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Job Center Debuts in West Building

By: James Callari 14. September 2012

Helping manufacturing face the current shortage of skilled workers is critical to our industry and the future of our country. IMTS is doing its part by offering its first Job Center, both for job seekers in the industry and for IMTS exhibitors looking for skilled workers. The Job Center, located in the West Building, Booth W-200, is open the same hours as the show to provide a forum for the IMTS community to lean more about and make connections to careers in manufacturing.
 
Professionals looking for work can search available jobs in the industry, post resumes and be interviewed by companies exhibiting at the show as well as by recruiters. In turn, employers/exhibitors can post jobs available at their companies as well as speak with experts on the best ways to attract and screen the strongest candidates for technical manufacturing positions.
 
“With our country suffering an unprecedented shortage of skilled manufacturing workers—one that is expected to rise from 600,000 unfilled jobs to a predicted 3 million by the end of the decade—we are thrilled to offer both employers and job seekers an opportunity to find each other,” says Peter Eelman, IMTS VP of exhibitions and communications.
 
In addition to the jobs database, the Job Center also has professionals available to share resume writing tips, interviewing advice and career guidance, including advice and tools to help job seekers negotiate a wage and benefit package, and generally land a job. It is being staffed by Trillium CNC/CNC Jobs staffing company, which has more than 28 years of experience in technical recruitment and staffing.
 
“As the battle to staff skilled talent in manufacturing continues to grow, it is more important than ever to have access to the tools and expertise that can help companies attract and maintain a highly skilled workforce,” Trillium Director Bob Lawson says.

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Boeing Headlines Advanced Manufacturing Center

By: James Callari 14. September 2012

IMTS is the event that connects the people, the products and the processes responsible for manufacturing industry innovation and growth. This year’s Advanced Manufacturing Center (Booth W-160) celebrates that connection with a display that offers attendees and exhibitors the opportunity to network, collaborate, learn and, most importantly, join together in celebrating a revitalized, active manufacturing industry.

Presented by Boeing, Lotus F1, IMTS and Modern Machine Shop, the Advanced Manufacturing Center (AMC) features technologies impacting all aspects of the manufacturing business. From operational benchmarking to machine tool monitoring, business networking to workforce development, process innovations to new product selection, AMC visitors can connect with resources that will help them overcome their challenges.

AMC highlights include:

Innovation
Boeing Fuel Cell Demonstrator Aircraft presented by Boeing
The Boeing FCDA is the world’s first fuel-cell-manned aircraft. A global leader in aerospace and aviation manufacturing, the FCDA project is part of the Boeing Co. effort to develop environmentally friendly technologies for aerospace applications and to reduce airplanes polluting emissions.

Lotus Formula 1 Race Car presented by Renault / technical partnership by Boeing Research & Technology
A marvel in precision engineering and advanced materials manufacturing, the Lotus Formula 1 race car can accelerate from 0 to 160 kph and decelerate back to 0 in less than 4 seconds. This Lotus F1 display vehicle replicates the car that will be driven in this year’s F1 “Race of the Americas” in Austin, Texas.

Virtalis Virtual Reality Theater presented by Virtalis
Featuring a customer list ranging from BAE Systems to Boeing, the Royal Navy to several of the world’s premier R&D outfits, Virtalis is displaying the latest in virtual reality and advanced visualization technologies. Virtalis’ interactive demo enables attendees to see the power of experiencing the relationship between design, manufacture and data in virtual reality.

Benchmarking
MMS Top Shops presented by Modern Machine Shop
The AMC@IMTS recognizes the 2012 Modern Machine Shop Top Shops. The annual Top Shops Benchmarking Survey identifies optimal shopfloor practices, as well as operational and business metrics that define world-class competitiveness in discrete parts manufacturing. Companies ranging from small job shops to large captive operations can see how they compare against the country’s leading machining businesses, which enables them to make sound decisions to emulate those identified as top-performing operations.

Knowledge
Presented by Gardner Business Media
Multimedia displays from Modern Machine Shop, MoldMaking Technology, Production Machining, Automotive Design & Production and CompositesWorld enable attendees to engage with and sign up to receive technical and business content from North America’s premier publications.

Education
Presented by Modern Machine Shop and The Edge Factor
The AMC is featuring multiple components dedicated to education. Specifically, Modern Machine Shop is introducing a video feature complementing its September cover story, “Manufacturing Education,” that explores a one-of-a-kind manufacturing education program. The AMC also is displaying “Metal & Flesh,” the latest trailer from The Edge Factor, a program dedicated to promoting manufacturing technology and manufacturing education.

