Mj09 Connections

Connections member newsletter

www.fmanet.org

may/june 2009

Rockford Toolcraft in Business to Win May 12-13 Coil Processing Workshop & Exhibition Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Advantage Member Rockford Toolcraft was recently honored by the Rockford, Ill., Chamber of Commerce as Manufacturer of the Year. Owner Jerry Busse accepted the award March 18 on behalf of his company at the Chamber’s annual Manufacturing Appreciation Expo and Dinner.

12-14 ALAW Laser Applications Workshop Plymouth, Mich. 15 FabCast–Circle Grid Analysis 10 a.m - 12:30 p.m. CDT 27 FabCast–Anatomy of a free to members Wind Turbine: pg. 5 Opportunities for Suppliers 10 a.m - 11:30 p.m. CDT

June 3 FabCast–Problem Solving 10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. CDT 4 Nuclear Manufacturing Outreach Workshop • Detroit, Mich. 12 FabCast–Metal Cutting Theory I 10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. CDT 19 FabCast–Metal Cutting Theory II 10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. CDT 24 FabCast–Preemptive Turnaround 10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. CDT Details at fmanet.org/training

improve employee performance........ 2 safety................................................ 4 education......................................... 6 foundation........................................8 newsmakers.....................................11

Tom McDunn, president, Rockford Area Ventrues; Bob Trojan, president, Rockford Linear Actuation; Tom Busse, vice president, Rockford Toolcraft; Jerry Busse, president, Rockford Toolcraft; Teresa Beach-Shelow, president, Superior Joining Technologies; and Mike Broski, president, ENTRE Computer Solutions; present the Manufacturer of the Year Award.

About Rockford Toolcraft In 1976, Rockford Toolcraft opened a 1,500-sq.-ft. job shop designing and building tool and dies with only two employees. Today the company has 240 employees and recently added a new robotic welding cell (its second), a complete parts washing system, and a 6-kilowatt laser system. Jerry Busse, president, shares his insight on manufacturing success.

Q Why is Rockford Toolcraft seeing success in a time when so many are struggling? A That question comes up quite often and I don’t have all the answers. There’s no secret

ingredient. We just make the extra effort to find out what our customers want and try to please them in every possible way. To me, there are three big things in business: quality, delivery, and price. Customers assume that quality and delivery are going to be there. That leaves price. An efficient operation allows you to be cost effective. We make sure our operation is efficient so we can come in with a great price. Our customers have many choices. Not only do you have to do good work, they have to like you. That’s personal. We always talk to people. We don’t have voicemail at Rockford Toolcraft. You talk to a person, not a machine. Our people are instructed to help customers and provide super service. I didn’t enter into this business and plan on not winning. I’m like a driver in the Indianapolis 500. I’m here to win. That’s how I run my business.

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Rockford Toolcraft cont. Q How do you find new business opportunities? A We have always been alert to people who use products that I know

we could provide. Once we research and identify our potential customers, we look for the opportunity to quote an order. Sometimes it comes down to faith and timing. There are some potential customers I’ve been waiting 20 years to get a chance to work with.

Once we get a potential customer to visit our plant, get them to take a tour, and land a job, we build the relationship. It’s getting that first chance that allows for growth. We also advertise in trade magazines and belong to great organizations, like FMA, and use their resources to get our name out.

Q Looking back, what are your proudest moments in the history of the company? A Take a look at our company history (rockfordtoolcraft.com) and you’ll see the timeline of milestones in the past 30 years. For the most part, it’s been steady—nothing really dramatic.

For me personally, I look back on purchases like the new building or a new press line and remember those as proud moments. I purchased the building in 1984. That was a huge step for me. I had been leasing at multiple sites up until then. I took out a big loan and basically gambled—hoping everything would pay off. I started with very little money and now there’s more than $40 million invested in equipment and the buildings.

Q Rockford Toolcraft Inc. was recently awarded Daimler trucks’ highest-level quality award, “Masters of Quality.”

