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Admin — Sat, 03 Dec 2022 06:00:00 GMT

Your reputation is one of those things that follow you like your shadow. Anywhere you go it’s right there with you and it’s incredibly difficult to change. That’s because your reputation is how others perceive who and what you are, not what you say you are.

Engraving Video

Admin — Thu, 03 Dec 2020 06:00:00 GMT

Polishing Video

Admin — Thu, 03 Dec 2020 06:00:00 GMT

Turn Can’t into Can | Alliance Specialties and Alliance Laser Sales

Kylie Hayden — Fri, 12 Jun 2020 05:00:00 GMT

The worst four letter word in the English language is can’t.

When I was teaching my kids how to ride their bikes, I would do what most parents do. I held onto the back of their seat as they wiggled and wobbled down the street. I was able to experience this twice in my life. Once with my son Jack and then with my daughter Grace. Up and down the street we would go, over and over again they would lose their balance, put their feet down, and look at me and say, “I can’t do it”. I would look back them, smile and say, “Can too”. Then they would get back on their bikes and we would try again. My kids knew they had my support. I stayed positive with them and encouraged them that it can be done.

After days of failure and practice with the same results, the breakthrough eventually happens. That breakthrough happened for my son as he was determined to finally make it down the street. He pushed off on his own and immediately drifted to the side and put his feet down. He shook his head and gathered his little body composure and pushed off again. Down the street he went, he passed one driveway, then a second, then a third and fourth. All the way down the block he went till he got to the stop sign. He put his feet down and with a big proud voice he yelled out his new truth. “CAN TOO!”

Henry Ford famously said, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t you are right”.

As a family and company of problem solvers ‘can’t’ is the four-letter word above all others that makes my skin crawl. The word creates limits, holds you back, stifles creativity, and crushes possibility. It is utterly amazing to me that in today’s world, people still use this dirty word.

The word ‘can’t’ is quite possibly the absolute worst thing that you could say out loud. Just by uttering those syllables you are creating self-imposed boundaries of what you are capable of accomplishing. You see, I believe that anything is possible it is just a matter of having the means and the patience to make it happen.

Tenacity is one of our core values and in short it is a fancy word for ‘can too’. Our goal is to make a difference for you when you need it most. It may not be easy, but we will make it happen because ‘we can’.

Experience Matters | Alliance Specialties and Alliance Laser Sales

Tony Demakis — Fri, 29 May 2020 05:00:00 GMT

My father recently told me a story about a tractor that he has been trying to start for five years. That’s right, for half a decade he has been problem solving how to get this lifeless pile of parts moving. He spent hundreds of dollars and spent countless hours searching for solutions but through it all, he found nothing. When it seemed, all hope was lost he decided to ask his friend John West for a hand.

John West is a high-level Go-Kart racer known across the country as one of the best in the sport. He is one of the best Go-Kart drivers; his passion and expertise is definitely the mechanics of motors. He loves being around them, tweaking them, building them, and repairing them. He has been working on engines for more than 40 years.

When my father brought John to the farm to show him the tractor, he looked at it and within ten minutes he was able to identify the problem and provide the solution. John had never seen this tractor before. He wasn’t given some secret intel to help him look like a genius. So, what was it that allowed Mr. West to immediately identify the problem and the solution? 40 years of experience working with engines and motors.

That much time in a specific area brings a tribal knowledge that can only be gained through a multitude of experiences. Experience is gained by staying curious and open to the idea of learning something new every day. Experience prepares you with a mental library of problems solved in the past that allows you to see answers to questions that others didn’t even know to ask. Experience is impossible to learn from classes or books and it cannot be taught. Experience is earned with time, effort, and passion. It is invaluable to all situations.

My friend Jason Lopes from Carbon said today, “When you start with a project for the first time you don’t even know what you don’t know. Once you know what you don’t know you can figure out the answer.” That is experience.

Alliance has the experience you need to meet your needs. We are not just mold finishers and laser welders. We are mold makers who chose to polish, laser weld, laser engrave, and repair hot runners and molds. The 40 years of experience that we have accumulated allows us to see your struggles for what they are, problems we can solve.

Just like with the tractor there were plenty of things he tried. A few other people had tried to help him, but not one of them had the experience to know what to look for. The things that John instinctively already knew to check. Experience got it done.

Let our experience get it done for you.

Get Over it | Overcoming your Barriers | Alliance Specialties and Alliance Laser Sales

Tony Demakis — Fri, 15 May 2020 05:00:00 GMT

When I was a boy my father and I went on a rock-climbing adventure in South Dakota. I was probably no more than 11 or 12 years old, and he was much thinner and much more nimble. Neither of us had ever gone rock climbing before; we had gone hiking a number of times in Cub Scouts, but nothing like this. We figured what the heck lets do it anyways.

We arrived at the park and were greeted by our guide for the day. He went over safety protocol, the importance of always having your helmet on, staying on the rope, listening for instruction, and so on and so forth. All really good information, but really I just wanted to start climbing.

