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More from Tim Heston
- From The Fabricator
Celebrating the people in manufacturing
- By Tim Heston
- Nov 4, 2015
- Shop Management
- Article
Manufacturing Day celebrates what’s at the heart of the real world of progressive manufacturing. It’s about people talking and working together to make their lives, and the lives of their customers, easier.
- From The Fabricator
How the master-and-apprentice relationship builds a skilled workforce
- By Tim Heston
- Oct 28, 2015
- Shop Management
- Blog Post
New technology allows rookies to start making good parts right away, but that connection with experienced workers still needs to be there.
- From The Fabricator
How managing by valuation is changing Farris Fab
- By Tim Heston
- Oct 26, 2015
- Shop Management
- Article
Farris Fab has grown to become a $24.5 million enterprise. Within the past year company leaders have started to manage by valuation. They have no intention to sell, but maximizing the value of the company also happens to improve the overall operation.
- From The Fabricator
A new spin on welding
- By Tim Heston
- Oct 19, 2015
- Arc Welding
- Article
SpinArc, a kind of gas metal arc welding, rotates the wire at a controlled speed, diameter, and direction. This feature reportedly improves weld quality and productivity, and it makes more types of weld joints possible.
- From The Fabricator
Freeing space for metal fabrication
- By Tim Heston
- Oct 19, 2015
- Bending and Forming
- Article
In a few years Performance Stamping may well be a very different company. It recently cleared away inventory to free space not for more stamping, but for metal fabrication.
- From The Fabricator
Evolution of the cutting laser: About the diode
- By Tim Heston
- Oct 15, 2015
- Laser Cutting
- Blog Post
Don't blink, or you'll miss the fastest evolving technology in the custom fab shop: the cutting laser.
- From The Fabricator
Small batches, big-time automation
- By Tim Heston
- Oct 15, 2015
- Automation and Robotics
- Article
Rapid-Line Inc., a contract manufacturer in Grand Rapids, Mich., has a long history of early technology adoption. Two years ago it became an early adopter again, this time with an entirely different kind of robot. Regardless of the technology, everyone keeps their eye on what truly matters when it comes to manufacturing efficiency: how long it takes for an order to make it to the shipping dock.
- From The Fabricator
Diversification: The true competitive advantage in metal fabrication
- By Tim Heston
- Oct 15, 2015
- Shop Management
- Article
According to recent benchmarking surveys from the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association International, debt ratios remain manageable, EBITDA steady, yet revenue concentration remains high for some. The numbers show areas for opportunity as well as challenges.
- From The Fabricator
How to build loyalty in manufacturing workers? Go off-script
- By Tim Heston
- Oct 15, 2015
- Shop Management
- Article
Why do employees leave for a few cents more an hour? It goes back to culture—but what is culture, really? Rutland Walker of Atlanta-based The Academy of Marketing gives a relatively concrete explanation. It’s about connecting with employees with a shared purpose or belief.
- From The Fabricator
Wisconsin metal fabricator thrives on complexity
- By Tim Heston
- Oct 12, 2015
- Shop Management
- Article
Advanced Laser Machining Inc. launched in 1996, just when laser cutting was becoming a metal fabrication mainstay and software was changing everything. Today managers are hoping to put a structure in place to grow the company even more. In 10 years ALM may be a $75 million enterprise
- From The Fabricator
Streamlining diverse part flow in metal fabrication
- By Tim Heston
- Oct 7, 2015
- Shop Management
- Article
The people at Prince Precision Products may be fabricating thin sheet one hour and thick plate the next hour. Managers at PPP call their operation a hybrid—part job shop focusing on small runs, part production operation. Juggling it all requires focus on good communication and minimizing rework.
- From The Fabricator
Why scaling up may be tough in metal fabrication
- By Tim Heston
- Sep 17, 2015
- Shop Management
- Blog Post
Hefty competition usually drives companies to consolidate to achieve economies of scale. For metal fabrication, this rule may not apply.
- From The Fabricator
Consolidation in metal fabrication: horizontal, vertical, or both?
- By Tim Heston
- Sep 16, 2015
- Shop Management
- Blog Post
M&A activity has been on the rise in metal fabrication in recent years, but what's the strategy behind it all? Fabricators seem to be diversifying, both in terms of process offerings and customer bases.
- From The Fabricator
Measuring the manufacturing cycle in metal fabrication
- By Tim Heston
- Sep 15, 2015
- Shop Management
- Blog Post
Many fabricators scrutinize how fast a laser cuts: How quickly can a machine finish a nest, how many blanks per minute can a press brake form. But how do these processing speeds correlate to a custom fabricator’s profitability?
- From The Fabricator
How small batches simplify metal fabrication
- By Tim Heston
- Sep 14, 2015
- Bending and Forming
- Blog Post
When order quantities shrink, things can get really complicated on the job shop floor--unless the order-to-ship cycle shrinks as well.
- Podcasting
- Podcast:
- The Fabricator Podcast
- Published:
- 03/26/2024
- Running Time:
- 67:51
This week on The Fabricator Podcast, Jason Becker, host of the Arc Junkies Podcast and owner of Underground...
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- Upcoming Webcasts
Nitrogen Generation for Laser Cutting: Navigating System Design for YOUR Operation
- April 24, 2024
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- Presented By: Purity Gas