It’s the economy, stupid – The economic collapse and its effect on the cement industry may have started in ernest in [...]]]> 2009 was year where cement industry news was really dominated by three factors:  the economy, the Chinese, and the environment.  Here are some of the stories we at BGE believe were the most important of the year:

It’s the economy, stupid – The economic collapse and its effect on the cement industry may have started in ernest in 2008, but it really hit high gear in 2009.  Cement producers in North America and around the developed world responded with cut backs in capital projects, plant closures (some temporary, some less so), layoffs and other cost saving measures.  Producers in North America and Europe continue to postpone investments, preserve cash, and fend off price erosion of their product.  The poster child for the pain of a vanishing credit market had to be Cemex.  As the fastest growing member of the global cement producers, funded mostly on gigantic lines of credit, they found themselves on the verge of insolvency, sold off a number of strategic assets, and to admirably survive as they managed to renegotiate billions in credit.

Sinoma International becomes the world’s largest OEM – OEM’s responded with traditional “retrenching” moves, cost cutting and layoffs.  Shoveling expertise into the street with abandon, a trend that is expected to continue.  Those with a small piece of a large pie now found themselves with a small piece of a much smaller pie.  Expect at least one of the traditional Euro-American suppliers to fail in 2010.  Of course, not all the suppliers played defense.  The Chinese OEM’s, Sinoma in particular, took advantage of the increased price sensitivity to become, for the first time in history, the largest supplier of cement equipment in terms of new production capacity OUTSIDE China.  In fact, Sinoma sold just under 50% of the capacity sold outside China in 2009, pushing FLSmidth out of the #1 spot it had held for decades and forever changing the competitive landscape of cement equipment supply.

Big Brother is watching – The environment and the increasingly large specter of regulation has to be one of the biggest stories of 2009.  Environmental sessions were sharply in focus at the IEEE/PCA conference.  The EPA made noise about Mercury and they made noise about CO2.  Eventually they classified CO2 as a hazardous substance, thereby giving themselves the power to regulate it.  New regulations have also been proposed for Mercury and will be a reality sooner rather than later.  We have frequently reported on the various environmental issues in this blog as we see it as a major force in the market for years to come.

Modernization of capacity – 2009 certainly wasn’t all bad news for the cement industry.  Developing markets continued to show growth and reinforce the long term trends in demand.  Additionally, many of the modern, high capacity plants ordered in the last boom came on line in 2009, thus “modernizing the fleet” and providing the ability to produce more cement at a lower cost with less energy and environmental impact.  Holcim’s shining star, the 12,000 mtpd Ste. Genevieve plant designed by FLSmidth, came on line in July and quickly met and exceeded production and environmental targets.  This facility will help to assure the future of cement manufacturing in the difficult labor and regulatory North American market environment and provide a model for cement plant design going forward.

In the interest of full [...]]]> I recently completed Sylvia Lafair’s book “Don’t Bring it to Work: Breaking the Family Patterns That Limit Success”. As the title suggests, this book is focused on how family behaviors manifest themselves at work, and how, by recognizing these patterns, you can change them and improve your relationships and be more successful.

In the interest of full disclosure, I should note that I have participated in workshops conducted by LaFair. I was an ardent skeptic beginning the workshops and a passionate believer after living the experience, so I was somewhat predisposed to a positive feeling about the book.

Still, I wasn’t sure how the process of discovery would translate into a book. It is a very complex and interactive process, but Sylvia does a masterful job capturing the essence of the journey and giving you the direction you need for self discovery. The tools in the book are helped tremendously with group interaction, but are still useful for an individual who has learned to be honest with his (or her) self.

For the most part what made the book a success for me is that it is truly delightful to read. With a casual “real language” style, LaFair layers anecdotes from personal experience with public stories to paint compelling pictures of the “family members” we all find in the workplace. The identities are undeniable and this simple awareness is the first important step along the path. The stories are shocking, funny, saddening and heartwarming, and are told with a true sense of caring and passion.

The “technical” parts of the book are well done, if not “page turner” material. They aren’t supposed to be, these are real exercises and the reader who wants to grow will not simply read this book, but will experience it.

