Speaking of Precision Blog by Miles Free III
(originally posted on pmpaspeakingofprecision.com)
Despite the fact that there has been no significant "recovery" of employment under the current Administration and Congress, There is ...
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If you have a high incidence and injury rate in your shop. 15,000 workplaces were sent the letter. Employers receiving ...
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Every one has a To Do List. Calibrate the gages, do the safety Audit, check the grinders , prepare for ...
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File under "If you can't get something through the legislative process, just create a new rule." In yet another instance of ...
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It is easy for big city editors and academics to broadly dismiss the real issues that employers face as we ...
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Some ideas to be working on during the 'slow time' at the end of the year. 1) Audit your shop's ...
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Today the WTO upheld its decision finding that Chinese restrictions on key raw material exports broke trade rules. We have ...
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The World Trade Organization (WTO) established an expert panel January 19th to investigate and rule whether punitive U.S. tariffs on ...
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The World Trade Organization ruled Tuesday that China was unfairly protecting its domestic manufacturers by limiting the export of nine ...
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News to China: Fair Trade means Trade Fair. Our original post on this subject: Chinese tire dumping . A ruling announced ...
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At the request of the United States, the European Union and Japan, the Dispute Settlement Body established on 23 July ...
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Proof the system can work if the Administration has the will. The WTO Appellate Body on Monday ruled in Geneva ...
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Crude steel production reported by the World Steel Association was 1,526.9 megatonnes in 2011, up 6.8% over 2010. This is ...
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eTraining Thanks to eTraining for the share. Note we take issue with the illusion of causality by the graph superimposing the fatality ...
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PMPA member North Easton Machine Company Incorporated is taking an active role in solving the skilled workforce issues it faces ...
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The Workforce Participation Rate fell to an astonishing new low of 62.8%, and yet the Employment outlook for skilled workers ...
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Openings for skilled workers as older workers retire are seen as the biggest challenge facing manufacturers in this economic policy ...
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Baby-boomer demographics continue to shape industry and employment. According to Peter Coy with Bloomberg,"...older workers’ share of the workforce briefly ...
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PMPA member Wolverine Machine Products Company in Holly, Michigan knows a little bit about Precision Machining. With their new Wardjet ...
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Sometimes, you just have to leave it in the good hands of your trusted colleagues. I was on the schedule ...
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"More firms report upturn in sales, profits, and hiring despite rising costs" is the title of the latest NABE survey ...
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After two weeks of disgust at the ongoing spill of oil into the Gulf of Mexico by the BP Deepwater ...
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Here is a safety lesson learned from one of my Facebook Friends. So the lesson today is......Don't take off the ...
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Low unemployment numbers can be deceiving. When the unemployment rate declines, it does not necessarily mean that more people found ...
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Tool life can vary when machining carbon and alloy steels despite the use of our best technology and our efforts ...
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The tolerance on cold drawn steel bars for machining is always specified as plus nothing minus some value... So why ...
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"Convincing millions of Americans they don't want a job or compelling desperate workers to settle for part time work has ...
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The New York Times Economix Blog ran a nice post on Grade Inflation. Two researchers, Stuart Rojstaczer and Christopher Healy, ...
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In the precision machining business, nobody sets up their machines based on the quality or price of your barstock. They set ...
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"The growth and passion I have seen in in manufacturing education and credentialing in just a short time has been ...
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U.S. Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration just released a new report that describes why manufacturing jobs are good ...
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Manufacturing is your best career choice today. The idea that there is just one narrative for success- go to college and ...
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Is now the right time for you to start your career in U.S. Manufacturing? I found this chart on Global Macro ...
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ITR Economist Brian Beaulieu gave a very informative economic outlook for the attendees at PMPA's Manaement Update Conference in Glendale ...
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Lead is added to steels to improve their machinability. But Lead is not considered an alloying element. An ...
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Guest post by Peter Morici. Jobs Growth Tanks in March Peter Morici Twitter @pmorici1 The Labor Department announced the economy ...
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The Invisible Hand Is NOT Training Enough Skilled Machinists. (And by the way, neither are we.) Estimates of as many ...
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Here are some photos of the most surprising thing I saw at IMTS in Chicago last week- SOLD SIGNS on ...
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The companies that are still here today have already made the adjustments needed to be sustainable. Since these businesses have ...
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I can give you 271,574 reasons why you probably ought to make it a priority. That is the number of ...
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Guest Post by Peter Morici No economic policy could better serve Americans than genuine free trade but open trade policies ...
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It is critical to understand that the selection of free machining steels goes against the ability of those components to ...
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You could ask this woodworker why they put guards on his machines. The hazards are real. Respect the horsepower and ...
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New appliances are part and parcel of home sales. And home values. "Home prices are down from their peak in ...
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I was asked this question on Quora. Thought that you might like my answer. Spoiler alert- I blamed Moms... Enjoy! ...
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Guest post by Robin Rutschilling, Clippard Instrument Laboratory, Inc. I am sitting at my desk preparing my day and this thought ...
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Guest post by Peter Morici. Only 39,000 new jobs created is awful. After we back out health care and social ...
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The Hairstyles! The Ties! The Eyeglasses! The Venues! The People! PMPA staff put together a short video on Youtube from ...
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Titled "More High Schools Teach Manufacturing Skills" the article confirms that " U.S. high schools that have launched or revived manufacturing ...
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"The manufacturing industry is facing an employment crisis. The rate of technical advances has outpaced our ability to educate and ...
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I went to judge the F1 In Schools State Championships in Pennsylvania. I was delighted to see the skills and ...
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Am I the only one missing the optimism in the employment situation these days? The New York Times headlined “Jobs ...
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When Did Manufacturing Become a Dirty Word? Guest post by Pamela Kan, President of Bishop Wisecarver The word manufacturing has ...
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Alan Beaulieu, President and Principal Economist at ITR, recently took a look at the Tax Overhaul Proposal authored by David ...
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I found a treasure in Epco Products' lobby! I just returned from a 900 mile trip to visit member companies ...
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Guest post by Dan Vermeesch and the team at Micron Manufacturing. The Micron Manufacturing Team was awarded the Shingo Silver ...
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Here are the top posts from 2013 that YOU found most interesting. Skills DO Pay the Bills We paid attention! With ...
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Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels will speak at PMPA's Management Update Conference in ...
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PMPA's mission is to be the premier provider of association services to advance the global competitiveness of the Precision Machining ...
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Lessons from the Japanese: Monozukuri, Quality, Cost Cutting, and the Risk of Recall. Graphic credit. Recalls on products sold in ...
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While there is no real recovery in Workforce Participation Rate at the national level, individuals can create their own personal ...
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Integrity. Motivation. Objectivity. Ability. Audacity. Integrity is the foundation of our technical profession. Without credibility, how can we expect others ...
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Deborah Keegan on IndustryWeek Manufacturing Network on LinkedIn asked "What is the one thing you need young workers who are joining ...
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You are a shop owner or key employee attending IMTS this year. Congratulations. Manufacturing is enjoying a strong "bull phase" ...
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"I get my data in Real Time." What does that sentence mean to you? When I ran a small cold ...
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Today our growth is limited by our inability to acquire skilled workers. In the last recession, we were held back ...
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No training at all! The money saved by not training won't begin to cover the direct and indirect costs of ...
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There seems to be a lot of confusion these days about manufacturing. As a guy who has worked his entire ...
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Machinability is one of those words that everyone uses but everyone also seems to have a different meaning. Here is ...
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This post inspired by a comment from John at HyTek Manufacturing in the Chicago suburbs who commented on our post ...
