Page 33 - MetalForming July 2013
P. 33
When You Need it Fast
TM TM
In-Stock Items Ship in 24-48 Hours
Call us at
(513) 242-8900
or
1-800-543-1566 www.diehlsteel.com
mine. He’s good at 2D drawing and at conceptually visualizing how a stamping tool will work. And I’m able to create a 3D model, so we can prove that the tool will work in the press.”
Ganz knows that the men- torship he’s receiving from Swirtz is invaluable. “The knowl- edge from the previous genera- tion is material they didn’t teach
at school,” Ganz says. “The
hands-on experience compared Talon Ganz, the Millennial—focused on work-life with the book experience is balance and flexibility, and in search of challenging
and meaningful work.
extremely important and use-
ful. What I’ll learn (from Swirtz) during my apprenticeship over the next four years will enable me to become a real- ly good tool designer. Right now I’m just a drafter.”
On the other hand, Swirtz readily accepts Ganz’s help in learning 3D drafting technology. The two punch out of second shift at 7:00 p.m. and spend time together working on Solid- Works designs.
“(Ganz) made it easy because he’s such a bright kid,” Swirtz shares. “He’s got a very good grasp of SolidWorks and that’s a direction I’m definitely headed in. Being around him inspires me—he’s tutored me through my courses in SolidWorks.”
As far as mentoring goes, Swirtz says of Ganz:
“He’s respectful and attentive. He understands what I’m saying and can wrap his mind around the concepts. I’m sure he doesn’t take everything I say as gospel, but he’s respectful and he appreciates my input.”
The Dynamic Duo Pays Dividends
But this is much more than just a heart-warming story of two genera- tions connecting. E.J. Ajax is a for-prof- it metalforming company in a highly competitive global marketplace. Acquiring Swirtz’s company, funding Ganz’s scholarship and putting the two of them together all were strategies to support the growth of the business.
Those moves already have paid off. Early in 2013, a long-standing customer came to us with an opportunity to land a complex multi-million dollar stain- less-steel project. But the company had to meet a very tight deadline. Our first estimate for designing and creating the tooling and producing the produc- tion stampings was a deal-killing 12 weeks.
That’s when Swirtz and Ganz stepped up to the plate. Swirtz designed the tooling in just a couple days, and then Ganz took the drawing and made 3D models. “He was right there with me, Ganz says of Swirtz. “He told me where certain holes needed to be, where certain punches and pilots went. It took us less than a week to complete all of the modeling and design drawings and prepare for tooling production.”
With an innovative, turnkey tooling design born from generations of expe- rience turned into 3D models that could be outsourced for quick produc- tion, we reduced the 12-week lead time to less than six weeks. Our customer landed the job, and as a result our two companies will benefit for many years to come.
That’s a happy ending that repre- sents just the beginning of what prom- ises to be a very long and rewarding intergenerational partnership in the E.J. Ajax toolroom. MF
Article submitted by Erick Ajax, vice president of E.J. Ajax and Sons; www.ejajax.com.
www.metalformingmagazine.com
MetalForming/July 2013 31