A We have been supplying Daimler, the No. 1 heavy truck maker, for 20 years. Very few companies get this award. There are not a lot of awards in manufacturing. We aren’t in this business for the recognition. When we win awards from the Chamber and Daimler, we tell our customers. It makes us look good. Want FMA to profile your company? If your company is doing extraordinary things like Rockford Toolcraft, FMA wants to know. Contact Kimberly Pollard at [email protected] or 815.543.8284 for more information.

Improve Employee Job Performance In Just Five Steps By Bob Cicerone Contrary to conventional wisdom in the business community, the actions that managers take – or fail to take – are primary reasons that employees upset customers and fail to contribute to a company’s goals. Employees who work within a dysfunctional or incomplete process for managing job performance are unlikely to perform. When this happens, managers typically complain to each other about the employees. Yet these managers have inadvertently created the very situation they complain about. Successfully managing employee job performance, especially job performance that impacts customer satisfaction and company goals, is essential for the sustained growth of a company. However, experience in many industries shows that management processes are seldom subjected to process improvement, particularly in small- to mid-size companies. Management processes established early in the life of a company often continue with little change as the company grows in size and complexity. It is just as important to improve the process of management as it is to improve the processes used to create products and deliver products and services. The importance of effectively managing employee job performance is shown by this general principle: If a top performing person is placed into a dysfunctional or incomplete process for managing job performance, then sooner or later the management process will transform the top performer into an average or below-average performer (or the employee will resign). Imagine, then, what a dysfunctional or incomplete management process does to the job performance of a typical employee. Follow these five steps to proactively determine if opportunities exist to strengthen what your company does to manage employee job performance that impacts customer satisfaction and company goals. 2

1. S elect a position in your company with significant impact on customer satisfaction and on your company’s overall goals. 2. Answer these questions as they apply to employees in the position selected in Step 1. Note: See sidebar for 13 factors that control customer satisfaction. - Do employees know the specific features of the company’s core products and services must have in order for prospects and customers to buy from you instead of from a competitor? - Do employees know the standards their work unit must achieve in order to consistently meet the expectations? - Do employees know in specific detail how prospects and customers expect to be treated? - Do employees have current information about how products and services meet customer expectations and how to meet the expectations of internal customers?

- When the work of these employees consistently meets the expectations, are they given appreciation, praise, or thanks? - When employees consistently annoy or upset external or internal customers, do their managers deal effectively with this poor performance? - Do the current procedures for selecting people for this position show whether candidates have all the skills and knowledge needed to meet the expectations? - Do employees always have the equipment, materials, supplies, work space, procedures, and tools in the quantity and quality needed to consistently meet the expectations? - Are the work procedures regularly reviewed to determine if processes would improve by eliminating unnecessary steps, combining steps, changing the sequence of steps, simplifying the steps, or eliminating boring repetition? - Does the performance appraisal/review process clearly and explicitly hold these employees accountable for how well their individual job performance meets the expectations? 3. Answer the questions in Step 2 as they apply to the position that manages the position selected in Step 1. 4. For each ‘No’ in Steps 2 and 3, identify how the current situation could hurt your company’s efforts to attract first-time buyers, convert first-time buyers into customers, retain existing customers, increase the value of purchases by existing customers, and to meet overall goals. 5. If the negative consequences identified in Step 4 are unacceptable, revise as appropriate what your company does to manage the job performance of the positions selected in Steps 1 and 3. Using these five steps to evaluate your company’s process for managing employee job performance at regular intervals (e.g., annually) will continuously improve the impact on your company’s overall goals and on customer satisfaction of the management practices used in your company to control employee job performance.

