 |
March 2006 Precisely Canadian is produced by the Canadian Machine, Tool, Die & Mould Federation, a Cooperative Initiative of CAMM, CTMA, CPMA and the Mould Makers Council of CPIA.
The Goal of the Federation
is to Address as a Unified Force the Issues Common to Each Member
Association.
Table of Contents
Federation Conference Agenda ‘On the Mark’ With Agenda TopicsYou are invited to participate in the Canadian Machine, Tool, Die and Mould Federation’s (CMTDMF), annual conference which is appropriately called 'Our Canadian Edge: Knowledge and Change.' The conference runs from Sept. 15 through to the 17th and takes place in the Renaissance Hotel Fallsview, Niagara Falls.
Saturday afternoon is a time to enjoy the Niagara Falls area. Golf and Shaw Festival tickets will be available. Come Sunday, it’s brunch time when you can also hear Serge Lavoie, president and CEO of CPIA plus a representative from Stitt, Feld Handy Group, who will talk about negotiating and negotiations.
April Show Time for 'MoldMaking' Event Coming Up FastThe upcoming MoldMaking Exposition and Conference will be starting shortly, running from April 25-26, 2006 at the brand new Rock Financial Showplace in Novi, MI. Just a short drive from Windsor, this year’s event will offer:
CAMM will have a booth at the show and CAMM members receive a 25% discount on all conference fees. Simply use the special code “CAMM” while registering. Full conference pass includes full, two-day conference registration, exhibit hall pass for both days, two lunch passes, and one Casino Night networking reception ticket ($445.00 US) One-day conference pass includes choice of any conference session on a selected day, an exhibit hall pass for both days, one lunch pass, and one Casino Night networking reception ticket ($245.00). Exhibit hall only pass includes admission only to exhibits and show floor conference sessions (Free for Precisely Canadian recipients) Exhibit hall plus pass includes admission only to exhibits, show floor conference sessions, and one Casino Night networking reception ticket ($60.00).
Stats for Canadian Industry in 2005 Are Generally EncouragingStatistics Canada has released its 2005 shipments, imports, and exports, by industry. Overall the plastics industry showed good growth in industry shipments and exports in 2005 despite significant challenges such as a high Canadian dollar, high resin prices, and growing competition from developing countries, particularly China.
Sub-industries within plastic products showing growth higher than the overall industry average were: unsupported profiles, pipe and fittings, laminated plate and sheet, polystyrene foam products, other foam products, and other plastic products. Plastic products: Shipments: $21.8 (4.3%); Imports: $7.0 (5.0%); Exports: $9.6 (3.0%) (Data is in billions of dollars.) More details can be found on the Industry Canada web site. http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/epic/internet/inplastics-plastiques.nsf/en/h_pl01337e.html
Canadian Auto Capital Expenditures for 2006 at High LevelBY DENNIS DESROSIERS We now have capital expenditure estimates for 2006 for the automotive sector in Canada (vehicle assembly, automotive parts and truck body and trailer manufacturing) and the results are very positive. Total new and repair expenditures are forecast to increase by over $300 million in 2006 and exceed $4.8 billion. Only during the building boom of the late 1990s, when Honda, Toyota and Suzuki were adding plants into Canada and GM, Ford and DCX, were expenditures higher. Capital expenditures this decade are averaging about $4.5 billion per year versus $3.6 billion per year in the 1990s.
An industry in trouble would never invest at this level. New plants are being built and old plants retrofitted. Almost all of this investment is in Ontario with some supplier investment in Quebec.
Ontario out-produced Michigan for the first time two years ago and will be less affected than Michigan by the restructurings announced by Ford and GM. So Ontario will continue to (expand) its automotive manufacturing base while almost every other jurisdiction in North America struggles to maintain its automotive manufacturing base, or adjust to less vehicle and parts production in its area. We expect significant investments on the supplier side to follow the Toyota investment in Canada and to continue to (expand) to supply existing Honda, Toyota and Suzuki plants in Canada. Indeed, Canada is proving to be an excellent place for overseas suppliers to locate for all the ‘new domestics' which have come to North America to build vehicles. We expect new domestic vehicle production in North America to exceed eight million units by the end of the decade, up from about six million units in 2005. About a hundred overseas suppliers have chosen Canada as their base of operations to supply these new domestic plants and this number will grow over the next few years. Moreover, with known announcements through to the end of the decade we expect these capital expenditures to be at the very least maintained if not grow into the $5 billion-plus range to the end of the decade. The only possible downside is that some of this capital is targeted at reducing labour costs, so employment levels are unlikely to grow by the same amount or grow relatively modestly. But a highly efficient, high productivity industry has a strong future even if there is little employment growth.
