Seeing behind the scenes of everyday processes, seeing the previously unknown "how," can be an "Aha" moment. Karen Gantzer, senior editor and associate publisher of Heat Treat Today, shares about two such "Aha" experiences for the Heat Treat Today team.
This article first appeared in Heat Treat Today's August 2022 Automotive print edition. Feel free to contact Karen Gantzer at karen@heattreattoday.com if you have a question, comment, or any editorial contribution you’d like to submit.
Senior Editor, Associate Publisher
Heat Treat Today
It was the summer between my junior and senior year at college. I had secured a sports internship at WLWT, a television station in Cincinnati, Ohio. The opportunity to experience many behind the scene and front of the camera exposures was invaluable and rewarding. One memory that has stuck with me all these years was the first time I saw the meteorologist’s segment from behind the camera while she was on the newscast. She was standing in front of a green screen with a monitor off to the side explaining weather fronts and forecasts. I stood there in wonder. It looked totally different from the station side of things and today, I can’t watch a weather segment without thinking of the blank green screen!
Have you ever had that experience? Completely blown away by seeing a common or everyday product, process, or presentation whose behind the scenes production was, until the point you saw it, unknown to you. I suppose one could describe it as an “Aha” moment. Well, in early June, the Heat Treat Today team had one of those memory-making trips that we’ll not soon forget.
We had the privilege of visiting the fine folks at ThermTech in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Mary Springer and Chuck Hartwig along with their experienced team shared their expertise and insights as they led us on tours of their facility. How fun it was to see some of the industry vocabulary we put on paper come to life! To actually see everything from the fiery furnaces and the products being heat treated to the pre-furnace parts prep and huge baskets that are used, it was a moment that connected the industry words we work with to the actual processes. We will not forget the sights, smells, temperatures, kindness, and generosity of our time at ThermTech.
The next day, the Heat Treat Today team was graciously hosted by the Quad Graphics folks who print our eight annual magazines. Being divided into a few smaller groups, we each had our own
Quad expert who toured us through the vast and expansive printing facility. To see the incredible precision that it takes to get each magazine from our PDFs to the tangible copies you hold in your hands is truly a sight to behold. From the massive rolls of paper being stored wherever there is available floor space (and, yes, there is a paper shortage) to witnessing the inking, folding, and binding processes gave us all pause to: first recognize the importance for accuracy in our processes, and second to marvel at the many highly skilled individuals it takes to produce each issue. Truly “Aha” moments!
I’m thankful for the opportunity we had to experience these visits as a team and that we can still marvel and appreciate those once unknown processes.
When I view baskets when running errands that remind me of the ones at ThermTech, I’ll remember what and how they do what they do. And, it’s safe to say, when I look at any magazine on the rack, I will see all the machinations it went through from conception to publication. What a grand time to be alive!
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