Management
Presented by BlueSwarf and the Reshoring Initiative
From tool monitoring to total cost of ownership, the AMC features leaders in shop management technologies and strategies. BlueSwarf is introducing the Tooling Cloud, an online shop and tool management system. BlueSwarf also is featuring the DARPA-funded Machine Tool Genome Project.

For companies interested in learning more about reshoring and total cost of ownership, Harry Moser, founder of the Reshoring Initiative, will be available in the AMC throughout the show.

Research
Presented by: Gardner Research and TechSpex
In addition to business benchmarking, Gardner Research is distributing results from a number of leading industry reports and surveys that deliver insights into where the manufacturing business is and where it is going. Complementing Gardner Research’s market research, featured AMC partner TechSpex is demonstrating a searchable, online database that enables manufacturers to locate machines based on a number of criteria, including axes, top RPM, feed rate, table size, horsepower and more.

Networking
“The Shop”
Presented by Modern Machine Shop and TRAM3
Modern Machine Shop’s “The Shop” offers networking and knowledge transfer opportunities for attendees and exhibitors in an open, informal lounge. Visit “The Shop” to have a drink and meet with leaders from all the AMC presenter company and technology partners, including participants from TRAM3, which brings together the premier minds in aerospace manufacturing.

As you enter the West Hall, be sure to visit the AMC in Booth W-160 to experience and celebrate advanced manufacturing. 

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MTConnect is Fast Becoming Factory Floor Lingua Franca

By: James Callari 13. September 2012

article courtesy of Joe Jablonowski

Would you buy a computer that could only “talk” with just a couple of other devices, like a printer and one other desktop? Neither would most people. They’d make sure their new unit has all the ports and protocols that will get them to the whole outside world.
 
The same should hold true for machine tools and other factory-floor devices, argue the people behind MTConnect, the standard for interconnection of manufacturing equipment. At the Emerging Technology Center—just off the main concourse in the North Building—representatives from the MTConnect Institute can demonstrate why you should make sure any computer-capable equipment you’re shopping for will also support the interoperability protocol, regardless of what communications system is already built in.
 
It has to do with managing the data on your shop floor. By monitoring inputs like machine availability and performance you can get a 20-percent improvement in overall efficiency, some analysts say. Enabling those connections is why the protocol was launched in the first place. Now the latest edition of the standard, Version 1.2, also handles data about mobile assets like non-vendor-specific cutting tools: How long has this cutter been in use? When was it reconditioned? Future versions—the protocol purposely was designed to be extensible—will further handle information on individual workpieces.
 
At its heart, MTConnect is just a vehicle for information, a streamlined way of connecting production equipment with the kind of software that can help manage it. Once installed, it fades into the background, kind of like Bluetooth, says Dave Edstrom, president of the MTConnect Institute. Since it’s an open standard, it doesn’t limit choices for future expansion.
 
Introduced at IMTS 2008, MTConnect is now used in nearly 1,000 installations, with many of those being pilot projects for proof-of-concept. According to Edstrom, some users consider it a competitive edge and are leery of discussing their experiences; others have become apostles, with their stories appearing in metalworking magazines and on the institute’s website, mtconnect.org.
 
The institute itself has about 100 corporate members, and the majority of those also serve on the technical advisory group that drives evolution of the standard. The biggest names in machine tools, numerical controllers and factory-level software producers are aboard, but so are makers of conveyors, tool presetters and inspection equipment. Many, of course, are exhibitors here in Chicago.
 
Which brings us to the demonstrations here at IMTS. Dozens of firms ranging from Okuma to Optical Gaging to AgieCharmilles are linking machine operations in their booths to monitors in the central Emerging Technology Center. Additionally, companies like Mazak and Bosch are showing within their own exhibit how they integrate data from clusters of machines in order to understand hidden costs or discover untapped capacity. Stop by the ETC to see which other firms have joined the MTConnect bandwagon. While you’re there, ask a staffer from partner organizations like the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology or TechSolve for details on how to implement intercommunications on your own factory floor.

 

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Industrial Automation Show Makes North American Debut with IANA

By: James Callari 12. September 2012

 

In a first for IMTS, the well-regarded Industrial Automation show is now on site in the East Hall of McCormick Place. More commonly known as the “IA” show, the Hannover, Germany-based event has been held at a number of other venues around the world, including China, India and Russia. IMTS 2012 marks the first time the show has come to North America, and it is very appropriately co-located with this continent's largest manufacturing event.
 