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Early in my career at US Steel I was given the following advice, typewritten, from my first mentor. It was attributed ...
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According to the Federal Register Vol. 74, No. 4 / Wednesday, January 7, 2009 / Notices: C. Factoryless Goods Producers The ...
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What if you don't train them and they stay? Photo ...
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China Trade Surplus Hits An 18 Month High The U.S. Customs bureau reported this week that China's trade surplus hit ...
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G.M. (27% owned by the federal government) is close to making a bid on Ally Financials' (74% owned by U.S ...
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What will our shops look like in 2020? 2020 is only 7 years away. I think that it is going to ...
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The ability of a material to deform plastically without fracturing, is called ductility. In the materials usually machined in our ...
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Diminishing returns is described as a yield rate that after a certain point fails to increase proportionately to additional outlays ...
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As machinists, we are used to handling materials in the bulk world. As machinists, our ease in obtaining productivity is ...
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"We are not given a dream unless we also have the power to make it happen." -PMPA President Darlene Miller. I ...
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We all know that customers want ever decreasing prices. GM and Chrylser bankruptcy and bailout showed us how that thinking ...
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Here are some results of a survey of plant engineers and managers by Reed Business Information taken last month. Results ...
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We learned with painful social and economic clarity in the great recession of 2008-2009 that it is demand, and not ...
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A colleague asked me this question via email the other day. Actually, he asked: "Simple question for you this morning- ...
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Our customers are interested in what is left after we remove the chips. But it is up to us as ...
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Wear of equipment in our industry is not on most people's minds nor check books. There is no ROI on ...
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The latest Institute for Supply Management Index for Manufacturing activity fell to 50.9 in July from 55.3 percent in June ...
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Three points you should know about the EPA's proposed TRI 'Clarification' It underestimates industry burden. It would cost our Precision Machining ...
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There is no reason that the vast majority of new manufacturing jobs have gone to men, but they have. Why ...
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BLS published the data behind the above look at our workforce in 2020 earlier this year. BLS Workforce But it was something ...
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August 14th we published a post that asked the question-"What does the precision machining shop of the future look like?" ...
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Sometimes the best information that you can get about your machining process requires your sense of touch to feel the ...
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We were pleased to see the infographic approach used by Dr. Lisa Lang to summarize the career opportunities in Precision ...
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The frequency of occurrence of an unexpected characteristic or non-conformance is an important indication of possible root cause. When you ...
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Leadership is about action, not potential. Global Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) data shows that it is the USA, not China, ...
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" U.S. manufacturing activity hovered at a near 4-1/2-year high in September and factory employment surged, supporting views of sturdy ...
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Any questions? Our comment for this is three words recalled from Mrs. Ponte's Latin Class: 'res ipsa loquitor.' Translation: 'The thing ...
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PMPA is actively working on Capitol Hill, as well as with the Administration and business groups, to extend the Net ...
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"Upside-down” programs allow students to transfer accredited technical training, work experience, military training, or community college coursework as credit toward ...
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Mechanical properties of a given steel under compression compare closely with its tensile properties. An upset can be performed to ...
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OSHA Director David Michaels has responded to PMPA’s letter challenging several aspects of the OSHA March 12, 2012 Memorandum on ...
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Find A Job Friday. We live in a world filled with mixed messages. The FED says “…economic activity has been expanding ...
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"PMPA urges EPA to maintain the current 75ppb standards for ozone. Allowing for the full and continued implementation of the current ...
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In case you were wondering how well the US Department of Commerce is taking care of the exclusion requests by ...
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The reason everyone wants to describe our current unemployment situation as cyclical just might be because 'cyclical unemployment' is cause agnostic ...
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Guest Post by Don Ake. "The unique situations created by the Great Recession have rendered some traditional economic indicators unreliable. ...
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The reporter on NPR breathlessly gushed about how the unemployment rate fell to 7.7 percent. What a great story! They ...
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Compressive Stress is important in the forging, stamping, coining, and cold heading industries. It is compression stress that is used to ...
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Significant revenue growth. Increased costs of materials. Products produced above cost. Injury and Illness rates up slightly. New collective bargaining ...
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MAPI forecasts that manufacturing production will increase 6% in 2011 and advance by 4% in 2012. Industry Week cites Manufacturers ...
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It's not every post that I write that I can start with a reference to DOS desktop computing, but in ...
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The American Trucking Associations’ advance seasonally adjusted (SA) For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index increased for the sixth time in the ...
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After postponements and a head fake by the Chinese, the US Department of the Treasury has once again failed to ...
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We wrote about Transparent Aluminum early in our blogging adventure. According to MAKE magazine the science seems to have caught up ...
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We ought to provide immediately relevant training the best way we know how, today. Insisting on old school manual training ...
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What if... SOTP Welding ...
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Guest Post by Darryl Crum of Viewit.US.com training provider. “Information is not knowledge, let’s not confuse the two.” - Deming Years ...
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Guest Post by Darryl Crum of Viewit.US.com I am convinced we have done a very poor job in training our ...
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Deputy Director of OSHA's Directorate of Enforcement Programs Patrick Kapust presented the agency's preliminary list at the National Safety Congress ...
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Just the top five manufacturing sectors shown below contributed 239,900 net new jobs in 2011 year to date through November ...
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Thanks Investment Tooling International Precision Toolmakers! Was doing a random Google search the other day on the topic of precision ...
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I went to the U.S. Government's Bureau of Economic Analysis Site the other day looking for some information on imports ...
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Leaded steel bars historically have been a mainstay raw material in the screw machining industry. As more applications and newer ...
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In most shops there are three magic bullets that can make a job go better: Tool Coatings Tool Geometry Tool ...
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Today is Manufacturing Day. The purpose of Manufacturing Day is to highlight the opportunities for skilled people to find rewarding ...
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To advance member companies is part of the PMPA's Mission; "to identify legislative issues having a significant impact on ...
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Many precision machining shop owners think that they sell parts. The savvy shop owners know that what they sell is ...
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I was reminded of the possibility of heat stress in our shops when I started the car the other day ...
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It’s that time of year again: Time to post your company’s OSHA 300A Summary of Work Related Injuries and Illnesses ...
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I saw this post originally last December and found it relevant. Now that we are midway through the year, I ...
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How we manage our time is a great way to evaluate our success as managers. How do you utilize your ...
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We're a fan of manufacturing. Automotive. Legos. Time Lapse. See it being built. Here's your Link: Time Lapse Ford Explorer ...
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Santa asked me to close my eyes and make three wishes for the precision machining industry. Here they are. Wish ...
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The Three Rules of Thumb are: Does this action attempt to deceive anyone or allow anyone to be deceived? Does ...
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In my experience these are the three prime causes for accidents and injuries in our manufacturing plants. Failure to wear ...
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The machinability of steel bars is determined by three primary factors. Those factors are 1) Cold Work; 2) Thermal Treatment; 3) ...
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Thanks to Tim Waters via LinkedIn Goups for the great thought-starter Question! 1) Be sincere and respectful when employees engage ...
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Many times a print will come in to be quoted with material called out to be "Grade 8," "Grade 4.8, ...
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Three primary criteria for selecting bar steels are 1) suitability for end use, 2) suitability for manufacturing process, 3) economical delivery of the ...
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The causes of plating difficulties on parts manufactured from cold drawn steel bars are neither mysterious nor beamed on to ...
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Thermal effects can affect your results. Its consistency of temperature, not the actual temperature, that is important. Thermal errors can ...
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Everyone knows that the type of coating for a job is the most important thing to consider. Right? Obviously, using ...
