Weekly Update 07/12/2007

July 12, 2007
NEWSLETTER SPONSOR Makino

Makino— a leading manufacturer of horizontal and vertical machining centers and EDM machines — has announced a new series of online Webinars. Designed for shops of all types and sizes, the seminars are free to anyone who registers. The planned seminars are intended for shops in the automotive, aerospace, medical product and die and mold industries. In addition to metal cutting and die/mold, the seminars will cover new technologies, such as micromachining. Mark Rentschler, marketing manager, says, "Online seminars allow anyone with an Internet connection to attend without losing a day of work." The seminars concentrate on shop efficiency, lean manufacturing, asset utilization, machine tool integration and automation, machine tool technologies, and metal cutting processes. Makino's application engineers, product managers and guest speakers will give presentations. Click here for more info on upcoming seminars and registration information.

Industry News

Chief Executive of NACFAM Testifies Before House Science Subcommittee Advanced technologies are requiring a higher level of education for workers, and the pool of workers available for manufacturing continues to shrink, Eric Mittelstadt, chief executive officer of the National Council for Advanced Manufacturing said in testifying before the House Science & Technology Subcommittee on Research and Science Education. Mittelstadt testified in hearings on the role of community colleges and industry in meeting the demand for skilled production workers and technicians in the 21st century economy.

Shop Operations

Monitor In The Here And Now Know what is happening right now on your shop floor, what happened five minutes ago, and what is likely to happen in the next few minutes. Then you can respond immediately to changes or problems in your manufacturing processes while creating and maintaining key performance indicators that will help you to optimize those processes.
Alive and Well In Automotive Think all high-volume automotive work is going off-shore? Think again. There's plenty of it out there, but you may need to initiate a few partnerships and incorporate some automated cells..
Mold Shop Leans On Software Through lean manufacturing practices, continuous improvement and the use of special software shops can continually eliminate waste and tighten processes through their entire business cycles from quoting to delivery.
Horizontal Machining Centers Shops machining a lot of automotive powertrain components, such as transmission, clutch and converter housings, valve bodies, pump housings, timing cases, cylinder blocks, and cylinder heads, should look into high-speed linear-motor machining centers.
Software for ERP and Maintenance Management Not sure if you need a shop-management system. Get the answers to questions concerning software for enterprise resource planning and maintenance management.

Featured Advertiser

JobBOSS

Register before Sept, 7, 2007 and save 10% off the regular price. When: November 7 - 9, 2007 Where: Cleveland Marriott Downtown at Key Center Join hundreds of machine shop owners and top managers in exploring strategies and tactics that can help improve your business. AM's Machine Shop Workshop delivers content that is 100% relevant, in nearly 30 sessions. AM's Machine Shop Workshop empowers you to evaluate your shop performance and learn a systematic approach to identify and prioritize opportunities to improve operations. Don't miss this opportunity to improve your business. Register TODAY. Click here for more information.

Upcoming Webcast Series

The CNC Best Kept Secrets Series of educational webcasts from GE Fanuc and American Machinist is designed to educate manufacturers on the often overlooked ways to prevent downtime, enhance the speed of machine tools, and improve part quality.

• Best Kept Secrets to Improving Part Quality -- September 12, 2007 2:00 PM ET

Click here for more information.

Practical Machinist Metalworking Forum

Railroad gauge history and the space shuttle. Fact or fiction? Identify this old vise. Some WWII history. Oil Lamps. Early 20th century.

AMERICAN MACHINIST DIGITAL EDITION

Now you can get the latest edition of American Machinist delivered directly to your PC. Click here to learn more about the digital edition.

Welding Webcast Series

Hot topics you need to hear about.

• Best Practices in Electrode Selection: Maximum Profit Starts With the Process - September 25, 2007 @ 2:00 PM ET

Click here to attend these free Webcasts.

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