As we approached the first rock it was probably no more than 10 feet tall and the instructor told us to climb it. We had no idea what we were doing so we gave it a try and it was a complete and total disaster. The instructor watched us and let us struggle for a bit then started to explain to us what we were doing wrong and different ways to improve. “Keep your feet under you, bring your butt closer to the rock, don’t fight gravity, use your hands for balance instead of trying to muscle your way up”, those were just a few of his suggestions. Then came these 5 nuggets of wisdom that I think apply not just to rock climbing, but to all the barriers and challenges in your life.

Don’t overreach: You can’t get to the top in just one move. It is going to take hundreds of little steps, small adjustments, and tiny progress points to have big results.

The right path may not seem obvious: You have to start with a plan to get to the top of the rock. However, sometimes you need to go sideways for a bit and sometimes you need to go down in order to go back up. It seems counter intuitive I know, but it’s true.

You will fall and that’s ok: When you are learning to climb you are going to have times when you fall which is why even Alex Honnold, the crazy guy from the movie Free Solo, even started with a harness. The key to falling is learning what you did wrong and making adjustments to not do that again.

Trust the people in your group: When you fall (see number 3) you want the person on the other end of the rope to be focused on helping you to succeed. The people with you have to really be with you. They need to be dedicated and committed to seeing your success, if not, the consequences can be dangerous and deadly.

Fear is crippling but only if you allow it: I was about 150 feet up standing on the face of a rock with my toes on a tiny little foot hold and I needed to switch ropes. Meaning for a brief moment I would have no safety and the idea of that was terrifying, but the choice was mine. I could stay safe and call it a climb at 150 feet or push through my fear, reach the top, and conquer my goal.

I believe that whatever barrier you have in front of you, it can be conquered with these five pieces of wisdom from my rock-climbing guide in South Dakota. If you apply these foundations to your business, your personal goals, or anything else most times you will get to the top. It will take time, sacrifice, practice, lots of falling, and it will make you tired and sore beyond belief but the view from the top is so worth it.

At Alliance we want to be your rock-climbing guide. We promise not to overreach and will give you what you need. We have the ability to help you navigate your way through a successful project from start to finish. Over 40 years of service means we have fallen many times before and learned from those mistakes. We have only gotten better and stronger each time. We want to earn your trust and build a relationship where we are there when you need us most. We are here to help you move forward, coming up with ways to get you past those terrifying crossroad decisions. Alliance will be here with you when you reach the top and find great success.

People are the Greatest Asset | Alliance Specialties and Alliance Laser Sales

Tony Demakis — Thu, 30 Apr 2020 05:00:00 GMT

On our website and in our marketing materials you will find laundry lists of all of the equipment that we have and the services that we provide. You will see that we work with Diprofil to equip everyone in the polishing department with the top of the line profilers. You will see that we work with IPG for our laser engraving and laser welding machines because we believe in using the best technology when building our products. You will see that we are a hub for complete mold finishing and repair. You will see that we have six different departments including mold finishing, hot runner cleaning, preventative mold maintenance, laser welding, and laser engraving services. And don’t forget that we also build and sell our own line of laser welding and engraving machinery. We have that covered and yet that is what we do, but it is not who we are.

I truly believe that we have the best staff around, and this last seven weeks has made me extremely proud of the team that we have built over the years. In a time of uncertainty, confusion, fear, and misinformation every one of our team members are working to continue to deliver the same quality results that we have become known for. Some employees from home, some in the office, and many on the floor.

Right now, it would be easy for people to say, “I don’t feel comfortable working, or I am sick” and decide to phone it in. Having those thoughts and temptations understandable, but that would not be the Alliance way. It does not fit the character and the values that we hold above all else. We are here doing what is needed of us because we have GRIT. Gratitude, Relationships, Integrity and Tenacity.

Let’s be honest, there are plenty of companies out there that claim to offer similar services to what we do. They may come close, but the difference is the people in our buildings. Our greatest assets are not the machines that we use or the cranes on the wall. It is the people that do the work. It is the pride that they take in their job and in servicing our customers. It is the commitment to quality displayed every single day. They say the true measure of people comes out not when things are easy but through times of adversity. If that is in fact the case, we have built a team of pure awesome.

American Manufacturing: Alive and Essential | Alliance Specialties and Alliance Laser Sales

Tony Demakis — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 05:00:00 GMT

Many people have said that manufacturing is not coming back and that it is a dead end in this country. If the last few months and weeks have proven anything, it is that those people don’t know what they are talking about. I am here to say that American Manufacturing is ALIVE and ESSENTIAL to the way we live and function. I have heard it said that it takes a battle to have a victory. For years we have been struggling to compete with products made in China and other locations across the world. Now with Covid-19, we find ourselves in the middle of a new fight to maintain our businesses, industry, families, sanity, and health.

