This year, Austin Hardware® celebrates 60 years in business. What started as a small, family-owned business has bloomed into the success we see today with 10 U.S. locations and employees spread across the country. Our company's success is based on our roots to serve and provide quality parts and services while becoming a reliable partner in the industry.

Our CEO Mark Dudenhoeffer says it best,"We believe that as a family-owned and operated business, we have an opportunity to invest in our people and our customers for the long term." Team Austin is built on family values, a customer-first attitude, and quality in all aspects of our business. In times like these, we know that's what matters most.

What is Time Management?

Your most precious and limited resource is time. Learning effective time management is a valuable skill in and out of the workplace. Time management is essentially the way that you manage your time in business, life, and other aspects of your day today. If you’re busy or have a job where you fulfill a lot of different roles, time management might even be a more significant part of your life than you know it. We are all busy, but finding ways to improve your time management is important for your business and well-being. There are lots of reasons to improve your time management skills and methods that your business will significantly benefit from doing so.

Top Reasons for Better Time Management

• Get more done in less time.
• Structure your tasks with a hierarchy.
• Make your workflow more efficient.
• Increase your and your team’s workflow.
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As you can see, there are many great reasons to learn and master better time management skills, even more than the ones listed above. There are only so many hours in the day, and getting the most out of them will drastically improve all areas of your life. By wasting time or not using time efficiently, it takes longer to complete tasks.

Over time, this can create pain points for your entire business. To learn proper time management, you need to learn to prioritize tasks, responsibilities, and performance as it relates to how much time is required for each job. Mastering time management in your business will help you improve your bottom line and increase your company’s efficiency.

Simplify & Strategize

Once you master time management skills, you can begin to simplify your current processes and therefore strategize ways to improve other aspects of your business. Once you start to strategize ways to improve your business, you can start to create opportunities.

Business is all about new opportunities, and when you have mastered your time well, you can begin to grow other areas of your business. Face it, we all want growth in our business, and by mastering simple skills like time management, you can start to shift focus on long term growth strategies and away from micromanaging daily tasks.

Ready to learn more? Click to download the Austin Hardware® Time Management Guide Here.

EMT’s and ambulance personnel are under tremendous pressure. They have to concentrate and react quickly to care for their patients, and they have to do it while trying to stay on their feet in a fast-moving vehicle.

A critical moment for EMT’s is when they need to change out IV bags. Most IV hangers used in ambulances today require the EMT to use two hands to thread the bag onto the hanger. The process of identifying the hanger then trying to quickly thread the bag onto a stiff clasp can rob them of critical seconds. Moreover, with no extra hand available to provide balance, they’re exposed to injuring themselves, coworkers, or even the patient in the event of a quick turn or sudden stop.

At Austin Hardware®, we are your source for research and development, design, manufacturing, and more. We have extensive custom engineering capabilities and pride ourselves on providing some of the best engineering solutions across the industry.

Since 1960, we've worked hard to develop quality engineered solutions for the many different industries we serve. What started as a small, family-owned business has grown into the business you see today. We currently have 9 locations strategically located throughout the country to fully serve all regions of the U.S. and Canada.

Today, Austin Hardware® is the go-to specialty product and hardware supplier of choice for businesses in dozens of industries. Our Engineering team will work with your business to understand your needs and help identify your goals. 

Austin Guaranteed Engineering Solutions™

Why should you work with our team? The answer is simple: we have the knowledge, experience, and track record to get the job done right. Our engineering and design team is with you every step of the way, from concept to finished product.

We can help improve product design, functionality, and user experience while assisting with costs, sourcing, and manufacturing time. Combined, our team has over 100 years of experience and more than 25 patents. We are also ISO 9001:2015 certified for hardware and fastener products.

Prototyping Capabilities

Our engineering team is capable of your entire product design process, including the crucial step of prototyping. From research and development all the way to product launch and everything in between, we are your source. Designing your prototype is an essential part of product development.

Our team understands the need to assist with this stage of design. If your business is sourcing a custom-engineered product, you know that the prototype stage is critical to test functionality and meet your specific design needs. Our team carefully evaluates your concept and can choose from a variety of prototyping capabilities to help you design a low-cost and effective prototype.

When it comes to work truck safety, staying safe on the road is just as important as keeping your equipment safe, secure, and up to date. In addition to keeping your truck safe, it is essential always to follow DOT guidelines and ensure that your team knows local and state safety regulations.

Keeping your work truck means knowing when to stay safe and finding the right products that assist with your safety and peace of mind. At Austin Hardware®, we know trucks, and we know a thing or two about providing quality parts and products for your work truck.

When it comes to DIY (Do-It-Yourself) projects, you probably have a lot of questions about how to source the right products, and how you are going to execute your visions in real life. At Austin Hardware®, we are in the business of securing and providing solutions for our many different types of customers, including those who are DIY enthusiasts or home repair beginners. When it comes to finding the right hardware for your next project, you want to know you are sourcing quality, reliable goods for your business. Also, you want to know that the strength rating, materials, and design are the right choice for your project. Here are three of the biggest ways to use handles or other hardware for your next home repair or DIY project. 

When it comes to outfitting your work truck with the best on the market, let Austin Hardware® be your guide for all things work-truck related. We carry the top of line merchandise from lighting, drawer systems, handles, hinges, locking mechanisms, and more. Even better, Austin Guaranteed Engineered Solutions™ provides businesses like yours with state-of-the-art products guaranteed to give you the solutions you need. 

When it comes to doing business, there is a lot of lingo used for describing different aspects of the business. Having insight into the most common terms used in your industry helps you educate your team, business partners, and customers on various aspects of your industry. Here is a list of some of the top industry terms you might hear on a typical day.

Consignment Inventory - Consigned Inventory is inventory that is still owned by the supplier, but the customer has it on hand. When the customer uses or sells the inventory, the supplier then gets paid. This creates a form of financial security and freedom for the customer. 

Non-Consigned inventory – Non-consigned inventory is a traditional form of inventory where the customer pays for the inventory as it is needed to be replenished. When you need new parts or products, you order and pay for those goods.  

Inventory management - To keep things simple, inventory management is the management of inventory and stock. Inventory management ensures that correct levels of stock are always on hand. This has a lot of benefits for your business. However, having the right inventory at ALL times is a crucial component for your business. Read more about inventory management here: https://blog.austinhardware.com/what-is-inventory-management 

Austin Hardware® is a leading supplier for critical industries, including life-saving devices for ambulances, EMTs, and other emergency vehicles. We are proud to offer the B Lift hydraulic bariatric power lift as part of our complete line of solutions for life-saving industries. We truly believe that this is a beneficial and innovative product that will save lives and make the jobs of our important first responders easier and more efficient.

Not only does our product provide safety solutions, but it is also durable, strength tested, and made in the U.S. with quality parts and craftsmanship. The average EMS response time is 14-16 minutes, meaning that each minute is crucial, we aim to maximize the time that emergency medical technicians can focus on response time while providing a safe way to accomplish that. Providing quicker response times for emergency medical care, as well as enhancing patient care is important to providing the best solutions for safety. 

It’s no secret that Austin Hardware® is in the business of offering solutions for your business, by creating custom-engineered products that are designed to be innovative, intuitive and perfect for a variety of industries. Through our quest to create innovative products, we were able to create the Flexi-Vent, Flexible Mounting Cowl Vent as a strong competitor in today’s market. We listened to our customers' needs about creating an innovative design that was practical as it was original. With the flexible cowl vent, we solved three major problems seen on the market and was able to provide a solution for a variety of applications and industries. Ready to learn more? Keep Reading below.