13 Factors of Employee Job Performance Employees Expectations: The standards that customers expect a product or service to meet, how customers expect to be treated by employees, and what managers expect employees to contribute to company goals. Feedback: Data that tell employees how closely their job performance meets the expectations. Consequences: What happens to employees when their job performance meets or exceeds expectations and when it doesn’t. Abilities: The skills and knowledge required for job performance to meet expectations. Resources: The tools, supplies, materials, equipment, procedures, and physical space required for job performance to meet expectations. Capacity: The physical capabilities required for job performance to meet expectations. Preference: Whether an employee chooses to perform as expected.

Work Process Complexity: The number, sequence, and difficulty of the steps in a work process; interference from competing assignments.

Bob Cicerone is director of customer loyalty services for the ETC Institute in Olathe, Kan. Bob can be reached at 913-829-1215 and by e-mail at [email protected]. n

Internal Supplier/Internal Customer Relations: How well the work of internal suppliers (individuals and departments) meets the expectations of their internal customers (individuals and departments) who contribute to the same work process.

The purpose of this article is to provide information, rather than advice or opinion. It is accurate to the best of the author’s knowledge as of the date of the publication. Accordingly, this article should not be viewed as a substitute for the guidance and recommendations of a retained professional.

Process outcome specifications: How closely specifications for the output of a process match the expectations of the internal and external users of that output.

Company Policy Customer-Focused Mission: A mission statement clearly dedicates a company to satisfying its customers, then living up to the intent of the statement. Compensation: Bonuses, salary/wage increases, and promotions given to employees who regularly meet expectations. Performance Appraisal: Every employee is held accountable in some specific way for meeting the expectations of internal and external customers and contributing to company goals.

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OSHA Proposes Fines for Serious Violations OSHA has cited a Massachusetts manufacturing plant with 29 alleged serious violations of safety standards. The metal forgings manufacturer faces $109,500 in proposed fines following two OSHA inspections conducted between September 2008 and March 2009. The first inspection, conducted under OSHA’s Site-Specific Targeting program, identified damaged support structures for overhead cranes; damaged support frames for large metal dies; slipping and tripping hazards; unguarded floors and platforms; missing access stairs; a damaged access ladder; non-functioning emergency exit lights; an overloaded fork truck; an overloaded lifting attachment; defective wire rope slings; unguarded machinery; improper storage of compressed gas cylinders and several electrical safety deficiencies. OSHA began the second inspection in response to a December 23 accident in which two employees were injured when they were struck by a 700-pound forging that shot up in the air while they were attempting to free it from a malfunctioning die on a power press. OSHA cited the company for not developing procedures to prevent the build-up and release of hazardous energy generated by the press during the servicing.

OSHA Q & A When must an accident be reported to OSHA? An accident must be reported to OSHA within eight hours by phone or in person when there is a fatality or the inpatient hospitalization of three or more workers. If a facility is not covered under 1910.119 process safety management of highly hazardous chemicals, is there any requirement under OSHA or any other regulatory agency to investigate accidents? Except for the Process Safety Management rule, there are no other federal workplace safety standards that require accident investigations for private sector workplaces. There are accident investigation requirements for federal agencies (Code of Federal Regulations Title 29, section 1960.29) if you are interested in viewing the rule as a guideline. The General Duty Clause of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (29 United States Code (USC) 654) requires employers to “furnish to each of his employees employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees.” Though not required by law, an accident investigation is a common tool for uncovering hazards that either were missed earlier or have managed to slip out of the controls planned for them. Are there any legal prohibitions in sharing an injured employee’s name during a post-injury discussion, such as at a safety committee meeting? Here is an excerpt from an OSHA Letter of Interpretation. OSHA has determined that it is important for employees, former employees, and their representatives to have complete access to the entire 300 Log, including all names of employees listed on the form. The Agency’s long standing practice of providing access to all of the information on the 300 Log permits employees and their representatives to be totally informed about the employer’s recordkeeping practices, and the occupational injuries and illnesses recorded in the workplace. The data included on the 300 Log assists employees and their representatives in their voluntary efforts to uncover and eliminate workplace safety and health hazards. In

