Production Machining - Your access to the precision machining industrial buyer.
Issue link: https://pm.epubxp.com/i/802329
To Everything There is a Season This spring offers two great shows that, together, can help shops create new business opportunities. CHRIS FELIX Senior Editor cfelix@productionmachining.com We are all connected in the great circle of life. — Mufasa, the Lion King M ost occurrences in life seem to run in cycles. Many of these cycles are planned. Production Machining, for instance, is purposely published monthly, and there- fore requires certain parts of the production process to be performed at similar times each month. Once the magazine is complete, the process starts over again. Other events seem to cycle through by chance, or at least are influenced by distantly related events that make the timeline of the cycles fairly unpredictable. e rise and fall of the stock market comes to mind as an example. Everyone knows it won't keep going up, and when it's down, we know it will recover. But if we could determine the exact timing, well, we might not be in our current line of work. Most sectors of manufacturing are well recognized as cyclical, as is the industry as a whole. Right now, in relatively good economic times, the automo- tive market is strong. At other times we may see aerospace and defense production dominating. Various factors can influ- ence what markets are strong at any given time, but generally, if one is down, you can rest assured that it will eventually pick up. Astronomical seasons, on the other hand, run on a predict- able cycle, and as spring rolls in, everything seems to brighten. We see the sun more, the weather gets warmer, baseball season kicks in. is really is a happy time of year for me—a part of the annual cycle that brings many positive feelings. Although its cycle runs two years, the Precision Machining Technology Show (PMTS) has been welcomed as a spring event as well. It's one more positive that I've been looking forward to and am excited to take part in. e show brings so many important technological developments for the precision turned parts market. It is indeed the place for people in our industry to go to see everything they need. Beyond the opportunity to learn about new advances that can help a shop become more competitive, PMTS also offers amazing networking opportunities. Where else can people in this industry come together with such a large percentage of their peers to talk business strategy and discover new ways to secure the future of their companies? is is easily one of my favorite events because it gives me a chance to catch up with old friends, meet new ones, and discover things I didn't know I didn't know. While the technology and networking opportunities at PMTS represent a huge part of everyday operations in the precision machined products shop, it's not the only show in town (literally). As in previous years, co-located with PMTS is the Parts Cleaning Expo (PCx), which includes more than 30 additional exhibitors who will be demonstrating equip- ment directly related to cleaning and finishing processes important to our industry. e PCx show floor is immedi- ately side by side with PMTS, so attendees can easily visit both areas (with no additional charge). PCx also features conference sessions that run on Tuesday and Wednesday the week of the show. While the confer- ence requires separate registration, the presentation topics are geared toward those in our industry who are looking for the latest information regarding cleaning technologies, from optimizing cleaning processes to meet difficult customer standards, to following best practices to conform to current and upcoming health and safety regulations. Cleaning operations are often viewed as a necessary evil, but PCx provides a convenient opportunity to easily learn more because it's all together with the other exciting technologies PMTS is known to highlight. e PMTS/PCx combination works really well. PMTS is a strong cornerstone that brings together a core group of like-minded people who can feed off of each other to further advance this market. By adding thorough coverage of a significant corresponding operation that many of these shops perform, PCx puts the icing on an already delicious cake. Overall, the shows provide so many fantastic opportu- nities, allowing attendees to improve almost every process in their shops. Spring is the season of new beginnings, and for us in the precision turned parts industry, this spring offers two great shows that, together, can help shops create new business opportunities. Turn, turn, turn! MY TU R N 8 PRODUCTION MACHINING :: APRIL 2017