cookware factory

Today I dipped my toe back into the product design world with a visit to a cookware factory located in Shawnee, Kansas. I saw the product in the showroom and spoke with the executives. As the meeting was ending I asked if I might have a tour of the production facilities someday. They seemed pleased that I would want to see the "dirty, noisy, don't touch anything unless I hand it to you" part of the business and said I could see it right then if I wanted.

I love factories, even noisy, dirty, don't touch ones, so the tour was very inspiring to me. The machines used to draw the flat circles of metal into a pot or a lid are large, weigh tons and exert enormous pressure. The polishing process looks dirty, gooey and greasy but I was told all the waste is biodegradable. (of course, they recycle all the metal bits). I saw how handles are attached, logos etched, and I met the inspection guru who was making little black marks on the pots that need extra polishing.

Being around people making things also made me realize how much I miss doing that myself an made me even more determined to find a new studio soon.

In other news, the ghost arrived at her destination!