The following articles written over the course of the history of Barckhoff Welding Management demonstrate the commitment that Jack R Barckhoff has for improving the welding industry by not only working with specific companies to improve their welding quality and productivity but also, thru writing and publishing articles, to help educate the entire industry in his approach to welding improvement.
These articles also demonstrate the diverse experience that Barckhoff Welding Management has in a variety of different industries and in different welding disciplines from design and training through developing and implementing welding management systems.
Jack’s articles have been read by thousands of welders, engineers, supervisors and managers, and have helped many of them to make a individual contribution in improving their company’s welding and thus improve the industry.
The articles that follow include both case studies of specific company successes as well as articles on some of the principles underlying Total Welding Management, the Barckhoff Welding Management System and the Barckhoff Method.
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River
Barge Builder Rides a Rising Tide
This article first appeared in Welding Design and Fabrication, it
presents an interview with a shipbuilding Vice President of Production who
successfully implemented Total Welding Management using the Barckhoff Method
that brought millions of dollars of additional profits to the bottom line. The
project included a welder training program that made it possible to effectively
increase the workforce of welders in a very tight labor market through the use
of Barckhoff's customized training approach.
Welcome
to 20th-century Welding
This article first appeared in Tooling and Production in the 1980’s
when the welding industry was suffering from high costs and poor quality and had
the need to get into the then 20th-century by applying the science of
welding for quality and productivity improvement.
The focus of the article is on gaining the knowledge of the science of
welding throughout the organization and then applying it through effective
training for improvement results.
Training
Trims Waste
This article first appeared in Welding Design & Fabrication, and
is a case study of a mining equipment manufacturer and General Electric's 10
Nationwide Railroad Car repair Facilities. The article points out the
importance of training welders and inspectors and established Internal Welder
Trainers for each of the railroad car repair facilities, all trained in the
science of welding. Also set up formal Quality/Process/Training Centers with
visual welding mock-ups and workmanship sample boards. The article shows
the potential savings available when welder training is
approached effectively. "The mining equipment manufacturer ended up with
savings of over $1.0 million with only 84 welders."
"
Smart
Managers" articles
This series of five first appeared in Welding Design and Fabrication in
the late 1980’s and later became the basis of The Five Welding Do’s (Goals)
of Total Welding Management.
Smart Managers Reduce Overwelding
is now Do Goal, Reduce Weld Metal Volume;
Smart Managers Reduce Arc Time
is now Do Goal, Reduce Arc Time per Weldment;
Smart Managers Eliminate Scrap
is now Do Goal, Reduce Rejects, Rework and Scrap;
Smart Managers Reduce Work Effort
is now Do Goal, Reduce Work Effort; and
Smart Managers Reduce Motion and Delay
is now Do Goal, Reduce Motion and Delay Time.
This series of five articles is a good example of the principles behind Total Welding Management and how they have remained the same over a long period of time.
Step
Up Welding Productivity Through Management Control
When this article first appeared in the early 1980’s in Progressive
Railroading, the concept of management control of welding was foreign to
most companies, as welding was then viewed more of an art than a science. In
this article Jack presents the case that welding is a science and when managed
as a science with the application of his principles, significant cost savings
can be made through both quality and productivity improvements.
Check
List: Better
Welds, Higher Productivity
In this early article Jack established the basis for Total Welding Management
and the Barckhoff Method
which is the three phased approach to achieve welding quality and productivity
improvement. Although the terms have changed over the years, the sequential
approach and the principles of the Barckhoff Method
have not changed. The emphasis of this article is to gather data to determine
current situation and identify opportunities for improvement, set goals, train
personnel and implement.
The three Phases of the Barckhoff Method today are: Phase I, Survey and
Evaluation; Phase II, Management Planning and Goal Setting; and Phase III,
Implement and Sustain. "The five step process outlined in this
article have evolved into the these three phases."
Space-Age
Roof Rates Top-notch Fabrication
This article first appeared in Welding Design and Fabrication, and shows
both the engineering design capabilities of Barckhoff Welding Management as well
as the depth of knowledge and experience in various welding processes, and its
project management expertise.
How
to Boost Your Welding Profits
This article first appeared in Metal Working Economics, and was
written prior to Jack’s forming Barckhoff Welding Management, when he was working
as a sales engineer selling welding equipment and electrode consumables. The article gives an insight
into Jack’s early thinking on managing the welding process for improved
profitability. The principles are still applicable today.
Trailer
Manufacturer Saves $250,000 Per Year By Updating Welding
This article first appeared in Trailer/Body Builders and is the
first case study published of Jack's work and is a forerunner to his Total
Welding Management approach.
It demonstrates that with a through examination of current welding
practices and the management courage to change to a better way, significant cost
improvements result. This is still true today.