August 2007 Edition

FROM THE SHOP FLOOR

Trade Publications: Not Only Good, but Good Looking

Trade magazines not only let readers keep their finger on the pulse of their industry, but other industries as well. They also class-up waiting rooms.

I have been writing this column for several months now, and it continues to be a great experience. The few letters I’ve received have included positive words. Every month I receive a plea from my editor Pete to turn in my column. The only negative review I have heard so far is from an old friend and former second-shift mate Garrett, who is proud that I am published, but feels I “need to work on content.”

Columns are one of many things that magazines like this offer. Columns written by individuals involved with manufacturing are a way to get a different view of your business. I have read columns by the presidents of software companies, professors from MIT, and some of the best engineers around. It’s not often that I run into one of them while I’m grabbing coffee at my office.

Aside from the editorial content, there is a wealth of news and product information that cannot be found anywhere else. When Mazak comes out with a new model of machine, it doesn’t exactly hit CNN. News like that helps us keep track of some of the new products available in our industry.

FYI

At Ansco we have found many uses for these publications. My father – otherwise known as The Boss [no, not Bruce Springsteen] – will often stick a Post-it note with a name on it to the page of an article he wants us to read. He will tear out a page, make a copy or just write on the page for someone to check-out a given article or advertisement. Among the items that we have found through this information sharing technique are chuck jaws, oil skimmers, threadmills, and replacement parts for our CNC machines. It would be difficult to remember everything you saw without a helpful note.

Last month Wes, our quality manager, and I visited a software company selling aftermarket coordinate measuring machine – CMM – software. After being told by our machine’s manufacturer that an upgrade to the software was not practical and that we should buy a new machine, a small blurb in a magazine caught our eye. This was aftermarket software that worked on nearly every brand of CMM and it seemed to be just what we were looking for. After this first call we found many other companies selling similar upgrade packages. It is just something that we didn’t know existed until we saw it in a magazine.

Publications like MAN are a way to learn about what is going on in your industry. Magazines covering other industries can expand your horizons as well. It has been interesting to read trade publications covering our customers’ industries. Recognizing the challenges they face, and the innovations in their field, improves our service.

Empathy

Manufacturers face many challenges in today’s economy. Global sourcing, high automation costs, and a shortage of skilled workers are a few of the hurdles American companies need to leap. Sharing information between industries sometimes prompts solutions to the challenges we all face. We stop being competitors and start being colleagues.

A bit of perspective goes a long way. Finding new ways to accomplish even small tasks can result in big rewards. Helping your customers achieve their goals can help you achieve your own. Also, nothing makes a lobby reception table look classier than a trade magazine.

We – here at MAN – may not dish celebrity gossip, and we don’t have a swimsuit issue [Hey! There’s an idea! – Editor], but there are still many reasons to keep up with trade magazines. So I will continue, every month, to try and give you a window into my shop, and show you what I have been doing and how I have been doing it. Send me your comments, reviews, criticisms, or anything that’s on your mind. And Garrett, I promise I will work on my “content.”

Dave is responsible for programming, tool selection, and fixture design for Ansco Machine’s 20 CNC machines in Peninsula, OH. He’s been working in a machine shop since age 12, starting by drilling holes on a turret lathe and making simple parts on a Bridgeport.

What do you think?
Will the information in this article increase efficiency or save time, money, or effort? Let us know by e-mail from our website at www.ModernApplicationsNews.com or e-mail the editor at pnofel@nelsonpub.com.