Metalforming Matters

On September 24, PMA members participated at an event for Congressman Pat Tiberi (R-OH) that was hosted by the political action committees of PMA, the National Tooling and Machining Association (NTMA) and the Precision Machined Products Association (PMPA). Congressman Tiberi has long been a supporter of manufacturing, pushing for pro-growth and pro-jobs legislation, and we were pleased to have the opportunity to return some of that support for him. The Congressman spoke to a full room at Lockkeepers in Valleyview, OH.  He offered his assessment of activities in Washington today and painted a picture of the way forward.  He suggested that times are trying and expressed concern about the impact of Obamacare and some tax reform proposals on American small businesses.  Still, he predicted the long-term success of American manufacturing which he said is strong and thriving. We were also honored that Congressman David Joyce (R-OH), in whose district we were gathered, stop...

CLEVELAND, OH—September 16, 2013—According to the September 2013 Precision Metalforming Association (PMA) Business Conditions Report, metalforming companies expect a dip in business conditions during the next three months.  Conducted monthly, the report is an economic indicator for manufacturing, sampling 130 metalforming companies in the United States and Canada. The September report shows that 14% of participants forecast that economic activity will decline during the next three months (up from only 7% in August), 51% predict that activity will remain unchanged (down from 59% in August) and 35% believe that economic activity will improve (compared to 34% in August). Metalforming companies also expect a decline in incoming orders during the next three months, with 18% expecting a decrease in orders (up from 10% in August), 37% anticipating an increase in orders (compared to 38% in August) and 45% predicting no change (down from 52% last month). Average daily shipping levels ...

MFG Day - Manufacturing Day - 2013 is just around the corner.  Scheduled for October 4, 2013, the annual event dedicated to dispelling common misconceptions about the manufacturing sector, is just one month away. MFG Day is an important part of efforts to support the future of manufacturing here in the US. As manufacturers today, we know that negative, untrue stereotypes plague our sector and drive young people away.  We know that we have to overcome the perception that manufacturing jobs are dirty, dangerous dead ends.  We know that we must spread the word that manufacturing has gone high tech, with modern, clean facilities, computers, robot, and automation.  We know that counteracting outdated, negative images with current, positive ones is the best way to fight problems like the skills gap that threaten the American manufacturing sector's recent boom. And MFG Day is just the way to do what we know we must. MFG Day gives manufacturers around the country th...

A blog posted on the Huffington Post Business page this week addresses a topic we often discuss here at PMA - the value and relative benefits of trade school. HuffPo Blogger Rachel Ryan notes that college enrollment numbers are decreasing, but registers little surprise.  Why not, she questions, when today's economy has rendered a full 40 percent of college diploma holders unemployed. Ryan points to a society so inundated with bachelor's degrees that the same entry level jobs for which that degree once sufficed now require a master's.  And to what end?, she wonders.  For an unpaid internship?  For a chance to work for free or virtually free in "white collar office buildings"? Ryan then suggests another way.  She challenges the singular significance Americans have ascribed to four year colleges.  Offering an alternative, she references the skills gap in our very own manufacturing sector, suggesting that students seek the education required to attain ...

As has often been heralded in the news, the US has added 500,000 jobs to its manufacturing sector since hitting bottom during the recession in 2010. These numbers have prompted some to ask if we're in the midst of a comeback in manufacturing. The answer, at least according to filmmakers Vincent Vittorio and Nathan McGill is...hopefully! They are currently traveling the country - 32 cities in 32 days - and promoting their new film, American Made Movie.   The film attempts to grow demand for products made here at home. Watch this interview with the filmmakers - 

As a trade association representing nearly 900 companies in the metalforming industry of North America, we are always proud to highlight the many achievements and accomplishments of our member companies. Joe Szydlo, a machine operator, works the single hit punch press at Automation Tool & Die Inc. in Brunswick in October 2011. (Photo: Plain Dealer) And when one of our individual member companies stands up and advocates for the industry as a whole, we are even more proud. That’s why we chose to focus our blog today on an op-ed in the Cleveland Plain Dealer written by Randy Bennett, co-owner of PMA-member Automation Tool & Die. Randy was joined in authoring the article by Dave Sattler, president of Sattler Companies Inc. Randy’s article, published today in the major Ohio news outlet, called for legislators in Washington to respect manufacturers as the backbone of our communities while they debate the future of comprehensive tax reform. Automation Tool & Die, a...

ERP software is changing the way companies do business.  ERP, enterprise-resource-planning, programs compile all of a company's data and processes into one system, an effort that saves time and money. Interested in learning more about how your business could benefit from ERP software?  Check out the PMA and MetalForming Magazine event on the technology in a few months in Cincinnati.  Read more in the press release below. PMA and MetalForming Magazine to Hold Conference on the Latest Developments in ERP Software     CLEVELAND, OH—July 23, 2013—The Precision Metalforming Association’s (PMA) flagship publication, MetalForming magazine, announces The Manufacturing ERP Experience, a conference that will provide information on the industry’s leading enterprise-resource-planning (ERP) software systems for small to midsized manufacturing companies.  The event is scheduled for October 8-9, 2013, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Modern ERP systems have changed ho...