The Hot Sheet
stamping
Automotive manufacturers will need to consider charging station availability.
Power on
Electric vehicles and the charging stations they will need offer stampers growth opportunities
Edmunds Inc., a car shopping and automotive research and information expert, predicts 2021 will be a pivotal year for the mainstream adoption of electric vehicles in the U.S. The EV market hit 1.9 percent of retail sales in 2020 and is expected to reach 2.5 percent this year. In a February 2021 earnings call, Ford said it will increase its investment in electric and autonomous vehicles to $29 billion. GM has pledged to spend $27 billion on EV and autonomous vehicles through 2025. Bloomberg New Energy Finance predicts that 500 different EV models will be available in 2022.
Automotive manufacturers also need to think about the availability of charging stations. Tesla has a coast-to-coast proprietary network to ease buyer anxiety. Despite the bumpy ride for the automotive metal stamping industry over the last five years, CEP Technologies President Ken Kaufmann Jr. believes the market shift from a combustion engine to an EV “fueled” by a charging station is full of opportunity. The manufacturer produces custom miniature to small progressive stampings for automotive applications that include combustion engines and smart cars.
It’s an exciting time for the automotive industry. The market has never seen a change in platform like this. 
President
Ken Kaufmann Jr.
CEP Technologies
Ken Kaufmann Jr.
CEP Technologies
“It’s an exciting time for the automotive industry,” he says. “The market has never seen a change in platform like this. Charging stations will play a big role in helping the average consumer bridge that divide between cars that run on gasoline and those that use electricity. We have become a consumer nation that is based on ease. There will have to be a convenience factor in maintaining the every day use of an EV. You don’t want to have to plan a long trip around where the charging stations are located.”
Electric terminals will likely be designed and developed in different forms and material thicknesses depending on amperage and current. There are three primary companies producing charging solutions that use bidirectional and smart charging in the form of commercial chargers, fast chargers, residential chargers and the software to run them.
Since many of the stations will be exposed to harsh weather, demand for alloys like copper could see an uptick. Small to miniature high-precision stampings will also be needed to support electrical conductivity and connectivity.
“A stamper needs to have additional capacity and evaluate whether or not a stamped component falls within their tonnage range,” Kaufmann notes. “But there is a tremendous amount of retooling that will have to take place. Companies will need to retool and reconfigure their production lines. But that’s where the growth is and I see it as a positive for the industry.”
COVID
ASTM published special journal on manufacturing during COVID-19
ASTM International, West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, announced the publication of Smart and Sustainable Manufacturing in the Post-COVID-19 Manufacturing Era, a special issue of the Smart and Sustainable Manufacturing Systems journal. The special issue includes 21 peer-reviewed Technical Notes that address how various areas of manufacturing have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 has caused global disruption, leading to a downturn in productivity. This has significantly affected the manufacturing sector, making it difficult to keep production going and protect the supply chain. In the special issue, authors from around the globe provide thought leadership and present possible actions from both practical and policy perspectives. The featured papers in the special issue address various topics, including how to standardize biotechnology platforms for vaccine production, pandemic-proofing factories, how artificial intelligence can help our manufacturing, and more. They cover various aspects of manufacturing, including resilient supply chains and discovering supply chains.
INDUSTRY
AISC Certification updates documentation
The AISC Certification program, which sets the quality level for structural steel fabricators and erectors, has made substantial improvements to its governing documents, starting with a name that better represents its current use: the Standard for Certification Programs (AISC 207-20). The new Standard includes a brand-new chapter that defines the certification requirements for hydraulic structures, based upon recommendations from an expert panel that included representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, steel fabricators, AISC Certification staff, and auditors from the Quality Management Company (which provides independent audits for the AISC Certification program). The new Standard also better explains concepts and practices of things like calibration, corrective action, nonconformance, types of inspection and welding controls. It’s also easier to use, with an expanded glossary and additional commentary. The new document is available for download at aisc.org/publications.
PEOPLE
Bystronic appoints regional manager
Bystronic, Hoffman Estates, Illinois, has appointed Gary Stevenson as East Coast regional manager. With over 28 years in the metal fabrication machine tool industry specializing in CNC lasers, press brakes, automation and software solutions, Stevenson’s collective background and firsthand knowledge enables him to understand and articulate his client’s requirements into effective solutions. Further, Stevenson is a strong asset to his customers, offering a rare combination of manufacturing experience and capital equipment knowledge combined with the skills of a consulting engineer.
TARIFFS
Manufacturing coalition calls on president to end tariffs
The Coalition of American Metal Manufacturers and Users (CAMMU), representing more than 30,000 U.S. manufacturing companies and more than one million American workers, released a letter February 10 sent to President Joe Biden requesting the immediate termination of the Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum imports enacted under the Trump administration. In its letter, CAMMU urged the President to consider how, “the Trump steel tariffs have hurt small, family-owned manufacturers” while also “fracturing relations with overseas trading partners.” The letter also emphasized that, combined with the U.S. Commerce Department’s broken exclusion process, the tariffs interfere with U.S. manufacturers’ ability to compete globally. “The exclusion process alone cannot address the shortages and price spikes that are hurting steel- and aluminum-using manufacturers.” The letter concludes, “It’s time for the U.S. to leave counterproductive trade policies in the past. We ask that you move at once to terminate the Section 232 steel and aluminum tariffs and focus instead on re-engaging with our trading partners on a coordinated response to address the root cause of global oversupply in steel and aluminum: excess capacity in China.” CAMMU members include: Associated Builders and Contractors, Hands-On Science Partnership, Industrial Fasteners Institute, National Tooling & Machining Association, North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers, Precision Machined Products Association and Precision Metalforming Association.