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Guest post by Lib Pietrantoni, CJWinter Flaking threads and thread damage can be avoided when thread rolling thin walled parts ...
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Today is the 164th anniversary of the birth of prolific American inventor, Thomas Edison. Truly a modern Prometheus, Mr. Edison ...
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Our July 2010 Business Trends Report provides hard data that the precision machining industry is maintaining "A New Normal." The ...
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The Team at Keystone Threaded Products shows us that "Precision" doesn't necessarily mean "Tiny" as they thread the ends of ...
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Don's inferences about the changes to come in the distribution industry could very well affect our provision of parts to our ...
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Guest post by Peter Morici "The fact is nothing the Fed does can appreciably accelerate U.S. economic recovery or stem ...
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The Precision Machined Products Association is proud to serve its member companies in the precision machining industry. We know ...
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Stealing scrap metals Clerical errors at scrapyards could become a federal crime under provisions of H.R.1006 now in committee. We ...
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Not the kind of "Change" I like to see. Looking back at the recessions in the 1960's, '70's, and '80's, ...
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What is the REAL inflation rate? Guest post by Dr. Ken Mayland, ClearView Economics LLC When we look at things that ...
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The June jobs report came out. Unemployment rate now 9.2% The economy added <gasp> 18,000 jobs in June. Compare this to ...
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In most of this footage you will see that there is a small mass of workpiece material (Built Up Edge ...
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These past two years have taught us all some valuable lessons. But, we haven’t yet recognized the change that these ...
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We wrote a piece in Production Machining August 2009 about the "New Domestics." You can read it here. Researching for ...
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Ryan at Change The Perception discovered this CNN video about Machining. Here's the Video. Ryan, thanks for sharing this ...
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Guest post by Dr. Ken Mayland, Clearview Economics Here is a picture of the last year of durable goods orders ...
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I know some folks who have an uncanny ability to predict the future. They are not psychic, indeed, they are ...
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As a steel company Metallurgist and Quality Director, I was the guy who got the call to visit a shop ...
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The Witch is dead! The National Bureau of Economic Research issued a statement that the "trough" ended in June 2009 ...
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As machinists, we seldom encounter microalloy steels. but what do we need to know? Microalloy steel is manufactured like any other, ...
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Your QA manager can put you to sleep explaining the difference between these two terms- but you really need to ...
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The Chinese yuan or 'remninbi' hit a record high against the US dollar on Monday amidst the strong volatility visible ...
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Guest Post by Jeff Wiltsie, President, Vanamatic Company The Climate Change Debate Greenhouse Gases – CO2 Fossil Fuels Deforestation Chemical ...
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The WTO just handed China a 460 page ruling regarding how the country handles American books, movies, and music. Here ...
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Chatter costs money when you reduce the productivity of the machine by slowing it down to make the vibration ...
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Why doesn't the cost of these correlate to the investment needed to produce them? This great question came from a discussion ...
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This is awesome photography and will convince you that perhaps there is some Magical "Slinky Antigravity Technology" involved that keeps ...
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"Asking GE to advise the USA on Domestic Job Creation is like asking Willie Horton to consult on Bank Security. " ...
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In North America, the AISI/SAE steel grade nomenclature system is widely used. In this system, 4 numeric digits (XXXX) describe the ...
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The need for talent is a universal concern- in Germany and in North America. The German apprenticeship model is effective ...
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I started a list of the things that I was 'Thankful for" (Grammatical correction courtesy of memories of Miss Jerles ...
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This technology could be the embodiment of our industry's real vision of a "Paperless Shop." [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1uyQZNg2vE] No mention of ...
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We have many blessings in our lives, the love of family, friends chief among them. Most of us enjoy an ...
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We have many blessings in our lives, the love of family, friends chief among them. Most of us enjoy an ...
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I didn't say "Happy Fathers Day" even once today. What I said was "Thanks Dad for:___" Thanks for being first ...
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Actually, a million thank yous! Thanks to readers like you, SPEAKINGOFPRECISIONBLOG has over 1,000,000 views. 1,000,000 views! Our first post ...
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Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology in Lancaster PA was recently awarded a JOBS1st PA Tech Grant of $148,970 to upgrade ...
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We attended a presentation at WIRE-Net by Cleveland OSHA Area Director Howie Eberts. Howie did a great job of giving ...
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Post by James Pryor II American Safety And Health Management Consultants, Inc. Your shops's LOCKOUT /TAGOUT program is the "key" ...
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In steels, tempering is reheating hardened steel to some temperature below the lower critical temperature for the purpose of decreasing hardness ...
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The majority of the demand for skilled workforce in industry is in this area of engineering and production technology requiring ...
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"With aerospace function and safety criticality, we absolutely need to know the status and location of every piece that could ...
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USA Today has an extensive article and video segment on Right Skills Now, the skilled workforce development program spearheaded by Darlene ...
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"Government-backed talent investment loans will give SMEs the capital to hire the workers necessary to expand their businesses, as well ...
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The PMPA Business Trends Index showed a surprisingly strong August. PMPA’s Index of Sales of Precision Machined Products in August ...
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Effective Associating- PMPA and other groups challenged the "recess" appointment of three nominees to the NLRB without a confirmation vote. The ...
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The job of the supervisor is one of the most difficult and one of the most rewarding. It is a ...
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I subscribed to Ryan Pohl's blog feed, Change The Perception. (link below) Ryan's blog is thoughtful, passionate, and genuine. It's ...
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Right out the of the gate the PMPA Business Trends Index shows a 46% gain over December shipments, the highest ...
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The PMPA Business Trends Index for May 2014 increased 5 points over both April 2014 and May 2013. Our industry ...
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Forgive us if our schizophrenia is showing. Precision Machined Products shops serve Manufacturing and Construction markets. According to the latest ...
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A strong ISM Report for June: The PMI Index increased 2.9 percent, New Orders Index up 4 percent, Production Index ...
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"Stress cracks are defined as transverse or near transverse open crevices created when concentration of residual stresses exceed the local ...
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"Competers are usually so caught up in meeting their day to day challenges that they can only worry about the ...
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Seams are longitudinal crevices that are tight or even closed at the surface, but are not welded shut. They are ...
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Gold is for the mistress Silver for the maid Copper for the craftsman, cunning at his trade, "Good!" said the ...
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Rethinking connecting! We just learned of this prize winning development. Researchers at Technical University of Munich , Germany have developed ...
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We expect to see steel surcharges and prices on the climb as manufacturing economic activity starts to recover. The current ...
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The current service center destocking will mean shortages and delays when manufacturing recovers. This makes raw material price increases inevitable. MSCI Report ...
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Industry Week's report on the AISI's annual meeting in Colorado Springs is the Official report on AISI website. Here are ...
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"The jobs crisis has brought an unwelcome discovery for many unemployed Americans: Job openings in their old fields exist. Yet ...
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This 4 minute video was produced by a British high school in cooperation with a film-maker and local police authorities ...
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One of the reasons I blog is for "Knowledge Retention." I want to be sure that the stuff I know ...
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Our industry works with some pretty amazing resolution and precision as our stock in trade. There are shops that look at ...
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As the end of the year holidays and time off arrive, it is time to reflect on just what it is ...
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The much awaited Budget deal is sure to disappoint anyone expecting real help for the budget, deficit, or the country ...
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It is not just demographics of our workforce that drives our industry. It is also the demands of society that ...
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The networking that matters is helping people achieve their goals. Its not the number of superficial friends or followers. But ...
