Industry Trends & Analysis

News • October 14, 2014

Uni-World acquires Drake Manufacturing

New York equity firm Uni-World Capital LP has acquired CNC machine tool builder Drake Manufacturing Services Co., Warren, Ohio.

News • October 14, 2014

Strausak manufacturing returns to USA

CNC tool grinding machine builder Strausak AG, Lohn-Ammannsegg, Switzerland, opened a subsidiary in Mundelein, Ill., and incorporated in the state of Illinois on July 1. Hank Ecker, previously regional sales manager of Rollomatic Inc., is the new president of Strausak Inc.

News • October 13, 2014

Elk Grove to hold manufacturing expo

The Village of Elk Grove, Ill., will host the second annual Made in Elk Grove Manufacturing and Technology Expo on Oct. 21 at 1925 Busse Road. The Expo provides attendees from around the Midwest an opportunity to connect, collaborate and cultivate relationships with Elk Grove-based manufacturing companies. Over 1,000 people attended the inaugural Expo in 2013, which featured approximately 100 exhibitors from industries ranging from precision machining, plastics and electronics to packaging and industrial services.

News • October 3, 2014

Toolmaker wins 2014 Image Award

Midwest Industrial Tool Grinding Inc. (MITGI), Hutchinson, Minn., has been awarded a 2014 Image Award, one of eleven Manufacturing Awards presented by Minnesota Business Magazine. A first time finalist for the award, MITGI was honored for its efforts to improve the industry's image and for promoting careers in manufacturing.

Articles • October 1, 2014

Tide turning in tech training?

Pundits have long said that U.S. machine shops and parts manufacturers need skilled candidates to fill thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of available jobs. The problem, it's alleged, is getting people interested in manufacturing in the first place.

News • September 30, 2014

MSC opens Ohio facility

MSC Industrial Supply, Melville, N.Y., opened its fifth distribution center, or Customer Fulfillment Center, in Columbus, Ohio. The distributor of MRO supplies marked the occasion with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. MSC first announced plans for the new facility in 2012 when it purchased the 70-acre plot where the 400,000 sq.-ft. facility now sits. The new CFC is currently home to 100 full-time associates, a number that is expected to grow to 300 by the end of 2017. The site is also designed to accommodate future expansion.

News • September 26, 2014

Polygon hosts National Manufacturing Day

Polygon Solutions is one of a group of Florida manufacturers that has volunteered to host events during National Manufacturing Day Oct. 3. About 1,300 events are scheduled throughout the U.S. This is the third year of the event, and the third year the Fort Myers-based company is participating. The rotary broach manufacturer was also named a winner of the event's first-ever Manufacturing Day Video Contest.

News • September 22, 2014

Minn. manufacturers promote local business

On Aug. 11, Hutchinson, Minn.-area businesses partnered with the local Economic Development Authority (EDA), the Southwest Initiative Foundation, and the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development as part of a statewide initiative to promote Minnesota as a viable manufacturing area for businesses that are considering locations in the U.S. Dividing the state into eight regions, The Site Selector Familiarization Tour brought in site-selecting consultants to familiarize them with the assets and infrastructure that Minnesota has to offer international and domestic businesses.

Articles • September 1, 2014

Surging ahead

Growing U.S. auto market needs supply flexibility and more lightweight parts.

News • September 1, 2014

Methods to show 20 new machines at IMTS

Methods Machine Tools Inc., Sudbury, Mass., a supplier of machine tools, automation and accessories will show 20 new machine tools and demonstrate 40 machines and automation solutions at IMTS 2014, booth S-9119. The show will be held McCormick Place in Chicago, IL from Sept. 8 - 13, 2014. Methods will demonstrate new machine tools and automation from YASDA, KIWA-Japan, Nakamura-Tome, FANUC and FEELER.

News • September 1, 2014

NTM becomes KOMET SERVICE Partner

Minneapolis machine shop NTM Inc. is now certified to regrind and refurbish KOMET tools, manufacture solid carbide tools and to provide KOMET brand standard solid carbide tools as the sixth KOMET SERVICE Partner in North America. On June 12, NTM and KOMET of America, Schaumburg, Ill., held a celebration to mark the official start of NTM's KOMET SERVICE Partnership. Attendees included representatives from KOMET of America, as well as NTM employees' families and NTM's customers and business partners.

Articles • August 1, 2014

Metalworking barometer headed up?

IMTS serves as a convenient benchmark for the health of the U.S. metalworking industry, allowing comparisons with the last go-round, and the ones before that.