Pre-apprenticeship Program Continues on as Highly SuccessfulThe Moulding Youth For Industry Program is a pre-apprenticeship training program that includes both in-class instruction and industrial work experience. The value and uniqueness of the initiative is such that it was recognized in 2003 with a Yves Landry Foundation Award for ‘Program of the Year.’ The program is described as a skills link initiative, and currently offered in Windsor/Essex and Waterloo. Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC), the Canadian Tooling & Machining Association (CTMA), and local tooling companies, are partners in the program. The initiative addresses the skills shortage in the precision metal cutting industries and youth employment/underemployment. It is estimated that the industry can absorb up to 100 apprentices each year. Project coordinator, Ms Joan Bachmeier, has assembled a team of instructors with experience in building tools, dies, moulds, general machining, mechanical drafting and metallurgy, to deliver the curriculum.
The 50-week, pre-apprenticeship training program provides 20 weeks of classroom/machine shop instruction, followed by 30 weeks of industrial work experience. At the end of the 50 weeks, successful students may be registered as apprentices in a related field. Youths applying for this program must have a Grade 12 diploma and, as part of the screening process, they are tested in areas of importance to their success such as mathematics, English and spatial relationships. “This is a great program that provides an opportunity for an individual who has not been able to find employment or is underemployed, yet possesses a strong desire to work in this type of environment,” says Bachmeier. “With a 14% unemployment rate in youth between the ages of 18-30 years, we see this as a wonderful opportunity for everyone.”
Companies that have participated in the program include: Active Burgess Mould & Design, A. G. Anderson Ltd., Build-A-Mold Ltd., Bendtech Inc., Electromac Group, Guelph Tool & Die Ltd., HJ Machine & Pattern Ltd., Hallink Moulds Ltd., Harbour Advanced Machining Ltd., Ireland Tool & Die Ltd., J & C Tool & Die Limited, Manor Tool & Die, Master Machine (Windsor) Ltd., Masterpiece Tooling Inc., Midwest Precision, Ramstar Carbide Tool Inc., Rezmin Tool, Sigma Engineering (Windsor) Inc., Strite Industries Limited, Symmetry Tooling Inc., Technologies 2000 Ltd., Ultratech Tool & Gauge Inc., Universal Pattern Co. Limited.
Plastindia Insights Emphasize Country’s Value For ExportersThe following remarks on the recent Plastindia are taken from a report by Ms Sally Damstra, director, International Trade and Shows, CPIA. Her very comprehensive report with several personal insights can be seen on the CPIA website: www.cpia.ca. Ms Damstra organized a trade pavilion for Plastindia, the sixth edition. This time the show attracted 1,236 exhibitors in 384,163 net sq ft of exhibit and other space. (The previous show in 2003 had 1,109 exhibitors.) Apparently, the heaviest attendance was in the halls dedicated to local suppliers.
In her discussions, with Mr. Surendra Kalyanpur, president of TAGMA (Tool and Gauge Manufacturers Association) on the mould making industry in Canada and India, it became evident that problems faced by Canadian mould makers are similar to those of Indian mould makers, particularly as it relates to tooling for the automotive sector. Most companies are small to medium, with large tool makers employing between 80-100.
A general observation by Ms Damstra in meeting Indian counterparts is the importance of personal relationships. Companies seeking to establish business in India must meet with potential customers/partners and develop a knowledge of the individuals as well as solid information on the company.
