#COLUMNS

Is a ‘Side Hustle’ on Your Horizon?

I’ve written about machine shops that have created a separate business for fun, as a complement to their existing operation or as a means to leverage their manufacturing prowess. Here’s a bit about a few of them.

Derek Korn
Editor-in-Chief, Production Machining magazine

Opening Up to Possibilities

As a business leader, are you wasting time defining barriers when you should be defining the possibilities instead?

Automation & Robots

The Promise of a New Access-to-Capital Model

A free online loan prequalification tool currently offered in Colorado with the potential for introduction to other U.S. markets can enable manufacturers to more easily finance new technologies including automation equipment.

Career Transitions, Loyalty and Major League Baseball

Never bite the hand that feeds you.

Measurement

Addressing Machining’s Necessary Evil

Many view quality control as such, but integrating new measurement technologies and approaches can ultimately minimize QC’s impact on throughput and a company’s bottom line.

Shop Management Software

10 Ways AI Might Impact Manufacturers

Artificial intelligence offers the promise of assisting decision-making processes and boost overall manufacturing efficiency.

Turning Machines

A German Machine Tool Builder’s “Second Push” Into the U.S. Market

Spinner recently has taken strides to boost its presence, service and support in the United States as well as Canada and Mexico for its multifunction CNC lathes and milling machines.

AI and Your QMS Procedures

Will artificial intelligence soon impact your quality system operating procedures? It could.

CNC Machine Shop Employment Positions to Consider Beyond Machine Operators

Many machine shops have open machine operator positions to fill. But does it make sense for shops to also seek automation engineers, IT managers and assembly personnel?

Gardner Business Index: Precision Machining October 2023

Precision Machining activity was spared another month of accelerated contraction and held into October the same index reported in September.

Good Advice? Ask 5 Questions

As business people, when we are asked for opinions or advice, we are usually quick to give it up. This is rarely the best response.

Improved Waste Stream Processing is a Pathway to Savings and Compliance

In metalworking, addressing two specific aspects of waste stream management — wastewater and spent cutting fluids — can help companies not only meet environmental compliance, but also reduce expenses.

Strengthening Manufacturing Workplaces Through Active Listening

A good strategy to weather the storms of manufacturing market upheavals and unpredictable factors is to commit to continuous, active employee listening.

Gardner Business Index: Precision Machining September 2023

Precision Machining activity contracted at an accelerated rate again in September.

Automation & Robots

A Tale About an Automation Solution Discovered in Production Machining

A CNC Swiss production supervisor took to LinkedIn to describe how he discovered a rotary parts collector in the pages of our publication and has since purchased and benefited from it.

Derek Korn
Editor-in-Chief, Production Machining magazine

Does the Used Equipment You’re Buying Have a Lien on it?

When purchasing any type of used business equipment, including machine tools, make sure the seller is allowed to sell it in the first place.

What’ll Be New at IMTS 2024

Registration for next year’s International Manufacturing Technology Show is now open. Here’s some of what to expect at North America’s largest manufacturing trade event.

Gardner Business Index: Precision Machining August 2023

Precision machining activity contracted again in August but was up one point.

Does Your Shop Need More Resources or a New Way of Thinking?

A change of mindset can make all the difference between a high-performing culture focused on results and one that seeks to pay the bills and make it to the next year.

‘Twas the Season for Equipment Manufacturer Open Houses

I’ve recently traveled to Germany three times to attend four separate manufacturer open houses. Here’s a taste of what I’ve seen.

Gardner Business Index: Precision Machining July 2023

Precision machining activity for July was steady with June.

Manufacturing Madness: Know When to Speed Up and When to Slow Down

Knowing which to do when can make the difference between world-class leadership and average management.

Matthew Kirchner
Columnist, Profit 360, LLC

Automation & Robots

The Trend Revolutionizing Machining

Advancements in machine vision technology are advancing at warp speed and machining company leaders may do well to consider this key trend in the world of industrial automation and advanced manufacturing.

Automation & Robots

Advanced Automation Answers Demands

How can we utilize automation in our facilities to create a better worker experience and increase throughput?

What’s Your Mission (Statement)?

Company mission statements fail when they’re too wordy, overly detailed or directed toward the wrong audience. If that describes yours, perhaps a revision is in order.

Gardner Business Index: Precision Machining June 2023

Precision Machining June 2023 marks a bigger drop than previous months’ incremental declines.

Boost Your Customer Service by Going Paperless

Using a paperless ERP/MES/QMS system that can be accessed in a web browser results in much more positive customer perceptions, as well as higher efficiency for a machine shop.

Swiss-Types

6 Tips for Training on a Swiss-Type Lathe

There are nuances to training a person to effectively operate a Swiss-type lathe. A shop I visited a while back offers some suggestions.

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