- FMA
- The Fabricator
- FABTECH
- Canadian Metalworking
Our Publications
Categories
- Additive Manufacturing
- Aluminum Welding
- Arc Welding
- Assembly and Joining
- Automation and Robotics
- Bending and Forming
- Consumables
- Cutting and Weld Prep
- Electric Vehicles
- En Español
- Finishing
- Hydroforming
- Laser Cutting
- Laser Welding
- Machining
- Manufacturing Software
- Materials Handling
- Metals/Materials
- Oxyfuel Cutting
- Plasma Cutting
- Power Tools
- Punching and Other Holemaking
- Roll Forming
- Safety
- Sawing
- Shearing
- Shop Management
- Testing and Measuring
- Tube and Pipe Fabrication
- Tube and Pipe Production
- Waterjet Cutting
Industry Directory
Webcasts
Podcasts
FAB 40
Advertise
Subscribe
Account Login
Search
More from Vicki Bell
- From The Fabricator
Retirement: A quaint idea
- By Vicki Bell
- Jan 31, 2013
- Shop Management
- Blog Post
Don’t you just love it when you read an article on a major news site that makes you go, “Well, duh!” Such was the case today when I read a feature story on nbcnews.com about how fewer Americans count on retiring by 65 (unfortunately, the link to this article no longer works). As reported by...
- From The Fabricator
Debt and equity
- By Vicki Bell
- Jan 23, 2013
- Shop Management
- Blog Post
A couple of weeks ago, my esteemed fellow blogger and close watcher of all things economic, Eric Lundin, wrote a post entitled “We’ve all fallen off the fiscal cliff.” Commenting on the last-minute deal Congress approved to avoid sending the U.S. economy off the fiscal cliff, Lundin said,...
- From The Fabricator
New Year, less money
- By Vicki Bell
- Jan 9, 2013
- Shop Management
- Blog Post
It’s a New Year, and we escaped falling off the fiscal cliff, thanks to the very last-minute, drama-laden efforts of Congress to pass a bill to avert a much-portended catastrophe. In fact, if you went to bed too early on New Year’s Eve, which I apparently did, you fell asleep thinking we were...
- From The Fabricator
Chipmunks on the fiscal cliff
- By Vicki Bell
- Dec 18, 2012
- Shop Management
- Blog Post
In 2009 and 2010, I offered a little tongue-in-cheek look at current issues in December blog posts—one a parody of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” and the other, a really lame take on “Let it Snow.” This year, I was motivated by Alvin and the Chipmunks to revive this holiday exercise to...
- From The Fabricator
Thoughts on the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary
- By Vicki Bell
- Dec 18, 2012
- Shop Management
- Blog Post
It’s difficult to write today. The events of last Friday, Dec. 14, continue to weigh on my mind and the minds of everyone I know. Looking at all the sweet faces of innocent young children and those brave souls who tried to protect them is almost unbearable. You can’t do so without thinking of...
- From The Fabricator
Go north, young welder?
- By Vicki Bell
- Dec 13, 2012
- Finishing
- Blog Post
Recently, my fellow blogger Tim Heston published a post that cited a New York Times article from November about how entry level pay in manufacturing is waning. The article quoted a Boston Consulting Group report that actually questioned the skilled labor crisis: "Trying to hire high-skilled workers...
- From The Fabricator
Another training option
- By Vicki Bell
- Dec 5, 2012
- Shop Management
- Blog Post
Last week I wrote about vocational training—how programs that were being decimated a decade ago are seeing a strong comeback with even stronger participation. Many are adding classes to accommodate waiting lists. While music to manufacturers’ ears, this training alone likely will not be enough...
- From The Fabricator
Vocational training a good bet
- By Vicki Bell
- Nov 28, 2012
- Shop Management
- Blog Post
Among my job duties is scouring the Internet for news of interest to the metal fabricating community. Hardly a day goes by when I don’t run across items related to a topic of particular interest to metal fabricators—the shortage of skilled labor. It seems that every notable publication...
- From The Fabricator
Letter to the President
- By Vicki Bell
- Nov 7, 2012
- Shop Management
- Blog Post
Dear President Obama: Congratulations on your reelection. Although I did not vote for you, I sincerely wish you the best of luck and fervently hope that you are able to work with our gridlocked Congress to enact measures that will help our economy. Frankly, I am discouraged by the past four years,...
- From The Fabricator
Putting the storm into perspective
- By Vicki Bell
- Oct 31, 2012
- Shop Management
- Blog Post
Despite all of the advancements of mankind, we are not—and likely never will be—a match for Mother Nature. Whether it’s an earthquake, tsunami, hurricane, tornado, typhoon, drought, flooding, volcanic eruption, or some other natural disaster of epic proportion, Mother Nature has a way of...
- From The Fabricator
No votes for education?
- By Vicki Bell
- Oct 24, 2012
- Shop Management
- Blog Post
The current survey on thefabricator.com’s homepage asks which issue in the upcoming presidential election is most important to site visitors. It’s no surprise that the economy, including taxes, debt and deficit, and jobs, is the No. 1 concern with 55 percent of the votes. Of the 13 remaining...
- From The Fabricator
Just answer the question, please
- By Vicki Bell
- Oct 17, 2012
- Shop Management
- Blog Post
Today’s subject is pet peeves—more specifically, those that struck a nerve with me in last night’s presidential debate. Let me begin by listing a few of my pet peeves: Tardiness; the phrase “my bad” uttered by anyone over the age of 4; negativity; rude behavior, such as interrupting and...
- From The Fabricator
Yes, Virginia, low-skill factory jobs still can be found, but
- By Vicki Bell
- Oct 11, 2012
- Shop Management
- Blog Post
Tuesday’s “Fabricating Update” e-newsletter featured comments by Ed Youdell, president and CEO of the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, International®, about the first annual Manufacturing Day. The event, which was co-sponsored and -produced by FMA, was a big success as more than...
- From The Fabricator
From one metalworker to another and beyond
- By Vicki Bell
- Oct 4, 2012
- Shop Management
- Blog Post
Last week I wrote about a welder who called me to discuss some health concerns and wondered if his company should be having its welders take blood tests. A metalworker who read the blog post, “A call from Chet,” related very much to Chet’s concerns and shared his thoughts with me via e-mail....
- From The Fabricator
A call from 'Chet'
- By Vicki Bell
- Sep 27, 2012
- Safety
- Blog Post
Had an interesting phone call this week. A welder who’s been plying his trade for 18 years called to talk about some job-related health concerns he has. He called me because of an article I wrote eight years ago: “Welding fume health hazards.” Since the article was written, various...
- 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...
- Industry Events
Coil Processing Workshop & Tours
- April 2 - 3, 2024
- Corpus Christi, TX
GOLF4MFG South
- April 15, 2024
- Charlotte, NC
16th Annual Safety Conference
- April 30 - May 1, 2024
- Elgin,
Pipe and Tube Conference
- May 21 - 22, 2024
- Omaha, NE
World-Class Roll Forming Workshop
- June 5 - 6, 2024
- Louisville, KY
- Upcoming Webcasts
Nitrogen Generation for Laser Cutting: Navigating System Design for YOUR Operation
- April 24, 2024
- Sponsored
- Presented By: Purity Gas