Questions Answered on Legislation Ending Mandatory RetirementTwo weeks and a day before Christmas 2006 and Bill 211 2005, an Act to amend the Ontario Human Rights Code and certain other Acts to end mandatory retirement, will come into effect. The legislation also amends a variety of other statutes that have provisions connected with mandatory retirement. Some of the more basic questions you and your employees will have are answered here. Could an employee be penalized for retiring at or before the age of 65? The legislation will amend the Ontario Human Rights Code and other legislation so as generally to prohibit employers from forcing employees to retire merely because they are 65 or older. It does not prevent employees who want to retire from doing so. Ending mandatory retirement should not result in people being penalized if they choose to retire at or prior to the age of 65. Rather, older persons will be able to choose for themselves how long they wish to remain in the workforce, based on their own lifestyles and circumstances, so long as they are capable of performing their jobs. Is the legislation retroactive? Will an employer have to let an employee return to his/her job if he/she was compelled to retire at age 65 before the legislation became law? No, an employer will not have to give the employee back his/her job. Could an employer compel the employee to retire who turns 65 during the one-year transition period after Royal Assent? Until the legislation comes into effect, the current rules regarding mandatory retirement remain in place, and an employer could require the employee to retire at 65. Will employers still be able to offer early retirement incentives? Yes. Employers could continue to use early retirement packages as an incentive to promote voluntary exit from the workplace. Will an employer be able to terminate or force an employee to retire? An employer will not be able to end an employee's employment merely because that person had reached a certain age, unless being younger than that age could be shown to be a bona fide occupational requirement. An employer generally may be able to dismiss an older worker for reasons other than the fact that an employee had reached a certain age, such as for cause or as a result of a business reorganization. What is a bona fide occupational requirement? A bona fide occupational requirement is an employment requirement that is discriminatory on certain grounds, including age, but that is allowed under the Ontario Human Rights Code because of the nature of the employment. The employer must establish:
All Canadian jurisdictions have bona fide occupational requirement exceptions in their human rights legislation. These exceptions may permit mandatory retirement if the employer can show that the test for a bona fide occupational requirement has been met. Will an employer's termination obligations change? The government is planning to change the regulations dealing with entitlement to termination notice or pay-in-lieu, to make the entitlement apply to employees, regardless of their age, unless they are subject to a mandatory retirement policy that is allowed under the Human Rights Code, either under an explicit exception or as a bona fide occupational requirement. The government is not planning to change the severance pay exemption that applies in those cases where an employee receives an actuarially unreduced pension.
Will an employer's duty to accommodate an individual employee's disability change? No. The duty to accommodate obligations under the Code will remain the same. Older workers will not be subject to a lower standard of accommodation than other protected groups. How will this initiative affect collective agreements? Collective agreements will not be exempt from a prohibition on mandatory retirement. As a result, after the one-year transition period, collective agreements cannot contain mandatory retirement provisions and employees in unionized environments cannot be forced to retire merely because of age. Once this legislation comes into effect, what recourse will employees have who have been terminated based on their age? If an employee feels that he or she has been discriminated against on the basis of age, the employee can contact the Ontario Human Rights Commission to get more information or to file a complaint.
Insights on Expediting Hours of Work ApplicationsMembers of CMTDMF had a chance to hear some very practical information from Brian Lemire, director of Employment Standards, Ontario Ministry of Labour, on how to expedite an application that would allow your employees to work beyond the weekly 48 hours. The presentation was part of a full evening that included a tour of Compact Mould. Each was very well attended. The following is an arbitrary selection from the 13 points Lemire gave the members. The reasons given for needing excess hours should correspond to the hours being requested. For example, an employer explained that up to 77 hours per week were needed for a few occupational groups to cover what it considered emergency situations (situations that would not meet the ‘exceptional circumstances’ language in the hours of work provisions).
(In the example given, and following discussion with the ministry, the employer revised its application and requested 77 hours for some occupational groups, but no more than 60 hours for others.) Don't submit separate applications for the same employees (even for different weekly hours). For example, an employer submits an application for 60 hours per week for three occupational groups, and submits an application for 84 hours per week for the same employees in the same occupational groups. A three-year, 60-hour approval is issued while the application for 84 hours goes to a reviewer. If the employer's application for 84 hours is approved, because 84 hours includes hours that are fewer than 84, the approval for 60 hours is redundant. If the different hours are needed for different circumstances or times of the year, then the director can attach these conditions to the 84-hour approval. For example, where an employer needs up to 84 hours per week to perform maintenance during periodic plant shut downs, and up to 60 hours per week at other times. If possible, distinguish between the shift schedule and the overtime averaging period being used. For example, an employer indicates that its employees work the following hours (employees are paid bi-weekly): Week 1: 4x12 hour shifts for 48 hours Week 2: 3x12 hour shifts for 36 hours Without overtime averaging, the employees would be entitled to four hours of overtime pay in week 1. With an overtime averaging period of two weeks, the employees' average hours of work equals 42 hours, and no overtime would be owed in either work-week. However, because the employer is using a 6- or 12-week (or even a 52-week schedule), the employer requests an averaging period of 6, 12 or 52 weeks. Requesting longer averaging periods leads to greater scrutiny by the Ministry of Labour, and it often discovers (as in the example provided) that a two-week averaging period is actually being used and is all that requires the Director's approval.
