AmTech Manufacturing: An Interesting Story

After 15 years in software sales, operations, and other leadership positions, Kyle Cleaver was ready for a new challenge. So, naturally, he purchased a metal fabrication shop. That wouldn’t be particularly noteworthy, except that he had no previous experience in the industry whatsoever.

In 2019, Cleaver purchased AmTech Manufacturing in Fort Worth, Texas. With more than 30 years of combined experience in the metal fabrication industry, the company provides a variety of services, from fiber and CO2 laser cutting, bending, milling, welding, and painting to powder coating. It serves customers in such industries as industrial machinery, oil and gas, automotive/trucking, construction, health care, and warehouse/retail.

Read the article in The Fabricator here

Coronavirus

By now we’re all very much aware of the Coronavirus pandemic that seems to be surfacing in new parts of the world almost daily. But what do you know about this microscopic agent that is quickly grabbing global headlines?

Discovered in the 1960s, Coronaviruses are a group of viruses that can infect mammals and birds. In humans, the viruses generally cause mild to moderate respiratory infections such as the common cold. However, in some rare forms the Coronavirus can be lethal.

Throughout history the medical community has been challenged with new virus strains to conquer; and the Coronavirus is no different.  It’s just a matter of time before an effective vaccine is developed to eradicate the threat.  Until then, however, it is important to remember that we must all take part in the battle.  Take the extra precautions to ensure your health and the wellbeing of those around you to help prevent the spread of this latest health risk.

Read more here

Human in the Loop Becomes the Center of Design

If there’s one thing that manufacturers know they can bank on in the coming year, it’s that customer expectations—in terms of product performance, quality, and dependability— will continue to rise. Meeting these demands motivates manufacturers to continually scrutinize their processes and seek to enhance product development tools and methodologies. And while most industries have come to embrace simulation to ensure that customer requirements are validated well upstream and in advance of testing physical prototypes, some continue to lag.

Read more here

Collaborating to Advance Phase Change Management Technology

What allows food to be maintained at safe temperatures during transportation and storage? What protects the integrity of medicine, organs, blood, medical devices, therapies, and procedures? And what keeps hands and feet warm longer during these cold winter months? The simple answer is Phase Change Material (PCM). With seemingly endless applications, this versatile technology is turbocharging innovation for a growing number of product designers, manufacturers and industries.

So, what is Phase Change Material and why is it important? In a basic sense, Phase Change Material is the result of a process known as thermal cycling. In this process, phase change substances absorb and release thermal energy as they are transformed between solid and liquid states. Water and ice is an excellent example of Phase Change Material.

The technology offers numerous advantages to manufacturers and consumers alike. Product performance is enhanced measurably, new applications spawn innovative new products; and because it is often substituted for more expensive materials and processes, PCM is in many cases shown to reduce manufacturing costs.

Look Around You

From produce and medical to textile, computer, aerospace, automotive, and beyond, phase change technology is found in nearly all industries. As its use becomes even more widely embraced, it is important that the technology maintain the highest quality standards.

“Each day, it seems, industries are finding new applications for phase change technology. As usage and expectations continue to rise, it is imperative that raw material suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, and other stakeholders deliver quality, consistency and reliability,” explained Tim Riazzi, President of Dayton, Ohio’s CAVU Group. “Our reputation as a supplier, and that of our customers, hinges on the successful and expanded application of this growing technology. We take our stewardship responsibility seriously and work to actively participate in the on-going development and management of PCM technology.”

CAVU is a vertically integrated family of brands driven to provide innovative thermal technologies. The company’s Thermal Solutions brands – American Thermal Instruments (Temperature monitoring solutions – www.americanthermal.com) and Microtek Laboratories (Temperature management solutions – www.microteklabs.com) – are leading providers of PCM raw materials, products, and related solutions.

Investing in Quality

Today organizations exist to help ensure the development and integrity of Phase Change Material. PCMIA (Phase Change Materials Industry Association) and RAL (Institute for Quality Assurance and Certification) are two such associations.

In 2004, several international companies founded the Quality Association PCM with the objective to develop minimum performance requirements and suitable procedures for quality assurance. In 2006, RAL, the Institute for Quality Assurance and Certification, accepted the Quality and Testing Specifications for PCM (RAL-GZ 896) and began awarding the RAL Quality Mark to deserving products.  Since its inception the program has gained popularity and today extends throughout Europe.

