Welcome the new STAMPING Journal Editorial Advisory Board

The newly formed STAMPING Journal Editorial Advisory Board comprises dynamic, smart, and keenly business-savvy stamping industry leaders who will help direct and guide our editorial coverage going forward, to act as a sounding board for content and to provide their in-the-trenches insights.

You might wonder what the initials PTM stand for in the company name PTM Corp., located in Fair Haven, Mich. After meeting CEO/President Donna Russell-Kuhr, you’ll suspect it is for Pedal to the Metal. Russell-Kuhr is an energetic dynamo who succeeded her father at the steering wheel of the company in 2015. Under her leadership, and with the help and support of her husband and her three sisters, the company has expanded and is more successful than ever.

You can read PTM’s story, "Second-gen Michigan stamper proves out her mettle through prototyping."

Russell-Kuhr joins eight equally dynamic, smart, and keenly business-savvy stamping industry leaders on our newly formed STAMPING Journal Editorial Advisory Board. I’ve asked the board members to help direct and guide our editorial coverage going forward, to act as a sounding board for content and to provide their in-the-trenches insights.

Their names may be familiar. Most have either been interviewed and featured in the pages of STAMPING Journal or have been authors and contributors.

• Paul Belanger, R&D director for Gestamp, co-wrote an award-winning article based on a Great Designs in Steel conference presentation, "How 2016 Car of the Year Honda Civic maneuvered around AHSS obstructions.” Look for my “vid-terview” with Paul in the next few weeks regarding Gestamp’s technology in electric vehicle components manufacturing.

• Christopher Fagnant, president, Qualtek Manufacturing, was featured in “Colorado stamping manufacturer's solar array sees 5-year ROI,” which details its solar energy array installations. Chris also penned a few funny and colorful blogs about his OOO experiences.

• With his deep technical knowledge and articulate explanations, Hale Foote, president of Scandic, has long been a technical resource for me. Scandic is the subject of not one but two articles: The award-winning “Silicon Valley stamper sizes up, down electronics” and "San Francisco stamper averts seismic event with servo press"

• Ken Kaufmann, president, CEP Technologies, has been both an article contributor and the subject of a recent case study article. His contributions to “How will the electric vehicle evolution affect stamping manufacture?” were so good, I visited his new San Antonio plant, culminating in "Big-company thinking advances small electronics stamper.” Kaufmann will present at our June 1 Stamping in an EV World conference.

• Ramie Melvin is senior director of manufacturing operations for Kapco. The prominent company is a familiar name across the U.S., worldwide, and to supporters of Wisconsin professional sports teams. As both a stamper and fabricator, Kapco contributed to my article, “How metalworking manufacturers decide whether to fabricate or stamp.”

• Eric Nelson, director of engineering for Aranda Tooling, has already relayed helpful insider insights as a tier supplier to a major electric vehicles OEM. Readers will have an opportunity to learn more about the California stamping and tooling manufacturer in 2021.

• With deep roots in tool- and diemaking, Fred Simonson, general manager of Victory Tool, Minnesota, knows a good deal about what makes a tool design manufacturable—and where the pitfalls lie. Look for his article on manufacturability in 2021.

In addition, our three wonderful columnists have also agreed to serve on the board:

• I cannot say enough about how valuable Die Science columnist Art Hedrick and Ask the Expert columnist Tom Vacca have been to me and to STAMPING Journal readers. Based on his excellent articles in our new column, Engineering Angle, I’m certain that Sergey Golavashchenko, PhD, will be too.

I want to thank this hardworking group of excellent industry leaders for their willingness to take the time to advise and guide our content. Considering the caliber of these board members, you can expect even better from STAMPING Journal next year.

Got thoughts? kateb@thefabricator.com