NPE Breakfast Session Will Give You Insights on European Growth
SPI’s Global Business Council and Modern Plastics are sponsoring a breakfast meeting at NPE on doing business in Central and Eastern Europe. The event takes place on Tuesday, June 20, from 8:00 to 9:30 am. Panelists include representatives from Ningbo Haitian Group Co. Ltd., Nypro, Inc., Plastic Molding Technology, Inc., and the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Topics of discussion include: an overview of the business environment in the region, Commerce Department assistance for U.S. exporters, implementation of export and investment projects in the region, and regional comparisons and country-specific business considerations. A question and answer session with additional panelists will follow the presentations.
Many Excellent Insights Shared at Annual APMA Windsor MeetingAPMA's Windsor/Detroit Regional Meeting in late February was a huge success with over 140 delegates. They were offered strategic insights and knowledge from VIPs in the auto industry. In the lead-off presentation, ‘Growth Strategies for Automotive OE Suppliers,’ Deloitte speakers, Ovais Ghafur and Susan Mingie provided their insights on addressing consumer demands; supply chain positioning; accessing capital and attracting and retaining people. This was followed with a comprehensive workshop in the afternoon which probed the subject matter in greater detail. Michael Jarouche, Lear Corporation, followed with a comprehensive presentation focusing on ‘Low Cost Country Sourcing - Lessons Learned.’ Jarouche outlined the strategies behind Lear's sourcing and the problems they have identified along the way when sourcing from abroad. Richard Walawender from Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone PLC called his presentation ‘Legal Strategies for Doing Business in Today's Auto Industry’ in which he identified the various financial scenarios currently being played out in the auto sector and pitfalls companies must be prepared to deal with or avoid. The keynote luncheon speaker was Bo Andersson, VP of Global Purchasing and Supply Chain, General Motors Corporation, who outlined the position, objectives and direction of the purchasing and logistics divisions at GM. During his presentation, he also identified key strategies for automotive suppliers in their pursuit of developing new business opportunities with General Motors and all of its divisions. Later that day, the event moved to Troy, Michigan, for the Canada/U.S. automotive dinner. The keynote speaker at the dinner was Peter Rosenfeld, executive VP Chrysler Group Procurement and Supply, DaimlerChrysler Corporation. Rosenfeld outlined the strategies DaimlerChryser is pursuing for over 400 suppliers from Canada and the United States.
Industry Events for the Tool and Mould Maker
(Editor’s note: at press time, all exhibit space at CPIA/Canada’s NPE pavilion had been sold. However, there is still the option of a display with a poster or brochures. Contact Ms Sally Damstra, CPIA at sdamstra@cpia.ca for price details and other matters to take advantage of this opportunity. The cost I believe is very reasonable.)
Tooling Companies Exposed to Central Europe OpportunitiesAs the world’s auto industry changes, the so-called V-4, a cluster of countries around Visegrad, Hungary, including that country as well as Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, is becoming a global production powerhouse. Their membership in the European Union means the region must now follow what John Broadbent describes as the ‘rule of law,’ thus making it easier for Canadian companies to expand and carry out business there. Broadbent, Chargé d’Affaires at Canada’s Embassy in Bratislava, the Slovak Republic, was the keynote speaker at a March 6, 2006 breakfast seminar co-hosted by the Windsor-Essex Economic Development Commission, the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs, International Trade unit, Ontario’s Ministry of Economic Development & Trade, and Export Development Canada. According to Broadbent, this part of Europe is awash in new automotive plants. In fact, he expects that next year the Czech Republic will become ‘the world’s biggest producer of cars - by capita.’ Car plants in that country include Volkswagen, Peugeot and Kia. Production at the Peugeot plant is expected to soon reach 450,000 vehicles. It is, by Mr. Broadbent’s estimation, a very large and growing global production centre with vehicles made at that site shipped around the world. Despite the growth, he would not ‘suggest to anyone that they get on a plane and expect to be working quickly. You have to do your homework and your research.’
