Consider the work behind the product

It can be a dirty job, but somebody has to do it, and a lot of “somebodies” toil to keep anglers stocked with the goodies that make our sport interesting and enjoyable.

The companies that develop, manufacture and market lures, rods and reels, electronics, boats and other gadgets and gear work hard to serve the fishing marketplace. Their efforts result in ever better products that attract anglers’ dollars.

A news release that crossed my desk recently reminded me of the fact that skilled people design, drill, weld, bore, pour, stack, package, ship and otherwise labor in a slew of tasks necessary to make and deliver fishing products. Along the way, they encounter, endure and overcome a multitude of workplace hazards.

The news release, from Ranger Boats, announced a new water-jet cutting system installed to make the factory safer for workers and provide a better product for Ranger buyers.

It’s easy for the consumer to take products for granted. Lures and other packaged goods adorn the shelves and racks in eye-catching displays. Fishing boats glisten in the showrooms and back lots at dealerships, beckoning anglers to check them out and imagine themselves speeding across the lake.

But when you really think about, it dawns on you that people put themselves in harm’s way to make this stuff.

While it’s certain that responsible fishing product companies have great safety programs and continuously improve their processes to make sure employees go home each day without injury, none has shared their stories with me.

So I was impressed when the news release from Ranger came to my attention.

The boat maker says it has installed a new robotic water jet system that does one of the factory’s least-popular jobs: cutting holes and lids in the fiberglass, interior deck components of the more than 40 Ranger models.

Water-jet cutting greatly reduces the hazards of the job. It also results in better holes, thus improving the quality of the boats that anglers buy.

“In the past, these interior deck compartments were trimmed by some of the hardest-working men and women in the factory — each dressed head-to-toe in protective gear — working with a variety of jigs and making the cuts with routers, saws and drills,” President Randy Hopper said. “It was a difficult job that generated a lot of fiberglass dust.”

The new robotic “JetTool” benefits employees with a cleaner work environment and the company itself with cost savings from improved manufacturing efficiency and reductions in energy, maintenance and tool-making costs.

Ranger says consumers’ benefits include neater edges of compartments that house batteries, breakers and pumps.

The system is contained within an enclosed booth in the plant in Flippin, Ark.

The company continues to pursue opportunities to improve its manufacturing.

“As our process becomes leaner, not only with the robotic trimming system but with other processes, it results in decreased costs for Ranger, which can ultimately result in a more stable cost to dealers and customers from year to year,” said Lance Newton, Ranger’s engineering project manager.

Anglers benefit when companies invest in better ways to make the stuff we use. It makes our time on the water more enjoyable and productive.

I, for one, salute those who invest to stay in service to the fishing community.

jwwollitz@aol.com