February 2008 Edition
INDUSTRY NEWS
Industry News
While industrial laser equipment and
system sales were off by more than 17 percent from the
previous quarter, workholding equipment sales jumped almost
21 percent from the same period the previous year, according
to Association for Manufacturing Technology surveys.
Third quarter 2007 orders of industrial
laser equipment and systems were reported at $116.6 million,
off 17.6 percent from the previous quarter, according to the
AMT. Orders within North America taken by the 24 companies
reporting in the third quarter totaled $80.2 million, while
exports amounted to approximately $36.4 million.
The report showed the value of orders of
CO2 lasers decreased 16.4 percent. To protect
confidentiality, the value of YAG lasers was not available.
However, based on Nd:YAG units, orders fell 26.4 percent
from the second quarter. Of the 374 total units of all types
ordered, 68.4 percent of industrial laser orders were
configured as a laser system – defined as a laser source and
workstation. The value of laser system orders, however, made
up 91.5 percent of total orders.
"Considering the strong second quarter
and the state of the overall economy, these figures are not
cause for alarm," John B. Byrd III, AMT president, said.
"Despite the decline in orders, the third quarter numbers
fall within the normal quarter-to-quarter fluctuations."
Third quarter 2007 figures are based on actual data reported
by companies voluntarily participating in the Laser Market Data Survey. Second
quarter data reported was revised to reflect changes in data participants have
made during the course of the third quarter.
At $67.9 million for third quarter 2007, shipments of
workholding equipment from the U.S. were up 20.8 percent from third quarter
2006, according to the Workholding Product Group of AMT. Workholding equipment
shipments within the U.S. by the 35 companies participating in the WPG
statistical report totaled $55.1 million while exports amounted to $12.8
million.
The report from the WPG shows that
domestic workholding equipment orders increased 12.0 percent
and U.S. exports increased 82.8 percent from year-earlier
levels.
The export figure is boosted by record
high exports in July followed by strong exports in the
second two months of the quarter.
The Midwest remained the largest domestic
destination, with 42.8 percent of total domestic shipments
going to that region. The West's and Northeast's shares of
orders remained level, while the Central region went from a
20.9 percent share in the second quarter to 16.1 percent in
the third quarter. The South increased share slightly,
moving from 15.5 percent up to 17.3 percent. Additionally,
third quarter 2007 employment levels were up 8.0 percent
from the same quarter in 2006.
The Workholding Product Group is
comprised of AMT members who produce chucks, jaws, collets,
vises, fixtures, and other workholding equipment.
For the second year in a row, a survey of safety
professionals has found that noncompliance with personal protective equipment –
PPE – protocols continues to be an issue in the workplace.
Eighty-seven percent of respondents said they had observed
workers failing to wear PPE when they should have been, according to a survey of
attendees at the 2007 National Safety Council Congress in Chicago, conducted by
Kimberly-Clark Professional, Roswell, GA. Eighty-five percent of safety
professionals answered yes to the same question in a survey undertaken by
Kimberly-Clark Professional at the 2006 NSC Congress.
"Despite the undisputed need for PPE when undertaking
hazardous tasks, people continue to risk bodily harm by failing to protect
themselves," Randy Kates, general manager of the safety business for the
company, said. "In this survey, we not only asked why people did not comply with
PPE protocols, but what could be done to alter these behaviors."
The main reason for not using protective
gear was discomfort, according to 62 percent of respondents,
followed by workers thinking PPE was not necessary for the
task, PPE was too hot, PPE fit poorly, or was unattractive.
When asked what could be improved about PPE, three quarters
of survey respondents said they would increase comfort. Safety professionals
also gave the nod to more fashionable PPE. Eighty-four percent said that they
would be more apt to purchase fashionable and attractive PPE if workers would be
more likely to wear it and the price was comparable to what they were currently
paying for similar products.
Respondents were also asked whether they were concerned about
the potential health and safety issues faced by their workers as a result of
exposure to oil, grease, heavy metal residues, or other toxic elements on
reusable rental shop towels. Nearly three-quarters voiced concern, with 44
percent of these respondents saying they were very concerned. Twenty-three
percent said they were not concerned.
The American Welding Society and the American Welding Society
Foundation, Miami, FL, each received a $100,000 donation from the Hobart
Institute of Welding Technology, Troy, OH, and OKI Bering, Cincinnati, to help
relieve the nationwide shortage of welders.
The AWS estimates a shortage of at least 200,000 welders by
2010. The Hobart Institute of Welding Technology provides training and education
about various welding technologies. OKI Bering is a wholesaler of welding,
safety, and industrial supplies.