“Your biggest competitors will be other European Union countries.” As can be expected there are some negatives to the region including a penchant for ‘large decisions to be made for political rather than business ‘reasons.’ He also cautioned that although at the moment there is considerable political support for foreign investment, this too could change with elections in three of the countries scheduled for June of this year. New entrants to the markets there also face complex labour and taxation legislation. The exception is Slovakia, which according to Broadbent is quite simple. Broadbent concluded that the V-4 countries offer a region that is ‘quietly taking its place as a business partner for Canada. There is a good track record for Canadian company involvement and we hope that you, too, can be part of it.’ Roman Dzus, acting executive director of the Windsor-Essex County Development Commission, told the audience that the advice and insights they had received was particularly timely. “A lot of our companies have considerable auto industry expertise and experience that has global value. Expanding into high growth regions is one way for them to protect and build jobs here at home. This was our reason for developing this seminar and from the feedback, it was certainly the right decision.” Valiant Executive Gave Advice on European Expansion Expanding to Central Europe takes persistence and hard work, says Marty Solz, executive vice-president and chief operating officer, Valiant Machine & Tool Inc. Speaking at the seminar, and based on a decade of working in the area, he suggested that companies considering expansion would do well to do a risk versus opportunity assessment. He cautioned that they should also guard their technology and intellectual property. “Companies (in Central Europe) are willing to learn and expand rapidly. Working with a regional partner can bring added benefits, in providing local knowledge and breaching cultural differences.
Solz added that using local people for sales and marketing activities will speed up the process of introductions to OEMs in the region. (This breakfast seminar was repeated on the two subsequent days to a large audience in Kitchener and then Toronto area.)
(A current profile of Poland’s plastics industry is available from John Margeson, Industry Canada at Margeson.John.Web@ic.gc.ca.)
Turnkey Tooling Service Lets You Get It Right QuicklyBlueSwarf™ is the name of a new turnkey tooling service which allows distributors to offer custom designed tooling systems. The service is the result of an alliance with the American Machine Tool Distributors Association and BlueSwarf Manufacturing Laboratories. By selecting the correct tooling and enabling the machine tool to run at its optimal and stable speed from the start, machinists should gain higher productivity, longer tool life and less maintenance. Included in the service is a comprehensive ‘how to run’ database which is delivered to a customer quickly. The entire tooling package is delivered fully assembled, defect-free and ready to run in time with delivery of a new machine.
BlueSwarf has an exclusive distribution partnership with Kennametal which can offer the service through its Canadian facility according to an AMTDA spokesperson.
Report Validates Plastics Opportunities in Central EuropeThe number of injection moulders operating in Western Europe has fallen by 9% since 1999 and there will be a further shakeout resulting in another 10% drop by 2010. These insights are contained in a new report by Applied Market Information Inc. (AMI). It says injection moulding in Europe is an 8.6 million tonne polymer market, worth over 45 billion (EUR). But it’s tough, with moulders facing weak demand, rising raw material costs, OEM price pressures and increased competition from overseas.
Opportunities will generally exist in sectors where moulding meets one or more of the following criteria:
There will also be regional variations in growth with Central Europe expected to provide the main impetus. Poland in particular is expected to continue attracting high levels of foreign direct investment that will benefit the moulding sector, although automotive and appliance investment in Hungary and the Czech and Slovak Republics will also support opportunities for injection moulders.
Register for NPE and Interact with Exhibitors Even Before ShowA very sophisticated software program, myNPE™, is another feature of NPE 2006 that is designed to make your visit very efficient and productive. The website matches the business interests of attendees and nature of exhibitors so that visitors can start exploring their needs and sources well before the show. The program provides each registrant with a secure web portal that serves as a personal planner which will be accessible even during the show. In effect, myNPE makes it possible to ‘pre-meet’ with suppliers.
The software automatically updates the information available to each registrant on a weekly basis. You can also maintain a personalized event planner, listing the companies, products, educational programs, and key people of direct interest to your business. Adding a new item to the planner is achieved by clicking the ‘Add to My Event Plan’ button. Product Locator kiosks in the exhibit halls will let you access your event planner as well. Each kiosk will also print out your plan along with a floor map showing how to get to the next meeting.
