Page 4 - MetalForming March 2010

Contents March 2010
Volume 44 — Number 3
Cover Story
18 New Coating Prevents Punch Ends from Ripping Off
Features
10 Appliance OEM Lovin’ Lubrication as a Way
to Boost OEE
14 Tips for Improving Gas- Tungsten-Arc-Welding
Productivity
Tooling Technology
24 In-Die Hydraulics to Manage Force Distribution
Commentaries
Editorial ........................2
Continue to Innovate—Recession or Not
Brad F. Kuvin
TheScienceofForming ............22
Have You Upgraded Your Troubleshooting Process?
Stuart Keeler
Tooling by Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Punching Holes with Sharp Corners
Peter Ulintz
YouandTheLaw .................28
“Managers (even owners) can take some cues from their employees—perhaps more often than vice versa.”
EDITORIAL BRAD F. KUVIN
Continue to Innovate—Recession or Not
FMLA Leave Employee Termination for Unprotected Absences Upheld Douglas B. M. Ehlke
The Business of Metalforming. . . . . . . .
E-mail Marketing: New Media Primer
Michael Bleau
Metalforming Electronics. . . . . . . . . .
When Free Costs Too Much
George Keremedjiev
Blackman on Taxes. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Could This Be the End of All Your Estate Tax Problems?
Irving L. Blackman
Departments
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..32
. . 34
Ijust spoke with a metalforming-plant manager who lamented how, due to the recession, his lost resources (machine operators and floor managers) simply made any sort of innovation impossible to achieve. While there’s only so much time in the day and so many people to get the work done, to cease innovating in the face of the recession means sure death when the economy comes back around.
Now more than ever customers have their eyes focused keenly on you, their suppliers, to see where the ideas and innovations will come from that will allow them to meet their own goals when business picks up. Suppliers must be positioned to reduce their customers’ time to market and have the flexibility to quickly and efficiently take on new products and designs.
I’m certain that your company, like most others, is full of “idea killers”— folks that have more than enough excus- es to not focus on any tasks other than those required to get product out the door. But I’m equally certain that your company also has employees that are creative and innovative enough to develop sustainable ideas to propel you to the top of your customers’ minds when it comes time for them to rank their suppliers.
It’s time for metalforming-company CEOs and top managers to empower those thought leaders within their com- panies to help take them to the next level of innovation. The needs of your cus- tomers and the marketplaces you serve— or hope to someday serve—are evolving far too quickly for you to stop innovating simply due to recessionary pressures.
One piece of advice I can offer is for metalforming-company managers to spend more time walking their shop
floor, to not only develop and maintain morale but to also identify the thought leaders and to learn from them. I read an article recently arguing that owners (and other managers) need to get their employees to think like owners, because “empowering employees leads to higher productivity, quality and morale.” While I see the value there and appreciate the importance of empowerment, I also believe that managers (even owners) can take some cues from their employees— perhaps more often than vice versa.
Here’s why. When I visit metalform- ing shops and have the privilege of speaking with the folks on the shop floor, without fail I come away impressed with their overall character, knowledge and creativity, particularly those who have been with the company for awhile. And, many of you have employees with 15, 20, even 25 years or more at the press control. These folks exhibit traits that any manager should strive to attain—they lead by example, take responsibility for their work, immediately seek solutions to problems, listen to the suggestions of others, welcome opportunities to take on new responsibilities and grow, and they show loyalty to their company.
These are the attributes that should allow any manufacturer to continue to innovate, regardless of the state of the economy. Show some guts and develop the stamina to make it happen.
Editor
bkuvin@pma.org
News Fronts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TechUpdate .....................6 Materials & Coatings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Tooling Update. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Ad Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Serving those who create precision metal products using stamping, fabricating and other value-added processes.
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2 METALFORMING / MARCH 2010
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