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addition, the name of the employee listed on the 300 Log is important in understanding and verifying recordable cases. In many cases it may be necessary to speak with a specific employee to determine the conditions that lead to the injury or illness, and this is impossible without access to employee names. The removal of non-union employees listed on the 300 Log would diminish an employee representative’s ability to uncover and prevent safety and health hazards in the workplace. We note that certain injuries and illnesses addressed in 29 CFR 1904.29, the employer is required to protect personal privacy by omitting the employee’s name from the OSHA 300 Log. Instead, the employer enters “privacy case,” and keeps a separate, confidential list containing the identifying information. An employee, former employee, personal representative, or authorized employee representative is not entitled to see, or obtain a copy of, the confidential list of names and case numbers for privacy cases. Regarding HIPAA, also see this excerpt from an OSHA Letter of Interpretation: We do not believe that HIPAA provides a basis for employers to remove employees’ names from the Log before providing access. Even if HIPAA is implicated by the employer’s disclosure of the OSHA Log, the statue and implementing regulation expressly permit the disclosure of protected health information to the extent required by law. See 45 CFR 164.512(a). This exception for disclosures required by law applies here because the Recordkeeping rule requires that employees, former employees, and employee representatives have access to the complete Log, including employee names, except for privacy concern cases. See 29 CFR 1904.35(b)(2)(iv). The information above was provided by Safety.BLR.com. Advantage-level members can log on to fmanet.org as a member to access Safety.BLR.com. Basic members can view a webinar to find out if the features of Safety.BLR.com can work for their company.

Online Networking Communities

Free Webinar on Green Energy

FMA is now on LinkedIn. Join the group and be instantly connected to fellow members. Once you have established a LinkedIn profile, you can join the FMA group.

free to FMA has dedicated eight FabCasts as freebies to members members to help you weather the tough times. The first was Dr. Chris Kuehl’s April 23 webinar on “How a Fabricator Can Survive the Recession.” If you missed out, don’t hesitate to sign up for the next one, “Anatomy of a Wind Turbine: Opportunities for Suppliers” on May 27. Visit fmanet.org to sign up. Attendance will be limited to the first 20 members who sign up.

Here’s how to join: 1. Log on to www.linkedin.com. 2. C  hoose “search groups” at the top of the Web page and type in “Fabricators & Manufacturers Association”. 3. Once you find the FMA logo click “join this group”. For Young Professionals and Student Members, FMA is also now on Facebook. To join:

Global Community

1. Search “Fabricators & Manufacturers Association”. 2. Look for the FMA logo.

Deadline Reminder: The Cost of Doing Business Questionnaire Remember that The Cost of Doing Business questionnaire is due June 1. This new questionnaire replaces three FMA surveys: Wage & Benefits, Salary & Benefits, and Financial Ratios. Visit www.inverra. com/FMA/Sample/dashboard.html to see what the new survey results will look like. To fill out the questionnaire, visit fmanet.org/CODB, and click on the box at the right.

3. Click “Join Group” on the right of FMA’s listing.

Employers–Are You Caught in a Bind Trying to Hire and Retain Top Quality Employees? It doesn’t have to be this way. FMA can help you navigate the tricky waters of fair and equitable pay and benefits if you participate in its new Cost of Doing Business Survey featuring two new interactive tools. Once survey results are compiled, you’ll be able to*: • Compare your wage, salary and benefit statistics against the rest of the compiled data by a range of demographic selects. No more need to create your own comparison studies - saving time and frustration. • Compare your company’s financial profile against others using company size, region, and other demographic selects. You’ll know how your operation compares to your average competitor and the industry stars. ompaniesCanadian c ert your Please conv s to ure financial fig you when U.S. dollars urvey es complete th

Visit fmanet.org/CODB to learn more and download the questionnaire for completion.

Complete this survey by June 1 1. *Only Advantage-level members who participate will receive the interactive tools.