Electron Beam Melting System Suited to High Heat ApplicationsARCAM® is the name of a European rapid manufacturing and prototyping system that makes 100% solid metal parts. Stratasys Inc., the North American distributor for the manufacturer Arcam AB, says the EBM S400 produces metal parts three to five times faster than other additive fabrication methods. The technology uses a patented CAD to Metal® process, which is based on electron beam melting (EBM), to produce parts from titanium powder. The beam fully melts the metal particles to produce a void-free part. The process occurs in a high vacuum, which ensures the part is completely solid, without imperfections caused by oxidation. One application would be for under-the-hood components. In the EBM process, each layer is formed when an electron beam, following a tool path, is directed onto a bed of metal powder. The beam liquefies the powder in fine paths, forming the required shape. The process uses a high power electron beam that is 95% efficient. Two variations of titanium ‘six four’ alloy are available for the EBM S400: Ti6AL4V and Ti6AL4V ELI. Titanium parts created on the system are accurate near-net shape and are HIP heat treatable. The system builds parts up to approximately 8x8x7 in. (200x200x180 mm), with a layer thickness range of 0.002 to 0.008 in. (0.05-0.2 mm).
Winning Product Development Strategies Posted on PTC WebsiteThere are so many conferences, trade shows and seminars out there, that’s hard to keep track of them. PTC just finished a set seminars that were presented electronically, more commonly known as a webinar, and it’s made the effort to post them on its website. One of the sessions featured Michael N. Kennedy, author of ‘Product Development for the Lean Enterprise: Why Toyota's System Is Four Times More Productive and How You Can Implement It.’
Association and Federation Agendas Show Members Well ServedAPRIL EVENTS April 11: CTMA Western Ontario Chapter Meeting, Waterloo. (This is the RIM company tour.)April 20: CPIA Mould Makers Council Dinner Meeting (Location TBA) April 21: CPIA’s Ontario Plastics Advisory Committee meets with Hon. Joe Cordiano, Minister of Economic Development and Trade Apr. 26: CTMA Board of Directors Meeting, Cambridge MAY EVENTS May 4: CPIA Annual General Meeting and Executive Briefing, Toronto Congress CenterMay 8: Wage & Business Survey Committee Meeting, Cambridge May 10: Safety Group Meeting (Windsor Chapter), Windsor May 12: Safety Group Meeting (Toronto Chapter), Milton May 30: CTMA Carbide/HSS Survey Group AGM, Kitchener May 31: Safety Group Sponsor Meeting (Location TBA) JUNE EVENTS June 4: CAMM's 20th Golf Day, Windsor JULY EVENTS July 7: Apprenticeship Competition Entry Deadline (National) AUGUST EVENTS Aug. 23 or 24 (TBC): CTMA Board of Directors Meeting, Cambridge SEPTEMBER EVENTS Sept. 12: CPIA Quebec's golf tournament, La Madeleine Golf Club, Quebec OCTOBER EVENTS Oct. (TBA): Canadian MTDM Federation Board/Govt Meeting NOVEMBER EVENTS Nov. 9: CAMM's 5th Mould Makers Trade Fair, Windsor
Lean Manufacturing Gets Full Exposure in JuneSouthern Ontario’s manufacturing community will have an opportunity to learn quite a bit about lean manufacturing this coming June. On June 12-15, industry will be able to tap into over 70 program elements in a Lean Manufacturing Conference produced by the Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME)with the participation of the High Performance Manufacturing Consortium in Southwestern Ontario, the Ontario Division of CM&E, and SME. The conference hotel is the Delta in downtown Kitchener with in-plant activities from Toronto, London and the Kitchener-Waterloo region. Last year’s Canadian event in Edmonton attracted nearly 600 delegates. The program is designed for individuals, companies, shop floor and office teams. For further information on the 2006 AME Regional Conference in Kitchener-Waterloo, go to www.measureupforsuccess.com. The website for AME is www.ame.org.
Show Off Your Commitment to Apprenticeship TrainingIt’s time to think about entering the 13th Annual Apprenticeship Competition of the Canadian Tooling & Machining Association (CTMA) for all industry trades. The competition is open to any and all apprentices (regardless of a company’s membership status) The test piece for apprentices is an 'angle plate.'
Prizes for apprentices include certificates of achievement, cash awards, oak tool chests, and more. A grand prize is also given to the company whose employee was designated as the winning entry. This includes a Charmilles/Mikron gift certificate to be used towards the purchase of an EDM or high speed machining centre with a 40% discount, or up to $70,000 (US) off.
Entry for the competition is free and completed test-piece entries are to be submitted by July 7, 2006. Awards and prizes will be subject to the level of sponsorship and donations received.
