|
18 January 2012Using a proven CAD/CAM package to manufacture toolingManufacturing and machining today consists of many different categories and sub-categories, often relating back to the simple basic concept of making something on a larger scale by utilizing machinery. Interfacing with the machine to get what the manufacturer desires as a final product can prove to be the most challenging, yet rewarding step in the process. (more) |
|
|
18 January 2012Service & Aftermarket Support Conference takes shapeIn the last issue of AMT NEWS we shared with you the highlights of the next Service & Aftermarket Support Conference to take place May 17-18 in Indianapolis. During the last Global Service Committee meeting, the committee finalized the agenda for the event and it is reproduced to the right to give you a glimpse of what to expect when you attend this exciting event. (more) |
|
|
09 December 2011International Report - December 2011Trade missions have always been something that I considered to be for some other company, or some other executive. My sense has always been one of skepticism – a boon-doggle for management, too expensive, too much wasted time, for much bigger companies, etc. How wrong could I have been? Listen up! I could not have been more wrong, and this is a chance for you to learn from my mistake – a real “Lessons Learned.” Jim McEachen (more) |
|
|
09 December 2011Mark your calendar: the 2012 Customer Service Conference is coming!The next Customer Service Conference, the 42nd annual event of its kind, will take place on May 17-18 in Indianapolis, Ind. The upcoming event, sponsored by the AMT Global Service Committee, promises to provide an even more fulfilling and rewarding experience than any of the previous editions. (more) |
|
|
09 December 2011Forewarned is forearmed: employment agreements – get a good lawyer!Resolving personnel issues fairly, justly and legally in the environment of one’s own native culture and language represents one of the more challenging issues for companies today. When dealing internationally, the challenge can be magnified many times over! (more) |
|
|
03 November 2011Marketing metrics result from the prospect’s journeyIt has been said “Be careful what you measure – or you could get it!” This is certainly true when it comes to measuring results from marketing efforts. It’s critical to measure the right things. For instance, offering free stuff at tradeshows may generate names, but not necessarily the best prospects to feed into the sales funnel. The number of leads could actually go down as an exhibitor works to increase the quality of the sales leads generated. (more) |
|
|
03 November 2011Best practices for assessing the environmental sustainability of manufacturing processesEnergy efficiency and environmental impact are becoming key drivers toward designs and selections of manufacturing processes. Multiple factors determine environmental sustainability, therefore a structured methodology is required to assess environmental sustainability and to identify opportunities for improvement. Assessment procedures should identify improvements that reduce energy usage, compliance costs, and environmental impacts, without an adverse impact on overall process productivity. (more) |
|
|
12 October 2011The rules of engagementHow many times when you start a contract negotiation do you feel like you are entering a strategically prepared attack on your company — a war of sorts? Both sides are prepared to defend their own position, fight for what they believe they are due, and both sides want to win and be seen as the victor. (more) |
|
|
12 October 2011Japanese transplants provide steady flow of businessIn times like this, when everybody seems reasonably busy getting orders and filling them, it’s time to make provisions for the future. We all know these good cycles don’t last forever and it’s only a matter of time. We will have a downturn and the market opportunities will come from someplace other than your traditional customers.Japanese transplants are part of that “other” market. By nature of their business practices, these companies plan much longer in advance than most American companies. They are not as sensitive to the ups and downs of the market and provide a steadier flow of business throughout economic cycles. (more) |
|
|
12 September 2011Transplant Business Development Group reports a surge of businessMembers of TBDG - Transplant Business Development Group are reporting a surge of business with several Japanese transplant companies in the last months. This is not by accident. Anyone experienced in doing business with Japanese companies knows that it takes a lot of patience and perseverance to develop business relationships with these customers. The TBDG sessions on business practices in doing business with transplant companies make it clear that the whole cycle of creating relationships with customers may take 2 to 3 years. For the companies that have been building those relationships, that time is over. All those efforts are finally paying off. (more) |
|
|
12 September 2011Opportunity is knocking in the global marketplaceAs the president of a global company and a member of AMT-The Association For Manufacturing Technology’s Global Sales and Marketing Committee, I’ve had numerous opportunities to meet fellow members and to inquire as to their levels of international business participation. Amazingly, most of them indicate that their exporting amounts typically run at about 50 percent, some even as high as 70 percent. Yet, there are many companies I’m aware of that often forego such international business despite the great opportunities in the global export market. (more) |
|
|
12 September 2011Sustainability with MQL technology – Why aren’t more manufacturers using it?Manufacturers applying MQL are reaping many sustainable benefits. Their workers are safer, with both short- and long-term benefits. Operators, skilled tradesmen, and engineers are no longer exposed to the toxicity, bacteria and fungi risks that come with traditional “wet” manufacturing systems. The small amount of oil used for MQL is generally based on vegetables or esters, which are less harmful to the human body. Our environment is cleaner because the used cutting fluids no longer require more stringent disposal – this benefits everyone and helps change the “dirty” perception of manufacturing. (more) |
