Situational Ethics
Recalling Solidarity protests while watching the Hong Kong Airport occupation reminds me that change is messy. As much as we Americans would like to point […]
Gear Talk With Chuck
Expanding Your World View
Thinking about the Solidarity movement reminds me of just how limited my world view was in 1981. I read several newspapers every day during my […]
A Global Gear Community
Roman Cisek’s journey from Poland to the United States is an example of how the gear trade has become one big international community. A few […]
Gear Origins: Roman Cisek
I was lucky to get a job as a design engineer – drive train department with a big construction equipment manufacturer (HSW) in Poland, right […]
Polishing the Crystal Ball
Few people enjoy cost estimating and pricing exercises. I have blogged about this topic before but thought it was worthy of another look because […]
Finding New Vendors
Record low unemployment rates have some unforeseen consequences. My home county’s rate has not been this low in many years, yet the residents do not […]
What Makes a Classic Design?
Going back to Stuart Curtis’ solo effort on designing a product line for his family firm: he did a masterful job because they […]
Pieces of a Puzzle
One of the things I most enjoy about teaching newbies is the need to come up with different ways to explain important concepts. Today’s high […]
Timely Course Corrections
Mrs. Curtis’ account of their family firm’s transition from general machining to noted gearbox manufacturer is an important reminder that success often requires a big […]
Gear Origins: Reinventing the Family Business
Sometimes the old family recipe needs updating… My husband’s father had a little job shop where employees were either working overtime or they stood around […]