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I'll be on a panel about workforce development Tuesday September 11th at 11AM CST at the IMTSedu booth N-6677 in ...
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A number of customers of the precision machining industry have started telling their suppliers (Us!) that we need to adopt ...
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Last week Bloomberg BusinessWeek published an insightful article on the hassles of small manufacturers with their China businesses. "American production ...
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"Slivers are elongated pieces of metal attached to the base metal at one end only. They normally have been hot ...
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Slips, trips and falls- here are some facts to help you with training for your team. We are currently working on our ...
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Recently PMPA member Darlene Miller told the White House Jobs Council that what we needed were skilled workers. "Not just ...
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We have been working on the skills gap issue for a couple of years. This infographic from MSN careers shows ...
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Lack of skills were found to be behind the skills gap for production jobs according to a new report by ...
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I had the privilege of participating in the Business Leaders United Fly-In to Capital Hill in Washington D.C. earlier this ...
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The Precision Machined Products Association (PMPA) has partnered with The Manufacturing Institute to expand Right Skills Now, a fast-track machining ...
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PMPA member company Precision Plus in Elkhorn, Wisconsin is just one of many PMPA companies committed to changing the conversation ...
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Dan's comments were a response he shared with PMPA members regarding the charge of one talking head on last week's ...
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We just completed our 2013 Business Forecast Report, a compilation of markets served by our industry as measured by percent ...
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"By almost any measure the American Dream is in Peril. The robust middle class growth of the 1950's and 1960's ...
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Silicon plays many roles in steel but its most important is deoxidation; it is detrimental to tool life, machinability and ...
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Tom Andel, Editor over at Penton's Material Handling and Logistics blog, raised an interesting paradox the other day. "Not only ...
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At PMPA's National Technical Conference, attendees will be presented with a wealth of programs to help them 'further their degree ...
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You can tell a lot about a shop by what you don't see... I had the privilege to attend Technology ...
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One of my friends on Facebook posted this video about how to sharpen a wood scraper by a guitar maker ...
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"Setups are going a little smoother (mostly); there is much less wasted time searching for needed tools; and everyone is ...
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The Severe Violator Enforcement Program (SVEP) directive became effective on June 18. (You wouldn't know it from the OSHA website, ...
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PMPA’s Business Trends Index of Shipments fell to 100 in September, a non-seasonal move that shows our industry shipments gain ...
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"The PMI™ registered 51.7 percent, an increase of 0.2 percentage point from September's reading of 51.5 percent, indicating growth in ...
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According to Wards Auto World, the current Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate (SAAR) for Light Vehicles is 12.5%. Chrysler's volume January - ...
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The ISM PMI report issued today is the highest reading for the year to date. PMPA's Business Trends Index for August ...
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"Economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in September, and the overall economy grew for the 100th consecutive month, say the nation's supply executives ...
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The single point in time, monthly headline unemployment rate is a not very useful leading indicator for people in the ...
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Guest post by Peter Morici, professor at the Smith School of Business, University of Maryland School, and former Chief Economist ...
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"Seams are longitudinal crevices that are tight or even closed at the surface, but are not welded shut. They are ...
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Scratches are longitudinal or near longitudinal indentations caused by mechanical rubbing of the bar on protrusions as it is processed.--AISI ...
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OSHA Issues Safety Alert- Scissors Lifts 10 fatalities and 20 serious injuries over a one year period spurred the alert ...
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Can transporter beams be far behind? University of Oxford Scientists led an international team that created this material first described ...
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The M-List is curated by the Manufacturing Institute to include those institutions that offer NAM endorsed metalworking skills training and ...
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False: Preventive Maintenance (PM) is too costly. False: Its cheaper to fix it when it breaks, rather than before hand. False: ...
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Scabs are irregularly shaped, flattened protrusions caused by splash, boiling or other problems from teeming, casting, or conditioning.-AISI Technical Committee ...
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The security camera on the roof at PMPA North American Headquarters caught a very brief few seconds of one of ...
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I attended a holiday dinner with my father and guess who showed up? Santa! I know he's real. He called ...
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We recently caught up with Santa on his pre- flight rounds checking chimney status in Ohio. Speaking of Precision: What ...
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I really get annoyed when people tell me to do as they say, rather than as they do. How about ...
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Fun post for Friday. Researchers at Nanyang University demonstrate the refractive qualities of Calcite to make a post it note ...
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Machinability of carbon and alloy steels is a shear process. Working the metal (Shearing to create chip) provides heat. The subsequent sliding ...
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Northeastern Ohio's Lakeland Community College held a double elimination battlebot competition Saturday, April 31. PMPA Members Criterion Tool, Fischer Special ...
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"A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. " ...
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Nothing like hands on experience to make an electromechanical device that obeys your commands to develop student interest in making things ...
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Robots continue to find their way into our precision machining shops as we move away from departments of similar machines ...
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The US has a shortage of engineers, a fact that certainly can be recognized as hindering competitiveness in a world focused ...
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Brandon Jacobs, 20 years old, was a grocery store cashier and pricing clerk before completing the Right Skills Now program ...
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Right Skills Now will provide fast-track training for skilled manufacturing jobs- starting with entry level precision machinists. According to a ...
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High tech, get a well paying job, kind of skills. Watch the video here. http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/dpp/money/minn-program-trains-high-tech-workers-apr-5-2012?CMP=201204_emailshare#82666188-1 PMPA Member Darlene Miller, member ...
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Talking with a colleague about riding lawnmowers the other day. It's that time of year around here in Ohio. He ...
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There is a lot happening in Rhode Island to help spread the word to high school students about MFG Day ...
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Starting yesterday, chemical manufacturers, importers, distributors and employers are required to provide a common approach to classifying chemicals and communicating ...
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2019 has been a very strong year for Sales. PMPA's June Business Trends Sales index 11 point “reversion to the ...
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Now is the time for innovation- throughout our organizations, not just the shop floor. Today we'll provide you with a ...
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There was certainly no transformation of culture at the Tier 1 suppliers coming out of Chapter 11. Despite all the ...
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A lot of people have a false idea about "power" in their ideas about authority at work. And from what ...
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Why should you consider a career in manufacturing? Wall Street Journal: Industry Puts Heat On Schools What the Shortage of ...
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Automotive NewsWire: June 29, 2011 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency gave final approval yesterday on labeling that will allow the ...
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On June 17th, at the request of the US Environmental Protection Agency, the Office of Management & Budget removed from ...
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The 2011 Reduction Drinking Water Act reduces the permissible Lead content in plumbing fixtures, fittings and components with wetted surfaces ...
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Hidden variation is what increases your costs. Permanently eliminating the causes of variation is the only way to truly reduce ...
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Ford announced it is reducing its summer shutdown in several North America plants, including six assembly plants, from the traditional ...
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Every stapler in our office is black and metallic silver. Or grey. Except for two red staplers. While visual management ...
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Speaking of assembly... Last weekend I bought a table that my wife wanted, to replace the classic old drop ...
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One of my pet peeves is to walk into a shop and see, on each and every horizontal bench surface ...
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This graph is pretty clear. PMPA’s Index of Sales of Precision Machined Products in February 2011 was 110, staying even ...
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The pundits lately are all increasingly pessimistic about manufacturing these days. Industry Week, NFIB, Bloomberg. The PMPA Business Trends Index ...
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and America's Standard of Living Guest post by Jeff Wiltsie, Vanamatic Company On July 4, 2010, the United States will ...
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This is a graph of the 4 week moving average of total rail traffic from ASI Transmatch. The data is through ...
