Mid-Large Size Manufacturing News

Every decade comes with its new technology and challenges. And in today’s hyper-competitive global manufacturing market, if you’re not moving ahead, you’re falling behind.

Use software as a competitive weapon   Ron Clontz, VP of Sales at Godlan, has done consulting work with thousands of companies.

It looks great in the R&D lab. The innovative new product sits impressively in front of the production and marketing teams – and, like most good inventions, it has a clear consumer focus, can potentially transform the market, and can be built rapidly at a low cost.   So what do you do now? Small test runs and a few prototypes? No problem. Volume production?

Mazak Corporation, Florence, Ky., believes manufacturers have a vested interest in guiding and funding advanced manufacturing education to ensure adequate levels of skilled and educated labor necessary for keeping U.S. manufacturing strong and growing. As part of its commitment to building tomorrow’s manufacturing workforce, Mazak has provided $24,000 to the SME Education Foundation for the creation of the Mazak Manufacturing Technology Scholarship.

The support package will enable leasing companies to better control maintenance costs regardless of who is leasing and operating the aircraft, GE said in a news release. Aldus currently has 20 Embraer regional E-Jets in its fleet and has an order for as many as 35 more.   GE is the sole supplier of engines for the current generation of E-Jets, although Embraer recently announced that a new-generation of E-Jets it intends to develop will be powered by engines from GE rival Pratt & Whitney.

GE Aviation — which has a growing Dayton-area presence — has established a joint venture with SeaCast Inc. to produce jet engine components. The two companies created Montana Precision Products at SeaCast’s facility in Butte, Mo. SeaCast produces castings and specialty components. The joint venture in Butte will produce tubes, ducts and small structural castings for GE jet engines.

Green Bay Packaging Inc. purchased the old World Color Press plant in Lebanon for $4.2 million and plans to relocate operations from its existing facilities in Sycamore Township. The company currently operates out of two smaller buildings on School Road. It will begin moving into the 269,00-square-foot building on 28 acres in Lebanon next month, according to a company statement. “Ongoing sales growth has dictated the need for an improved and expanded manufacturing facility,” it said.

Industry Week

Cincinnati Business Courier Manufacturing is back.

Dayton Daily News   Kettering — A New York state company, Aviation Ground Equipment Corp., has bought a Lance Drive building once occupied by Bell Optical Laboratories.   The president of the Freeport, N.Y.-based company, Barry Spilka, told the Dayton Daily News last month that he was eyeing the building.

Dayton Business Journal

In honor of the National and Ohio's Manufacturing Day - October 5, 2012 - TechSolve, along with Richards Industries and Cast-Fab Technologies, hosted more than 100 students from 4 different junior high and high schools as part of a national campaign effort to improve public perception of manufacturing careers, and attract future talent to the manufacturing industry.   The students were first given an interactive overview of what today’s modern American manufacturing technologies are, and the chance to learn about the career opportunities that come with being a skil

Dayton Business Journal

Industry Week Lean proves to be a valuable aid in improving decision-making.

University of Cincinnati

Ohio is launching a new UAV and UAS testing center and is searching sites in the Dayton region for the center's offices. To be called the Ohio Unmanned Aircraft Systems Center and Test Complex, the state is funding the center with $1.5 million, but hopes it will eventually become self-sufficient with testing fees paid by companies that would use the center, according to the state. The Dayton Development Coalition is charged by the state with leading planning for the UAS Center.

Washington, D.C. – Following U.S. Senator Rob Portman’s (R-OH) recommendation, the International Trade Commission (ITC) voted to extend the antidumping order on tapered roller bearings (TRBs) from China and thereby to protect U.S. tapered roller bearing products, including three Ohio manufacturing facilities, from unfair dumping of Chinese products in U.S. markets.

Honda Motor Co.'s 2012 comeback campaign led it to a 42 percent sales improvement in the quarter, boosting its bottom line after coming off a year in which natural disasters slammed sales and profit, the Associated Press reports. Honda (NYSE:HMC) saw sales hit the $31.2 billion mark between April and June, including a doubling of sales in Japan and North America, the AP reports. The company, which maintains manufacturing operations in Central Ohio, sold 849,000 vehicles in the quarter.

The 18,400 jobs that Ohio gained in June was the second-largest increase in the country behind only California, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services said Friday that the state's unemployment rate had fallen to 7.2 percent and that the state added more than 18,000 jobs last month. California was the only state to add more jobs as it saw employment increase by 38,300, the newspaper reports.

