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From April 2012 issue of
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From automobiles to artwork

Published: May 9, 2012
Tech Cell: Fab Stories

Manuel Sarmiento went to a vocational school to learn to be a fender-and-body technician and to learn to paint cars. Fooling around with a plasma cutter one day, he cut out the shape of a hand and took it home to his wife. She loved it and...

From May 2012 issue of
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Made to order, for emergency

Published: May 1, 2012
Tech Cell: Fab Stories

No one would argue that at least some elements of lean manufacturing apply to most operations, but Horton Emergency Vehicles is a made-to-order vehicle manufacturer. Certainly, Horton’s highly custom approach didn’t fit a assembly-line...

From May 2012 issue of
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Steady flow, steady profits

Published: May 1, 2012
Tech Cell: Fab Stories

ETM Manufacturing invests in continuous improvement training. Since initiating these efforts in 2007, the company has less than doubled its headcount, but tripled annual sales.

From May 2012 issue of
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How soft skills make a shop successful

Published: May 1, 2012
Tech Cell: Fab Stories

When hiring, Jay Manufacturing Oshkosh managers don't look for technical skills first. Instead, they concentrate on elements that are difficult to teach--that is, the soft skills.

From March/April 2012 issue of
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Three’s company

Published: March 9, 2012
Tech Cell: Fab Stories

Many weld instructors will tell you that the ability to hear plays a critical role in developing a skilled welder. But a deaf student from Tennessee is proving that character traits like determination and a strong work ethic are more important. It...

From March 2012 issue of
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TPJ’s 2012 Industry Award Winner: Chicago Tube & Iron

Published: March 5, 2012
Tech Cell: Fab Stories

Don McNeeley, president and CEO of ChicagoTube & Iron, describes the big turning points in a company's inflection. For many companies, a point of inflection is the plateau between the company's youthful growth phase and the decline into old age,...

From March 2012 issue of
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Metcam cleans house

Published: February 28, 2012
Tech Cell: Fab Stories

Metcam reduces inventory and reorganizes the shop floor, placing press brakes and hardware insertion presses next to blanking centers--all during one of the company’s busiest Decembers ever.

From January/February 2012 issue of
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The melding worlds of motorsports and metal art

Published: February 1, 2012
Tech Cell: Fab Stories

A community college motorsports fabrication instructor finds common ground in race car fabrication, metal art.

From January 2012 issue of
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Lessons learned lead to big bounce back

Published: January 9, 2012
Tech Cell: Fab Stories

A&E Custom Manufacturing was on the ropes financially in the early 1990s, but the lessons learned during that struggle helped to put it in a position to rebound strongly after the downturn of 2009. In fact, they have been steadily rebuilding the...

From November 2011 issue of
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Metal fabrication, the Swiss way

Published: November 8, 2011
Tech Cell: Fab Stories

Switzerland’s manufacturers have no trouble finding citizens with technical skills; there just aren’t enough Swiss citizens. The country has a comprehensive apprenticeship program that helps prepare students for the working world.

From October 2011 issue of
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Need a light--now?

Published: October 20, 2011
Tech Cell: Fab Stories

Phoenix Products Co.--a high-mix, low-volume lighting products manufacturer--has implemented an improvement methodology called quick-response manufacturing, and realized dramatic improvements in lead-times. One light fixture that used to take...

From October 2011 issue of
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Fabricator takes a team approach to job management

Published: October 20, 2011
Tech Cell: Fab Stories

Anderson Dahlen is a precision sheet metal job shop. It’s an industrial contractor that designs and fabricates entire systems for the processing sector, everything from mixing systems for the chemical industry to holding tanks for dairy plants....

From October 2011 issue of
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Brass instrument manufacturing: How metal makes music

Published: October 10, 2011
Tech Cell: Fab Stories

Getzen Co. uses 200-year-old technology to make its high-end trumpets and trombones. Walking into the company’s Elkhorn, Wis., facility is a bit like walking into a metalworking museum. Here, worker experience and skill reign supreme.

From October 2010 issue of
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How a shop devoted to improvement improved

Published: September 13, 2011
Tech Cell: Fab Stories

At a major automotive OEM, a support operation is devoted to continuous improvement projects for the assembly line, fabricating items as needed to make life easier for line workers. Unfortunately, the improvement shop wasn’t very organized. As...

From August 2011 issue of
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Fabricator finds path to skilled labor

Published: August 1, 2011
Tech Cell: Fab Stories

Crow Corp. had trouble finding the right person for the job, so company management took a bold step—and outsourced the hiring process. Today, the Houston-area fabricator is feeling the benefits.

From August 2011 issue of
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Design for manufacturability opens doors

Published: August 1, 2011
Tech Cell: Fab Stories

Dawson Doors, a fabricator in a small town in western New York, has developed a global presence in the high-end enclosure and door fabrication markets. By closely collaborating with customers, the unique fabrication company has continued to grow.