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When I was a blast furnace burden clerk at USS back in the 1970's, the hot metal production that I ...
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The methodology of measurement and what is measured are quite different. this is critical to understand if you will not ...
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Quench cracks result from stresses produced during the transition from Austenite to Martensite, which involves an increase in volume. The ...
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No spec, no quality. Know Spec, know quality. Know the specification! ...
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"Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful ...
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PMPA is teaming up with Sonnhalter, the leading B2B agency behind Tradesmen Insights Blog to offer you a free webinar on ...
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The Bureau of Labor Services reported the preliminary productivity changes in manufacturing for the second quarter of 2009: 5.3 percent gain in manufacturing; ...
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The prices of all raw materials that we track rose as follows over the past year: Aluminum: Up 23% from ...
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EMC Precision Machining, a fourth-generation, family-owned company that produces complex precision metal components for a diverse group of global ...
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In my experience, the ability to anticipate is the mark of a great manager. At the Epicor Insights 2013 Conference, ...
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"By controlling the important variables, dimensional changes in heat treatment can be controlled." Patrick McKenna Variability is the enemy in ...
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Precision Plus, Inc. is featured in the latest issue of Wisconsin STEM Pathways Magazine. The article, entitled Companies in the ...
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On Wednesday, February 26, approximately 200 students from five different schools settled into their seats at the Elkhorn Area High ...
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PMPA member company Precision Plus President Mike Reader posted two great videos on his blog last week. Imitation being the sincerest ...
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When I visit our precision machine shops around the country, I am always impressed at how often the parts being ...
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The PMPA Business Trends Report for September 2013 shows our sales /shipments index to be down to 115 for September, ...
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While we can identify over 13oo "machine shops" in Canada, here is a quick look at the impacts of 60 ...
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PMPA’s Business Trends Index for November 2013 is 116, down 10 points from last month’s value, yet at the highest ...
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Our December PMPA Business Trends Report for December 2017 finished at 125 for the year, up 6.8% over last year's ...
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For the Precision Machining Industry, a strong case can be made that our sales are recovering. PMPA's Index of Sales ...
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The PMPA Business Trends Index of Sales for March 2010 reached the 100 mark. This is auspicious because that ...
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PMPA’s Index of Sales of Precision Machined Products rose to 85, the highest value for the year. This is an ...
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The Precision Machining Industry continues to show solid sales in 2014. The PMPA Business Trends Index for July 2014 rose 3 points ...
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"Manufacturing continued its growth in September as the PMI registered 51.6 percent, an increase of 1 percentage point when compared ...
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PMPA’s Business Trends Index for July 2012 is 111, down substantially from last month’s adjusted value of 119, but still ...
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The PMPA Business Trends Report for March 2014 hit 129, a new high for the indicator of precision machining industry ...
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Unless they are family, or are under encouragement from someone on the Sopranos, people have three reasons to buy from ...
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Population Growth and Globalization are two very important determinants or drivers of your precision machine shop business. Are you paying ...
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Polyamide is used in a wide variety of automotive technologies- yarn for airbags and tires; engineering plastics under the hood, transmission ...
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Mike Reader, President of Precision Plus, shares his take on PMPA's recent 2 day Capitol Hill Fly-in. On Tuesday, March ...
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The Precision Machined Products Association recently joined forces with the Forging Industry Association, Industrial Fasteners Institute, National Association for Surface ...
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PMPA recently provided formal written testimony, additional supporting comments and an estimate of implementation costs at the recently held informal ...
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On Friday, October 9, 2009 PMPA's Director of Marketing and Communications, Robert Kiener, testified before the Senate Banking Subcommittee on ...
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PMPA’s Index of Sales of Precision Machined Products in October 2010 was 103, basically at the six month average ...
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It takes quite a bit of coordination to prepare and turn around a hotel ball room for lunch, a keynote ...
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The team at Ohio Screw Products tells you why they attend PMPA's National Technical Conference. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uw9346Jm4gs&hl=en_US&fs=1&] See you in Pittsburgh ...
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The National Technical Conference is one of PMPA’s most valued deliverables. Produced by members for members, this conference shares how- ...
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Michael Tamasi was called to the White House to share AccuRounds’ successes in building a partnership to re-employ local residents ...
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PMPA Government Affairs Committee Chairman Brad Smith of Indianapolis based The Mitchel Group particpated in a round table discussion with ...
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Fischer Special Tooling President Kevin Johnson and PMPA Executive Director Mike Dufffin are prominently featured in a report on the ...
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Darlene Miller, Chief Executive of Permac Industries in Burnsville Minnesota, was named last week to President Obama’s 22-person Council on ...
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The Precision Machined Products Association announced today that it has appointed Bernie Nagle to be the organization’s next Executive Director ...
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'Tear out' ideas worth keeping on technical, management, quality and regulatory topics will be the focus. These four core subject ...
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The Precision Machined Products Association (PMPA) filed official comments opposing an Administration proposal to place additional burdens on employers while ...
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PMPA has a history of providing relevant industry training programs at the local regional and national level. Now, PMPA is ...
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The PMPA Business Trends Report for February 2014 has just been released. "The PMPA Business Trends Index for February 2014 ...
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Seasonality explains our drop in Sales this November, as it does every year. The November 2015 PMPA Business Trends Report Sales ...
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Both the PMPA Business Trends Index and the ISM PMI for October 2011 index show a slight flattening in shipments; ...
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PMPA’s Business Trends Index for June 2013 is 119, identical to the value for June 2012 and down 8 points ...
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October’s numbers, while up from September’s, are discouraging to our forecast of industry sales for 2012. With seasonal declines already ...
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The PMPA Business Trends Report for March 2013 looks quite similar to that of March 2012. While our shipments in ...
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"2019 was a better year than you think, finishing essentially even with 2018. Responding shops have balanced expectations going into ...
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The PMPA Business Trends Index for April 2014 fell 6 points from 129 to 123, up two points over April ...
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The PMPA Business Trends Report 2012 Year End Review and Summary is completed and posted on our website here. Despite ...
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PMPA’s Index of Sales of Precision Machined Products rose to 114 for the year, up 15 percent from the 2010 ...
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The Board of Directors of the Precision Machined Products Association announced the hiring of Michael T. Kobylka, II as PMPA's ...
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Lets add one more federal burden to beleagured manufacturers. At least, thats what iGPS, a manufacturer of plastic pallets is calling ...
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http://connect.facebook.net/rsrc.php/v1/yQ/r/f3KaqM7xIBg.swf http://www.facebook.com/dialog/oauth?api_key=79439656165&app_id=79439656165&channel_url=https%3A%2F%2Fs-static.ak.fbcdn.net%2Fconnect%2Fxd_proxy.php%3Fversion%3D3%23cb%3Df2e1af9664f580e%26origin%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fpmpaspeakingofprecision.wordpress.com%252Ff15f40b8a1435e9%26relation%3Dparent.parent%26transport%3Dpostmessage&client_id=79439656165&display=none&domain=pmpaspeakingofprecision.wordpress.com&locale=en_US&origin=1&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fs-static.ak.fbcdn.net%2Fconnect%2Fxd_proxy.php%3Fversion%3D3%23cb%3Df11a1af65215f8b%26origin%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fpmpaspeakingofprecision.wordpress.com%252Ff15f40b8a1435e9%26relation%3Dparent%26transport%3Dpostmessage%26frame%3Df1ddcbe502365d9&response_type=token%2Csigned_request%2Ccode&sdk=joey Which would you rather hire- a plant manager or a profitability engineer? The outlook is bleak for plant ...
