Last night, the CastExpo’08 show floor was a mess. Less than 24 hours until the metalcasting masses were to flood in, the aisles between booths were bare, and crates lay open and strewn about.

The exhibitors were a lot closer to being ready for throngs of casters than it seemed. Today, with surprisingly little last minute preparation and scuttling about, they had in place the most technologically advanced metalcasting equipment available in the world. The machines on display were clean, quiet (relatively speaking) and running in top condition. In addition to their products, the metalcasting industry suppliers provided elaborate seating areas, stages, rotating marquees and even video games.

Could your facility look like CastExpo tomorrow? Right now, the U.S. metalcasting industry is like the exhibition floor on the night before the show opens. CastExpo has bare stone floors; our facilities have a thin veneer of grime covering every surface. CastExpo has unfinished exhibits; our facilities have processes we just haven’t gotten around to optimizing.

It seems like there’s a lot of work to do, but by doing just a few things to improve the look, feel and workflow of our facilities—institute a documented cleaning regimen, perform routine maintenance to keep old equipment running like new, eliminate bottlenecks as soon as they’re discovered—we can get ready by the time our customers come rushing through the doors.

There’s no time to waste. Your show starts tomorrow.