Episode 01: Al Adkins
Interview with Operations/Production Manager of Norcross Tag Company
Episode 1: Show Notes
Welcome to the first episode of The Industrial Movement podcast, where we discuss the people, processes, and equipment that drives American manufacturing! Today we are proud to invite Al Adkins from Norcross Tag Company to talk about the history of the business and his experience of the company as the Operations and Production Manager. Norcross is a family-owned business that is keeping it old-school in the truest sense. Much of our discussion is spent learning about the time-tested processes used at Norcross and their place as a smaller player who is still holding their own within the tag industry as a whole. We kick things off by hearing about how Norcross began in the basement of a Church in Doraville in 1965 soon after Al’s parents met and fell in love. Al takes us through the deals his father cut to get the business off the ground, and how the family got more involved as things took off. We talk about the presses that are used at Norcross, and what goes into their operation and maintenance. Our conversation also covers the use of tags within manufacturing and beyond, how the tags themselves are created at Norcross, and what the future of the tag industry holds. Along the way, Al tells many charming anecdotes about the wholesome connection his family has to the business. So, be sure to join us for a conversation that is both heartwarming and enlightening!
Key Points From This Episode:
The story of how Al’s parents met and how this led to the founding of Norcross Tag Company.
How the Adkins family built their business and developed their processes as the company grew.
Dealing with haggling customers and surviving while other tag companies get bought up.
The many hats that Al wears in the business and what a typical day at Norcross looks like.
How inconsistent the print industry is and has always been.
The use of manifold tags for tracking processes with different stages.
A description of the order sizes Norcross handles and what constitutes a big or small one.
The old-school and time-tested administration and manufacturing processes at Norcross.
How the presses that Norcross uses work and the different companies that manufacture them.
The individualistic nature of each press and the respect Al has for his operators.
What an ideal press operator should look like and how Al just acquired a rocket scientist.
The wide range of uses that tags used to have and how things have changed.
Al’s thoughts on the future of the tag industry and how it relies on the survival of manufacturing.
The effects of COVID on the tag business and how material costs are rising.
Advice from Al about what it takes to be a manager and entrepreneur in manufacturing.
How listeners can get in touch with Al and learn more about Norcross.
Tweetables:
“My first job there was cutting paper and moving boxes and it’s still doing all of the above plus everything else from cleaning the toilet to cutting the grass. Matter of fact, I got to go cut the grass this afternoon.” — Al Adkins [0:07:35]
“There is no day that is the same other than turning the lights on at the beginning and cutting them off at the end of the day. That is the only thing I would say is consistent about the printing industry.” — Al Adkins [0:14:26]
“We don’t do any automation. With the exception of having a computer printed out order everything is done exactly the same way we did it back in 1965.” — Al Adkins [0:19:39]
“As long as there is manufacturing in the country there will be a need for tags.” — Al Adkins [0:42:34]
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Norcross Tag Company Phone Number — 706 367 4763