"MANUFACTURING MATTERS" MAKES AN IMPACT

Manufacturing Matters 2015, the annual mega-conference put on by the Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership, brought 450 manufacturing professionals together in Milwaukee to learn new ideas and exchange strategies for a bright future.

Featured speakers included Governor Scott Walker, Rockwell International’s Mike Laszkiewicz, business experts and the pros from WMEP.

Topics ranged from creating fresh perceptions of manufacturing, growing a skilled workforce, expanding into new markets, additive manufacturing, the Internet of Things and Connected Enterprises.

Read more about it in this BizTimes article.

DALCO NOW HAS FIBER LASER CUTTING

To meet your growing needs and lead times, we’ve installed a new Amada FLCAJ 4020 fiber laser.

Now we can process sheets up to 78 x 157 and, in addition to cutting carbon steel up to 7/8”, we can cut aluminum and stainless, plus highly reflective materials like brass, copper and titanium.

Call us at 262-275-6175 for a tour of our growing facilities, and to see our fiber laser in action.

THE BEST WORKERS PAY ATTENTION TO DETAILS

Do you emphasize 'sweating the details' on your shop floor?

A thought-provoking editorial in the fabricator.com strongly suggests “attention to detail is separate from talent, from experience and skill, and even from work ethic. It’s a concept that can overcome a myriad of shortcomings, yet it often gets glossed over or ignored completely in a fabricator’s early learning stages.”

Agree or not, read more about it here. Check out the steps you can take in the hiring and coaching process to assure that good workers become the best workers.

FOUNDRY-IN-A-BOX

You can’t get every student to take a manufacturing tour, but there’s always another solution.

Employees at Eck Industries, a Manitowoc, Wisconsin metal caster, helped start a program called “Foundry in a Box.” They're taking manufacturing job basics right into area middle schools so that students can learn hands-on to form moldings, melt tin, pour castings and clean up.

“We thought it important to clarify the wide range of employment opportunities available—from engineers and scientists to marketing and management professionals, molders and hourly workers,” says David Weiss, vice president of engineering, research and development.

Find out more about it in this month's Modern Metals Magazine.

DO MANUFACTURING JOBS REALLY PAY WELL?

No doubt, manufacturing jobs pay well, above average through the economy. Yet, you’ll see occasional statistics that say otherwise, that pay can be at or below national averages. So what’s the real story?

In this month’s fabricator.com, senior editor Tim Heston looks at the balance of skilled workers vs. unskilled and temporary, and how today’s plant managers strive to balance customer demand with trained, engaged workers.

It's a great read. Check it out here.