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The majority of defects encountered in steel bars in our shops are found on the surface. Internal defects can also ...
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The uhh- "techie" part of us is celebrating Pi Day at 1:59 pm today So besides being the cause of ...
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OSHA cited Advantage Powder Coating in Defiance, Ohio, for 15 safety violations and fined the company $159,600 after a pedestal ...
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Part Time Employment in a low paying field does not have to be your destiny. Mortgaging your future to enormous ...
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“This fear of inflation, I think, is way overstated,” Mr. Bernanke said. “We’ve looked at it very, very carefully. We’ve ...
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Sunday, Austrian Felix Baumgartner rode a balloon to the edge of space, stepped off his balloon- borne capsule into a 128,100 feet, 830 mph, 4 minute, ...
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EHS magazine had a great post on the overuse as abuse of PPE. Diminished Returns, Diminished Awareness was written by ...
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Thank you, readers, for your attention to our posts. We will continue to post thought leadership, knowledge retention, and emerging ...
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21,420 to be exact. This is a 20% increase in the number of credentials issued in the United States from ...
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It feels like our industry just finished a year long work out at the gym. Based on this, I'd say ...
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This is our 100th blog post! Since we went live last August, we've had over 20,000 page views of our ...
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OSHA Penalties increased 78% August 1, 2016. The following is a list of the top 10 most frequently cited standards ...
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Summary: A change in the interpretation of the word ‘FEASIBLE’ by OSHA could cause all shop owners whose shops noise ...
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PMPA invited Assistant Secretary of Labor, OSHA Director David Michaels, PhD, MPH to speak to attendees at our Management Update ...
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The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration today announced that it is withdrawing its proposed interpretation titled ...
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OSHA has updated their form 2201 General Industry Digest for 2012. This publication provides a general overview of standards-related topics ...
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Yes, they have a book for that. What is in this book for your manufacturing shop? General Industry Training Requirements ...
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OSHA recently posted its top 10 most frequently cited violations for FY2013.While 2 of the top 3 are Construction, the balance ...
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The link in this post will take you to a table of the Top 10 Training Citations by OSHA for ...
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Please note that these Top Ten Citations are for all industries (including construction), not just Precision Machining. Fall protection – ...
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On June 20th, OSHA published a memorandum to Regional Administrators outlining its temporary enforcement policy for 29 CFR 1910.137(b) and ...
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OSHA 's Severe Violator Enforcement Program (SVEP) has been in effect since June 18, 2010. So what does an employer have to ...
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A new wallet card issued by OSHA will help your supervisors understand the changes to Injury and Illness Reporting Requirements ...
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Employers! These requirements are now in effect! A new wallet card issued by OSHA will help your supervisors understand the ...
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Under the revised rule, employers will be required to notify OSHA of work-related fatalities within eight hours, and work-related in-patient ...
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Your chance to comment on the proposal is NOW! On June 22, 2011, The Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced in a Notice ...
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On February 10th 2011 OSHA issued new enforcement guidelines in regards to personal protective equipment (PPE). Here's the link: PPE ...
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“The intent of this NEP is to target workplaces with machinery and equipment that cause (or are capable of causing) ...
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No Formal Announcement. Why? No Entry in the Federal Register. Why? No Official Statement. Why? Just a tiny little update ...
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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has identified and sent letters (OSHA LETTER) to approximately 14,600 workplaces with the ...
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Ever want to know what happens after an OSHA inspection, what are the types of violations that you can be ...
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OSHA inspections don't just 'happen.' They are the result of some initiating circumstance that makes them a priority. OSHA inspection ...
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We were priveleged to have had a face to face meeting with Director Michaels of OSHA earlier this year. We ...
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The new HAZCOMM 2012 'Right to Understand' will impact 5 million businesses at an OSHA estimated cost of only $201 million ...
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The first implementation phase of the updated Hazcom standard is Dec. 1, 2013. This is the date by which employers ...
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How does OSHA decide to inspect shops? Prior to this latest change, OSHA followed its Enforcement Weighting System (EWS). Late ...
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The powered industrial trucks (PIT) standard (29 CFR 1910.178) is the most commonly cited standard throughout the material handling industries ...
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As shop owners, we tend to think of OSHA as meaning "Enforcement." At PMPA's Management Update Meeting in Arizona last ...
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On December 10, 2019, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued an instruction (Directive) CPL 03-00-022 ...
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Informed is prepared. OSHA just added and published a new chapter addressing noise to the OSHA Technical Manual. This new ...
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Actually, Saturday, February 1st, is the deadline, but do you really want to come in on Saturday to do this? ...
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PMPASPEAKINGOFPRECISION.COM was listed in Orthoworld's BONEZONE Spring 2011 Industry Watch column as a "Blog or App That Brings Solutions." ...
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If you have an intermittent or periodic problem, start counting frequency of occurrence, and then figure out what the order of ...
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Karen Martin spoke at PMPA's Management Update meeting earlier this year. Her presentation was based on her book, The Outstanding ...
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Here's an Electric Vehicle to make you say- "Why didn't I do that?" Here's some specs: 60" tall 39" wide ...
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Sometimes, our eyes can help us see what is really going on, no matter what the talking heads in the ...
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Seth Godin has just published his latest book, The Icarus Deception. It is a challenging read for all of us ...
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The October PMI is the lowest reading since May 2013, when the PMI also registered 50.1 percent. A reading above ...
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"The October PMI® registered 59 percent, an increase of 2.4 percentage points from September’s reading of 56.6 percent, indicating continued ...
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The time to catch an obsolete specification is during contract review, before there are commitmemnts to material and or sunk ...
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The March 31st explosion at Evonik Industries in Marl, Germany is likely to have the same effect on worldwide automotive ...
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Deena Ebbert is Propellergirl, a passionate champion for personal and organizational performance. She will be the keynote speaker at ...
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The NRC concluded mandatory hearings on the request for licenses at the Vogtle site 26 miles southeast of Augusta Georgia ...
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Listen to the ~3 minute broadcast here: NPR clip Here's what manufacturers want when they say "We need people with ...
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The PMPA Business Trends Report Sales index for November plummeted 23 points from 132 to 109, a drop of almost ...
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" Economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in November for the 18th consecutive month, and the overall economy grew for ...
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The Institute for Supply Management Purchasing Manager's Index (PMI) report for November 2013 shows strengthening in manufacturing and hit the ...
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The ISM manufacturing index indicated contraction in November. PMI was at 49.5% in November, down from 51.7% in October. This ...
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"If U.S. manufacturing were a country by itself, it would be the eighth largest economy in the world." Guest post ...
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Labor doesn’t add much value. In my experience, it only moved stuff around. The labor jobs went away. Today, I ...
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When you are in a professional conversation, leading with a disclaimer about what you are going to say sabotages your ...
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Guest post by Peter Morici Any parent knows, adolescents are inclined to deny facts when told something they want is ...
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Washington, D.C. – The Precision Machined Products Association (PMPA) today strongly criticized the release by the National Labor Relations Board ...
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Credentials issued by NIMS in 2014 show that more students are preparing for success and high-demand careers. In 2014, NIMS ...
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As a Lab supervisor in a Metalurgical Lab, quality pictures through the microscope was all in a days work. Obtaining ...
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This sobering presentation from the National Federation of Independent Business contrasts the headline stockmarket picture to the reality faced by ...
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If you have stationary reciprocating internal combustion engines (gasoline or diesel) for standby generators, pumps, etc, these January 14, 2013 ...
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On "Workers Memorial Day" OSHA sent out a memorandum regarding efforts to protect temporary workers. "...the agency is making a ...
