I just received a call from a delightful gentleman in Connecticut. He’s an auditor who was overcome with curiosity after seeing many invoices carrying the odd phrases that we tend to use at New Pig, such as “Con-grunt-ulations!”

When you use it a lot, you forget, but we do have some odd vocabulary, don’t we?

For the auditor in Connecticut and anyone else who’s curious, here’s some quick information on what we say and why we say it:

IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD
In the mid 1980’s, New Pig grew out of an industrial cleaning business in Central Pennsylvania run by Donald Beaver, Jr. and Ben Stapelfeld. Their business suffered particularly high labor costs in sites where clay pellets (familiar as cat litter) were spread around machines that leaked liquids such as oil and coolant. The clay gave some traction but made a bad mess even worse.

Beaver and Stapelfeld invented a tubular absorbent (the ground-up center of corn cob in a cloth tube) that was a much easier way to control leaks and spills. This product, which resembled a sausage and was developed in a messy testing area called the Pig Pen, become the PIG® Absorbent Sock. The founders recognized the word-of-mouth potential in marketing their company and products using a humorous pig motif, and it made sense because the products were used in dirty situations and had big appetites. They went “whole hog” with names that eventually included:

COMPANY
New Pig Corporation, usually shortened to “New Pig.” They preferred “Pig Corporation” but that was already taken by a Pennsylvania pig farmer. “New Pig” follows the pattern of “New England.”

ADDRESS
One Pork Avenue

TELEPHONE NUMBER
1-800-HOT-HOGS (468-4647)

PRODUCT CATALOG
Pigalog® (not cat-alog, but pig-alog)

BRAND
PIG® is the brand used on our wide range of products used for leak and spill control.

PRODUCT NAMES
Pig-oriented product names include:

• HAM-O® Absorbent Mat (this mat’s pattern is not cam-ouflage, but ham-ouflage)
• FAT MAT® Absorbent Mat
• HogHyde™ Skin (referring to the reinforcing layer in some of our DRAINBLOCKER® Drain Covers, used to seal storm drains in emergencies)
• ShopHog® Wipers (wipers for your industrial floor or shop)
• Sporksball (a promotional item—a football shaped like a pig)
• WatchHog (a promotional item—a motion-sensitive “watchdog” swine that oinks when activated)

Many other product names aren’t pig-oriented but are still fun in themselves:

• Elephant Absorbent Mat (which resembles an elephant’s skin)
• CHAT MAT® Absorbent Mat (which “talks” to you with printed safety messages)
• BubbleZorb® Packaging Material (which combines cushioning bubbles with absorbent material)
• CHUCK® Boxes (shipping cartons designed for use as trash containers; “chuck” in products after use)
• Burpless® Funnels (vented so that you can pour in liquid quickly without its “burping” back)
• Sticky Steps® Mats (which feature non-transferring adhesive where dirt “sticks” when you walk on it)

CATCH PHRASE
Partners In Grime (with initials P.I.G.)

SALUTATIONS OFTEN USED IN CORRESPONDENCE OR PHONE CALLS
Swine-cerely
Oinks very much
Con-grunt-ulations

And one more …

Have a swine day!

This article adds detail to the picture of the skilled labor crisis (Who’ll replace retiring maintenance pros?).

Part of the problem is termed the compromised education system. The claim is that in most school districts, up to half of students don’t graduate high school. Only 1 out of 3 grads actually has twelfth-grade skills.

The article also bemoans the lack of technical apprenticeships. I can’t tell if this includes vocational school programs. At any rate, it’s said to be another reason that the supply of skilled workers will shrink …

… forcing companies to pay more for them …

… forcing up the cost of goods.

The article recommends investing wisely in skilled workers, lest you be caught short and enter a death spiral. (The last words you want to hear, or I want to type, on a late Friday afternoon …)

This article in The Safe Workplace has some simple, straightforward reminders for challenging economic times. The big points are:

• Never skimp on safety.
• Especially during a business downturn.
• You’re talking about people’s lives and your company’s reputation.
• And it doesn’t pay.

The American Society of Safety Engineers apparently has seen some recent cases of cost-cutting and was compelled to respond.

Some choice nuggets:

REMINDERS FOR EMPLOYERS DURING TOUGH TIMES

• Employee morale may be low
• Employees may be carrying additional workloads, such as working additional hours
• Employees may be doing unfamiliar tasks due to cutbacks

REMINDERS FOR EMPLOYEES OF WAYS TO HELP CUT SAFETY COSTS

• Follow safe working procedures
• Properly use, clean and care for protective equipment such as hardhats and respirators
• Reuse gloves whenever possible for as long as possible
• Keep track of safety glasses and reusable hearing protection

Not earth-shattering stuff, but timely.