Fuel for Thought

We Are All Vital

Idea, concept, prototype, products, manufacture, sales, shipping.

Products can take a long time to go from idea to market. There can be many people involved in the process. Long before revenue is seen from the product(s), many people play a role in it’s production.

Ideas can come from anywhere and everywhere for a new product, but someone has to develop the idea into a usable and marketable product.

Once the idea has been defined, the concept goes into the prototype phase. This can be done by one person or take a whole team, depending on the complexity of the product, to bring the product concept to life. Many times it can take a lot of man hours to reconfigure or rework the prototype model to get it right.

Once the prototype is finished and passes all the required testing to go to market, it is time to manufacture the product and develop packaging. Many more people are needed to manufacture it. Many people are involved in getting the packaging made for the manufacturer to prepare for shipping.

While all these processes are taking place, sales teams are marketing and in many cases, taking pre order sales.

Now it is time for shipping to the stores. This is where the truck drivers come in. We take it from the point of production to the distribution centers and/or the retailers. 

Yes, the transportation is vital to keeping the shelves filled with products, but can drivers stop and think about all the people it takes to get a product to become a load on your truck? They are all vital. If anyone of the elements of production breaks down, it halts all the others.

If drivers think they are the most important link in the chain, think again. What have you been doing lately? With so many of the US workers on lockdown, quarantine or just home because their job had to close, there are not as many products to ship, right? We all play a part in the machine that is the economy, we all work together to make this happen. 

When you get back to work, try to remember to thank those working in a factory, warehouse, truck stop, retail store, restaurant, theater, military, government office and anywhere else you encounter people working. When we are all working, our economy flourishes. 

See you down the road,

Greg