Boiler Blog | Nationwide Boiler Inc.

I just finished reading a good book recently published by Ram Charan called Leadership in the Era of Economic Uncertainty. He said "when we think about the CEO's job, it is helpful to divide it into two realms: leadership and operations. This first is about inspiring and motivating people to go beyond their fears and painting a believable future that is waiting after the storm. The second is about the daily nitty-gritty of doing business successfully in a very tough and unpredictable environment."

The latter is easier to do - grind it out.  The tougher part is to inspire and motivate other when things look real bad. But I believe there is strength in numbers and you don't have to go it alone. Draw in your best people and ask them what they think and will do in this tough economic environment.

Our Environmental Solutions Business Unit Vice President, Robert Remkes, has coined a phrase this year, "Boots on the Ground." We are rallying around the idea that we need to be involved with our customers as much as we can. We cannot go it alone without them either and that they may have some of the best ideas yet to be discovered.

Hang in there. If you have any ideas or suggestions, please let me know. This blog is one way to communicate with us and I hope you will find it useful. Please let me know.

Jeff Shallcross

The fall edition of our Steamlines newsletter featured an article by Nationwide Boiler's President, Jeff Shallcross, which discussed the writings of W.J. King and his publication The Unwritten Laws of Engineering. King's list of “laws” describes engineering guidelines of professional conduct for those new to the engineering field.

Below is an excerpt from the article, however you can download the complete Steamlines newsletter and become a subscriber by visiting Nationwide's website.

• However menial and trivial your early assignments may appear, give them your best efforts.

• There is always a premium upon the ability to get things done, and this requires energy, resourcefulness, and persistence.

• Before asking for approval of any major action, have a definite plan and program worked out to support it.

• Strive for conciseness and clarity in oral or written reports; be extremely careful of the accuracy of your statements.

• One of the first things you owe your supervisor is to keep him informed of all significant developments.

• Whenever your work affects another department or another employee, make sure they know what you are doing, and why.

• Get the facts, make an analysis, apply judgment, and make a decision; do not hesitate or be indecisive.

• Be interested in the people who work with you or for you, and treat them as you would want to be treated.

• Regard your personal integrity as one of your most important assets.

• Be careful of your personal appearance; if you are an executive, look the part.

Many additional “laws” could be added to the list however, the following summarizes the above information best:

"You should make an effort to learn what is expected of you in your job. Realize that people do form first impressions of you; people do appraise your appearance, the way you conduct yourself, and your ability to accomplish assigned tasks; and these evaluations are being made all the time."

The tragic events of the COVID-19 pandemic have affected many, placing people and businesses out of their normal operating procedures. Individuals typically have routines consisting of a normalized work schedule, personal or family responsibilities, and hobbies or other choice activities, in addition to the drudgery like laundry and cleaning the bathroom. All these activities fall into day to day life. Businesses have routines as well. Monday morning sales meetings, Thursday weekly training sessions, safety meetings, sales calls, purchase order acknowledgements, payroll and other various activities that make the work world turn.

What should be done during an “upset” condition?  Risk management in both our personal lives and work obligations needs to be a frequent topic. We must combine the worlds of our personal lives and our work lives because the reality of this “upset” condition impacts both.

As a rental boiler and related equipment supplier, in addition to a full-fledged engineering and procurement company, Nationwide is essential to keeping North America operating at survival capacity.  Our customers producing food, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and heat for hospitals and correctional facilities need us to be ready and available to continue to operate.

We also have the fiduciary responsibility to our employees to keep them healthy. In the office we are maintaining the required distance between people. We are washing down high contact areas; employees are even working from home. In the shop, where we work on the equipment that generates steam, feedwater and emissions control, the team is twice as vigilant. Management must lead the team to help them do the job while maintaining their own health and safety. Good planning of where equipment is placed for maintenance while rerouting higher foot traffic areas for items like parts, welding machines, tools, etc. are all considerations thought through to keep the machine turning and our people safe.

So, the question, “Can a boiler rental company work from home?” is not that simple.  Yes, sales, engineering, marketing, and accounting can do much of their work outside of the building. Boiler mechanics, testers, painters, QA and safety, in addition to leadership, needs to be hands on. There are gloves on those hands and masks on those smiles, but even in Silicon Valley there is no app for that.

Nationwide Boiler's first Steamlines Newsletter of 2021 is out and available for viewing! Read up on the latest happenings at Nationwide, industry news, technical tips, and more, including... 

A SOLUTION TO STEAM SUPPLIER OUTAGES
Nationwide has nearly 55 years of experience responding to emergency needs, and there is no doubt that we are able and ready to dispatch equipment in a moments notice. What may come as a surprise to some is that unplanned and emergency rentals make up a smaller portion of our business than planned outages. And at times, rental boilers are used for process steam when the outage is planned by the steam supplier next door.

REMOTE WORK: IS IT THE FUTURE?
Since the pandemic forced many companies (including NBI) to move to a temporary remote work model, some corporations like Google, Dropbox, Facebook, and Salesforce are going all in with remote work as a permanent way of business. But is remote work for everyone, and is it the future? Hear from our President & CEO, Larry Day, for his take on the matter.

GETTING TO KNOW OUR STORAGE YARDS
Nationwide Boiler has a purpose built rental fleet featuring firetube and watertube boilers, mobile steam plants, and boiler auxiliary equipment. Partnering with multiple distinguished companies in our industry for the storage & maintenance of this equipment allows us to offer a quick and cost effective solution when a temporary steam need arises.

CALIFORNIA EMISSION RULE UPDATES
More changes are upon us here in California, and at Nationwide Boiler we make it a priority to stay abreast of AQMD emission rulings that will affect our customer base. The three areas of focus at this point are the South Coast AQMD, San Joaquin Valley APCD, and San Diego APCD.

REP SPOTLIGHT: COMBUSTION SYSTEMS, INC.
With headquarters in Indianapolis, IN, Combustion Systems, Inc. (CSI) is the exclusive Nationwide Boiler representative covering the territories of Indiana, Illinois, and most of Wisconsin. Check out this edition of our representative spotlight to learn more.  

NEW RENTAL BOILERS FOR THE FLEET
With over 100 rental boilers currently in our inventory, we still find the need to add new units to fill in the gaps, replace sold equipment, or to boost our numbers for equipment that is often in high demand. Learn about some of the new equipment currently being built for our rental fleet.

View this current edition and past editions of our Steamlines Newsletter, on our website now!