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Black-Book Knowledge
Sep 08, 2011
Developing an efficient and quality-driven manufacturing process for complex parts for companies such as Genesis, Siemens, Gardner Denver and Caterpillar takes experience and know-how. However, there is an added element that creates a big difference. According to John Schierer, head engineer at BTD’s Washington, Illinois facility, that added element is something called “black-book” knowledge.
John explains, “Knowledge is essential in engineering, but the knowledge that comes with years of experience and working with other engineers at companies we serve, is what I call black-book knowledge. That is specific to each engineer at BTD and it comes from years of experience and working in a collaborative environment with our customers and the various teams in our company. You can’t go out and buy a book to study black-book knowledge. It has to be developed from years of experience.
“Sometimes it is difficult to explain to others how we discover new ways of doing things here at BTD,” says John. “When we put our heads together with our customers and our internal teams, magic things can happen as a result of each individual’s black-book knowledge,” he adds.
That “magic” usually results in ways to improve things regarding quality, efficiency or both. Innovation is alive and well in American manufacturing, and based on what John says, we can attribute a majority to that reservoir of knowledge that comes with years of experience, a collaborative atmosphere and the willingness of companies to invest in plants and equipment to translate that black-book knowledge into better manufacturing for customers.
