My dad was the first to call when I got home. He’s a retired history professor, so he usually doesn’t have that much input on my job-related travels, but last week was different. I had driven to Advanced Technology Sales & Service, a Mitsubishi dealer in Greensboro, N.C. ATS held its grand opening of its new facility on May 25, and Joe Gibbs gave a speech for the event.

Did I mention Dad is a lifelong Washington Redskins fan?

As it turned out, so were many fabricators who turned up for the event last week. The former NFL coach heads Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), an organization that has had a partnership with Mitsubishi since 2005. JGR now has Mitsubishi laser cutting and EDMs on the shop floor in nearby Charlotte. More racing teams, including JGR, are bringing manufacturing processes in-house, and for good reason. Race cars are a little like consumables used in manufacturing. Each race puts serious wear and tear on many parts, and outright destroys others.

At the end of the day, communication wins races. The driver tells engineers and other team members how the car feels and responds, and then engineers and shop floor machinists and fabricators work together to design and fabricate new components in a matter of days, in time for the next race. As Gibbs and his son J.D., president of JGR, explained, this is why choosing the right people--those who can communicate and work effectively as a team--is so vital.
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