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Toll Processing ’09: The Power of “E” Conference Notes

Attendees heard both the bad news and the good news at the 13th Annual Toll Processing Conference, March 4-6, at Disney’s Contemporary Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Speakers enlightened the audience with information about how the recession has impacted the metals industry and suggested ways to survive and persevere in this challenging economy. Keynote speaker Richard Judy from Workforce Associates Inc. shared a historical perspective of the trends that have shaped this nation’s workforce. He explained how persisting trends will impact future labor markets. Wayne Morris from the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers outlined the function of steel in today’s energy efficient appliances.

Robert Weidner from the Metals Service Center Institute provided an evaluation of the status of the North American metals industry. In addition, Chris McCarthy, Severstal NA, presented an outlook for the steel industry and shared thoughts on where the steel market is headed in 2009. A highlight of the conference was the Economic Forecast Panel Discussion with Steel Industry Analyst Glenn Kidd, FMA’s Economist Dr. Chris Kuehl, and Equity Research Analyst Michelle Applebaum. Sorry you missed it? The conference proceedings including all presentations, recording of the panel discussion and final attendee list are available for $29.99. Contact Cindy Day at 815-227-8208 or e-mail [email protected] for more information or to order.

The Buzz at Metal Matters 2009! More than 80 metal fabricating owners and managers gathered in

the desert (Carefree, Ariz.) on March 25 at Metal Matters 2009 (4th Annual Leadership Summit) to improve their businesses by sharing, networking, and strategizing. FMA Volunteer Councils planned 12 peer-to-peer led roundtables, with none generating more ‘buzz’ than the Proven Web, Marketing, and Sales Tactics roundtable led by Joe Mayer (former FMA Board Chairman/Mayer Business Group), Rick Piacenza (NCell), Jon DeWys (DeWys Mfg.), and Amy Hudson (The Fabricator magazine). Consensus? Fabricators are overwhelmed by the number of choices in electronic media (company website, Twitter, LinkedIn, blogs, email). Answer? Get your website right! Jon DeWys invested approximately $10,000 in his website (dewysmfg.com) and it paid off exponentially with new business! Both Jon and Amy Hudson shared that it’s what’s behind the website (keyword search engine optimization/SEO strategy) that fuels the results, and Jon encouraged participants to hire or contract web experts to get that right. Joe Mayer walked people thru how to setup a simple strategy to keep up with web-based program once started. Rick Piacenza reinforced some common sense that’s not so common: the 80/20 business development rule – focus your efforts on the 20% of your customers responsible for 80% of your profits.

Gary Shickel of Shickel Corporation receives The FABRICATOR®’s 2009 Industry Award from FMA Chairman of the Board, Michael Pellecchia

Mark your calendars now for Metal Matters 2010, March 3-5 at Disney’s Boardwalk in Orlando, Fla.!

Keynote speaker Robert Haskins (left), president of Wilson Tool International, addresses the conference audience (below).

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Bob Zelinka and Lonnie Potts of Plymouth Tube Co. – Europa Plant accept the TPJ - The Tube & Pipe Journal®’s 2009 Industry Award from TPJ Editor Eric Lundin and Dan Davis, Editor in Chief of FMA Communications Inc.

Q:

The company I work for is laying off some machine operators. I don’t know if I’m going to be let go, but I thought I should start preparing. Are there any jobs out there? How can I find them?

A:

These are tough times, and hopefully your company doesn’t have to lay off anyone. You have special skills and experience that your company needs when its production needs increase. In the meantime, you can start looking for other openings. Check FMA’s Job Board at fmanet.org/jobboard. Employers add new jobs as they become available. As a job seeker you can post your résumé, view advertised jobs, and create a job alert at no charge.

Fig. 1 To view available jobs, click on the View Jobs link. You will see a list of positions available, the company name—if the company chooses to identify itself—and the location of the position. Click on the position or the company name to see the details of the job and for information on how to apply for the position.