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Injuries and illnesses should be recorded on only one employer’s injury and illness log. 29 CFR 1904.31(b)(4). In most cases, ...
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Our industry doesn't use "mechanical power presses" per se, but the OSHA Mechanical Power Press Standard, 29 CFR 1910.127 is ...
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(OSHA) is initiating a national emphasis program (NEP) on recordkeeping to assess the accuracy of injury and illness data recorded ...
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Why you should care. There actually has been a payoff to our shops from our investment and implementation of ISO/TS ...
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Just learned that an American National Standard for calculating the Cost Per Hire has been published. ANSI/SHRM 06001.2012 Normally, I'm ...
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PMPA Technical Member Nevada Heat Treating recently hosted U.S.Senator Dean Heller at their plant in Carson City Nevada. Senator Heller ...
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The bill is H.R. 3548. The House passed the bill yesterday and the President is expected to sign it today. You ...
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Lou Dobbs is hosting a program exploring the shortage of skilled workers tonight on Fox News. ”Out of Work” is ...
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Guest post by Jon Holbrook, PMPA member company North Easton Machine Company The industry today is a buzz with the ...
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There are only a handful of things to check when your steel parts fail to respond to quench and temper ...
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I remember the first time that I sat down to work on quadratic equations and discovered that there was more ...
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Here in one tidy place you can find a current list of the most Valuable College Majors. Many of them ...
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Here are our ten most read posts this year: The Difference Between Accuracy And Precision Measurement In Your Machine Shop ...
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Guest post by Matt Gudgel of SourceOne who responded to our post about NPR's story about the lack of people with math ...
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Training assures our shops will be sustainable and that all are operating at their highest and best use. Scheduling does ...
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Guest Post by Dave Bradford, President, William Bradford Associates, Cleveland Ohio. Dave publishes a series of PROTALK roundtable discussions to ...
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Forbes Blog nails this one folks! According to John Bruner:" In 2010, American manufacturers added value of $1.7 trillion to ...
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July orders for autos and auto parts experienced their largest increase in eight years at 11.5%, according to Commerce Department ...
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"Already there are more American men on disability insurance than doing production work in manufacturing."- Larry Summers, former Secretary of ...
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Monocrystalline diamonds make the coating question "moot." Was asked a question "Why all the fuss about tool coatings? The base ...
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Guest Post by Julie O'Keefe, Partner, Armstrong Teasdale LLP PMPA member companies are engaged in making parts that require precision ...
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Even though this shop does not exceed the decibel limit over time, specified by OSHA, they do require PPE for all ...
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PMPA member Aaron Bagshaw of W.H. Bagshaw Co. Inc. served on the commission. We reported on this in our blog post ...
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Shearing occurs when a longitudinal strip of base metal is torn off a bar during rolling. This strip often reattaches ...
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Why I love manufacturing: we get to do cool stuff! PMPA member company Micron Manufacturing is getting a new Mori ...
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The folks in Rhode Island are doing their part to make the availability of great careers in manufacturing known to ...
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With many OEM's out of business or the details of their designs lost or out of reach due to closings, downsizing, ...
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You may not know it but on this day in 1973 Ohio became the first state in the U.S. to ...
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Tonight, August 12, 2010 is the peak of the Perseid Meteor Shower. For a great photo of a Perseid meteor ...
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The high price of copper and other base metals has led to an increase of metal theft incidents across the ...
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We remember that not all returned from "that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion." Many ...
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The Millennials are the latest Generation to enter the workplace. millennials were born between 1977 and 1988 and represent about ...
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423,000 jobs, $24.6 billion in annual payroll, $136 billion worth of products sold. These three facts alone make a compelling ...
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The medical industry will continue to develop new products, require new capabilities from their suppliers, and maintain their drive for ...
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Guest post by Seth Godin Maybe next year... The economy will be going gangbusters Your knowledge will reach critical mass ...
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According to the latest ISM report for May 2013, manufacturing is contracting. The ISM index has fallen to its lowest ...
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"Manufacturing output rose 3.8 percent in May, but it was still 16.9 percent below its pre-pandemic level in February. The ...
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The Atlantic titles their article "Here's How Little Math Americans Use at Work" Spoiler alert, in Precision Machining, we all ...
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Prices of raw materials used to make precision machined products are up substantially, ranging from 44% to 114% from March ...
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The prices of raw materials that we track rose substantially this year! Aluminum up 44% from Dec 2008. Copper up ...
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Guest post by Peter Morici Whoever is declared the winner, the outcome of the Massachusetts senatorial election is neither ...
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1) Martensite is the hardest and most brittle microstructure obtainable in a given steel. 2) Martensite hardness of the steel ...
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PMI shows manufacturing continues to expand, but rate of growth is slowing. "The report was issued today by Bradley J ...
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"The PMI registered 53.4 percent, an increase of 1 percentage point from February's reading of 52.4 percent, indicating expansion in ...
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Guest post by Mark J. Perry The Port of Los Angeles released data April 14th on March shipping volume, and ...
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With 84 companies responding, the PMPA Business Trends Index in March roared in from February’s 122 to a seasonally correct ...
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We need to change the community perception that manufacturing is "not deserving/worthy enough" for their kids. With the majority of ...
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When I grew up I learned Economics from Uncle Bob. Uncle Bob had the family farm, and worked as a ...
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The April ISM Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) was just released today. Best description is "flat." "The PMI™ registered 50.7 percent, ...
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I recently started following Ryan on Change The Percepton-Devoted to Building a New Respect for Manufacturing. Last week, Ryan ...
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Institute for Supply Management's December 2011 PMI increased 1.2 percent over November, coming in at 53.9. This is the 31st ...
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Economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in May for the 34th consecutive month, and the overall economy grew for ...
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Significant decline in energy use and intensity by manufacturers show improvements in both energy efficiency and changes in manufacturing output ...
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The products of the shops that belong to the Precision Machined Products Association are incorporated in nearly every technology. Automotive, ...
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11 industries reported expansion in February. The Precision Machined Products Industry, a sub industry of Fabricated Metals, serves 7 of these ...
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"Manufacturing production should outperform GDP growth..." The U.S. manufacturing recovery continues on track and should outperform overall GDP growth through ...
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The Bureau of Labor Statistics released Manufacturing Productivity Numbers for second quarter 2014 this morning: "Manufacturing sector productivity increased 3.3 ...
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And Precision Machining is likely to show a similar pickup when we compile our numbers later this month. Precision machined ...
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March 2016 = 8.6 % Link to FRED site for this chart ...
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The predictions are mixed, but if we were giving the small craft weather advisory summer outlook for precision machining, we'd ...
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NAM and Industry Week Q3 Manufacturing Survey shows manufacturing still in positive territory but the much weaker economy is causing ...
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We caught up with Roscoe Wallace at PMTS and got his take on Manufacturing from his perspective as an Aluminum ...
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The PMPA Business Trends Summary Report for 2013 shines an optimistic light on first quarter 2014 for our precision machining ...
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We like graphs because they tell the story without spin. Three out of three indicators agree, openings and hires are ...
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PMPA member and Erie, Pa employer American Turned Products looking to increase its skilled workforce by 30%! Click here for Video Erie ...
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There are immediate jobs for people with skills in manufacturing today. [youtube=http://youtu.be/GStpcos5Jm0] You can get the skills in just a ...
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Four of the top five manufacturing sectors by added employment in 2012 were key markets served by precision machining; Transportation ...