In North America there is a similar PCM initiative. Founded in 2018, PCMIA is an association of phase change materials industry leaders consisting of manufacturers and researchers with a common goal to move the industry and technology of PCM forward. While its primary goal is to Connect, Promote and Educate industries and the public with Phase Change Materials, the association is also driven to help improve, streamline and standardize the industry.

Contributing Resources

As a local thermal solutions manufacturer, CAVU is naturally supportive of global collaboration to advance PCM technology and promote its usage. The company has positioned several employees as board members on RAL and PCMIA.

“It is imperative that PCM suppliers lend their experience to advance industry-wide quality standards,” said Riazzi. “The ever-increasing commercial importance of the technology triggered the need for reliable quality assurance and its independent certification. We recognize our responsibility to play an active role to ensure the integrity of the technology; and are pledging our time and resources to organizations such as RAL and PCMIA.”

Riazzi sits on the Executive Board for RAL and is Chairman of the Government Relations Committee for PCMIA. The company’s VP of Sales and Business Development, Patti Blessing serves on the PCMIA Membership and Finance Committee; while Microtek Marketing Manager, David Haan, lends his expertise to the PCMIA Marketing Committee.

Who Benefits?

For CAVU participation not only allows the company to advance its PCM offerings and processes – but it also provides a platform to raise awareness of thermal management technologies. This, along with being recognized by potential new customers as a thermal management solutions subject-matter expert (which may include PCM) can have a measurable bottom-line impact. However, while supporting these organizations offers many advantages, it’s safe to say that the true beneficiaries are CAVU’s partners, customers, and ultimately the consumer.

“Participation in PCM organizations allows us to transfer this knowledge and provide guidance on this emerging technology,” concluded Riazzi. “Supporting current and potential partners with regard to the economic and sustainability benefits of thermal management is critical. In this way, manufacturers and distributors alike can achieve positive and sustained outcomes by ensuring consumers with brand safety, enhanced comfort, and consistent quality.”

PCM is Here to Stay

Phase Change Management is nothing new; the technology has been evolving for decades. What is worth noting are its progressive applications made possible by suppliers, such as CAVU Group, who make the technology more accessible, stable, and practical to new markets.

Those who develop, manufacture or leverage technologies must take a vested interest in their long-term applications and maturation. Today, responsible Phase Change Management (PCM) stakeholders are actively overseeing its ongoing development and safeguarding quality. This collaborative effort is the foundation for new levels of application and innovative new products.

Accelerating Growth Through Better Quoting

What keeps the lights on, sparks flying, and people working? The obvious answer is sales, of course. Sales is after all a company’s lifeblood, and quoting is at the heart of it all.

Unfortunately, what isn’t so obvious to many fabricators, job shops, and metal service centers is that if they are still using spreadsheets, the quoting module of their enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, or a semiautomated quoting system, they are waging a losing battle. These companies are handicapped by the very quoting processes and tools they relied on to grow their businesses.

Companies can double or even triple the number of quotes they’re sending out and do it faster without adding resources. They just need the right software tool.

Read the article here.

The Fabrication Industry’s Great Estimator Shortage

Today I’m giving the floor to Brad Stropes, COO of SecturaSOFT.  Brad has contributed today’s Blog post…

Today there is a shortage of estimators in the fabrication industry. More and more fab shops, job shops, and service centers are struggling to lure recent grads and others seeking work. The truth is that this is largely a perception problem. Because organizations are using outdated legacy systems, new employees (especially tech-savvy millennials) simply aren’t attracted to organizations who seem to be stuck in the past.

Because of this, SecturaSOFT is working toward a restructured user interface. We want SecturaFAB to be an intuitive tool that is attractive to both prospective new employees and the organization alike. The robust quoting technology can optimize the quoting process and be quickly learned and used.

SecturaSOFT now offers a 3D interface allowing estimators to immerse themselves in the design they are working with similar to the 3D CAD platforms they may be accustomed to. In addition, SecturaSOFT has implemented walk through software providing click through directions relative to creating quotes, even if the user has no estimating experience.