Employers can make a contribution to the Apprenticeship Training Competition which can be used in different ways: either directly, for the competition or as a contribution to the George H. Shaffer Education Fund where interest from the endowment forms the award. The principle is reinvested to maintain the award in perpetuity.
The Fund was established in 1994 to support and encourage apprenticeship training through an annual competition and named after the late George H. Shaffer, a founding member of the association.
Read Profine Molds’ Solutions to CompetitivenessWhen Manuel Gomes launched his Profine Molds in 1994, the technical skills of a shop were sufficient to make it successful, in and outside of Canada. Now, it's all about running a business for an industry where the competition, and the customers, can come from the four corners of the globe. Profine has addressed the new state of the tooling industry by incorporating a number of soft, and hard resources. The latter is most apparent with the company's new, 60,000 sq ft head office in Oakville, Ontario. Likely one of the more progressive changes at Profine has been the development and implementation of its 'single source solution' (S3). S3 allows a customer to secure all engineering and production components with a single purchase order to Profine. Last year was also the occasion for the launch of an application and sales office in Kowloon, Hong Kong, with access to manufacturing capabilities in the region. These facilities will support the growing Asian market, and allow Profine to provide North American customers with an expanded range of competitive pricing options. All of this expansion is based on a multi-phase plan, with time-lines extending into 2007 that will see the company's presence further expanded in North America, Asia, South America, and Latin America.
Finland’s Tooling Industry Impresses ISTMA VisitorsAs part of a January ISTMA-World Executive Board Members meeting in Finland, delegates participated in a two-day tooling and machining seminar, and also had a chance to visit several plants, plus a technology center. While a small country, Finland seems to have a number of progressive resources in place to help its tooling industry. Les Payne, (executive director, CTMA) as the representative for ISTMA-Americas, Canada participated in the tours as well and offers Federation members the following observations. The websites of the tech center are provided for you to check out. Joensuu Science Park and Imtec: a technology centre offering a wide range of services related to the development and creation of new jobs by assisting private companies. It acts as a bridge between universities, research institutions and companies. This kind of centre is common in most European countries and would be most helpful in Canada. (Les made the point that this seems to be the reason for Canada’s lack of consumer product design and manufacture. www.carelian.fi or www.imtec.net Toolman Oy: a 50-man mould shop in an industrial park in a small town. Following the shut down of a copper and gold mining plant, the park was set up to attract employment back to the town. Land, building and a mortgage were provided to them by the region. Okun Koneistuspalvelu Oy: a 50-man machine shop which produces very high precision parts for all sectors of the economy. A very well equipped shop with all the latest machines. Gritech Ltd.: a small company with one five-axis CNC grinding machine and one 4-axis CNC measuring machine. They manufacture and resharpen drills and cutting tools. It is as well a Sandvik Coromant-approved company. Carelia Tools Ltd.: a 25-man EDM and die cast mould shop. Perlos Corp.: a global company with 12,000 employees. ISTMA delegates visited its Joensuu tool shop which is a very advanced injection mould shop. It uses a robot to feed two high speed machining centres. A metal sintering machine is used to build injection mould inserts of production quality. Prototype single-cavity injection moulds (to produce mobile phone casings) are manufactured within a two-week delivery time and will be moving to a one-week delivery soon. Four-cavity production injection moulds (for the same parts) are being produced within 4-5 weeks.
Husky Advances Highlighted at its Luxembourg Tech CentreLast fall, Husky demonstrated two high-performance Hylectric closure systems in production at its Packaging Days event, held at its Luxembourg Technical Centre. Both systems in the display were based on Hylectric H300 machines. The first machine, equipped with a 48-cavity mould from Swiss mould maker Corvaglia, produces 38-mm closures at a cycle time of 4.6 sec. The other machine, equipped with a 64-cavity mould from Austrian mould maker KTW, produces 28-mm closures at a cycle time of 5.2 sec. For its week-long Packaging event, Husky also teamed up with Systec to develop a fast, in-mould labeling (IML) system for a five-sided rectangular container. Running at 2.3 sec., this two-cavity system according to Husky reduces the benchmark for IML moulding by more than 30%. Based on ‘SwingChute’ in-mould handling technology, this system inserts a label on a rotating swing arm while simultaneously removing the moulded parts with another arm on the opposite side of the machine.