From July 2011 issue of
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The benefits of technical certification in metal fabrication

Published: July 18, 2011
Tech Cell: Fab Stories

The prototype shop at International Gaming Technologies employs serious talent. They take a sheet metal part through the entire fabrication process, from laser cutting and bending to welding and grinding. To qualify for a job here requires...

From July 2011 issue of
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Project engineer changes careers, chooses metal fabrication

Published: July 18, 2011
Tech Cell: Fab Stories

Jacob Melton quit his desk job in Chicago, drove home to Houston, and with his father bought a metal fabrication company. Several years later, even after a severe recession, it turns out that was a smart career move.

From June 2011 issue of
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Don't waste a good recession

Published: June 7, 2011
Tech Cell: Fab Stories

When others sat on the sidelines praying for a miracle during the Great Recession, Seconn Fabrication added 25,000 square feet, invested in new equipment, implemented a new MRP system, refocused its marketing efforts, and tackled other projects to...

From June 2011 issue of
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Getting in tune with tube

Published: June 2, 2011
Tech Cell: Fab Stories

Custom guitar-maker Gordon Branch started making guitars from wood, the traditional material, about 25 years ago. He went in a different direction when he created a design based on an aluminum billet, relying on the metal’s acoustic...

From May 2011 issue of
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The personal side of metal fabricating

Published: May 6, 2011
Tech Cell: Fab Stories

Southern Fabricators Inc. has put a premium on the relationships it has with its customers, and that focus has led to robust growth, particularly as the metal fabricator has invested in new equipment to keep up with customer demands.

From April 2011 issue of
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A method to job shop software madness

Published: April 19, 2011
Tech Cell: Fab Stories

Choosing job shop software can be a daunting task. How can you be sure to choose a system that accomplishes the tasks you want and provides the best return on investment?

From March 2011 issue of
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Old-school fabricator takes it one step at a time

Published: February 25, 2011
Tech Cell: Fab Stories

Shortly after the company was founded as a welding and repair shop in 1949, Wells-Osborn Spiral Stairs found a niche in building spiral staircases. Founder Bill Osborn bought some equipment and made some of his own. Some of Osborn’s original...

From February 2011 issue of
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Welding ventilation goes to school

Published: January 31, 2011
Tech Cell: Fab Stories

The concern to protect welders from the dangers of inhaling welding fumes is not limited to just metal fabricating companies. The schools training the next generation of manufacturing workers need to be concerned as well. In fact, the pressure may...

From February 2011 issue of
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Fabricating of the third-generation kind

Published: January 27, 2011
Tech Cell: Fab Stories

A commitment to a new sales strategy and a solid foundation of fabricating talent and capabilities helped Clark Metal Products, Blairsville, Pa., weather the Great Recession. It's also put the company in a position to top its record year of 2008...

From January/February 2011 issue of
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Fabricating tube, learning lessons in America's Dairyland

Published: January 21, 2011
Tech Cell: Fab Stories

J & D Tube Benders Inc., founded as a partnership to produce a single part number in 1971, today generates $16 million in annual revenues and is on the cusp of the third generation of family ownership. The key to its longevity is learning valuable...

From December 2010 issue of
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The Army’s manufacturing muscle

Published: December 9, 2010
Tech Cell: Fab Stories

The Rock Island Arsenal has been a manufacturer of military equipment and ordnance since the 1880s, but today it has established itself as the only general-purpose, vertically integrated metal manufacturer in the U.S. Department of Defense. With...

From December 2010 issue of
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Fabricating to the drumbeat

Published: December 2, 2010
Tech Cell: Fab Stories

A central Ohio job shop uses a mix of improvement methodologies-- including the theory of constraints--to reduce lead-times from weeks to days.

From December 2010 issue of
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Snow mean feat

Published: December 2, 2010
Tech Cell: Fab Stories

Snowshoes have been used for thousands of years, but only recently have modern manufactured materials come into the picture. These days lengths of bent and welded tube, usually aluminum, make up the frame. Although the market is crowded, Jake...

From November 2010 issue of
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Using watts, again

Published: November 12, 2010
Tech Cell: Fab Stories

A West Coast metal fabricator, Laser Cutting Northwest developed a product called the regenerator, which generates electricity from exhausted air. One application includes dust collectors for laser cutting systems. Installed into the shop’s own...

From November/December 2010 issue of
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Stamper cuts costs of making surgical instruments

Published: November 1, 2010
Tech Cell: Fab Stories

At least one stamper is reducing the cost of medical devices by converting machined parts to stamped or stamped/machined parts. Not only is the manufacturer using this innovative approach to reduce cost without sacrificing quality and still meet...

From October 2010 issue of
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New metal fabrication player touts high-value engineering

Published: October 4, 2010
Tech Cell: Fab Stories

A Baltimore job shop remained on the growth path throughout the recession by circumventing the traditional job bidding process and gaining a serious foothold in the export market.

From August 2010 issue of
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Lights, camera, lean--recording manufacturing efficiency

Published: July 30, 2010
Tech Cell: Fab Stories

Nexteer Automotive uses sports video software to track machine, part, and worker movement. During the past few years, the technology has been integral to Nexteer's lean-manufacturing initiatives.