UK Aerospace, Defense and Security trade organization ADS and subsidiary Farnborough International Limited (FIL) reported that the 2012 Farnborough Airshow hosted 1,506 exhibiting companies vs 1,450 in 2010; orders for the show so far total US $72b vs $47b in 2010. The Airshow's peak in terms of deals was reached in 2008 with a total $88.7b in orders. This year's event, held July 9 - 15, had 70 delegations from 46 countries in attendance, though trade visitors overall were down by 9% year-over-year.

Koch Foods is planning to double the size of its chicken processing and packaging plant in Fairfield. The Chicago-based company plans to spend $45 million on the project, which includes construction of a 179,000-square-foot addition to its 185,000-square-foot facility on Port Union Road, improvements to its existing plant, new machinery, equipment and inventory. Employment is projected to increase 53 percent, from 730 employees today, to 1,120 within three years, according to documents filed with Fairfield.

MAG’s New XTi Profiler sets metal removal record machining titanium at 90+ cubic inches per minute. Producing unmatched throughput, first two five-spindle XTi profilers will ship to Aerospace Dynamics International, Inc. Erlanger, KY,

Cincinnati Business Courier GE Aviation landed a $5 billion engine order and long-term service agreement with United Airlines, the company announced Thursday at the Farnborough International Air Show. United Continental Holdings, parent company of United Airlines, ordered 100 advanced LEAP-1Bpowered Boeing 737 MAX airplanes. LEAP engines are a product of CFM International – a 50/50 joint company between Snecma, part of Safran Group, and General Electric Co.

The Farnborough International Airshow is a seven-day international aerospace exhibition held every other year in Hampshire, England. The show, which showcases the best of the global aerospace industry, was officially opened Monday, July 9th, by the British Prime Minister David Cameron. The exhibition is a prime opportunity for the aerospace industry - part trade show, part deal-hatching sessions, part flying exhibition - known particulary for the announcement of new, major developments and orders.

Dayton Business Journal The owner of a local manufacturing company has committed to a $50 million expansion and consolidation project in Huber Heights, double the initial investment he announced just three months ago. Tipp City-based Process Equipment Co. — which currently has three sites in Tipp City and one in Huber Heights — is gearing up to consolidate operations and eventually double its facilities to 500,000 square feet.

Happy Anniversary, Honda Association for Manufacturing Excellence By Patricia E. Moody, June 15, 2011

Like you, too often I’ve opened the newspaper only to learn that jobs in our state—whether in Mansfield, Lorain, or Springfield—are being outsourced to places like China, Indonesia, or Mexico. We have seen a decade of manufacturing job loss and factory shutdowns, which has weakened communities and blindsided families all across our state.

First Multistate Order for Standardized Rail Cars Will Help Boost American Manufacturers Federal Railroad Administration WASHINGTON – Rail car manufacturers across the country will have an opportunity to submit bids to produce the first American-made, standardized passenger rail cars, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced today.

As the first energy management standard available to U.S. manufacturers, ISO 50001 can help them be models of energy and operations efficiency while improving service to their supply chains. Looking back over the last 30 years, energy prices have risen significantly (the chart below shows that crude prices have risen 300% since 1983).

Dayton Daily News EVENDALE – Boeing Co. expects to increase its business with Ohio suppliers, which could make the state more prominent as an aerospace supplier to Boeing than it already is to the French manufacturer Airbus, a top Boeing executive said Wednesday.

Cincinnati.com Aerospace is Ohio’s second-largest industry, but it will take efficient investment in the state’s workforce and aerospace institutions to grow it, according to keynote speakers at a day-long gathering Wednesday on the industry’s future and job growth at the GE Aviation Learning Centre in Evendale. More than 160 aerospace executives participated in the Ohio Aerospace & Aviation Council conference led by U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R- Terrace Park) and hosted by GE Aviation.

The Columbus Dispatch WASHINGTON (AP) -- U.S. factories stepped up hiring and production in March, the latest evidence that manufacturing is growing at a healthy pace and fueling the recovery. But a separate report on construction spending showed that building activity declined in February for the second straight month, disappointing economists. The reports show “that the economy is still locked on a very gradual healing trajectory,” said Steven Ricchiuto, chief economist at Mizuho Securities.

Business Courier Kenya Airways selected GE Aviation’s GEnx engines to power nine Boeing 787 Dreamliners with an option for four additional aircraft. The firm engine order is valued at $380 million at list price, GE Aviation said in a press release Monday. Kenya Airways is the fastest growing airline in Africa and is pursuing a network expansion strategy to link all African countries with the rest of the world, it said.