News and Events at Large for Tool and Mould MakersDelcam is demonstrating its latest version of the PowerMILL CAM system in North America for the first time at SME’s EASTEC which runs May 23-25 to in West Springfield, Massachusetts. This version has improved functionality for roughing and finishing with both three-axis and five-axis machines. The company has also joined with Renishaw to offer On-Machine Verification technology to all companies seeking to increase the productivity of their machine tools. The most obvious applications of this technology are for those companies that do not have existing inspection capabilities. The technology is particularly appropriate for tool makers that produce larger press tools, patterns or moulds. Cimatron, a manufacturer of integrated CAD/CAM software for the tooling industry, has opened an office in Windsor. A company representative says it is considering additional local support offices in various concentrated tool shop areas. Pathtrace demonstrated the latest release of its EdgeCAM Version 10.5 at the end-March WESTEC trade show. EdgeCAM 10.5 introduces new capability for 4-and 5-axis simultaneous machining and other productivity enhancements to reduce programming times. Canadian autoworkers voted in mid-March to support job cuts in favour of new investment at GM’s Oshawa plant to encourage production of the new Chevy Camaro. The vote considered up to 2,500 workers could lose their jobs. (Source Automotive NewsWire. To subscribe to this daily enewsletter, go to: http://www.autonewswire.net/subscribe.) A prestigious award has gone to Mold-Masters for its Mold-Masters Business Intelligence (MMBI) initiative. The technology has been selected as one of InfoWorld Magazine's 100 Best Projects of 2005. The MMBI initiative was recognized for making possible a coherent, enterprise-wide single version of the truth that combines data taken from SAP Business Warehouse, MS Access, and MS SQL Server software applications into standardized reports.
Think About the Merits of an ANTEC Visit This YearSPE’s annual ANTEC runs this year from May 7-11, in Charlotte, N.C. The Mold Making and Design Division has always had a number of useful sessions and this time has assembled two full sessions that take place on the same day, on the Wednesday. The morning session is filled with technical papers and the afternoon offers a series of pertinent keynote presentations. The division’s Chair Elect is Ed Jenko who is receiving its Pinnacle Award for Division Excellence. Wayne Hertlein, Past Division Chair, is being recognized with an Honored Service Member status for his contributions to the industry and society. Finally, but not in anyway the least, the division has gone paperless for its newsletter. The current edition is posted on its website www.spetooling.org.
Take the Positive Route for Success in Your IndustryED BERNARD There’s good news on our branding efforts. The Canadian MTDM Federation Board of Directors has approved the Federation logo. This symbol lets the world know that the MTDM Sector in Canada is open for business, and prepared to engage the world’s most challenging tooling projects. Watch for the logo in your next issue of Precisely Canadian.
This will be a year of ‘re-invention’ and ‘re-minding:’ Reinventing our businesses to provide our customers with even more, for less, and reminding them of the lean values that we already provide.
It’s spring time now and in a few weeks, you should be heading off for the MoldMaking Expo, MoldMaking Technology magazine’s show and conference in Novi, Michigan on the 25th and 26th of April, and NPE in Chicago that takes place June 19th through the 23rd, to name just two.
With so much change going on all around us, keep in mind that there is both perceived and real worth in providing (your) experience for a project, right from the pre-quote stage. Get in (there) to see your customers’ project managers and find out what is coming down the pike.
Chances are, you’ll be able to offer input that will save them time and money, and this will keep you at the front of the line when it comes to quoting. Trade shows are also an excellent way to show off your talents. Volunteer for booth duty at one of the events where we have a booth and your customers will be coming to you.
I’ve recently returned from the Plastics News Executive Forum in Tampa. The experience was insightful as well as encouraging. Next year the February event takes place in San Diego, California. You can check out these forums at www.plasticsnews.com.
Because of the nice weather, I had intended to skip a few sessions but the speakers were all so good that I attended all of them. Jeff Mengel of Plante & Moran gave us the data which indicated despite tough times in the automotive industry, the overall plastics sector in North America experienced minor growth last year.
Take the time to participate in the next Plante & Moran survey. The feedback that you get is well worth your time.
While scheduling all of these networking opportunities, make sure to budget for your Federation’s own annual event, in Niagara Falls, from Sept. 15th to the 17th. Come and celebrate ‘de-fragmentation’ with our various chapter members.
This will be a challenging, and fruitful year. Remember, if it was easy, anyone could do it.
ed@bernardmould.com (CMTDMF)
|
Disclaimer: All information in this publication
is accurate to the best of our knowledge. |
