| Are You Prepared for a Prolonged Strike? |
Sharing her perspective on the pending UAW strike of the Big Three, Laurie Harbour reminds us that her 2023 benchmarking study revealed that 51 percent of suppliers were, at the end of 2022, either “unbankable” (in poor financial health) or “somewhat unbankable.” With that backdrop, she answers the question:
What can suppliers, who already face a challenging environment, do to prepare for a lengthy shutdown? |
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| Your One-Stop Shop for Industry Innovation and Knowledge |
| As
a leader in manufacturing solutions that demonstrate the power of
insights and the future of the connected shop floor, Epicor is proud to
attend FABTECH 2023. Visit us at Booth A3367 to learn how we can help
your business drive productivity while keeping your competitive edge.
See you there! |
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| More Perspective: Upcoming UAW-Big Three Contract Negotiations |
| Dave
Arndt, principal, AVCMI-LLC (a Harbour Results Inc. partner), president
emeritus of Pentaflex, and a veteran of the automotive industry, shares
his unique perspective on the looming UAW strikes. Here, Arndt weaves
his way through the numerous strikes that have occurred during the last
50 years, and offers advice to metal formers supplying the industry on
how to prepare for, and endure, a strike. |
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| Six Ways That Metal Formers Can Leverage Business-Process Automation |
| Here’s a look at the main drivers leading to reshoring and nearshoring in the metal forming industry, along with six ways that shops can employ automation to compete effectively while maintaining margins. Among them: streamline compliance and audits and optimize inventory management. |
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| MagSlide Conveyor for Maintenance-Free Operation |
| Bunting
MagSlide conveyors are engineered to provide you outstanding
performance and value, when handling materials such as dirty and oily
metal chips, parts, jagged or abrasive scrap, and other punishing
materials where conventional belted or steel hinged conveyors risk being
damaged. For more information visit www.buntingmagnetics.com. |
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| Cloud-ERP Can Support Job Shops at Every Level of Digital Transformation—Here’s How |
| “Job shops tend to fall on two ends of the scale when it comes to technology,” writes MetalForming author Lisa O’ Flaherty, principal solutions engineer at ECI Software Solutions. “On one end, some shops simply look to digitize; they want to take the work they perform on paper to the cloud. At the opposite end we find shop owners on the bleeding edge of innovation. … ERP solutions can be tailored to help shops on both ends of the scale.” |
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| Holding On to Key Employees |
| Today’s workforce is more volatile than ever, with the voluntary turnover rate in organizations at an all-time high. Young workers actively rethink their career choices and seek a work environment that offers more—more money, more personal time, more job satisfaction and more personal development. |
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| Maximize Uptime and Improve Productivity |
| AMSOIL
Industrial lubricants maximize uptime while our Certified Lubrication
Specialists (CLS) help you eliminate inefficiencies and develop
solutions that save you money. Learn more about how AMSOIL Industrial is
the choice for your Metal Stamping operation. |
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| Be Wise: Ask the “Five Whys” & Create a Fishbone for Faster Problem Solving |
“Wise people exist throughout every organization, yet every manufacturing facility encounters challenges that impact production and profitability,” writes MetalForming columnist Danny Schaeffler. “Some have obvious solutions that floor personnel can address without assistance, while others will not prove as simple to solve.”
Read on to learn about the troubleshooting tools used by subject-matter experts: the “five-whys” method, and developing an Ishikawa fishbone diagram. |
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| Industry 4.0 Experience for Metal Formers & Fabricators Set for Nashville in October |
| Precision Metalforming Association’s (PMA’s) and MetalForming magazine’s two-day Industry 4.0 Experience for Metal Formers & Fabricators, a forum to educate metal forming and fabricating plants on the latest in digital and plant-floor connectivity technologies, commences October 3 in Nashville, TN. Register now for this must-attend conference, where experts will explain how automation, Internet of Things and additive manufacturing are changing how manufacturers work. |
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| Nominate Women of Excellence in Metal Forming and Fabricating 2023 |
| MetalForming
magazine seeks nominations for its 8th Annual Women of Excellence in
Metal Forming and Fabricating Awards. The awards honor women in
leadership positions or on the shop floor, those who represent
dedication to their company and the industry, and demonstrate excellence
in meeting their workplace responsibilities. |
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| Put Your Company at a Competitive Advantage |
| Position your company as an industry leader when you utilize PMA resources—ITR Econ Trends reports, trade publications, One Voice and FABTECH trade shows. A PMA membership will provide your company and all of its employees with a range of valuable industry resources that are designed to help you become more connected, more informed, more efficient, more competitive and ultimately more profitable. |
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Management