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6 International Journal of Metalcasting/Winter 2013

FromtheEditorFromtheEditor

7-IstoImprove

TechnologyTransfer

Principalof the7-IstoImprove

TechnologyTransfer 1. Involvement

2.Investigation

3.Innovation 4.Implementation

5.Improvement

6.Integration

7.IlluminationInform

Many of you are practicing the principals embodiedin Kaizen Continuous Improvement. This activity also is

referred to as 5S due to the Japanese and English terms:Seiri (sorting), Seiton (setting in order), Seiso (systematiccleanup), Seiketsu (sanitizing) and Shitsuke(sustainable discipline). These terms describea method to implement order and disciplineinto the workplace to eliminate waste.

In preparing a presentation I gave at the60th Anniversary of the Chinese FoundrySociety and then repeated at the AFS SaginawValley Chapter, I reflected on the challengesfacing our industry. We have many demandsand constraints on our valuable human,intellectual, nancial and temporal resources.

It is our responsibility as good stewards tomaximize these resources for the benet of ourindustry, society and future generations. Thatis why it is important to discuss the 7 Is ofa successful research program. Similar to thephilosophy of Kaizen, the 7 Is are intendedto bring discipline, clarity and reduce waste,as well as offer a pathway for the fruits of ourwork to be implemented into our industry.

The rst and most important I isInvolvement. For any project to be successful, it must have

the active participation of stakeholders as the Investigator(university or private researcher), the funding source

(private sector, trade association andgovernment), technology users suchas metalcasters and their suppliers(equipment or material), and eventhe end-users taking advantage ofthe new technology to improvetheir products and services. Wehave found that research developingtechnology without interfacing withthese communities will have a lowprobability of being embraced orimplemented.

How do we secure involvement? At AFS, it starts withour Technical Committee structure. This is a group of almost

800 individualsp a r t i c i p a t i n g on a voluntarybasis in technicalcommittees thatmeet 3-4 times ayear, all organizedaround a division ofspecic technology,process, metal ordiscipline focus.

The second Iis the InvestigationProces s , whichrst involves thesteps to develop,p r o p o s e a n dconduct researchaddressing the needsas expressed in thetechnology and

research plans of the key interest groups, such as our technical

Investigation and pursuit forjust the sake of technological

advancement is not the End Game.

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International Journal of Metalcasting/Winter 2013 7

ThomasPrucha

Editor.

International.Journal.of .Metalcasting

AFS.Vice.President.of.Technology

tprucha@afsincorg

committees. The researcher must seek the involvement ofindustrial partners on their project monitoring and steeringcommittees,as well as theirparticipationvia monetaryor in-kind

support ofthe projectefforts.

Before ourAFS ResearchBoard selectsa project,even onethat has goodt e c h n i c a lmerit, theyjudg e this parti ci patio n and ask: Do es the project have

a steering committee representing

industry? Have they demonstratedtheir interest and support ofthe need to conduct this workvia letters of support, offers ofmonetary backing or in-kindsupport? Besides the technologybeing developed, we also lookat these projects as a platform

where the next generation ofmetalcasters can experiment and learn

their craft.We must ensure that innovation is able

to flourish. We encourage the researchersto think Outside the Box and look

for game-changing solutions (not justincremental advances). They shouldseek opportunities in other sectorsand disciplines, not just metalcastingor materials to help advance ourtechnology. A good example ofinnovation was the interface by

Dr. Sam Ramrattan at WesternMichigan University (WMU)with Prof. Margaret Joyce ofthe WMU Paper Products

Department. In seeking newapproaches to control andimp r ovec oa t ing sfor moldsand cores

for metalcasting, there was a collaborationto review how coatings are managed inthe paper industry.

We must remember that investigationand pursuit for just the sake of

We have many demands and constraints on our

valuable human, intellectual, financial andtemporal resources. It is our responsibility as

good stewards to maximize these resources forthe benefit of the industry.

technological advancement is not the End Game. Tobe considered a success you must have the technology

implemented and being used. Technology transfer is nota one-way street. It is not just presenting a paper or

lecture at a conference. Technology transfer requires acollaborative effort between the researcher and end-user.

One way we have tried to determine our success inresearch implementation has been to recognize andreward shining examples of technology transfer. AFSestablished the Applied Research Award (the awardwas designed to symbolize the knowledge from a bookpouring into a vessel to create a product) as one formof recognition. The goal of the AFS Applied ResearchAward is to recognize the principal investigators andmetalcasting organizations involved with AFS fundedresearch projects that have been effectively transferredto the metalcasting industry and provides demonstratedvalue on the pl ant floor.

To succeed and sustain as an industry, we must improve.The funded research must lead to improvements in our:quality levels, predictive properties of simulations, materialproperties, workplace environment, energy requirementsand usage, efficiency of our processes, sustainability, time-to-market, expanding our market, and economics andprofitability. The technology must be integrated into theway we do business, and we must embrace it so it becomesan essential tool.

The nal key is to seek opportunities and venues toilluminate and inform the industry of these research successes.

It is all about the end game of improving our industry andeach of the 7 Is is needed to achieve this result.