Available jobs are listed from different sources. Advantage and AdvantagePlus Members can post their positions at no cost. Basic Members can post at a 50 percent discount. In addition to member postings, metal forming and fabricating positions from major Internet career sites are regularly added to the list. The Job Board offers additional resources to help you with your search. Notice the tabs in Fig. 2. Select the one labeled Resources.

Fig. 3 The Career Resources begins with a Content Library. Browse through it to find links to career and occupational guides, company information, job seeker tips, and other important sources of information useful to anyone looking for a new position. Good luck!

As a member, you have access to the largest and most extensive library devoted to the metal forming and fabricating industry—a benefit reserved exclusively for members. FMA’s Research Assistance Center is the most efficient source for the information you need to optimize your operation. Advantage and AdvantagePlus Members enjoy unlimited FREE research, while Basic Members receive 12 hours of FREE research assistance per year. Get your research questions answered when you call the Research Assistance Center at 1-815-399-8700 or e-mail [email protected].

Fig. 2

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Teen race car driver promotes manufacturing careers 17-year-old Brennan Palmiter motivates youths to follow their passion By Traci Tapani When Brennan Palmiter started racing go-carts at age seven, no one knew it was the beginning of an obsession. When he moved up to stock cars at 13, he discovered his obsession was expensive: fender-benders meant repairs. So he learned welding. That skill won him the attention and eventual sponsorship of the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, Intl. (FMA), and its award-winning magazine Practical Welding Today®. Earlier this year in his role as FMA’s young spokesperson, Brennan toured seven Minneapolis-area technical schools, giving motivational presentations to interest youth in metal fabricating as a career. His stops were Anoka Technical College, St. Paul College, Hennepin Technical College, Dunwoody College of Technology, Minneapolis Community and Technical College, St. Cloud Technical College, and Pine Technical College. While his audience at Hennepin and MCTC were current tech school students, the other five stops hosted hundreds of high school students bused in for the occasion. They were treated to a multimedia presentation that included footage of high-speed races and the occasional smash-up. The message was clear: Focus: Follow your passion and don’t let anyone steal it from you. Passion: Practice to be the best you can be. And Integrity: Don’t waste time in “the pits.” Brennan’s school tour was coordinated by Garry Bultnick, V.P. sales and marketing for Manufacturing Success Upper Midwest magazine, in conjunction with its Minneapolis event, the Great Manufacturing Get Together. Garry observed that many of the kids at Brennan’s presentations were wearing NASCAR® jackets and t-shirts and, at the follow-up Q&A, revealed themselves to be real “motorheads.” “They were testing him, asking some pretty tough questions. Brennan blew them away,” Garry said. “Some of his answers were quite technical and a little over their heads. They were impressed.” In attendance at Pine Technical College were the dean of students and the college president who, according to Garry, expressed amazement at the large draw of excited students. “We’ve been trying for years to get kids interested in the manufacturing industry and it didn’t seem like anything was working,” Garry said. “But then I saw Brennan at FABTECH (the annual tradeshow FMA co-sponsors) in Las Vegas, and he gave me hope about reaching young people. We can’t wait to get him back again, and neither can the instructors at the colleges.” Garry’s wife, Debra, works for the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, focusing on work force development for the manufacturing sector. There are three sides, she has found, to work force development: First, the schools knowing what skills employers are looking for. Second, public awareness of the great job opportunities available in manufacturing. And third, employers eager to get new people coming into the work force. “To have Brennan talking to high school kids there at the tech colleges where they could tour the manufacturing labs was a huge advantage. The students were exposed to opportunities they weren’t seriously considering because they didn’t know much about them.” Despite his advanced skills—he’s proficient in four types of 8