While this is helping to attract new talent to estimating positions, many companies remain hesitant to allow new employees to send out quote and estimates, in fear they may not be correct. To help with this, SecturaFAB recently implemented rules and process flows for approval. This means that certain individual may need to obtain approval before sending a quote. SecturaFAB alerts management (via email and text message) that a quote is awaiting review/approval.

Learn more here

 

Attention Metal Fabricators: Here are 3 Steps to Generating More Sales

Sales are the lifeblood of any organization; and with hefty investments in people, machinery, facilities and technology, even modest size fabricators need a significant and steady influx of dollars to keep the lights burning. But it’s a competitive world out there; and bringing in new business doesn’t just happen. Let’s take a look at three key areas where you can increase your chances to generate more business.

It Starts with the Right People (or Not)

According to Myers-Briggs the traits associated with those best suited for sales are: Extraversion, Sensing, Feeling, Judgment or what’s termed ESFJ. You know these people; they are outgoing, energetic, have a positive outlook and good at multi-tasking. They are likable and trustworthy. But here are a couple of things to consider before you hire the next ESJF that walks in the door.

Independent Reps

Good sales people are hard to find. Moreover, they are expensive and take time to train before they begin producing. Consequently many shop owners choose to rely on relationships, referrals or on independent representatives rather than hiring a sales staff. Some advantages are that reps have feet on the street; and have established long-term relationships with a number of potential customers. They generally work strictly on commission and can match a prospect’s need to your metal processing strength. On the flip-side, these companies generally represent multiple clients with a wide array of services and products – probably even a competitor or two of yours. Because of this the higher-commission or easiest sale generally garners their attention.

If you choose to rely on independent reps, be sure to take a proactive approach. Keep them apprised of any new processing capabilities or incentives. Stay at the top of their mind. In other words, help them help you.

Direct Sales

The fabrication industry is a relationship-based sales cycle. Potential customers want to work with someone they are comfortable with and can trust. Because of this, most estimators/sales in the fabrication world are industry veterans. They talk-the-talk, walk- the-walk and thoroughly understand the many processes and competitive advantages their shop may have. However, most of these people are Baby-Boomers preparing to leave the workforce and hard to find Generation X veterans; and let’s face it – millennials aren’t exactly knocking down the door to join the industry.

Attracting Young Talent

To combat this, you need to attract new, aggressive, young, sales and estimators. But first, one must understand the unique mindset of this new generation. Millennials are hard-working, but they want to have the proper tools. This generation has grown up with technology, understands it, and applies it every day. Unfortunately, while most fabricators have no trouble investing in cutting technology, they don’t give that same attention to a lot of other areas. They have outdated servers, desktops running operating systems from 10 years ago and they don’t have the latest software to design with. Because of this the best and the brightest shy away from our industry.

Attracting fresh talent starts with the tools you are willing to provide them. Focus on how difficult it is to ramp up a new estimator. If you are stuck in the world of spreadsheets it could take years before someone is capable of quoting/selling off your platform. This industry has amazing technology, but it is often hidden behind a single individual within your shop. The new generation wants to leverage all tools within the fabrication environment, just like the many apps on their phone. This means you must arm them and have them trained on 3D design tools and programming tools to quickly add to their knowledge of the industry.

Finally, when locating talent, focus on those who have an aggressive personality to grow. Some in our industry look at the younger aggressive individuals as “entitled,” or that they haven’t put in their time. The difference is just how independent and resourceful this generation is. Give them the tools, the training, and give them a goal to hit. They might surprise you by just how much they can accomplish in a short period of time.

Create Opportunity for Opportunity

So what’s different about your company? Do you have a clear compelling advantage or do you just think you do? After all, you have a fiber laser, they have a fiber laser. You process sheet metal, plate, and aluminum – they process sheet metal, plate, and aluminum. You are “the best” – they are “the best”. Instead of falling in to the hand-to-hand sales combat conundrum of screaming “Faster!”, “Cheaper!”, “Better!” why not expand the capabilities of your cutting machines to open the door to new markets? There are plenty of opportunities, with lucrative payback, for those willing to take on the challenge. The stumbling block for many is the willingness to venture outside of their current comfort zone.