We ask [President Biden] to move at once to terminate the Section 232 steel and aluminum tariffs. CAMMU
FACILITY
Eriez completes plant expansion
Eriez announces the completion of a 38,000-sq.-ft. expansion to its Wager Road facility, located in Erie, Pennsylvania, approximately 15 miles from the company’s world headquarters. The expanded space will support Eriez’ strategic growth initiatives for global research and development, aftermarket repair and testing, and recycling equipment technology.
INDUSTRY
EPA: Copper provides protection against viruses
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced recently that certain copper alloys provide effective long-term protection against viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19. The EPA’s approval makes these alloys the first and only products to be registered for nationwide use with residual, long-lasting efficacy claims against viruses. This EPA action granted an amended registration to the Copper Development Association, allowing CDA to add unprecedented virucidal claims to its existing registration, which currently permits claims against bacteria, including the antibiotic-resistant hospital superbug MRSA.
PEOPLE
COE Press appoints regional manager
COE Press Equipment, Sterling Heights, Michigan, has announced the appointment of John Kwiatkowski as a regional sales manager responsible for all East Coast states including New England. He will be responsible for sales development and for supervising COE distributors in his territory, keeping them apprised of new equipment and service offerings and working with them on customer visits and equipment pricing.
SERVICE & SUPPORT
Precision Drive Systems celebrates 25 years
Precision Drive Systems, a global provider of precision motor spindle support and repair based near Charlotte, North Carolina, is celebrating its 25th year. The company was originally founded in 1996 in Bessemer City, North Carolina, as the exclusive North American sales and service center of Giordano Colombo spindles. This location was chosen to be the PDS corporate headquarters due to its close proximity to leading manufacturing centers located in the Southeastern United States. Today, the company is known worldwide for the integrity of its workmanship and delivery promise reliability. PDS serves U.S. customers from its service center in Bessemer City, European customers from its repair facility in Lohne, Germany, and has highly qualified hands-on technical service partners dedicated to assisting and supporting customers around the globe.
INDUSTRY
ASTM supports AM research projects
ASTM International’s Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence announced awardees of its Call for Projects in support of its Research to Standards initiative to further accelerate standards development for additive manufacturing. For the first time, the CFP allowed non-AM CoE partners to propose and receive support for projects focused on closing AM standardization gaps. A review process was conducted by a panel of experts from the ASTM F42 additive manufacturing group on research and innovation, resulting in the selection of two high-impact projects. Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT, Germany, will generate data required to support a new standard for monitoring the health status of optical systems in laser beam powder bed fusion machines. National Research Council Canada, with partners Swerim; Sweden; Sirris; Belgium; and RISE, Sweden, will develop data to support a new standard for determination of moisture content in AM powder feedstocks, critical to the reliability, stability and productivity of AM processes.
FACILITY
Northeast Machinery Sales expands showroom
Northeast Machinery Sales has expanded its showroom in western Massachusetts. Located at 65 Moylan Lane, Agawam, Massachusetts, the building now has 7,400 sq. ft. to offer a variety of events, seminars and educational opportunities. The expansion includes everything from designated space for machinery demonstrations to a total building LED lighting upgrade to brighten the showroom and offices.
OBITUARY
AISC remembers Les Robertson
The steel design community suffered a huge loss when Leslie E. Robertson, whose career came to be defined by his work on the World Trade Center, died following a diagnosis of blood cancer. Robertson won AISC’s J. Lloyd Kimbrough Award in 2001. The award, named for AISC’s first president, honors engineers and architects who are universally recognized as the pre-eminent steel designers of their era. It is the highest honor AISC gives designers; only three other people have received the Kimbrough Award since 2000. Robertson was in his 30s when he took on the World Trade Center project—his first high-rise structure. He designed an innovative framing system that used closely spaced exterior steel columns and long-span steel floor trusses to create large, open, column-free spaces. On September 11, 2001, those towers withstood the impact of fully loaded, high-speed aircraft that were much larger than the Boeing 707 Robertson had considered during the design process. Thousands of people were able to escape before the towers collapsed, but Robertson was haunted by their fall.
BUSINESS
TAB Industries launches new website
A new website from metalworking manufacturer TAB Industries LLC, Reading, Pennsylvania, showcases the company’s laser cutting, metal fabricating, welding, powder coating, design engineering and other in-house services. Featuring live-action videos and in-depth information, the website presents company capabilities and details areas of expertise to help OEM manufacturers select the ideal vendor partner and specify the proper processes for their metal parts and products. The company’s packaging, assembly, fulfillment, supply chain and other critical support services are highlighted with customer case studies to demonstrate how outsourcing these labor-intensive functions speeds time to market and returns significant cost savings on the back end.
