had many leaking cracks. It turned out that those cracks were previously repaired with epoxy grout. This is a perfect example of why grouters should not use epoxy in leaking cracks.  As I mentioned earlier, epoxy does not do well in cracks that have moisture in them.  The other mistakes they made were: using a very rigid epoxy without flexibility, and failing to bridge the crack for movement. This is what caused the cracks to leak again.

My recommendation for this problem was a simple. Because the cracks already had epoxy in them, I had the contractor drill through the wall and into the soil. I then had the contractor pump polyurethane chemical grout behind the wall and build a curtain wall of grout behind each crack.  Problem fixed!

Products we have for crack injection:
Spetec PUR F400
AP Seal 500 

Products we have for curtain wall grouting:
Spetec PUR H100
AP Fill 700   

Product we have for structural crack repair:
Epicol INJ LV

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