Hot Off the Press

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Stamper/Molder Expands in Mexico

Interplex Industries, a manufacturer of precision metal stampings and injection-molded parts, and a provider of electroplating, metal etching and assembly services, plans to double the size of its manufacturing facility in Guadalajara, Mexico. The firm, based in Flushing, NY, opened Interplex Mexico in 1999, which became one of the first companies in the industry to earn ISO/TS 16949 registration. Learn more at www.interplex.com.

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Hands-On Powder-Coating Workshop
Coming to Cleveland

Learn all about powder-coating systems, materials and processes at a 2-day workshop sponsored by The Powder Coating Institute, January 31-February 1 at the Nordson Corp. in Amherst, OH, just 25 miles from the Cleveland airport. Topics of discussion include pretreatment and dry-off systems, room design, troubleshooting, recovery equipment, and powder materials and how to process and cure them. Learn more at www.powdercoating.org/events.

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NIMS Earns Apprenticeship-Training
Grant of Nearly a Million Bucks

U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao has awarded a grant of $940,000 to the National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS) to continue development of an apprenticeship program. The grant is part of a $24.2 million advanced-training effort under the President’s High Growth Training Initiative. PMA Educational Foundation executive director David Sansone serves on the NIMS board and executive committee. NIMS plans to use the grant to develop a competency-based program that focuses on flexible training delivered on the shop floor and that allows for self-paced theory instruction and nationally recognized skill certifications. It will run a pilot program at 25 consortium companies before expanding the program nationwide. Learn more at www.doleta.gov/BRG/JobTrainInitiative, or by visiting the PMA Educational Foundation website at www.doleta.gov/BRG/JobTrainInitiative.

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