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More from Tim Heston
- From The Fabricator
Laser cutting at FABTECH: Not just about inches-per-minute
- By Tim Heston
- Nov 10, 2017
- Laser Cutting
- Blog Post
When people and automation can't keep up with machines, the actual speed or power of this or that machine matters less. Flow matters more.
- From The Fabricator
How a good company culture spurs a virtuous cycle
- By Tim Heston
- Nov 7, 2017
- Shop Management
- Article
Achieving and improving a stellar company culture remains an elusive goal to quantify in metal fabrication. But some companies are measuring it. In one sense, it could be treated as a central tenet of process improvement.
- From The Fabricator
Big data wellspring for optimal flow in metal fabrication
- By Tim Heston
- Nov 3, 2017
- Shop Management
- Article
A tour for the North American industry press of Belgian and Dutch fabricators reveals that no matter how complicated an operation becomes, it’s still all about flow—and driving that flow, now and in the future, are software and big data.
- From The Fabricator
Lean meets the internet of things
- By Tim Heston
- Nov 3, 2017
- Shop Management
- Article
Industrial Sales & Manufacturing launched a unique improvement methodology while investing in machine monitoring and connectivity. The two initiatives go hand in hand.
- From The Fabricator
Laser cutting, no gas delivery trucks required
- By Tim Heston
- Oct 30, 2017
- Laser Cutting
- Article
Nitrogen generation has become more established in laser cutting circles. The latest technology can adapt to the highly variable needs of the custom fabricator.
- From The Fabricator
Mastering fabrication by mastering cash management
- By Tim Heston
- Oct 26, 2017
- Shop Management
- Article
The latest “Financial Ratios & Operational Benchmarking Survey” shows a slight decline in sales for participating shops. But even during not-so-stellar times, top-performing shops ended the year with a healthy profit.
- From The Fabricator
Metal fabricating in sequence, by color
- By Tim Heston
- Oct 18, 2017
- Shop Management
- Article
Six years ago workers at Hillphoenix’s Iowa operation spent 13 weeks getting an order ready to ship to a customer—and they put in a lot of overtime to make it happen. It now takes them less than half the time. The company got there by manufacturing in sequence and focusing on job velocity.
- From The Fabricator
Good engineering, better metal fabrication
- By Tim Heston
- Oct 16, 2017
- Finishing
- Article
Good engineering practice drives everything at Royal Welding & Fabricating, a custom fabricator in California. It can be seen in the design of some of its tanks and vessels, as well as its manufacturing processes on the floor—including grinding and polishing.
- From The Fabricator
Plate rolling, cutting, welding, and thinking big
- By Tim Heston
- Oct 16, 2017
- Bending and Forming
- Article
Nuclear industry manufacturer Holtec International opened a new fabrication facility on the New Jersey side of the Delaware River. But it’s not a traditional industrial fabrication plant. The company has introduced single-piece part flow to extremely large-workpiece fabrication.
- From The Fabricator
How trust leads to success in custom fabrication
- By Tim Heston
- Oct 11, 2017
- Shop Management
- Article
USA Dutch, a North Carolina custom fabricator, has grown significantly since the Great Recession, especially after acquiring a competing (and larger) fabricator in 2015. Managers attribute much of that growth to the company’s culture.
- From The Fabricator
Ready, set, launch: A custom fabrication startup story
- By Tim Heston
- Oct 10, 2017
- Shop Management
- Article
The launch of BMF Metal Fabrication reveals market opportunities in quick response. Turn jobs around quickly, and more customers come calling.
- From The Fabricator
Gas tungsten arc welding goes deep
- By Tim Heston
- Sep 19, 2017
- Arc Welding
- Article
K-TIG, a variant of gas tungsten arc welding, introduces a unique keyhole, high speeds, and deep penetration. Those working with stainless, nickel-based alloys, and other specialty and corrosion-resistant materials have another welding technology to consider.
- From The Fabricator
What makes a custom fabricator unique?
- By Tim Heston
- Sep 15, 2017
- Shop Management
- Article
A custom fabricator’s marketing message isn’t necessarily about technology and processing capabilities. After all, competing fabricators can buy identical equipment. Instead, the true “brand” of a custom fabricator is about people who are there to help.
- From The Fabricator
Technology Spotlight: The potential of self-driving vehicles in metal fabrication
- By Tim Heston
- Aug 17, 2017
- Materials Handling
- Article
Self-driving vehicles, combined with robot intelligence, could help drive efficiency on what remains a highly manual process in metal fabrication: moving parts from one process to another.
- From The Fabricator
Technology Spotlight: Uncovering the “why” in equipment effectiveness
- By Tim Heston
- Aug 17, 2017
- Automation and Robotics
- Article
A factory may have thousands of sensors on the production floor, hundreds in the welding line, but all that data may not be very useful. Data analytics helps convert that data to specific information that people can act upon.
- Podcasting
- Podcast:
- The Fabricator Podcast
- Published:
- 05/07/2024
- Running Time:
- 67:38
Patrick Brunken, VP of Addison Machine Engineering, joins The Fabricator Podcast to talk about the tube and pipe...
- Industry Events
World-Class Roll Forming Workshop
- June 5 - 6, 2024
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Advanced Laser Application Workshop
- June 25 - 27, 2024
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- July 31 - August 1, 2024
- Elgin,
- Upcoming Webcasts
Navigating Change: The Manufacturer’s Guide to Change Management with ERP Implementation
- May 16, 2024
- Sponsored
- Presented By: ECI Software Solutions, M1
Managing Dangerous Dusts from Metalworking
- June 26, 2024
- Sponsored
- Presented By: Camfil Air Pollution Control