Americanmachinist 3065 Amweekly400x100
Americanmachinist 3065 Amweekly400x100
Americanmachinist 3065 Amweekly400x100
Americanmachinist 3065 Amweekly400x100
Americanmachinist 3065 Amweekly400x100

Weekly Update 08/23/2007

Aug. 27, 2007
August 23, 2007 NEWSLETTER SPONSOR JobBOSS WOW Project #102 - Exact JobBOSS Empowers General Metal Works Issue: Sales are declining and competitors ...
August 23, 2007
NEWSLETTER SPONSOR JobBOSS
WOW Project #102 - Exact JobBOSS Empowers General Metal Works Issue: Sales are declining and competitors are cutting into our business. Vision: Implement lean and invest in cutting-edge machines and technology to reposition the company. Results: Sales volume doubled, finished goods inventory was reduced 800%, lead times and set up times were cut in half, achieved ISO certification.
Benchmarking
Results from American Machinist's second annual Benchmarking Survey are in. The survey provides a wealth of data on exactly how well machine shops and machining operations are doing. The following articles examine that data from several angles in order to provide our readers with key information in an efficient format. Knowing how well your competitors are doing and where your operations need improvements is only half the battle. Finding out how the top shops get the performance they do is the other half, and one of the best resources for that is the upcoming American Machinist Machine Shop Workshop November 8-9 in Cleveland. For details about this information-rich event go to (www.machineshopworkshop.com). And now for a selection of related articles… 12 Key Performance Benchmarks The dozen most useful benchmarks for improving machine shop performance and profits using data from the survey cross-tabulated by performance (top 20 percent versus all others), by type of business (captive, contract or job shop) and by number of employees.
Benchmarks Point Toward Excellence
The point of this survey is to help our readers develop plans and programs to make their shops more competitive and profitable; to provide industry-based data so that you can take stock of where your operations are and where you might have deficiencies -- then develop strategies to make improvements. And, when you've done that, to return to the benchmark data and compare your results to real data from shops that you compete with.
2007 Top Shop Analysis
We have identified key indicators and best practices that lead to improved productivity and profitability and, with the responses to questions about those indicators and best practices, we are able to identify a set of shops whose performance puts them in the lead of all the shops surveyed. That group of shops is our benchmark set, and represents the top 20 percent of shops that responded to the survey.
The Never-Ending Quest: Reducing Scrap And Rework
The leading machine shops in North America have about half the cost of scrap and rework while they produce, on average, more than four times the number of units produced by other shops. Also, benchmark shops have been able to increase their total output far more than other shops over the past three years.
Productivity In A Multiworld: Just How Beneficial are Multispindle and Multimtasking Machines?
AT IMTS 2006, the machining industry's march toward a "multiworld" - one of multitasking and multispindle machines - was on full display. What show attendees saw were significant changes in machining processes made possible by such machines. The presumption is that these technologies will increase productivity, competitiveness and profits, and many machine tool manufacturers can provide compelling demonstrations to show how this is so. But the big question is just how productive and profitable are these machines once installed on a shop's floor. The answer to this question lies within the data of the American Machinist U.S. Machine Shop Benchmarking Surveys.
Top Shop Analysis: Best Shop Tools
American Machinist's survey of machine shops provides tools that machine shops can use to gage their competitive positions and to systematically improve their operations to become more competitive. We used results of the survey to establish benchmarks-the practices that consistently lead to improved productivity and profitability for the U.S. machine tool industry. We presented a summary of the information last month, and identified 12 key indicators that leading machine shops excel in. This month we examine some of the tools and techniques that the best shops use to monitor and improve their performance.
Featured Advertiser
Makino— a leading manufacturer of horizontal and vertical machining centers and EDM machines — has announced a new series of online Webinars. Designed for shops of all types and sizes, the seminars are free to anyone who registers. The planned seminars are intended for shops in the automotive, aerospace, medical product and die and mold industries. In addition to metal cutting and die/mold, the seminars will cover new technologies, such as micromachining. Mark Rentschler, marketing manager, says, "Online seminars allow anyone with an Internet connection to attend without losing a day of work." The seminars concentrate on shop efficiency, lean manufacturing, asset utilization, machine tool integration and automation, machine tool technologies, and metal cutting processes. Makino's application engineers, product managers and guest speakers will give presentations. Click here for more info on upcoming seminars and registration information.
American Machinist Sponsors Machine Shop Workshop 2007
Register before Sept, 7, 2007 and save 10% off the regular price. When: November 7 - 9, 2007 Where: Cleveland Marriott Downtown at Key Center SKIRT THE SKILLED LABOR CRISIS Machine shops aren't just competing for new business; they are also competing for skilled workers. Learn the secrets to attract and retain top-notch employees and much more at the Machine Shop Workshop. Don't miss this opportunity to improve your business. Register TODAY. Click here for more information.
Upcoming Webcast Series
The CNC Best Kept Secrets Series of educational webcasts from GE Fanuc and American Machinist is designed to educate manufacturers on the often overlooked ways to prevent downtime, enhance the speed of machine tools, and improve part quality. Click here for more information.
Practical Machinist Metalworking Forum
Why Do We Choose Not to Compete? Pro and con A Really Big Telescope Historical restoration project Italian Ordinance Factory Photos circa 1906
AMERICAN MACHINIST DIGITAL EDITION
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Welding Webcast Series
Hot topics you need to hear about.
  • Best Practices in Electrode Selection: Maximum Profit Starts With the Process - September 25, 2007 @ 2:00 PM ET
Click here to attend these free Webcasts.
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