The donations were granted to the AWS Foundation Welder
Workforce Development Program, which was launched in 2006 to address the need
for recruitment and specialized training of entry-level welders while supporting
welding workforce needs for companies. The Welder Workforce Development Program
is part of the AWS Foundation's $10 million capital campaign, "Welding for the
Strength of America," aimed at facilitating programs, scholarships, and other
initiatives in support of the welding industry. At year-end 2007, the AWS
Foundation raised $2.6 million toward its campaign.
OKI Bering's donation will be granted over a five-year term
beginning in 2007. The funds are earmarked for the development of a welding
industry career website that allows job-seekers to search and apply online for
job opportunities at various levels.
During the next five years OKI Bering will direct its surplus
inventory materials to welding schools across the nation. Welding materials are
one of the many critical necessities in school welding programs, but the expense
of purchasing materials can be high, and often programs are forced to close due
to lack of funding. It is expected that the total donated inventory will amount
to more than $1 million.
A white paper from the United Air
Specialists, Cincinnati, provides specific guidance on how
to comply with OSHA specifications on hexavalent chromium
and minimize harmful exposure through air filtration.
Hexavalent chromium compounds are used as
corrosion inhibitors and present an occupational hazard to
workers that weld, cut, torch cut, or grind
chromium-containing metals such as stainless steel. Exposure
to hexavalent chromium through inhalation or touch can pose
health risks to workers, including lung cancer, skin and
membrane ulcerations, allergies, and skin irritation.
Welding environments vary, including the
welding process in use, the amount of hexavalent chromium fumes generated, and the welding
location. In the paper, experts explain why a source capture system combined
with a cartridge collector can deal with stainless weld fumes in each of these
scenarios.
The white paper, "Fume Collection
Solutions for Hexavalent Chromium Exposure" can be
downloaded in PDF format by going to the United Air
Specialists web page – http://www.uasinc.com/ – and clicking
on the "New UAS White Paper" link on the left side of the
page.
Mazak Corp., Florence, KY, is expanding
its Southwest Regional Technology Center, in Houston, TX.
The technology center opened in 1982, focusing on
manufacturing technologies for the energy industries. The $2
million additional investment will create another 40,000 ft2
of floor space and reconfigure the center for easier
customer use.
The first floor will include capabilities
for product and process applications development, including
room for more than a dozen multi-tasking and 5-axis machines
– Integrex e-Series Vertical and Horizontal machines,
Variaxis Mark II Series, Cybertech Turn Series, and others.
This floor will include customer classrooms, conference
rooms, seminar and presentation areas, and a dining room.
"Since the Southwest is a leading market
for Mazak's Integrex and other multi-tasking models, we are
committed to providing advanced manufacturing training close
to the customers in this valuable market," Brian Papke,
Mazak president, said.
Expanded sales and support offices will
be on the second floor. The parking area will accommodate
more than 130 customer vehicles.
Mazak will be networking the developments
that come out of the Southwest Regional Technology Center
and making them available to all companies involved in the
production of energy-related components.
Gibbs & Associates, also known as Gibbs
Systems, Inc., Moorpark, CA, developer of GibbsCAM, will
merge with Cimatron, an Israel-based, international CAD/CAM
software company.
Gibbs, known for its CNC machine tool
software, will be the U.S. subsidiary of Cimatron. The
combined companies' annual revenues are expected to exceed
$40 million, moving Cimatron into the top 10 CAM software
vendors.
Cimatron will pay William "Bill" Gibbs,
founder, chairman, and CEO of Gibbs System, and its sole
shareholder, a cash consideration of $5 million, as well as
1.5 million newly issued ordinary shares of Cimatron.
Cimatron's outstanding share capital
after the closing will be comprised of approximately 9.4
million ordinary shares.
Company representatives said the merger
of CimatronE integrated CAD/CAM suite for toolmaking and the
production-geared GibbsCAM application lets the merged
company offer a product portfolio for the entire spectrum of
manufacturing.
Following the closing, Bill Gibbs will
continue to manage the GibbsCAM product-line business as
president and CEO of the new subsidiary, and will join the
Cimatron senior management team. In addition, Mr. Gibbs will
be nominated to serve as vice chairman of Cimatron's board
of directors. Cimatron is headquartered in Givat Shmuel,
Israel.
Founded in 1982, Cimatron is publicly
traded on the NASDAQ exchange, with subsidiaries and a
distributor network located in more than 35 countries.
In a statement to Gibbs employees, Bill Gibbs wrote that
he had several reasons for the merger: "CimatronE is a good
product; Cimatron is a publicly traded company; this
provides financial potential a private company doesn't have.
I like the people running Cimatron."