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Guest post by Frances Brunelle, at Accelerated Buy Sell Blog I was really impressed with her thinking- and the fact ...
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The Manufacturing Institute has developed a one-stop, how-to guide on developing and recruiting a skilled workforce. Written by and for ...
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Manufacturing Sector continues to grow and strengthen in February according to ISM PMI index, confirming PMPA's own January Business Trends ...
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Repost from Change the Perception: Often times when you read the headlines about manufacturing job loss, the type of job ...
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The Institute of Supply Management said its index of the manufacturing sector, also known as the Purchasing Managers Index, rose ...
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ISM's report of manufacturing's expansion for the fourth , and economic expansion for seventh month in a row, combined with PMPA's ...
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The December ISM Purchasing Managers Report confirms that manufacturing continues its recovery and growth - the PMI was up 2.3 ...
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MANUFACTURING: THE ENGINE OF AMERICA The following fact sheet was assembled by the team at Vanamatic Company to spell out their ...
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Guest post by Jeff Wiltsie, Vanamatic Company It’s time for a reality check. Congress authorized the administration to spend hundreds ...
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We were pleased to be quoted in the weekend edition of the Wall Street Journal in an article by Tim ...
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The Institute for Supply Management Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) for the manufacturing sector dropped to 48.6 in November from ...
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The Institute for Supply Management's (ISM) “Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI)” plunged 3.8 points for June, to a level of 49.7. ...
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I like it when I find an authority with clear facts to share. Facts that I want to help share ...
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Precision Machining is a branch of fabricated metals manufacturing that continues to have a high demand for people with skills ...
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I met Sam Passenger at Detroit Gun Works open house earlier this month. I was impressed as he walked me ...
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The China Post carried a story last week headlined "China slaps anti-dumping penalties on steel imports from U.S., Russia." The story: ...
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Excerpted from Barberbiz Blog Try This and See What Happens Greg Knight, vice president of PMPA member AMT Machine Systems, ...
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What's on your list? Lists? Holidays provide a great time for reflection. Santa checking his list started me thinking... Here ...
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Making it work might get the machine back up and running in half an hour, but if a quarter of ...
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Even if the cash box isn't ringing with the sweet sounds of success, here is proof that our 'tools of ...
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As our headline indicates, there are two very different market experiences being reported by our members in the October PMPA ...
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A relationship exists between the cutting speed and the cost per piece. Between the minimum total cost and the minimum ...
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The economics of precision machining can be understood with just 4 factors- Machining Cost, Material Cost, Tool Cost, and Cost of ...
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Authoritative. Comprehensive. Invaluable. Practical. Updated. Updated? I have relied on my 20th Edition copy since I entered the metalworking industry as ...
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Over 70 years working the forge. "It's a wonderful craft, the king of trades, really." We've come a long way ...
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Bloomberg News reports that the US Securities and Exchange Commission will let corporate whistleblowers collect as much as 30% of ...
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How does one lose a tortoise? The irony of this poster telling the would be finder of the lost tortoise ...
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There are many ways to fail an OSHA inspection for Lockout/Tagout. There are three main areas that are solely the ...
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PMPA’s 2010 National Technical Conference will be held at the Hilton in Pittsburgh, PA from April 24-27. Transforming Technologies in ...
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In business, and in life, as in sports, it is better to underpromise and overdeliver. Failure to manage expectations can ...
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Today is National Tradesmen's Day.To show our appreciation for the skilled tradespeople that produce, maintain and install in our industry, ...
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Here are a couple of tips to keep in mind when your company becomes involved in a crisis. Communicate. At ...
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Editing to remove non- value adding distractions and waste is the true essence of Lean. Who is the "Lean Editor" to cut the ...
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Lead is NOT banned by the European Union's End of Life Vehicles Regulations for machining purposes in steel, aluminum and ...
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High schools aren't graduating people with skills that can add value in your shop. Lorain County Community College is! From ...
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"Laps are longitudinal crevices at least 30 degrees off radial, created by folding over, but not welding material during hot ...
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The labor participation rate fell to 66.3 percent it's lowest level in 34 years in March. What recovery? Even the ...
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The number of Americans NOT in the workforce is at record levels, and yet the talking heads assure us that ...
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OSHA is now practicing theology with its latest interpretation concerning labeling requirements regarding the revised Hazard Communication standard (HCS 2012), ...
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It is critical that those of us who provide technical support, advice, or counsel communicate clearly and accurately. And make ...
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Some things you want to have bubbles, some you don't. In beermaking, yeast consumes the sugars in the wort and ...
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Courtesy of Lifehacker blog. And my daughter the EE computer whiz. I have been pounding out some data sorts in ...
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Kevin Schlueter, President of PMPA member company Kalkaska Screw Products, Inc. (KSP) was featured on UpNorthLive, a news and information website ...
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Of course prices have risen. We finally are back to manufacturing expansion following 18 months of contraction in the manufacturing ...
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(Corrected) The PMPA Business Trends Index for June 2014 declined 8 points to 120. This is the same pattern that ...
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“This month’s 112 value is 37 points or 49.33% higher than the 2009 Calendar year average of 75 during the ...
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All of the crucial raw materials that we track are up double and triple digits compared to same month last ...
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Good news/ bad news: Manufacturing growth resumes, but Employment shrinks in Manufacturing for first time since September 2009... "Manufacturing expanded ...
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In July, the European ISM manufacturing index has now fallen over 12 consecutive months to hit a 37-month low. The rates ...
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We remain optimistic for the outlook for manufacturing for the next three months based on the latest ISM PMI and PMPA ...
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"He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat ...
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Steve Goldstein at WSJ Marketwatch has been skeptical of the so called manufacturing renaissance for some time. In March 2013 ...
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Creating permanent jobs sure is expensive! In what appears to be a somewhat controversial move, the Obama administration is expected to ...
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Family owned firms account for 89% of all businesses in the United States. Family owned businesses employ ...
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The Department Of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics JOLTS release yesterday showed that job openings posted by US employers reached ...
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"What I can say is the Obama administration is business-friendly. We want to help with our actions, not with our ...
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The precision machining industry is generating strong sales and positive prospects going into calendar year 2014. PMPA's January Business Trends ...
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The January 2013 PMI composite shows a modest expansion, with all of its component indices showing positive gains for January ...
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Guest Post by Peter Morici, professor at the Smith School of Business, University of Maryland, and former Chief Economist at ...
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Wall Street Journal Alexandra Berzon reported Wednesday that "Federal penalties for workplace-safety violations were increased this week for the first ...
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The commissioners found the US domestic industry had been injured, with all six commissioners voting that injury had occurred as ...
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February 1 is deadline for Posting OSHA 300A in your shop Employers with 11 or more employees must post a ...
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I spent a few days at a Users Conference for PMPA Technical Member Epicor, an ERP software solutions provider. As ...
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Don't You Agree? It's not about ability to promise. Heck, that's pretty easy. It's not about ability to plan. I've ...
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When I first started in the industry the focus was on cycle time. Cycle-time dictated how many parts you could ...
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How can you call yourself a manufacturer if you don't manufacture anything? The Economic Classification Policy Committee (ECPC) of the ...
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No. I'm really more focused on Quality. On draining the swamp, not swamp beautification. Quality Assurance. Organizational Improvement. (People and ...
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Economic activity in the manufacturing sector contracted in February for the fifth consecutive month, while the overall economy grew for ...
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"Economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in March for the first time in the last six months, while the ...
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The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) reported to day that the PMI for January PMI was at 53.5%a decrease of ...
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While economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in January for the eighth consecutive month, and the overall economy grew ...
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