J.M. Smucker Co. is expanding into China, acquiring a minority interest in a privately owned oats products manufacturer and marketer based in the country’s Guangxi province, the Akron Beacon Journal reports. Orrville-based Smucker (NYSE:SJM) made a $35 million investment in Seamild Biologic Technology Development Co. Ltd., which has a portfolio consisting mainly of oatmeal that it distributes throughout China, the newspaper reports.

Last Friday, in Prince George County, Virginia, the President announced a proposed $1B budget for a new National Network for Manufacturing Innovation. This investment announcement continues to encourage support of the manufacturing sector by promoting insourcing and creating high-tech/ high wage jobs in the U.S. – all part of the President’s Blueprint For An Economy Built to Last.

A group of companies is planning a $900 million project for processing natural gas and natural gas liquids in eastern Ohio, with some operations expected to begin next year.

 For the past few weeks, we have taken a closer look at 5 key principles that are imperative to sustaining an effective energy management system. A comprehensive management system will help your organization achieve the following benefits:

The embrace of Smart Manufacturing techniques will turn conventional wisdom about indirect jobs creation on its head and change the image of the industry itself.

 The success of any organization’s energy management system is driven by their employees, but often times, employee training and awareness is neglected when attempting to drive improvements. Alcoa, the world’s leading producer of primary and fabricated aluminum, is committed to making sustainability relevant for every employee. Alcoa’s Chief Sustainability Officer Kevin Anton says,

“You cannot manage what you do not measure” is a simple statement that captures the importance of data collection for any organization focused on change. Once collected, the data must be analyzed and interpreted to effectively quantify progress towards achieving your energy objectives and targets. The following are helpful tips to keep in mind when developing your metering and monitoring program:

Improve productivity by accentuating the human dimension of lean Six Sigma In 50 Words Or Less Positive psychology suggests a qualitative human dimension within lean Six Sigma. A cornerstone of positive psychology is the fostering of excellence in work through creativity and optimal productivity. This psychology model provides the framework leaders can use to optimize the productivity of a culturally diverse workforce.

Manufacturers Look Homeward, Boosting Domestic Production and Speaking as Overseas Gains Overseas U.S. companies, facing slowing markets and rising costs around the world, are taking a new look at their home market. With growth slowing in China and a slump gripping much of Europe, companies are adding capacity in the U.S., replacing aging equipment and even moving overseas production back from low-cost labor markets, a sign that corporate America could be poised to take a bigger role in the economic recovery.

Hydrosize PA845 from Michelman is a polyamide based fiber sizing formulated for high temperature resin applications where a greater degree of thermal stability is required. It is particularly effective in high performance carbon fiber sizing applications. Formulated with a small particle size, Hydrosize PA845 exhibits excellent film forming properties. It is solvent, VOC and alkylphenol ethoxylate (APE) free, and is also fully compliant with the EC Directives on plastics for food applications. This allows its use in far reaching carbon fiber based applications.

The Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce recently announced that Mr. Steven J. Shifman, President and CEO of Blue Ash, Ohio headquartered Michelman, Inc., has been appointed to serve on the TechSolve Board of Directors.

With manufacturing in America starting to make a comeback, organizations are increasingly focused on finding ways to capitalize on the rebounding economy. Whether it’s increasing their presence in the market or maximizing capacity and revenue, it may seem difficult to focus on anything other than getting product out the door. Often times, people view energy management as something that you do when “times are good” and resources are plentiful. This could not be further from the truth.

The GE Foundation announced Wednesday it will give $18 million to support the roll-out of new education standards throughout the country, including in Cincinnati. The money will be spent primarily on tools that will help teachers to share best practices as they work to implement the new standards. The GE Foundation has already created a website, www.achievethecore.org, to provide teachers free resources and is organizing conferences where teachers can learn more about the new standards.

Growing up, I would always hear the saying, “You are what you eat.” I took this to heart and it made me think twice about reaching for that Twinkie or candy bar. Instead, I would pick up a more nutritious alternative like a banana or apple. Afterwards, I would be glad that I did. If the principle behind this common phrase makes us think twice about what we put into our bodies, why should energy conservation be any different? The same principles of awareness and responsibility apply whether fueling our bodies or fueling a manufacturing process.

In a shocking development, automotive supplier ThyssenKrupp Bilstein of America Inc. will invest more than $5 million in its Hamilton facilities. The German-owned manufacturer – it makes shock absorbers – is expanding capacity to accommodate new business and transfers of several manufacturing technologies from its German parent.