welding—Brennan is young enough that his audience easily identified with him. “They’d been hearing in the news about the demand for welders, then they hear about this 17-year-old who is into it. So, many of them came out of curiosity,” Debra explained. “But soon they were hanging on every word. Brennan has a kind of rock star status,” she said, adding, “especially with the girls.” Dave Fitzgerald is lead welding instructor at St. Paul College, where the welding lab is both the largest in the state—they go through $1,500 in steel each week—and the most high-tech, with new equipment and a state-of-the-art ventilation system. However, the technology isn’t necessarily Dave’s favorite part of the job. He prefers teaching first- and second-semester students with whom he can focus on attitude, retention, and placement. “Brennan did a great job instilling ethics and good values. He talked about how cheating sets you back in life—and he got the message across without lecturing. He used racing terms and stressed the importance of staying out of the pits, like drugs and other trouble, or even just a lack of goals.” Dave also sits on the college’s marketing committee and says it’s been hard to interest the St. Paul school district in “the dirty word called vocational education. Shop is one of the high-expenditure programs they’ve cut from the curriculum. So it was great having a unique draw in Brennan as a way to give students the exposure to the trades they’re no longer getting in the schools.” Brennan wrapped up all his presentations with his YouTube video promoting “GO-Brennan” Scholarships. The FMA-sponsored program features twice-yearly offerings of $500 scholarships for courses in metal fabrication at a trade school or community college. Applicants complete no forms; they simply film a video response and upload it to Brennan’s YouTube page. In attendance at Minneapolis Community and Technical College was Matt Doughty, a welding major working toward his Associate in Applied Science degree. Matt’s tuition has been offset this semester by a “GO-Brennan” Scholarship he won last fall, and he was excited to be meeting Brennan for the first time. “Brennan was very helpful in leading us in different directions as far as welding opportunities beyond the economy,” said Matt. “His presentation gave us a real boost. We’re all college students, but we range from high school up to age 40 or so, and Brennan just has a way with getting his point across. He’s young and he’s very goal-oriented. So it was helpful, it was very useful. And a great experience, too—it was cool getting my picture taken with him!” Traci Tapani is President of Wyoming Machine, Inc., of Stacy, Minn., and a member of the Board of Directors of Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs, The Foundation of the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, Intl. (FMA). Learn more about NBT programs and scholarships at www.NutsAndBoltsFoundation.org

Race footage in Brennan’s presentation drew attention to messages on ethics and values.

Matt Doughty and Nate McRae, both welding majors at MCTC and winners of “GO-Brennan” Scholarships, hit it off with their role model.

The line for Brennan’s autograph drew its share of high school girls. “He has rock star quality,” observed one of the organizers.

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Safety Award Winners Congratulations to the winners! There were 31 winners out of 40 entries in the 2009 contest, which was based on 2008 safety results.

Safety Award of Honor Aeroglide Corp. – Cary, NC AK Tube LLC – Columbus, IN B. Walter & Co., Inc. – Wabash, IN Eskay Metal Fabricating – Buffalo, NY Haven Manufacturing Corp. – Brunswick , GA Kastalon Inc. – Alsip, IL Main Steel Polishing Co. Inc. – Tinton Falls, NJ Main Steel Polishing Co. Inc. – Baltimore, MD Nisshin Automotive Tubing LLC – Versailles, KY Plymouth Tube Co. – Eupora, MS Roll Coater Inc. – Indianapolis, IN Roll Coater Inc. – La Porte, IN Roll Coater Inc. – Weirton, WV Roll Coater Inc. – Hawesville, KY Wichita Steel Fabricators – Wichita, KS

Safety Award of Merit AddisonMckee Inc. – Lebanon, OH AK Tube LLC – Walbridge, OH Anderson & Dahlen Inc. – Ramsey, MN Big J Enterprises LLC – Albuquerque, NM Commercial Vehicle Group – Shadyside, OH High Steel Service Center – Lancaster, PA Independence Tube Corp. – Marseilles, IL Main Steel Polishing Co. Inc. – Atlanta, GA Main Steel Polishing Co. Inc. – Bartlett, IL McAbee Construction Inc. – Tuscaloosa, AL Roll Coater Inc. – Armorel, AR Shickel Corp. – Bridgewater, VA

