RV’S OR PROSTHETICS: WHICH IS HIGH-TECH?
ERIC KANAGY, CEO REDPOST, INC. ERIC@THEREDPOST.COM

High Tech = Innovative

ELECTRONICS MANUFACTURING PLANT
CHINA

DOMETIC AWNING MANUFACTURING PLANT
LAGRANGE, INDIANA, U.S.A.

HINT:
INNOVATION =
PROCESS
PRE-TEST: WHICH IS INNOVATIVE?

ELKHART COUNTY: A RICH HISTORY OF INNOVATION
1933 CHICAGO WORLD’S FAIR - CHANGED THE COUNTY FOREVER

DOMETIC Before:
build to stock, stored & handled inventory
70% on time delivery (and lower)
customers were not getting what they were
promised

7 Years Ago:
initiated build-to-order push
invested in new technology to manage order
flow & scheduling
“Just like Burger King–they don’t put a burger
on the grill until it’s ordered.”

After:
99% on time delivery
changed customer expectations
lower labor costs–no inventory
have between 80-90% of the awning market
producing over 300k awnings/yr

PATENTS ARE PRODUCTS OF INNOVATION
MUST BE NOVEL

ELKHART COUNTY is a
PATENT POWERHOUSE
1976-1995 1996-2006
INDIANAPOLIS INDIANAPOLIS
ELKHART ELKHART
FT. WAYNE WARSAW
KOKOMO BATESVILLE
COLUMBUS COLUMBUS

County Patents ʻ96-ʼ06
Marion (Indianapolis) 3,531
Elkhart 644
Kosciusko (Warsaw) 622
Ripley 461
Bartholomew (Columbus) 453
Tippecanoe (Lafayette) 429
Allen (Ft. Wayne) 350
Howard (Kokomo) 279
Monroe (Bloomington) 235
Hamilton (Indianapolis) 138
St. Joseph (South Bend) 127

BOTH! AND
NEITHER!
FINAL EXAM: WHICH IS INNOVATIVE?

BOTH! AND
NEITHER!
FINAL EXAM: WHICH IS INNOVATIVE?

CREATIVE PEOPLE INNOVATE
THE FUTURE OF ELKHART COUNTY IS BRIGHT

Eric Kanagy
CEO, RedPost inc.
eric@theredpost.com