Page 8 - MetalForming September 2011

News Fronts
Market Outlook
Survey: Equipment Finance Activity Trends Upward in 2010
The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA), Washington, D.C., has released its 2011 Survey of Equip- ment Finance Activity (SEFA), finding that new business vol- ume jumped by 3.9 percent in 2010, following a 30.3 per- cent decline in 2009. “More recent data collected in the first two quarters of 2011 suggests the trend toward an improved equipment finance industry is continuing,” says ELFA presi- dent and CEO William G. Sutton.
Among the survey’s findings: New business volume reported by ELFA member companies of equipment financing for the metal and machinery industry remained flat at
4.3 percent from 2009 to 2010, and new business volume financed for machine tools increased from 1.8 percent in 2009 to 2.0 percent in 2010. Download a free summary of the survey’s key findings at www.elfaonline.org/sefa.
Training
Press-Hardening Seminar Slated for Oct. 5
The Sheraton Detroit Novi Hotel plays host to the next press-hardening seminar from AP&T, slated for Octo- ber 5. On the agenda: a keynote presentation from General Motors, a scientific and expert outlook from Magna, and a case-study presentation from Fiat. Learn more and register to attend at www.apt- usa.com/registration.
Ross Controls’
Total Machine Safety Seminar Slated
for October
Coming October 11, 2011, to Farmington Hills, MI: Total Machine Safety, a seminar from Ross Controls that addresses standards, risk-assessment require- ments, lockout/energy isola- tion, electrical and fluid- power safety devices and applications, and overall
machine-safeguarding requirements and solutions. The class is designed to pro- vide a broad basis and understanding of how to implement a machine-guard- ing process, and how to select safety-system compo- nents. More at www.totalma- chinesafety.com.
SAE, AIAG Launch Global Sourcing Engineering Certificate Program
The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and the Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) have partnered to create a global sourcing engineering certificate pro- gram. The nine-course cur- riculum comprises nearly 100 hours of class time. It’s dedicated to teaching engi- neers, quality professionals, purchasers and others in the automotive supply chain how to optimize their efficiency within the global design-engi- neering community. The courses, offered at AIAG
offices in Southfield, MI, and at SAE in Troy, MI, cover proj- ect management, quality planning, patent litigation, statistical-process control, identifying linkages between measurement systems, and other topics.
Business Notes
Tier Two/Three Automotive Stamper Climbs to Tier One
Sun Microstamping Tech- nologies, Clearwater, FL, announced its receipt of a new program from General Motors to supply compo- nents for GM’s second-gener- ation full-electric car. Sun, traditionally as Tier 2 and 3 supplier to the automotive industry, as well as to the medical, electronic, telecom- munications and marine industries, performs preci- sion metal stamping and custom plastic insert and injection molding.
Associations
Association of Women in the Metal Industries Annual Event on
the Horizon
AWMI, celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2011, will
hold its Annual Conference from September 28 to Octo- ber 2 at the Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center in Washington, D.C. The con- ference, open to all, features three days of education, net- working and other events. On the agenda: a keynote pres- entation from Bob Holt, vice president of sales and mar- keting for ThyssenKrupp Steel USA; a panel of execu- tives from metal producers,
including representatives from SSAB, Outokumpu and Olin Brass; and a panel of manufacturing professionals including Drew Greenblatt, president of Marlin Steel, Kelley Platt, president of Thomas Built Buses, and Richard Robidoux, division chief engineering, United States Mint. More at www.awmi.org.
Facilities
Supplier of Precision Cleaning Products Adds to its Applications Lab
Kyzen, Nashville, TN, has added a Rosink 850 parts cleaner to its applications lab- oratory. The unit, which made its debut at IMTS 2010, will allow Kyzen to test new clean- ing formulations and help cus- tomers develop cleaning- process parameters.
Welding-Equipment Manufacturer Fronius to Open U.S. HQ
in Indiana
Austrian-based Fronius International GmbH, a manu- facturer of arc-welding equip- ment, battery-charging sys- tems and solar electronics, announced plans to launch a new U.S. headquarters in Portage, IN, in the third quar- ter of 2012. The company will move from its current location in Brighton Town- ship, MI, to a new 400,000- sq.-ft. facility, and expects to employ as many as 512 people by 2016.
Stripmatic on the Move
Metalformer Stripmatic Products Inc., a precision metal stamper specializing in the manufacture of bushings, anchor pins, dowel pins,
6 MetalForming/September 2011
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