Page 8 - MetalForming February 2014

Editorial
Brad F. Kuvin
Spring Will Welcome a Pair of Must-Attend Educational Events
These last few years, and at least the next few coming years, mark a whirlwind time for die-design and build shops. As noted in Laurie Harbour’s article in last month’s Met- alForming, mass customization in the automotive industry and increased tooling complexity have created unprecedented demand, while capacity is relatively low.
How are tool-shop owners and managers responding? A recent study by die-design software company Cimatron offers some insights. Of the 370 tool-shop professionals com- pleting the online survey:
• 73 percent expect to hire additional employees in 2014;
• 59 percent invested in new software in 2013, and 40 percent intend to invest in new software in 2014;
• 73 percent invested in new equipment in 2013, and 41 percent intend to invest in new equipment in 2014.
The goals of these investments in new people, equipment and software:
• Meet increased demand for quotes—49 percent of survey respondents say that the number of quotes issued by their shop increased in 2013; and
• Meet streamlined project-delivery timeframes—44 percent of survey participants say that their delivery times have gone down in the past 2 yr., and 32 percent say that they now deliver projects in 4 weeks or less on average.
The waters clearly are churning all around the die-design and build community, and so
“The timing appears perfect for MetalForming’s annual Die Design and Simulation Software Experience.”
the timing appears perfect for MetalForming’s annual Die Design and Simulation Software Experience, scheduled for May 28-29 in Chicago. If you feel the urge to revisit your die- design software commitments, I recommend that you attend this 1.5-day conference. It will feature keynote presentations on the state of the industry, new software developments and
strategies for cost justification and implementation. Also on the agenda are several case- study presentations. And, attendees will have the opportunity to kick the tires on new design and simulation software solutions from these industry-leading vendors: Logopress and Accurate Die Design, Cimatron, AutoForm, ETA and TST Tooling. Visit www.metalforming- magazine.com/diedesign to learn more about the event and to register to attend.
Also on our upcoming spring agenda of educational offerings is The Manufacturing ERP Experience, scheduled for April 8-9, also in Chicago. This annual 1.5-day conference, now in its fourth year, features keynote presentations on ERP vendor selection and software implementation strategies, as well as several case-study presentations describing ERP installations at metalforming companies. And, attendees will have the opportunity to view software demonstrations from several vendors: Epicor, Plex, Global Shop Solutions, OmegaCube, ECi, NetSuite and IQMS.
Among our keynote presenters will be Eric Kimberling, president and chairman of Panora- ma Consulting Solutions. Have questions and concerns on how to best implement a new ERP solution? Lace up your work boots and don your helmet, and prepare for Eric’s highly touted implementation boot camp. Learn more about the event and register to attend by visiting www.metalformingmagazine.com/erp.
Editor bkuvin@pma.org www.pma.org/blog
6 MetalForming/February 2014
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