Page 50 - MetalForming June 2009

George Keremedjiev has been writing this column for more than 20 years. He regularly consults with metalforming companies worldwide and provides metal- formers with training on the appli- cation and implementation of sen- sors for die protection. For more information on his seminars and consultancies, contact:
Tecknow Education Services, Inc. P.O. Box 6448
Bozeman, MT 59771
phone: 406/587-4751
fax: 406/587-9620 www.mfgadvice.com E-mail: gk@mfgadvice.com
David & Goliath
As I write this, Chrysler has entered bankruptcy with a strong possibil- ity that GM may follow. The media are in a tizzy with some predicting a smooth transition for both into leaner manufacturing organizations, while others expect a dramatic bloodbath. Here and there the Tier One suppliers to these two storied American automo- tive companies are mentioned in pass- ing. Almost no attention is given to the tiers below the first. This is a shame because the issues
manufacture a critical component that goes into a variety of automotive brands. This scenario not only is seen in shared vehicle platforms but often across brands of automobiles spanning American, European and Asian brands. If that Tier Two or Three supplier, with its unique technological skill set, goes under, then it would be an earthshaking experience for its Tier One customer, not to mention the end user. “Oh, but surely it would take little time for a surviving Tier Two or Three supplier to pick up the neces- sary automation and mistake-proofing techniques to step in and produce the
METALFORMING ELECTRONICS GEORGE KEREMEDJIEV
affecting the small- to-mid-sized suppli-
er companies go far beyond the financial repercussions that
they most assuredly
will feel. I am extremely concerned
with the passing
away of our metal- forming-automa-
tion sensor and con-
troller skill sets as
the under-Tier One suppliers fall in the proverbial domino pattern.
Nearly everyone I meet from the nonmanufacturing sectors of our econ- omy have little, if any, clue that the backbone of design, production and mistake proofing with advanced tech- nologies lies with the small-to-mid- sized component suppliers—a manu- facturing class rarely covered by the media. They assume that the know- how and control of technical manufac- turing innovation lies with the end cus- tomer, perhaps down in the Tier One supplier base. Yet a metalforming shop with 75 employees may have the only available sensor expertise to properly
A metalforming shop with 75 employees may have the only available sensor expertise to properly manufacture a critical component that goes into a variety of automotive brands.
same component.” Not so, for the automotive sector, in its never-ending quest for low cost, on-time deliveries and high-quality standards, has man- aged to evolve its component supplier base into hundreds of small-to-mid-sized component con- tractors. Many are sole-source suppliers who, over decades of manufacturing experience, developed the world’s most sophisticated applications for digital and analog sensors. There simply is no way that years of leading-edge sensor applications for complex parts manu- facturing can be learned and imple- mented quickly enough by a novice component-supplier company in time
to take the reins.
“Oh rubbish, surely there is no magic
in being state-of-the-art in metalform- ing. What’s the big deal? After all, it’s
This CD-ROM presents dozens of George’s columns as well as papers and exclusive new presentations covering all aspects of die protection and part-quality inspection, starting and maintaining sensor programs, the role of controls in in-die sensing, and the benefits of a sound sensor program. Order it online at www.metalformingmagazine.com.
48 METALFORMING / JUNE 2009
www.metalformingmagazine.com