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The Fabricator May 2012
The Fabricator is North America's leading magazine for the metal forming and fabricating industry. The magazine delivers the news, technical articles, and case histories that enable fabricators to do their jobs more efficiently. The Fabricator has served the industry since 1970.
Like a rock
- By Amanda Carlson
- May 9, 2012
- Arc Welding
- Article
Kay Minto has a lot in common with the lava that she welds to make sculptures. The rocks, after all, are a product of a Mother Nature temper tantrum. Minto has been through her fair share of natural disasters, too, but all roads have led to a life that she says she wouldn’t change, and an art career that is as unique as the rocks she welds on.
How CRM can help— and not hinder—the sales rep
- By Tim Heston
- May 3, 2012
- Shop Management
- Article
Customer relationship management, or CRM, software has a bad reputation. Many consider CRM to be simply a burden on salespeople. Nex Solutions’ CRM doesn’t fit the software implementation stereotype. The platform isn’t all-encompassing; for example, it doesn’t link sales reports to quoting systems, accounting, scheduling, or other modules that might go into an enterprise resource planning (ERP) or manufacturing execution system (MES). Instead, it simply helps salespeople be more responsive and build relationships with existing and potential customers.
3-D CAD: Bill of materials construction in project documentation--PartII
- By Gerald Davis
- May 3, 2012
- Shop Management
- Article
Columnist Gerald Davis has populated the bills of material with data and now focuses on the model that will accompany the BOM to the manufacturing floor.
Big bending jobs lead to high-tonnage press brake
- By Dan Davis
- May 1, 2012
- Bending and Forming
- Article
When a fabricating operation serves customers in the defense, heavy equipment, mining, and power generation industries, you know they are working with really thick and high- strength material. It's a big job and requires big equipment. It's also the main reason that Merrill Fabricators purchased a 2,000-ton, 38-foot press brake.
Are cordless hand tools ready for metal fabricating?
- By Dan Davis
- May 1, 2012
- Power Tools
- Article
Odds are people laughed at the idea of a cordless hand tool ever replacing a corded tool on an assembly line, but the sight of a bank of charging stations at a major manufacturing plant is increasingly common. With that in mind, could more cordless tools be found on the fabricating shop floor in the future?
How soft skills make a shop successful
- By Tim Heston
- May 1, 2012
- Shop Management
- Article
When hiring, Jay Manufacturing Oshkosh managers don't look for technical skills first. Instead, they concentrate on elements that are difficult to teach--that is, the soft skills.
The new shop on the block
- By Dan Davis
- May 1, 2012
- Shop Management
- Article
Rob Howell, a 38-year-old fabricating veteran in Phoenix, Ariz., opened his fab shop more than a year ago and has experienced a lifetime's worth of lessons in the months since. The biggest lesson: Just because you own a business doesn't mean you know how to run a business.
Automated deburring basics
Integrating the right automated deburring system requires a comprehensive look at application requirements, including part sizes and profiles, material grades, thicknesses, and required finishes. But once a shop has examined all of the variables of automated deburring, it can reap the benefits and, perhaps most important, make the primary cutting operation much more consistent.
Steady flow, steady profits
- By Tim Heston
- May 1, 2012
- Shop Management
- Article
ETM Manufacturing invests in continuous improvement training. Since initiating these efforts in 2007, the company has less than doubled its headcount, but tripled annual sales.
Made to order, for emergency
- By Tim Heston
- May 1, 2012
- Shop Management
- Article
No one would argue that at least some elements of lean manufacturing apply to most operations, but Horton Emergency Vehicles is a made-to-order vehicle manufacturer. Certainly, Horton’s highly custom approach didn’t fit a assembly-line model--right? As it turned out, the people at Horton didn't follow the conventional wisdom--and that decision paid off.
The importance of coming home
- By Tim Heston
- May 1, 2012
- Safety
- Article
Minnesota-based E.J. Ajax has been recognized as one of the safest metal stamping plants in North America. It has received this recognition in part by developing good safety practices, requiring PPE, and installing machine safeguards. But most important, both managers and employees have fostered a sustainable safety culture.
- Podcasting
- Podcast:
- The Fabricator Podcast
- Published:
- 04/16/2024
- Running Time:
- 63:29
In this episode of The Fabricator Podcast, Caleb Chamberlain, co-founder and CEO of OSH Cut, discusses his company’s...
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