By recognizing family patterns and arming yourself with a few tools to interrupt those patterns, you truly can transform your own behavior. You can also develop an insight into why others act as they do and this can give you a strong leg up in building productive relationships.

BridgeGap Engineering is all about developing relationships that work for everyone, and these tools are part of our everyday vocabulary. We recommend you read Sylvia’s book and start your own journey of self discovery. A rising tide lifts all ships.

Pinto seems to be arguing that the information revolution will make “traditional” universities irrelevant because the lecture-learn-test paradigm no longer requires physical presence. This is a sound position and I do not disagree. There [...]]]> I read this blog post from Jim Pinto today and it got me thinking about the difference between access to information, and learning.

Pinto seems to be arguing that the information revolution will make “traditional” universities irrelevant because the lecture-learn-test paradigm no longer requires physical presence. This is a sound position and I do not disagree. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the information revolution forever changes the game when it comes to accessibility to knowledge, yet I am equally convinced that the availability of information is far from the only factor related to learning.

Centuries of tradition have formed an image of the scholar, well read, worldly and exposed to information only available through the professors at a university.  Of course possession of information has never been the definition of knowledgeable, one must demonstrate mastery, recall and application. While this remains true, I believe the very definition of “educated” is likely to change in this generation.

While “self taught” geniuses are prevalent throughout history, the path to learning for most people leads through formal education. Why is this the case? Many arguments can be made about the accessibility of knowledge inside or outside of the formal education systems, but I propose that lecture-learn-test model of information transfer was never what differentiated the university experience. I believe the reality is that the only element that has ever really mattered inside the university was the community. It is my position that this is what will continue to differentiate “traditional” universities and keep them relevant. This is not to say that they will be in the same form as today or in fact that they will even be recognizable!

Lecture-learn-test has been a serviceable model for centuries, but it is woefully inadequate on its own in the face of a truly global (soon to be solar?) economy. Many universities and even primary schools are turning more toward a model of collaborative learning, something that is much more closely related to the workplace than to the classroom. Teams of students learn from one another’s experiences and utilize the variety of strengths to go farther and faster than any would likely as individuals. In some circles this is widely criticized because it does not require every student to have equal mastery of all the materials, but this is much more representative of real life, isn’t it? And as Pinto and many others note, the knowledge is out there for anyone. It isn’t necessary to carry it all with you, it is more important to understand how to work collaboratively and how to connect all the dots. In his book “A Whole New Mind”, Daniel Pink calls this “symphony” thinking and argues that learning needs to be much more broadly focused as specific knowledge becomes a commodity.

Before I’m accused of socialism and ignoring the contributions of the individual, let me say that I am writing in broad terms about how learning takes place, and what kind of knowledge and skills I believe are necessary for the future. I am not talking about how contribution to society, success or skill are measured. I’m a firm believer in the power of the visionary to move the very mountains, and it is true that someone must learn how to play each instrument skillfully to support the symphony.

Lecture-learn-test has been a serviceable model for centuries and always will have a place in society, but alone it is woefully inadequate in the face of a global (and soon beyond?) economy. Those who can best harness the knowledge and resources around them (virtually or physically) have always been the leaders of society and will continue to be in the future. They will acquire these skills not because they have access to the best information or the brightest professors, but through a collaborative and experiential based learning environment. These people will be far ahead of individuals who have the same information basis but lack the tools, skills and shared experiences to put it in context. While the internet has powerful application in building enormous community and tapping The Wisdom of Crowds, it cannot yet simulate the interactions and dynamics that exist in real life teams, nor can it (yet) provide the full spectrum of actions and emotions for sharing experiences

Check out this link - Sony played this mind-blowing video at their Executive conference this year

Mind-Blowing Video… time in the 21st century

In the 21st Century where knowledge is relatively cheap, time is nearly priceless and [...]]]> How will Business in the 21st Century Look?  Sure it depends on your industry… but the value of time… how can you measure it?

Check out this link - Sony played this mind-blowing video at their Executive conference this year

Mind-Blowing Video… time in the 21st century

In the 21st Century where knowledge is relatively cheap, time is nearly priceless and experience can be difficult to find… how do you most effectively structure any business?  It seems to the experts at BridgeGap Engineering that relationships you can trust for timely responses and results are of key importance.  The value of time will continue to increase as change happens faster.