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More from Tim Heston
- From The Fabricator
Skilled labor crisis, or a crisis of character?
- By Tim Heston
- Oct 1, 2014
- Shop Management
- Blog Post
We call it a "skilled labor crisis," but is it really about skill? Skills can be taught. The real challenge may be much broader.
- From The Fabricator
Why safety is personal at Michigan metal fabricator
- By Tim Heston
- Sep 29, 2014
- Safety
- Article
Sue Rollins takes safety personally, and for good reason. The quality assurance manager and safety coordinator at Genzink Steel, Holland Mich., has a life history greatly affected by workplace hazards. To be effective and to convey her message, she makes quality and safety personal.
- From The Fabricator
Having the right information at the right time
- By Tim Heston
- Sep 29, 2014
- Shop Management
- Article
Advanced Metal Components has endured tragedy and evolved into a major employer in rural Swainsboro, Ga. Part of it comes from having the right technology, but most of the company’s evolution has involved a perception change about inventory management.
- From The Fabricator
How to reduce subjectivity in continuous improvement
- By Tim Heston
- Sep 16, 2014
- Shop Management
- Blog Post
Manufacturing critical-path time, or MCT, puts a new perspective on activity across the enterprise. A job is either being worked on, or it's not. Period.
- From The Fabricator
A shop floor that needs both the old and new
- By Tim Heston
- Sep 10, 2014
- Metals/Materials
- Blog Post
Faspro Technologies has both the old and new: automated lasers and press brakes alongside rows of small manual presses. In a sense, the Arlington Heights, Ill., shop paints an accurate picture of modern manufacturing in the United States.
- From The Fabricator
Why similar fabricators can have very different financial results
- By Tim Heston
- Aug 28, 2014
- Shop Management
- Article
Contract metal fabricators may have similar assets and offer similar services, but have very different financial results. The differences may come from differing customer mixes, but it also comes from the fact that many shops have highly concentrated sources of revenue. Lose one big account, and financial results seriously suffer.
- From The Fabricator
Swindling, murder, and additive manufacturing
- By Tim Heston
- Aug 19, 2014
- Metals/Materials
- Blog Post
A generation or two from now, additive manufacturing may have changed everything, but the technology doesn't have storybook origins.
- From The Fabricator
Metal fabrication and the Internet of things
- By Tim Heston
- Aug 12, 2014
- Shop Management
- Blog Post
If the majority of activities in a supply chain added value, what kind kind of world would that create?
- From The Fabricator
Lean data flow: From CAD to ERP to the shop floor
- By Tim Heston
- Aug 7, 2014
- Manufacturing Software
- Article
Fabricators sell their ability to produce the right part in the right quantity and at the right time, and to do that requires good information. Communication troubles arise if front office systems don’t communicate with each other, and this can include CAD and ERP.
- From The Fabricator
The transformative power of the laser
- By Tim Heston
- Aug 6, 2014
- Laser Welding
- Article
The laser has helped define the modern precision metal fabrication industry, and this year’s Advanced Laser Applications Workshop shows just how far the laser has come. Blink once, and you miss another technological milestone.
- From The Fabricator
How to build a little of everything, every day
- By Tim Heston
- Aug 6, 2014
- Shop Management
- Article
Legrand’s West Hartford facility has been on the lean journey for several decades, and the journey hasn’t stopped. The focus continues to be on clear communication and documentation, good metrics, ergonomics and safety, staff incentives—and producing a little of everything every day.
- From The Fabricator
Keeping pace with better ergonomics
- By Tim Heston
- Aug 4, 2014
- Materials Handling
- Article
Every employee at Pentair operates under PIMS, or the Pentair Integrated Management System. PIMS encompasses everything from continuous improvement and hiring practices to safety and ergonomics. Concerning the last, the company instituted new material handling technology within a tightly run tank fabrication line in Delavan, Wis. The line has no WIP and, hence, little margin for error.
- From The Fabricator
Stamping with a better idea
- By Tim Heston
- Jul 29, 2014
- Laser Welding
- Article
Cleveland-based Stripmatic Products strives to add more customer value by focusing on additional operations and asking what else customers may need. This led the company to a unique setup involving a servo press and a fiber laser welding cell.
- From The Fabricator
Tough optics for extreme laser welding
- By Tim Heston
- Jul 29, 2014
- Laser Welding
- Article
Engineers at EWI have developed laser welding optics tailored for high-power applications.
- From The Fabricator
A new kind of skilled workforce
- By Tim Heston
- Jul 28, 2014
- Shop Management
- Blog Post
The need for skilled worker continues unabated, but the issue has many wrinkles of complexity. For one, technology has changed the nature of the job.
- Podcasting
- Podcast:
- The Fabricator Podcast
- Published:
- 04/30/2024
- Running Time:
- 53:00
Seth Feldman of Iowa-based Wertzbaugher Services joins The Fabricator Podcast to offer his take as a Gen Zer...
- Trending Articles
Aluminum MIG wires offer smooth feeding, reduced tangling
JM Steel triples capacity for solar energy projects at Pennsylvania facility
Fabricating favorite childhood memories
The role of flux in submerged arc welding performance
How laser and TIG welding coexist in the modern job shop
- Industry Events
Pipe and Tube Conference
- May 21 - 22, 2024
- Omaha, NE
World-Class Roll Forming Workshop
- June 5 - 6, 2024
- Louisville, KY
Advanced Laser Application Workshop
- June 25 - 27, 2024
- Novi, MI
Precision Press Brake Certificate Course
- July 31 - August 1, 2024
- Elgin,
- Upcoming Webcasts
Navigating Change: The Manufacturer’s Guide to Change Management with ERP Implementation
- May 16, 2024
- Sponsored
- Presented By: ECI Software Solutions, M1
Managing Dangerous Dusts from Metalworking
- June 26, 2024
- Sponsored
- Presented By: Camfil Air Pollution Control