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More from Tim Heston
- From The Welder
ESAB parent to acquire Victor Technologies
- By Tim Heston
- Feb 13, 2014
- Arc Welding
- News Release
A welding and cutting equipment company with significant presence in Europe and South America is set for a bump in market share stateside. On Feb. 12 ESAB’s parent, Colfax Corp., based in Fulton, Md., announced that it has entered into a binding agreement to buy St. Louis, Mo.-based Victor...
- From The Fabricator
Laser photonics meets shop floor pragmatism
- By Tim Heston
- Feb 10, 2014
- Laser Welding
- Article
Pragmatism rules the day at Directed Light, a job shop focusing on a wide range of industrial laser applications, from UV to far-infrared.
- From The Fabricator
How stamping and fabrication work together
- By Tim Heston
- Feb 4, 2014
- Shop Management
- Article
At Fisher-Barton South Carolina, historically a stamping operation, now gets half of its revenue from products that use metal fabrication. But there's not a stamping and fabricating "side" to the business. In fact, the part flow shows just how complementary fabrication and stamping can be.
- From The Fabricator
How to get rich—slowly
- By Tim Heston
- Jan 30, 2014
- Shop Management
- Article
The Fabricators & Manufacturers Association’s 2013 Salary/Wage & Benefit Survey suggests that people can find fulfilling careers—especially monetarily—if they are willing to learn the trade and acquire additional skills during their careers.
- From The Fabricator
The factory worker stigma
- By Tim Heston
- Jan 29, 2014
- Shop Management
- Blog Post
The factory worker—that is, the skilled technician—makes the products others have researched and engineered, and you can’t have a domestic manufacturing industry without them.
- From The Fabricator
Passing on the torch in metal fabrication
- By Tim Heston
- Jan 20, 2014
- Bending and Forming
- Blog Post
The boomer generation is retiring, and they’ll need to hand off the torch to somebody. The big question is who.
- From The Fabricator
Welding labor market: Where the best welders are going and why
- By Tim Heston
- Jan 13, 2014
- Arc Welding
- Article
Why is welding still one of the most difficult skills for fabricators to hire? Learn about the welding labor market and how to find the best welding talent.
- From The Fabricator
Press brake training helps build a foundation for success
- By Tim Heston
- Jan 2, 2014
- Bending and Forming
- Article
Robbins Manufacturing of Fall River, Wis., has invested in an extensive training program, including machine-specific training, especially on the press brake. The company also has invested heavily in new technology, including a brake with automatic tool change. Both investments are paying off.
- From The Fabricator
A trade meritocracy
- By Tim Heston
- Dec 16, 2013
- Bending and Forming
- Blog Post
Last week, when I visited Fisher-Barton South Carolina, Alex Robertson, business development manager, showed me a part on the shipping dock—a part he was proud of. The contract manufacturer had won the job about eight months ago. And it beat a quote from a stamper and fabricator in India....
- From The Fabricator
Laser cutting: The headwater of metal manufacturing
- By Tim Heston
- Dec 10, 2013
- Bending and Forming
- Blog Post
During the past few years the industry has seen some incredible productivity gains in the laser cutting arena. Solid-state fiber and disk lasers are starting to dominate the FABTECH® show, and companies are beginning to tout the technology not just for thin sheet cutting, but for plate cutting as...
- From The Fabricator
Economist at FABTECH: Invest now and reap the benefits
- By Tim Heston
- Dec 5, 2013
- Shop Management
- Blog Post
Fabricators may look back at 2013 as a turning-point year, an initial ramp-up period that may be follow. At least, that was the picture keynote speaker Alan Beulieu painted at this year’s FABTECH in Chicago, Nov. 18-21. Popular perception has it that the U.S. is in the middle of a long, slow,...
- From The Fabricator
Hinging Success—on Hinges
- By Tim Heston
- Dec 2, 2013
- Shop Management
- Article
Midlake grew from a small garage shop to a precision sheet metal manufacturer with an unusual focus--on hinges.
- From The Fabricator
Big improvements in a short time
- By Tim Heston
- Dec 2, 2013
- Shop Management
- Article
A.J. Antunes started down the path of lean manufacturing about a year ago. Its managers say they are in the "baby steps" of lean--but those steps have been pretty big.
- From The Fabricator
2014 forecast: The big question mark
- By Tim Heston
- Dec 1, 2013
- Shop Management
- Article
2014 could be a banner year for the metal fabricaton business, or it could be a dud. Uncertainty reigns, and at the end of 2013, most of it focused on Washington.
- From The Fabricator
How one job shop retains skilled talent
- By Tim Heston
- Nov 25, 2013
- Shop Management
- Article
Southern Metalcraft Inc.’s average employee tenure is 20 years. Speaking on a shop tour during The FABRICATOR’s 2013 Technology Summit, the company founder described why employees rarely leave.
- Podcasting
- Podcast:
- The Fabricator Podcast
- Published:
- 04/16/2024
- Running Time:
- 63:29
In this episode of The Fabricator Podcast, Caleb Chamberlain, co-founder and CEO of OSH Cut, discusses his company’s...
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