|
|
12 September 2011What’s next for the Global Service Committee?As we start a new committee year (August 2011 to July 2012), it is only fitting that we look back to evaluate the accomplishments of the past year. The committee did a lot on behalf of the members and in fostering better business practices in customer service and in ensuring customer satisfaction. (more) |
|
|
11 July 2011Engage the curiosity of the youngThis industry stands as a beacon for individuals who are independent and creative and who can take a concept and create something of tangible value. These young people are out there, and we need to be proactive in engaging them and their educators as to the uniqueness of our industry. (more) |
|
|
11 July 2011Turning center evolutionTurning centers have evolved through the years from a single spindle, two axis configuration into today’s complex multi-spindle and multi-axis mill/turn centers. Size control and form accuracy have also been dramatically improved over the years. (more) |
|
|
06 May 2011Learn from your peers at the 2011 Service & Aftermarket Support ConferenceThe AMT Service & Aftermarket Support Conference is just around the corner. This year’s conference will take place on May 12-13, 2011, in Cincinnati, Ohio. The program features breakout panel sessions, round-table discussions and networking opportunities. The panel sessions will provide different viewpoints on the various subjects so you can study the best practices that work best for you. Each session will also examine specific case studies. (more) |
|
|
06 April 2011TIC Views - Augmenting technical expertise with academic partnershipsAt the recent Manufacturing for Growth (MFG) meeting, some attendees described their difficulties in finding qualified technical people for new product and process development. To compound the situation, business owners are understandably wary of the effects of the present economic climate, and although they may be seeing an upturn in their business activities, they tend to be reluctant to commit to long-term hiring. (more) |
|
|
06 April 2011The importance of using metrics in your service businessOne panel session at the AMT Service & Aftermarket Support Conference, May 12-13, 2011, in Cincinnati, Ohio, focuses on the importance of not only using measures or metrics to establish targets for tracking your team’s performance, but also to identify areas for improvement. The session will explore not only creating effective measurement tools, but how to harness and interpret that data into positive, usable, actionable plans that can impact not just your department, but the entire company and your customers. (more) |
|
|
06 April 2011Lessons Learned - Plan for the future to ensure that you have one!!!I use the example of the evolution of the industrial diamond industry in China as the basis for a “Lessons Learned” to demonstrate how we, as U.S. manufacturing technology companies, must look to the future and understand the competition that we face. It is my belief that in order to address the global competition, U.S. companies must increase their R&D efforts in all areas of manufacturing technology. (more) |
|
|
07 March 2011Global Service Committee - Service challenges across the industryThe 2011 Service & Aftermarket Support Conference is being revamped to meet your needs based on feedback from previous conferences. One of the most noticeable changes is the introduction of breakout panels based on important components of your service department. The panels will highlight best practices from viewpoints. They will then look at case studies and highlight how best practices were applied. One of the panels at the conference will focus on Field Force Management: Recruiting and Retention. (more) |
|
|
07 March 2011TIC Views - Functional safetyIf your company sells machinery into the European Union, it is highly likely you have been exposed to the concept of functional safety. Even domestic sales of machinery are now starting to have the term appear in requests for quotations. Functional safety is a concept where the safety of the machine is inherent in its design and operation, and not simply provided by guarding and lockouts. This almost always means integrating safety into the control system. For example, safety certified servo drives that have been designed with redundancy or other methods to minimize the risk of hazardous failure, such as unintended motion is functional safety. (more) |
|
|
07 March 2011TIC Views - Green initiatives change process requirementsBased on both environmental and life cycle cost issues, large organizations such as Airbus and the U.S. Department of Defense are requiring many suppliers of aerospace components to qualify high-velocity oxygen-fuel (HVOF) thermal spray coatings as a viable alternative to hard chrome plating. In the case of Airbus and other European users it is a mandatory green initiative for all parts they utilize. (more) |
|
|
07 March 2011Global Marketing & Sales Committee – Lessons Learned – Evaluate your choice of sales channels regularlyEvery company’s VP of Sales & Marketing, or in the case of many AMT member companies, every company President should regularly be evaluating their choice of sales channels for their products within any specific sales region or territory. One of the basic decisions for each region is whether to use direct sales personnel, or distributors, or sales agents working on commission. (more) |
|
|
07 February 2011Get connected, stay informedWhether you are a veteran of the numerous roller coaster rides, a novice or just a quidnunc of the highly competitive, technology- driven machine tool industry, this year’s AMT Service & Aftermarket Support Conference has something for everyone. (more) |
|
|
07 February 2011Hiring practices: the matching gameSo one day we sat down and quickly determined that we needed to hire our first employee. And then it dawned on us, as young entrepreneurs, the only experience we had of an interview process was the few we had to endure in order to get our first job out of college. We had to fess up to the fact that we had no idea of how to select the right person among the many candidates that would apply for this job. It wasn’t so much that we didn’t know what we wanted; it was the feeling that we wouldn’t know how to choose the candidate who best matched our criteria. (more) |