Industrial Automation North America (IANA) is organized by Deutsche Messe AG and its U.S. subsidiary, Hannover Fairs USA. It features an exhibition of more than 100 booths displaying a wide variety of products for factory automation, microsystems technology, software and electrical systems. The event also features three conferences for executive management, plant managers, engineers and industry professionals.
 
“Thanks to our longstanding and excellent working relationship with AMT, we are able to bring three outstanding conferences to IANA and IMTS,” says Dr. Andreas Gruchow, member of the managing board at Deutsche Messe AG. “We have also been working for many years with CFE Media, ISA, NFPA and Penton at Hannover Messe in Hannover, so we are very excited to work with them in their home market. Together we have created programs that complement the IMTS conference and offer IANA and IMTS attendees a great chance to keep up with the latest best-practices, solutions and technologies in manufacturing automation.”
 
Those conferences include:
 
  • Global Automation & Manufacturing Summit is for senior-level global automation and manufacturing executives. Speakers from companies such as Beckhoff, B&R Automation, Lenze, Schneider Electric, and Siemens will talk about topics ranging from data security, energy management and mobility to process optimization, sustainability manufacturing and workforce development. The summit also features case studies on plant automation for profitability, asset-performance improvement and maintenance-costs reduction. It runs Wednesday and Thursday, Sept. 12–13.
     
  • Motion, Drives & Automation Conference has two tracks—“Motion Control in Automation” and “Hydraulics and Pneumatics in Automation”—that explain how to improve the efficiency, performance, productivity, lifespan and environmental footprint of manufacturing equipment and industrial automation systems. Topics include energy efficiency, equipment monitoring, machine efficiency, noise reduction, safety and security. Attendees can expect to see innovations in electrical, mechanical, hydraulic and pneumatic motion systems, as well as in condition monitoring, electronic control, sensing and vision. It runs Monday and Tuesday, Sept. 10-11.
     
  • ISA Inside: Training Sessions at IANA offers one-day courses on such topics as Control Using ANSI/ISA Standards, Industrial Wireless Systems, Measurement and Control Fundamentals, Manufacturing Execution Systems, and Safety Instrumented Systems. The conference partner is the International Society of Automation (ISA), which is recognized worldwide for its non-biased, vendor-neutral education, training and standards programs for automation professionals. Sessions run Thursday and Friday, Sept. 13–14.
All IMTS attendees have full access to the IANA exhibit. Space is still available for conference sessions. You can sign up in the main IMTS registration areas or go online for a full review of IMTS conferences here.

 

 

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Building a Smartforce for U.S. Manufacturing

By: James Callari 12. September 2012
article courtesy of Greg Jones
 
In July, the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology issued a report on “Capturing Domestic Competitive Advantage in Advanced Manufacturing” outlining a list of recommendations, some of which mirror the things that we have been saying and doing in the industry, as well as some of the things you’ve heard coming off the campaign trail.
 
The whole report focuses on three top-level items:
 
  • Enabling innovation
  • Securing the talent pipeline
  • Improving the business climate
 
For the purposes of this discussion, I am focusing on “securing the talent pipeline” and the six recommendations outlined in the report.
 
The President’s Council wants to:
 
1)      Correct public misconceptions about manufacturing and recommends building excitement and interest in careers in manufacturing.
2)      Tap the talent pool of returning veterans.
3)      Invest in community-college-level education.
4)      Develop partnerships to provide skills certifications and accreditation.
5)      Enhance advanced manufacturing university programs.
6)      Launch national manufacturing fellowships and internships.
 
We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.
 
To get a glimpse of how the industry is getting behind initiatives that will encourage parents, students and educators to get excited about careers in manufacturing, take a step out on the Mezzanine above Hall C1 in the North Building to get a view of the NIMS Skills Center at IMTS.
NIMS, the National Institute for Metalworking Skills has been managing the student area at IMTS for years. The institute sets skills standards for the industry, certifies individual’s skills against the standards and accredits training programs for machine operators.
 
At IMTS 2012, the NIMS Skills Center includes “Career Launch Pads” for high school, community college and engineering school students to talk with “MTAmbassadors,” people close to the students in age who already have careers in engineering, applications, service or sales in our industry.
 
Getting young people excited about careers in manufacturing by having them talk about their school and career choices with young engineers who are already in the industry is just one way that we can build a smarter workforce for U.S. manufacturing.
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