Learning how to get every bit of flow out of your metal while minimizing scrap -- doesn't that sound like a good idea?

If you make continuous feedback a part of your managerial style, the annual performance appraisal becomes and affirmation of a positive working relationship instead of a drudgery merely to be tolerated.

This perception that keeping an employee working increases the probability that the employee will return to full duty quickly leads to some really creative efforts that focus on keeping the employee at work and keeping the numbers low.

When it comes to the economy, cautious optimism is as good as it gets.

Software plays a key role in abrasive jet machining. Infact, it is only through software that precision abrasive jet machining truly is possible. Some of the most significant advancements in the industry have been in software.

A coil end joiner, shear welder, end welder, coil splicer, strip welder, shear and end welder, or butt welder—whatever you call it, it performs the same simple task coil after coil: It quickly shears strip ends, butts them, and provides a smooth ductile weld so that the newly joined coil can pass through a tube mill.

I once worked for an ironworker general foreman named Wheeler. He was a great guy to work for because he was good with the men, and he knew his stuff. When he told you something was to be done, you knew there was a good reason for it, and that he had thought it out carefully. That's what it's all about in the field, knowing your stuff.

Gone are the days when engineers and draftsmen slaved for hours over drafting boards with a pencil and slide rule in hand (does anyone remember slide rules?). Today we've moved beyond slide rules and even beyond hand-held calculators to personal computers and mainframes to do much, if not all, of our design work. CAD and CAM software has made this possible.

The war in Iraq is giving the world a firsthand look at modern warfare and its latest weapons. Embedded reporters and military experts give us blow-by-blow details and explain strategies, logistics, aircraft, weapons, and other tools of war. While war coverage and weapons have evolved since previous wars, the basic strategies remain the same, and these same strategies have found acceptance in business.

Listening to the current economic rhetoric, much of which contains formulaic doublespeak and political posturing, has led me to a couple of clichd observations. In terms of talk—which is not quite as cheap in an election year, when the stakes are higher—you ain't seen nothing yet. Political candidates and pundits will state, interpret, attack, defend, and regurgitate past actions and campaign promises ad nauseam from now until the November election.