Exotic Metals

Because few are willing to tackle these materials, there’s an opportunity for fabricators willing to tackle exotic metals such as: stainless steel, brass, copper, titanium, armor plate, tool steel, T-1 steel, nickel, super alloys, platinum and so on. The best part is that no special equipment or expertise is required.

For the most part fabricators who shy away from cutting exotic metals are concerned with damaging machines, ruining costly metals, and losing money. This fear is rooted in a lack of experience and exposure to the process. While lasers generally include standard cutting conditions for steel, aluminum, mild steel, and often galvanized metal, few, if any, come with preloaded conditions for exotic metals. Consequently most fabricators have neither the experience nor the resources needed to cut exotic metals.

When it comes to cutting exotic metals most laser operators over-complicate the process. When cutting exotic metals the same variables familiar to most operators still apply. Focal position, nozzle centering, proper nozzle selection, nozzle gap, assist gas type and pressure, power, frequency, duty and feed rate all influence the piercing, cutting and cut quality of exotic metals just like they do their more common place counterparts.

It’s always best to crawl before you walk or run so it’s recommended that first timers cut their teeth with the easier and least expensive exotic metals. Once you have some successes under your belt move on to the more costly and more difficult materials like brass, copper, titanium, nickel and platinum.

Coated Metals

Similarly, some fabricators avoid coated materials. What poses a challenge is that, in order to reduce the likelihood of scratches or other damage, these finishes are intended to remain on the materials during processing and shipping. It’s important to learn how to cut coated materials while keeping the protective surface intact. While these finishes certainly do a good job in protecting the material from scratching, they can pose some significant cutting challenges. The objective is to produce quality cuts without removing, scratching, melting or otherwise damaging the coating.

The common theme when cutting any coated material or exotic metal is to invest the time to understand the materials you’re cutting and how to best set up your machine for success. It’s vital to take the time to run cutting tests in order to dial-in the machine and establish proper machine cutting conditions. Finally, remember to utilize the applications department where you purchased your machine. They should be happy to answer your questions and help you to more fully optimize your machine’s capabilities and investment.

New Business AND Higher Margins

When you consider that there are fewer competitors vying for work outside of traditional sheet metal, plate, aluminum, and the fact that most customers will supply the materials, fabricators can attract new business and charge a cutting premium. So don’t be intimidated by venturing outside of your comfort zone. If you’re processing only steel and aluminum with that laser you’re missing out on a real opportunity. Use that machine that you invested in to its fullest capability.

Democratize Quoting

Make no mistake – it’s a war out there. And the biggest obstacle your company faces is generating fast, accurate quotes. Why is this? Until recently, the answer was automation – or more precisely, a lack thereof. Take a look at virtually any shop floor and you’ll see automated pallet changing, storage and retrieval systems, even unattended lights-out production. While the production side of the business has steadily evolved, sales and estimation tools have clearly not kept pace. Instead most use antiquated sales tools such as spreadsheets, production ERP systems, or even good old fashion pen and paper.

New Paradigm Laser (Cambridge, Ontario) relies strictly on inside sales to keep machines cutting. The company has a policy to provide quotes to prospective customers in 24 hours or less. What’s most impressive perhaps is that Paradigm relies on inexperienced or even non-sales skilled laborers to generate the quotes. “In this business timing is everything,” said New Paradigm’s Plant Superintendent, Marlon Almanza. “The first quote in says a lot about your company’s responsiveness and commitment; and we find that it often leads to winning the job.”

Just as some fabricators are taking advantage of the full capabilities of machinery to attract business; New Paradigm is doing the same with its most valuable asset – people. In the past, the company filled sales positions with workers with10 to 15 years of shop floor experience under their belt. Today, thanks to automated quoting, they are able to generate winning quotes with less experienced non-sales workers. “Filling sales positions isn’t a problem,” explained Almanza. “We’re more concerned with finding operators and other skilled laborers than sales people. Our quoting software makes sales quick and simple. We now have the flexibility to reallocate resources from the shop floor or front office to help sell when needed.” Automating the quoting process allows even inexperienced estimators to create winning bids; not just a select few experts.