In the midst of this war, businesses are doing everything they can to keep their employees working and paid. Companies have stepped out of their comfort zones and shifted gears from producing the everyday items that they are known for and reinventing themselves to create essential products.

I may not be a prophet or a soothsayer, but I see victory in our future. US Manufacturing and Plastics Industry workers are some of the most dedicated, determined, and innovative people I have ever been around. Where there is a challenge, there is a solution and we as a whole define that statement.

As a country we should be beyond proud of those that are making this possible. I know that I am incredibly excited to be a part of the plastic industry. It is amazing to see the way that we can all come together to provide solutions for the people of our country. Hand sanitizer bottles and caps, medical masks, face shields, packaging, you name it and it is being done faster and better than we have ever seen. As an industry, we are stronger together and together we will be dominant.

Lastly, I just want to say thank you to all of the industry associations that are helping us make it through this current struggle. The Technology Manufacturing Association, National Association of Manufacturing, Illinois Manufacturing Association, and the American Mold Builders Association have all been working hard to provide answers, conversation platforms, and fighting for our rights to remain open and essential.

All In One Survival Tool | Alliance Specialties and Alliance Laser Sales

Tony Demakis — Thu, 02 Apr 2020 05:00:00 GMT

As a boy growing up I had the pleasure of being in Cub Scouts, Webelos, and then Boy Scouts. You learn a lot of great lessons as a scout. Everything from how to make a trebuchet out of popsicle sticks, to knowing the difference between maple leaves and poison ivy, to building a fire with melted crayons. Scouts also came with some of the coolest gear, but none was better than the all in one, mother of all survival tools, the Swiss Army Knife.

No matter what you need it is there. Starting with a large and small knife blade. It also has screwdrivers (Phillips and standard), scissors, corkscrew, can opener, tweezers, and even a tooth pick. It is easily the go to solution when you are going to be in the woods.

Some people would look at the Swiss Army Knife and think that it is overkill and won’t a standard old flip knife work just as well? I mean, why do you really need a saw blade on your pocketknife? My answer for that is because when you do need it, aren’t you glad you have it?

Now lets look at how this applies to work. There are many companies out there that specialize in one thing specifically. Some may do polishing, or they do laser welding, or they do hot runner repair, and that is all they do. They are the flip knife of the industry. Good at what they do but if you need anything else you are going to have to bring a lot of additional tools. When your tool is in need of finishing or repair, do you really want the risk and delays of sending it to multiple places to achieve the necessary results?

That is where Alliance can make the difference. We are the Swiss Army Knife of the plastic injection industry. The beautiful red handled hub for all your mold finishing and repair needs. Why is this important? Because we know that if you need some laser welding or engraving done, you most likely will need that part finished and polished. If you have a hot runner manifold that needs to be repaired, you may need to have parts laser welded up and machined back to spec.

You see, no matter what you need, we are ready to serve you. Pick up and delivery, mold finishing, hot runner manifold repair, mold maintenance, laser welding, and laser engraving; you need it, we do it. So the next time you have a tooling need are you going to use the one trick pony and hope for the best, or are you going to put your trust in the multifaceted, problem solving, all around difference makers?

Opportunity for Change | Alliance Specialties and Alliance Laser Sales

Tony Demakis — Thu, 19 Mar 2020 05:00:00 GMT

It seems right now in this age of COVID-19 that every single day is creating new guidelines for life and how to go about it. Whatever I write and post today could be outdated by the time you read this tomorrow or next week. That is how fast things are moving and changing right now. The downside is that this is affecting travel, work, communication, interaction, family, and every other part of what we do as people. The upside of this situation is that it is creating an opportunity to do things differently.

Every time our company has evolved, it was out of a necessity for change. Growth doesn’t typically happen without some pain to spur it on. In almost every situation it is difficult to make changes when things are going well. I mean, like the old saying goes, “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it”, right? Leadership books, podcasts, seminars, etc will tell you that those good times are the exact times to look for those improvements. It is great advice in theory but in practice it is difficult to achieve. The typical response is to think about some possible opportunities but not make any instant changes Instead to ride those good times out until they break down then figure out what went wrong and course correct. Then suddenly something like the current state of affairs pops up and smacks us upside the head.

The good news is that with conflict comes opportunity. It is amazing how quickly we can get things done when it is out of necessity and not simply when we have time. Within our own company, as news breaks daily, we have found and created better ways to communicate with our customers and our staff. We have made it possible for members of our team to tele-work. We have been able to utilize technology for more video chats and information sharing. We are deep cleaning our personal work areas and evaluating the best possible use of space and evolving our facility. All of this because of the current state of affairs in the world.

Even though this situation is so far from ideal and I would never, ever, ever, hope to have us experience the craziness that is the Coronavirus, it has created a catalyst for growth and change. These changes are not only going to sustain us through this issue but make us better in the long term because the changes are actually things that we have been meaning to do, but “don’t have time for”, or “have always done it a certain way so why change”. It is time to embrace the situation for what it is, an opportunity to do it differently.