From July 2010 issue of
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Meet Metcam - a leaner, greener, meaner fabricator

Published: July 23, 2010
Tech Cell: Fab Stories

Operating seven days a week fabricating and shipping products domestically and worldwide, Alpharetta, Ga.-based Metcam Inc. has found a formula for success that has this company thriving when others are struggling to survive.

From July 2010 issue of
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Doing what was always done doesn't cut it

Published: July 1, 2010
Tech Cell: Fab Stories

ABMyr, Belleville, Mich., is a manufacturer of finishing systems for its automotive clients, but at the heart of the company is its fabricating talent. That is what will serve the company best as it looks to rebound from the recent downturn.

From June 2010 issue of
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The Wisconsin Family Robinson

Published: May 28, 2010
Tech Cell: Fab Stories

Anyone that works for Robinson Metal Inc. learns the business from the ground up. That approached has served it well as the De Pere, Wis., company has grown to become one of the largest fabricating jobs shops in the U.S.

From February 2010 issue of
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Welders on welding

Published: February 23, 2010
Tech Cell: Fab Stories

Based on feedback from "Welding Wire" subscribers, you have to wonder if CareerCast.com interviewed any welders when compiling its 2010 list of the best and worst jobs. Welding was the No. 5 worst job on the list, and welders question its ranking.

From February 2010 issue of
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Waste not, want more

Published: February 11, 2010
Tech Cell: Fab Stories

In recent years General Metal Works, Mequon, Wis., has leaned heavily on practices that eliminate waste in its shop floor operations and kept its work force engaged. The efforts have paid off in that no layoffs have occurred during the recent...

From November/December 2009 issue of
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Want to export? Cozy up to your globalizing customers

Published: November 30, 2009
Tech Cell: Fab Stories

Some stampers have adapted to their customers' global expansions by producing unique and sometimes difficult-to-manufacture components and assemblies and maintaining strong relationships with their domestic customers that have migrated offshore.

From November/December 2009 issue of
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Want to export? Cozy up to your globalizing customers

Published: November 30, 2009
Tech Cell: Fab Stories

While some stampers have experienced demand losses when their clients set up manufacturing facilities offshore, others have successfully co-piloted their customers' global expansions to supply to them in their new digs. In each case, the stamping...

From November/December 2009 issue of
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Welders to the rescue

Published: November 6, 2009
Tech Cell: Fab Stories

In times of trouble we depend on firefighters and rescue personnel to provide assistance.But who do they depend on when they need assistance, particularly when their equipment is worn down or broken? In the areas around St. Charles and Aurora,...

From October 2009 issue of
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Raising the bar, one sink at a time

Published: October 7, 2009
Tech Cell: Fab Stories

Glastender, a food service products manufacturer, takes bold movesand expands during this historic economic downturn.

From September 2009 issue of
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Fabricating with a digital foundation

Published: September 1, 2009
Tech Cell: Fab Stories

An architectural metal fabricator takes a building-information modeling (BIM) approach, using enhanced computer modeling to streamline operations.

From April 2009 issue of
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Putting out fires, the lean way

Published: April 14, 2009
Tech Cell: Fab Stories

Crimson Fire, a lean fire truck OEM, enjoys record orders, but prepares for challenges ahead.

From February 2009 issue of
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Rapid Creek Cutters—The second time around

Published: February 24, 2009
Tech Cell: Fab Stories

At a time when companies are thinning the worker ranks, many people may be thinking about going into business for themselves. Pat Burrington, the owner of Rapid Creek Cutters, has worked for others and for himself. He recommends the latter.

From February 2009 issue of
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'We are all Shickels'

Published: February 10, 2009
Tech Cell: Fab Stories

Shickel Corp., Bridgewater, Va., has a very diversified customer base, a strong manufacturing tradition, and a commitment to exposing youngsters to the exciting world of manufacturing. For all those reasons, this 70-year-old company is the...

From November 2008 issue of
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Getting it there yesterday

Published: November 25, 2008
Tech Cell: Fab Stories

Greenheck has made a science out of quick lead-times. For most products, customers can place an order and receive a custom fabrication within three to five days, and sometimes in less than 24 hours.

From November 2008 issue of
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Forming metal that 'remembers'

Published: November 25, 2008
Tech Cell: Fab Stories

Memry has built a business around shape-memory alloys, mainly for customers in the medical arena. It's a difficult, highly specialized field that managers at Memry are betting will grow.

From November 2008 issue of
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Getting the weld right the first time

Published: November 25, 2008
Tech Cell: Fab Stories

When a metal fabricating company moves into a new, larger building, it has a great opportunity to take a hard look at production flow. Victory Industrial Products, Batavia, Ohio, did just that and the results were extremely powerful.

From November 2008 issue of
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Rocket science, entrepreneur-style

Published: November 11, 2008
Tech Cell: Fab Stories

Managers, designers, and manufacturing engineers at Space Exploration Technologies have come up with a new way to design and manufacture a rocket.