In last week's quiz, we asked about "Practicality."  These are the comments we received when we asked, "How important do you think practicality is to your business?"

It is extremely important. As a consultant, I insist that the first activity in starting the project (after safety orientation) is to go out into the mill and look at the area(s) where the problem/opportunity exists. This is not a short tour of the mill. It involves talking, observing, planning to take samples, getting to know operators (I will be back later to really listen to what they think could be done) and making observations about safety. New engineers should spend 6 months as a relief shift supervisor within the first year on the job. Schools should require at least one summer work experience in a mill or for a supplier. Even better is a 6 or more month internship. I like your idea about getting some trades training at a local community college. By the way, all my daughters learned to change a tire as part of their earning the right to drive on their own.

Extremely important.. .. all that discourse and you didn't even mention the word CO-OP.... lol

Working for a major equipment supplier in the industry, a practical knowledge of the equipment, how to work on it, what it takes to come up with a good design and make a reliable machine is the Holy Grail...and I have seen far too many "cubicle engineers" that have been thrown into the middle of machine design with less than stellar results. Get your hands dirty first, build the machines, maintain the machines and THEN you can design them...

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