2008: A year in review

We"re wrapping up things at The FABRICATOR and its sister magazines this week—getting the January and January/February issues ready to be shipped to the printer almost immediately upon our return from Christmas break, and working ahead on February features. You can tell everyone wants to gear it down so they can enjoy the holiday spirit—or spirits, depending on your holiday party of choice—in a relaxed state.



That state has put me in a reflective mood. The past year started off in a very positive way, building off a record 2007 for many metal fabricating firms, and has kind of stumbled toward the finish line by year"s end. But like any other year that I"ve worked on this magazine, it was an interesting one.


In late January I had the opportunity to visit Weldmex in Mexico City. Tradeshows in Mexico definitely have a different vibe than events in the U.S. They start later, typically have more distributors than exhibitors, and attract a much younger crowd, a reflection of the country"s overall population. We"ll see how things change this June 2-4 when FABTECH and METALFORM will co-locate with Weldmex. It won"t be as memorable for me because the show will be in Monterrey; I"m still have flashbacks about my cab rides with in Mexico City.



In mid-February I visited M&M Vehicle Corp.. It might have been my favorite trip of the year. Seeing the fabricating that these guys do to turn old golf carts into something else, such as stretch vehicles and emergency vehicles, was a real treat. Never underestimate the imagination of a fabricator.



I went down to Orlando, Fla., in mid-March for the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association"s Metal Matters educational event. The gathering of metal fabricators always provides a unique opportunity to see these peers picking each other"s brains and looking for new ideas for their own businesses. It always reminds me that often metal fabricators are their own worst enemies because they fear telling their own story or asking for advice from others. On that same trip I went to chat with Mark Mazurowski, a former Marine who is building a small business empire on fabricating parts for customized import cars. Mazworx is doing what every good shop does: serves a need and builds a business because they are so good at what they do.



In April I visited ESAB Welding & Cutting Products in Florence, S.C., and TRUMPF Inc. in Farmington, Conn. Metal fabricating will never fail because of a lack of cutting and joining technologies. Equipment developers will make sure of that.



July found me making visits to Integrity Manufacturing in Shepherdsville, Ky., and Victory Industrial Products in Batavia, Ohio. Integrity Manufacturing reminded me that metal fabricating doesn"t have to be a small-time affair. CEO Randall Waldman thinks big and recently saw his plans to open up an electric car manufacturing facility in Kentucky take a step backward with the recent economy. That won"t likely stop the company for long. The folks at Victory Industrial Products, who manufacture custom enclosures, fuel tanks, and accessories for on-site generators, reworked their entire welding department by instituting new training procedures and witnessed remarkable results in reducing downtime. Arguably, changing the culture of a shop floor is almost as impressive as launching a new business.



I went to England and Ireland in August. Good times.



In September I visited M&L Industries, Rogers, Minn. It is a smaller job shop that has witnessed a lot of its larger OEM customers disappear over the past several years. But the company isn"t pulling back; they invested in a small laser cutting machine to help them win new business. I probably laughed harder during this interview than any other one this year; commonsense philosophy from a Minnesotan is always good to make one think.



FABTECH International in Las Vegas, and EuroBLECH in Hanover, Germany, were on the docket in October. Based on the optimism shared among attendees and exhibitors at FABTECH, it"s hard to believe the economy is as bad as it seems. The Europeans, however, seemed to be more concerned than most U.S. citizens about the immediate future of the U.S. economy. Could it have been a case of burying our heads in the sand for too long?



I finished up 2008 with a visit to Shickel Corp. in Bridgewater, Va. The company is the winner of The FABRICATOR"s 2009 Industry Award. Shickel, where now the third generation of family is running day-to-day operations, has all the hallmarks of a great fabricating business: the engineering skills, the diversified customer base, engaged employees, and the can-do attitude that has them turning very few jobs away. You"ll enjoy reading about them in The FABRICATOR"s February 2009 cover story.



And I"ve enjoyed working with the metal fabricating industry again in 2008. Thanks for the great memories, and be safe during this holiday season.