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Advice on improving manufacturing's future
An educator gives metal fabricators advice on how they can improve the overall image of manufacturing and help to develop their next generation of workers at the same time.
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EuroBLECH 2012 recap: Fighting for more efficiency
A terrible economy has forced European metal fabricators to focus on shortening turnaround time on jobs. If they attended EuroBLECH 2012 in Hannover, Germany, in late October, those fabricators probably discovered some tools that could help them...
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Balancing effectiveness with efficiency
They represent several different areas of metal fabricating, but all members of The FABRICATOR's Advisory Board share the same observation: In today' manufacturing world, working lean is OK, but only if you are working effectively.
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Industry flocks to FABTECH
Despite economic uncertainties heading into 2012, the metal fabrication industry came out in full force at November’s FABTECH show. More than 35,000 walked the show floor, which featured more than a half million square feet of exhibit space.
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2012 forecast: The good and bad of economic gumbo
Positives and negatives probably will pepper the business climate in 2012. Manufacturing has led the economic recovery. Unemployment will remain high, and businesses will still seek technical talent. Equipment spending probably will continue...
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Got milling? You’re hired.
A good machinist is hard to find. Why? It’s a mixture of factors. Machining suffers from the same image problem as the other manufacturing trades, so not enough people enter the field. But this country also lacks hands-on training programs.
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Uncertainty is the new certainty for metal fabricators
Metal fabricators reveal that their No. 1 concern is the economy, but that doesn't mean that business is horrible. In fact, fabricators appear to be optimistic about the future.
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Are conditions improving for metal fabricators?
The Great Recession officially ended in June 2009, but many metal fabricators were still in the thick of it as that year ended. Did conditions improve for this sector in 2010? How’s business now for fabricators compared to a year ago?
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It came from Europe
Fiber laser and bending automation developments seen at EuroBLECH 2010, Oct. 26-30, Hanover, Germany, may one day be found in North American shops.
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Batteries power up to own the road
The automotive industry is looking to hybrid electric and fully electric vehicles to electrify the effort to lessen or eliminate
fuel emissions and to achieve the new fuel standards. Lithium-ion is considered by many to be the most promising of...
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2010 Capital Spending Report indicates rebuilding set to begin
The metal fabricating and forming market isclearly in a rebuilding mode after theeconomic downturn in 2009. The 2010 FMACCapital Spending Survey indicates thatcompanies are interested in spending money oncapital equipment, around $1.3 billion...
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'It's the economy, stupid'
The annual "Fabricating Update" survey of metal fabricators about their main business concerns revealed that the economy, which edged out steel prices as the industry's leading concern in 2008, now outranks all other concerns by a huge margin....
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EuroBLECH 2008: A celebration of metal fabricating and forming
EuroBLECH is a celebration more than anything. Most of the booths have plenty of tables and, usually, a bar for customers, distributors, business partners, and friends to swing by, chat, have a drink, and talk about life both in and out of the...
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Lost in translation
Metrology managers are pushing industry to standardize, so that all digital inspection devices can, in essence, speak the same language.
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Will tube and pipe industry have energy to continue expanding?
The current expansion in the tube and pipe industry isn't new, but it bears a close look nonetheless. Understanding the factors that are causing it and how manufacturers are reacting to it provide some guidance to the future of this trend.
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Employee loyalty—An elusive goal?
Today's employees likely will work for several companies throughout their careers. This does not mean that retention efforts on your part are ineffective or a waste of resources. The right strategies can help you achieve the most from your...
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Creating a pressroom preventive maintenance program
A press maintenance program should be designed to minimize downtime, enhance machinery output, and establish a formal record keeping system for ongoing inspections.
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Selling Chrysler
Selling Chrysler only nine years after the merger is a de facto admission that it was a mistake. While some analysts publicly wondered if Daimler would not eventually sell Chrysler, the suddenness of the declaration was unexpected.
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Don't underestimate India
TPA recently hosted a tour of eight tube and pipe producers and fabricators throughout India. Although the country is not advanced, this tour and a recent report by Goldman Sachs reveal where it stands and where it is likely to go in the near...
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A tale of two cities
Facing deep structural problems and mounting financial stress, Big Three executives publicly sought a meeting with President Bush to discuss how the federal government could assist the automotive industry, and the hundreds of thousands of...
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Competing with global sourcing in a 'knowledge economy'
Western companies believe that although India and China are receiving a lot of manufacturing sourcing jobs, they cannot compete with Western skills. However, with developing "knowledge economies" and an openness to change and progress...
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FMA jumps on the certification bandwagon
Many industries and careers rely on certification programs to train workers. The Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, Intl.®, has identified a need to certify precision sheet metal workers and is launching a certification program. This...
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Appliance demand flat
2007 U.S. appliance shipments are forecast to grow only 1 percent because of a sluggish housing market. Shifts in channel preferences; successful market penetration by offshore brands; a strong demand for high-priced, innovative white goods;...
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Detroit's reality check
As the Big Three try to return to profitability, most of their suppliers, many with a negative cash flow, are starting to crack under the pressure. Declining OEM unit volume and mix issues, pricing pressures, and high sustained raw material...
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Steel prices remain top concern in 2007
The January 2007 "Fabricating Update" asked subscribers to choose their No. 1 concern from a list of factors affecting metal manufacturing. It also asked whether the Democrat-controlled Congress sworn in Jan. 4 will have a positive, negative, or...