Safety Award Honorable Mention Independence Tube Corp. – Chicago, IL Main Steel Polishing Co. Inc. – Union, NJ Main Steel Polishing Co. Inc. – Harmony, PA Roll Coater Inc. – Greenfield, IN

Most Improved Safety Record Main Steel Polishing Co. Inc. – Union, NJ

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Member Anniversaries 30 Years

Hofmann Industries Inc.H Sinking Spring, PA

Springs Fabrication Inc. Colorado Springs, CO

Jaytec LLCH Britton, MI

10 Years

Johnston Machinery Corp. Des Plaines, IL

Wapakoneta Machine Co. Wapakoneta, OH

Aristo Machines Inc.H Indianapolis, IN

20 Years

Chidlow Mt Osmond, Australia

Aljon Tool Inc. Plymouth, MN American Tank & Fabricating Co. Cleveland, OH

Atlas Tube - A Div of the John Maneely Co.s Harrow, ON Canada FabEx Inc. St Paul, MN

Eureka Fabrication Inc.H Stockton, CA

Keystone Display Inc. Hebron, IL

JHP Fasteners Inc. Grand Rapids, MI

Morin Fabricating Inc. Salem, MA

JLK Industries Inc. Houston, TX Metform International Ltd.H Mississauga, ON Canada National Recruiting Service Dyer, IN

National Processing / Materials Co.H East Chicago, IN OPW Fueling Components Hamilton, OH United Tube Corp.H Medina, OH

15 Years

A & E Machine Shop Inc. Lone Star, TX

Waste Gas Fabricating Co. Inc. Fairless Hls, PA

Brenco Industries Ltd. Delta, BC Canada

5 Years

ArcelorMittal Dofasco Hamiltons Hamilton, ON Canada

CANLYTE Lachine, QC Canada

MPP Technologies Pvt. Ltd. Bangalore, India Ohio Metal Tech Inc. Hebron, OH Perry Mfg. Co. Inc. Indianapolis, IN Prima North America Inc.H Chicopee, MA Promatek Research Centre Brampton, ON Canada Roll Coater Inc.s Indianapolis, IN Stevens Machinery Sales Inc. Etobicoke, ON Canada Taycar Enterprises Inc.H Albuquerque, NM VGAN Inc. Ancaster, ON Canada Zumbach Electronics Corp. Mount Kisco, NY = Advantage Membership = AdvantagePlus Membership

H

s

Bader Al Mulla & Bros. Co. WLL Safat Kuwait

COMEQ Inc. White Marsh, MD Eagle Bending Machines Inc. Stapleton, AL Fox Machinery Associates Bridgeport, PA

Bauer Compressors Inc.H Norfolk, VA D C Ross Ltd. Dunedin, New Zealand Freedman Seating Co. Chicago, IL

KCP Metal FabH Chicago, IL Magnatech Ltd. Partnership East Granby, CT H

RPS Engineering Inc. Elgin, IL

Estun Industrial Automation Nanjin, Peoples Republic Of China

FN Smith Corp.H Oregon, IL

Handler Mfg. Co. Inc. Westfield, NJ

Middle Atlantic ProductsH Fairfield, NJ

Corporate Assets Inc. Toronto, ON Canada

Kloppenberg & Co.H Englewood, CO

Hegman Machine Tool Inc.H Maple Grove, MN Huot Manufacturing Co.H St Paul, MN International Geotechnical Astoria, NY

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Connections member newsletter may/june 2009

Connections Staff Editor Kimberly Pollard [email protected] Contributing Writers D’Ann Hamilton, Dena Mattausch, Eric Lundin, Jim Warren Member Services & Research Director Nancy Olson Membership Operations & Customer Service Manager Jill Klug Graphic Designer Sarah Currie

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2009

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