Late last year, we received an unusual request from people at Baker Oil Tools, a $1 billion oil-field-equipment manufacturer in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. The oil industry is going through lots of changes, and a group at Baker Oil thought that a few Fast Company caps would help convey a sense of urgency at its next strategy meeting. We had some FC hats on hand, so we sent along 25 of them.

To learn more about Baker Oil's change efforts, Fast Company talked to Andrew Haynes, 45, a product-line manager in the company's safety-valve division, who took part in the strategy session.

What Are You Working On?

'Baker Hughes Inc., our parent company, is establishing an initiative called Project Renaissance. We're now focusing on continuous process improvement: What can we do to increase efficiency? We're number one in our industry, but our competitors are gaining on us. This year, we're concentrating on designing and manufacturing our products so quickly that the competition won't ever be able to catch up.'

Favorite FC Story

'A comment in a recent Unit of One piqued my interest. Jay Chiat said, 'It's not about how new a product is -- it's about how well that product resonates with people' (What's New, What's Not, January 1999). That confirmed my view that if customers still desire old products, then it's good business practice to continue making those products available.'

Coordinates: Andrew Haynes, Baker Oil Tools, andrew.haynes@bakeroiltools.com

From: June 1999 issue