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Metals upsets, offsets, and onsets in 2007
Figure 1 U.S. hot-rolled band prices hovered around $600 per tonne in the first quarter of 2006, rising to nearly $700 per tonne midyear, then dropping as low as $622 per tonne. Prices are predicted to continue lowering in first-quarter 2007,...
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NAM on Fabricators' Top Two Concerns
Following the FABTECH International & AWS Welding Show keynote address, the fabricator.com's Web Content Manager Vicki Bell sat down to talk with the speaker, former Michigan Governor and National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) President John...
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China's Unusual Tax Move
The Chinese government's control policies are currently focused on controlling exports by increasing export taxes, said Patrick McCormick, World Steel Dynamics (WSD) managing partner. Normally, a value-added tax (VAT) is refunded on exports....
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The future of energy: stability or volatility?
Senior Editor Eric Lundin looks at changes in supply and demand for energy, and how they have affected the prices for crude oil, gasoline, natural gas, and electricity. He also digests a few predictions to see what fabricators can expect for...
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Bigger is better
All automotive suppliers, regardless of size, find themselves facing a business environment more challenging than any they have previously experienced. Size with the economies of scale it brings is just one of numerous strategies that can be used...
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To E or not to E
Vehicles running on E85, a fuel that blends traditional gasoline with ethanol, are receiving considerable attention. While proponents claim the benefits of E85 range from environmental friendliness to improved national security, critics argue that...
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The U.S. sedan — an endangered species?
Soaring fuel prices caused by Hurricane Katrina and turmoil in the Middle East have turned U.S. tastes toward passenger cars. Rather than trying to catch up with the competition, the Big Three are using global partners to speed their response to...
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The Midwest automotive exodus—fact or myth?
While the Midwest has not lagged as far behind in international investment as many believe, the financial struggles of the Big Three have been a substantial economic burden for the region over the last three decades.
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SUVs: A profit center in flux
As oil hovers around $60 per barrel, SUVs aren't that cool anymore. Many view them as dinosaurs, remnants of '90s excess that have no place in a thriftier, more environmentally conscious century.
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Achieving quality global manufacturing networks
This article is adapted from a report analyzing the results of a manufacturers' survey. It discusses the common quality challenges all manufacturers and explains what best-in-class manufacturers are doing with quality control to set themselves...
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Race to be green
Automakers are racing to introduce green technologies. Toyota is the leader in hybrid sales and plans to introduce two new models even though it will continue to lose money in the short and medium term. Instead of trying to outsell Toyota, GM has...
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Auto show lessons
The North American International Auto Show held in Detroit is a stage for automakers to display their latest and greatest; it also serves as a harbinger of what's coming at suppliers over the next few years.
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The China-dominated manufacturing environment
All manufacturers have to realize that what is going on in China will affect them in some way, no matter how small their business is. Protectionist policies from the U.S. government aren't on the horizon to help. Business owners and managers are...
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The big squeeze
Three companies dominating the market is a distant memory as Japanese and European automakers' market shares steadily increase. The Big Three has evolved into the New 6 that includes Toyota, Honda, Nissan, GM, Ford, and DaimlerChrysler....
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Want a firsthand look at manufacturing in China?
China has been in the news extensively during the past couple of years, and developments in 2005 have intensified the focus on the world's most populous country. Chinese companies Hair and China National Offshore Oil Co. put in bids on U.S....
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Beyond Social Security
Lost in the debate over Social Security is that no one can live on it alone. Unfortunately, many employees lack the financial savvy to manage their money and plan for retirement. Business can and should address this issue with its employees. To...
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The Big Three's 2005 cost challenges
A decline in the Big Three's market share, combined with rising health care and retiree costs, is contributing to extreme cost pressures for the Big Three and their suppliers. The Sales Situation 2004 was a tough year in Detroit. The overall...
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FMA goes to China
Two weeks after the first FMA China Tour group returned to the U.S., news broke that IBM had entered into talks to sell its PC business to China's largest PC manufacturer, Lenovo. That news came as no surprise to tour participants.
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Platform consolidation gradually erodes supplier business
The Big Three are in the midst of a decades long process— platform consolidation. While it will make them more cost-competitive with the Japanese automakers, it also will take away business from tooling and stamping suppliers.
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Growing interest in a growing market
Although India had a heavily socialist economy for much of the past few decades, the country has experienced remarkable growth since the opening of its economy in the early 1990s.
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Providing a comfortable, safe environment for workers with disabilities
Editor's Note: Much of the following information was taken from a U.S. Department of Justice comprehensive list of questions and answers about the Americans With Disabilities Act. Does your company have 15 or more employees? If so, it must...
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The meeting of the manufacturers
A new organization in Rockford, Ill., thinks job shops working together is a MARRV elous idea.
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Four Canadian automotive fabricators and what drives their success
Editor's Note: In an effort to offer a glimpse into some of the successful fabricating and manufacturing operations in the world, The FABRICATOR® offers this quick look at four Canadian companies. On a busy workday the machine shop at F&P...
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Competing in the global arena
Less than 40 seconds to go. The home team is down by 2 points. Tension grows as the clock counts down. The players and referees dart back and forth, and the action never slows. This isn't some staid, gentlemanly game like chess or golf. This is a...
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Offshore outsourcing—an economic and political issue
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...
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