Automated Estimation & Quoting Software

Today New Paradigm and many other fabricators are leveraging automated quoting software to increase sales. A leading player in this industry is SecturaSoft. The company has teamed up with ERP/MRP solutions to develop the first true sales solution for the fabrication industry; and is the first truly mobile platform which can tie into your other software solutions. “Today there is a clamoring from estimators for better, more robust, and more automated tools. Most current tools rely on a lot of tribal knowledge, require a lot of manual input and duplication of work, and had no real intelligence,” explained   fabrication industry veteran and SecturaSoft Chief Operating Officer, Brad Stropes. “SecturaSoft is an intelligent platform not only to enhance your ERP solution, but to replace that old, slow, tough to use spreadsheet.”

Through the development process, SecturaSoft has focused on making a powerful solution that can easily be used by any individual within an organization. This was accomplished by focusing on the users’ experience and their interaction with the machines processes. The program utilizes machine intelligence behind a streamlined interface to show the user only what they need to see to quote as efficient as possible. This is much different than other platforms which require a highly trained fabricator to input all of the machine information one process at a time.

The software utilizes intelligent machine calculators to understand what is required by the machine to develop a part. One example of this is a simple press break operation which can actually become extremely complex. A built-in intelligence understands the requirements of a bend. If a part is a certain length, an additional individual may be needed to hold the part increasing the cost to bend. In addition, if a part is too heavy, a crane may be needed to move a part also increasing the cost. Because this intelligence is ingrained into the software, an estimator only needs to input a number of bends, while SecturaSoft automatically develops the cost per-bend.

Now, Let’s go Sell!

It’s easy for shop owners to get caught up in the latest production tools. That’s understandable, these machines are important to expanding the shop’s capabilities and throughput. But the sales and estimating process is the fuel that keeps those machines running. So what does it take to win new sales in today’s competitive fabrication market? Boosting sales is a combination of relationships, people, machinery maximized to enable a wide variety of processing options, and equipping your staff with the best tools.

Learn more at secturasoft.com

Find a Cause

Sometimes we get so wrapped up in things that we don’t really stop to look around.  We know we should, we may even think we do; but how often are we willing to take action?  How often will we stop working or skip that round of golf to devote our time (and yes money) to support a cause?

This weekend I have an opportunity, along with some friends and family,  to help support Alzheimer’s research.  As you may know, Saturday, October 4 is a day that the disease will be in the national spotlight.  I’ve known a handful of people who have suffered and are suffering with the disease (and a lot more that I wasn’t aware of)  and I’m thrilled to have been invited to help support a walk for the cure.

That’s one example; and there are countless others.  No matter what you think is important – take time to support it.  If you don’t have a cause in mind, stop and look around. There are plenty that could use your help.

What’s New?

Interactive Virtual Prototyping: Building the Next Generation of Off-Highway Machines with Worksite System-Level Simulation . Read it in OEM Off-Highway Magazine here.

Blogging

One of the many perks of having your own blog is that it gives you something to do when you are lying awake at 3:30 AM.  What you have to be careful of is that you could type just about anything. So remember this as/if you make your way through this post.

So, just a few random thoughts about a few random things…

Television: The Andy Griffith Show continues to be the standard by which all shows are measured.  I’m sure I’ll get plenty of disagreement with that; but anyone who truly appreciates the chemistry and downhome aura of that show knows exactly what I’m talking about.  Who wouldn’t want to call Mayberry home? Without fail, that show leaves me with a mix of emotions. Happy because of its warmth and a little sad that those times are long gone.  It takes me back to some of the best years of my life.  Thank God for reruns.

Music: Three words… 5Th Dimension Radio. If you have the Pandora app on your phone or television check this station out. If you’re a child of the 70s (my junior high and high school days) you’ll appreciate this lite rock station.  Give it a listen.

Facebook: I wonder if Mark Zuckerberg and the other co-founders of this platform had any idea when they launched Facebook.  On one side, what a great networking medium.  I mean, where else can I see what a friend of a friend is having for lunch? On the other side, the filtering aspects of social media are terrifying.  The idea of controlled and biased messaging causes distrust. So I’ll just continue to not take Facebook very seriously and just treat it as a way to chat with friends every now and then. (Just checked to see who was on-line… sadly no one I’d like to message with at 4:21 AM.)

That’s probably good for now. I’m off to the gym for a workout – which I hate.