Page 39 - MetalForming March 2011
P. 39

 Competitiveness
Dick Greenleaf
President
Crystal Engineering Co., Inc.
Q:What technological advance- ments has Crystal Engineering made to maintain competitiveness in
what has been a very tough business environment?
A:As a high-speed metal-stamping company, with increased competi- tion from places like China we’ve had to
aggressively cut costs and increase pro- ductivity. We’ve been very successful in eliminating downtime by implementing our new parts-ejection system, called the Shed-It; we’re developing new tooling to streamline our processes; and we contin- ue to work to speed up the presses and eliminate waste.
Build Alliances
Bill Sopko, President Stamco Industries, Inc.
Q:As the economy continues to improve, is now the time to invest in
capital equipment to increase capacity?
A:Today’s metalforming industry has plenty of extra stamping capacity.
Before incurring debt for machinery as demand gradually returns, consider forming alliances with other stampers to use this available capacity. Pooling resources makes financial and operational sense for both parties. It’s a way for stampers to increase capacity and expand capabilities without the risk of new equipment investments and more bank debt.
Ask the Executive
Leverage Data
Bruce J. Chantry, Portfolio Manager. Welding Equipment The Lincoln Electric Company
Q:How can software impact the way companies run their welding operations?
A:Companies can’t improve results without reliable performance data, and in today's global manufacturing environment, fabricators can’t compete without critical data on welder pro- ductivity, equipment effectiveness and weld quality. With production-monitoring software, fabrica-
tors can track arc-on time, wire use, weld quality and other metrics so that they can measure results and, ultimately, increase throughput.
Inspiring Innovation
Yves Thizy, Managing Director Logopress Corp.
Q:How do you inspire and create ways for people in your company to innovate?
A:New innovations are a key point in our success. Innovations lead to profits. To inspire our employees, we provide an extra bonus that is directly linked to profits. For example, for
fiscal year 2010 every employee will receive an extra bonus equivalent to about 6 weeks of salary.
DieProtection for
Lean
Manufacturing
By Drew Stevens
Error-proofing concepts for toolmakers and die designers.
Order a copy of Stevens’ book today.
Call Marlene at 216-901-8800 Online at www.pma.org and visit our Online Store
www.metalformingmagazine.com
MetalForming/March 2011 37

































































   37   38   39   40   41