SERVICE & SUPPORT
Global Shop Solutions celebrates 45 years
Global Shop Solutions, The Woodlands, Texas, developer of enterprise resource planning software, is celebrating its 45th anniversary this year. Founded in 1976 by Dick Alexander, the family-owned business has grown from a small software developer to a global enterprise with five separate divisions in the U.S, Mexico, U.K, Southeast Asia, and New Zealand. Global Shop Solutions currently serves thousands of discrete manufacturers in more than 25 countries and is known worldwide for making their ERP software customers’ most valuable asset. The company credits this outcome to product quality, customer service and family-business values.
PEOPLE
Osborn hires new CEO
Osborn, Richmond, Indiana, announced that it has appointed Brian Cassady as its new chief executive officer. Cassady joins Osborn after serving as president and CEO of Municipal Parking Services Inc., a software-based parking management and violation detection systems technology company. At the helm of Osborn, Cassady will leverage his extensive manufacturing and international experience to drive the company’s plans for continued growth.
PEOPLE
Enerfab announces new leader
Enerfab announced the promotion of Rachel Ritter to director of operations for its Cincinnati fabrication shop. Ritter will report to Executive Vice President of Fabrication, Dave Winnestaffer, and will oversee 60 employees. Ritter began her career at Enerfab 11 years ago as a co-op in the estimating department. Following her graduation from Northern Kentucky University, she joined full-time as an estimator. Ritter later transitioned into field project management before returning to the shop with responsibility in project scheduling. For the past two years, Ritter has focused on gaining a comprehensive understanding of shop operations as her leadership responsibilities have grown.
BUSINESS
Mid Atlantic announces federal contracting division
Mid Atlantic Machinery Inc., Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, announces its newest division, which will serve the United States federal, state and local government. This will entail providing and maintaining manufacturing equipment for a variety of industries within the government including transportation, shipbuilding, aerospace and aviation, defense, oil and gas, structural steel and metal fabrication.
EDUCATION
Coalition to address skills gap
FANUC America and Rockwell Automation formed a coalition to kick off accelerated work and learn apprenticeship programs designed to upskill current and future workers for jobs in advanced manufacturing, robotics and automation. The coalition has developed new apprenticeship programs offering people opportunities to gain credentials that include fundamental robotics (Robot Operator) and automation (PLC Operator). The program offers a second level of credentials for Robot and PLC Technicians. A third credentialing level called Integration Specialist builds on the fundamental and technical skills and teaches people to operate and troubleshoot integrated FANUC-Rockwell Automation technologies. All of the new apprenticeship offerings will provide more people with fulfilling careers and help companies to bridge the demand for skilled workers.
INDUSTRY
AISI announces steel bridge award winner
The Steel Bridge Task Force Oversight Council of the American Iron and Steel Institute, the National Steel Bridge Alliance, and the American Association of State and Highway Transportation Officials T-14 Technical Committee for Structural Steel Design have selected Matthew Yarnold, Ph.D., P.E., assistant professor in the Zachry Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, as the recipient of the 2021 Robert J. Dexter Memorial Award Lecture. The program was instituted in 2005 in memory of Robert J. Dexter, an associate professor of civil engineering at the University of Minnesota, who was an internationally recognized expert on steel fracture and fatigue problems in bridges. The Robert J. Dexter Memorial Award Lecture program provides an opportunity for individuals early in their careers in structural engineering to present a lecture on their steel bridge research activities to the Steel Bridge Task Force and to participate in its semiannual three-day meeting. Recipients become invited guests of the Steel Bridge Task Force, which is comprised of leading steel bridge experts. Dr. Yarnold will present a lecture on his research findings at the next meeting of the Steel Bridge Task Force on August 12, 2021, in Philadelphia.
PEOPLE
CAMBRIO appoints VP of GibbsCAM
CAMBRIO, Cincinnati, a global manufacturing software solutions provider, announced that Nick Spurrett will join the senior leadership team and has been appointed to serve as vice president of GibbsCAM, Moorpark, California. Spurrett will report directly to CAMBRIO CEO, Robbie Payne, and will help the senior leadership team identify opportunities to drive future manufacturing technologies. Spurrett is a veteran sales and general management leader with over 25 years of manufacturing software and CAD/CAM experience. Most recently, Spurrett has served as regional director Americas for Hexagon Production Software and has prior experience of developing sales channels throughout Europe and Asia for a number of CAD/CAM product lines.
BUSINESS
Makita USA completes land purchase
Makita U.S.A. Inc., La Mirada, California, completes land purchase of 80 acres northeast of Atlanta in Hall County, Georgia. The land is the target for planned future development to address continuing growth in the United States. “Business continues to grow, and we are continuing to invest in the future,” said Joe Blackwell, senior vice president operations. “With the largest cordless lithium-ion tool system in the world, the adaption of our battery-powered products continues to accelerate from power tools to outdoor power equipment and beyond. This planned expansion will further support our customers, while creating more jobs in the region.”
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