Metalforming Matters

Four women members of PMA were recognized with STEP Awards at a ceremony in DC last week.  We couldn't be more proud of them.  Here's our press release celebrating the winners - Four Fantastic PMA Members Recognized at 2014 STEP Awards CLEVELAND, OH —February 18, 2014—The Precision Metalforming Association (PMA) today congratulates four of its members who were among the 160 recipients of The Manufacturing Institute’s 2014 STEP (Science, Technology, Engineering and Production) Awards. The awards, which were presented at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. on February 6, recognize women in the manufacturing industry who demonstrate excellence and leadership in their careers. Recipients represent all levels of the manufacturing industry, from the factory floor to the C-suite. The four PMA award winners in 2014 include: Altheha DrePaul, a key account manager with EJ Ajax in Fridley, MN Lisa Habe, the president of Interlake Industries, Inc. in Willoughby, OH Irina Kleyman,...

CLEVELAND, OH—February 17, 2014—According to the February 2014 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 115 metalforming companies in the United States and Canada. The February report shows that 32% of participants predict that economic activity will improve during the next three months (down from 46% in January), 60% anticipate that activity will remain unchanged (compared to 47% last month) and 8% believe that economic activity will decline (up from 7% in January). Metalforming companies also forecast a modest decline in incoming orders during the next three months, with 50% anticipating an increase in orders (down from 54% in January), 41% expecting no change (the same percentage reported in January) and 9% predicting a decrease in orders (up from 5% in January). However, current ...

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to attend the State of the Union Address as the guest of your home state senator? PMA Erick Ajax got that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and he wrote all about it to share it with you.  Read his memories of that very special day below. -------------- Last week I attended my first State of the Union Address. I was invited by Senator Al Franken - our first term Democrat Senator from Minnesota.  Despite the fact that we disagree on many major political issues, the Senator asked me because we clearly see eye to eye on our most important public policy issue, education and workforce development. I’m a third generation business owner in the metal forming industry.  And I was honored to attend as the Senator's guest.   I have traveled to Washington, DC dozens of times over the past two decades. Most of my meetings on Capitol Hill are with 20-something legislative assistants. I can count the number of times I ...

AP Photo/Charles Dharapak Last night, President Obama delivered the sixth State of the Union address of his presidency on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.  And the manufacturing sector took a starring role. Here are some highlights of the manufacturing-focused portions of the speech -  First, President Obama opened his speech by recounting some successes of recent years and crediting the American people.  "Here are the results of your efforts," he said.  Third on the list - "A manufacturing sector that’s adding jobs for the first time since the 1990s."  In addition, he said, "for the first time in over a decade, business leaders around the world have declared that China is no longer the world’s number one place to invest; America is." "That’s why I believe this can be a breakthrough year for America," he said.  "After five years of grit and determined effort, the United States is better-positioned for the 21st century than an...

Calling all manufacturers!  PMA is a co-sponsor The MFG Meeting (Manufacturing for Growth): Opportunity has no limits…leap for it!  Hosted by PMA, the National Tooling & Machining Association (NTMA) and the AMT-The Association For Manufacturing Technology, The MFG Meeting will take place March 5-8, 2014 at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix, Arizona and brings together the complete chain of manufacturing to discuss the current and future state of the industry. With a dual focus on finding solutions to business challenges and networking with peers, The MFG Meeting helps industry leaders plan for the future and make connections today.  Meet more than 700 manufacturing leaders at the fourth edition of The MFG Meeting (Manufacturing for Growth).  This year’s conference of manufacturing companies will address such critical issues as closing the skills gap, strategic competitiveness and accelerating leadership development.  Speakers include John Walker, chairman ...

Attention all parents, students and educators! Here at PMA, we think education is a key component to succeeding in today’s work environment, and that’s why we love this new videoby Kevin Fleming called “Success in the New Economy." This interactive video makes a compelling case for students to make informed decisions about their college education goals. Fleming says that students should not just classical education but also the value of technical skill acquisition and the real-world applications for those skills. We've watched the video a few times (hey, it’s got some great animation!) and our favorite part is at 7:40, when Kevin talks about the importance of identifying an area that appeals to your interests, skills, and the labor market when deciding on your future. Kevin drives home the point that success in the new economy is all about acquiring the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed for in-demand occupations in our day and age. Check out the video a...

PMA is proud to be a FABTECH 2013 show partner and to be part of the show's efforts to raise money for the victims of the recent storms in Illinois . From the FABTECH site - FABTECH 2013 show partners offer their condolences to the victims of the severe storms and tornados that devastated Washington, Illinois and other areas of the state on November 17 th .  Citizens of our host state for FABTECH 2013 are struggling to recover from the physical and economic damage caused by these storms that hit on a set-up day for the show.  Some of our exhibitors and attendees were directly impacted by this tragedy. Several show exhibitors have started to raise funds for the victims of the storms, with California-based Sutherland Presses pledging to match contributions up to a total of $5,000.  FABTECH is joining this fundraising effort.  The five FABTECH show partners* are donating $10,000 to this relief campaign, and encourage all show exhibitors and attendees to contribute....