Tips From Drew Black

Welcome to the website of JD Industrial Sales and I hope you find the site of value and interest. In this section, "Drew's Tips," I will endeavour to bring forward ideas and insights that are of general interest to the concrete products industry.

As I travel the country, I have the opportunity to visit with producers both large and small. I am constantly reminded of the ingenuity and creativity that exists within our industry and the depth of commitment. Over the years, I have heard repeatedly the comment: "I learn something new every time I visit a different plant." I fully support that comment. While the basic ingredients of cement, aggregate, steel may be the same and the mixing systems similar whether wet or dry cast, there is a world of difference in processes, flows, layouts and, of course, finished material. With no perfect solution or fix for all situations, I hope that by sharing ideas, some tip might make your job a little easier or you might find that tweak needed to resolve a thorny production issue.

Over the next months, please check back to this site for product updates of the companies I represent and click on this link. Some topics to be discussed will be:

• Specific tips from the companies I represent
• The value of networking
• Creating a product or market niche
• Supporting industry associations