Page 22 - MetalForming March 2019

3D METAL PRINTING
magazine connects engineers, manufacturing executives and plant floor leaders with suppliers of 3D metal printing equipment and services, for prototyping and production applications in aerospace, automotive, medical and other industries.
Readers can stay on the forefront of this rapidly expanding industry through:
• New technology write-ups
• Application articles
• Tutorial “how-to” features
Metals are the fastest growing segment of 3D printing, growing at an annual rate of 30 percent. Now’s the time to align with
the only publication specifically dedicatedto the industry—
3D Metal Printing magazine.
To receive your complimentary subscription and learn about advertising opportunities, please visit www.3DMPmag.com.
6363 Oak Tree Blvd. Independence, OH 44131 216/901-8800 | Fax: 216/901-9669 www.3DMPmag.com
Industry Leaders in Workforce Development
20 MetalForming/March 2019
www.metalformingmagazine.com
Diemaker Matt Struttman explains to Fagnant the finer points of a complex 30-station progressive die used to stamp Tie-Dex stainless-steel bands, for aerospace applications.
knowledge and information; brain- storm and bounce ideas off one anoth- er; and share policies, procedures and best practices. Most recently, the group has helped me reshape and standardize our job descriptions.”
Wise also notes an added bonus of being a PMA member—the opportunity to participate in its several benchmark- ing surveys. “For example,” she says, “the PMA wage and benefit report pro- vides us access to compensation data for all of the positions within our com- pany. And, using the new Dynamic Benchmarking program allows users to customize search results by criteria such as company size and region. It’s a great tool for us, to ensure we remain competitive in regards to wages and benefits. This helps us attract and retain the best talent.”
At the Ownership Level
...PMA also offers excellent oppor- tunities for benchmarking and for net- working with peers. Fagnant explains:
“When I came to work for the com- pany full time in 2012, in charge of managing our energy use in the busi- ness, I also used my time to survey how we could better leverage our mem- bership in PMA. One of the first things I did was participate in the HR round- table—we didn’t have an HR person
on staff at the time. I met HR folks via the roundtable, explained what we were trying to do here with HR, and that group helped me write the job description that led to us hiring a part- time HR person, and then eventually to hiring Lori.”
Fagnant also volunteered to serve on the PMA education and training com- mittee, and in 2015, he completed PMA’s Executive Development Academy, along with his parents, the owners of the com- pany. It’s there that he met Randy and Bill Bennett, of Cleveland, OH-based metal former Automation Tool & Die.
“That relationship,” says Fagnant, “along with several others that have resulted from my involvement in PMA, has proved immensely beneficial. We had been evaluating new ERP systems for some time, and I was able to talk to the Bennetts about how they use their system, Global Shop Solutions, which in the end we wound up buying. We spent 3 years evaluating ERP sys- tems, and having the Bennetts as part of our networking group, visiting them and talking to their people about Global Shop was a huge benefit.”
Eventually, Fagnant and others worked with PMA to form its newest executive- networking group, called the Press Club. Also a founding member of that group: new PMA president David Klotz. MF