Posts Tagged ‘ engineering ’

To lower risk exposure many of you are dilligently trying to enter non-automotive sectors to diversify your revenue streams. Who can blame you? Perhaps, you’ve found it to be a daunting and frustrating task. Hopefully, you find encouragement in knowing that it’s starting to happen. In this case, two long-time Sturgis, Michigan residents have been awarded work for three different components for a new initiative in windmills requiring talented toolmakers.   Joe Brown

With the Wind

Sturgis, Mich. –

Using renewable energy is becoming a necessity
rather than a nice idea, and Michigan Tool Works, a Sturgis tool and
die company, is in on the latest technology.

Pete Stemen and Brent Morgan, co-owners of Michigan Tool, were in
the “right place at the right time” to get the bid for three components
for Windspire, a new concept in windmills created by Mike Hess, CEO of
Mariah Power of Reno, Nev.

The company was wooed to Manistee by the city and MasTech
Manufacturing. MasTech, a manufacturing and material handling
specialist, was able to retrofit a former auto parts factory to
accommodate manufacturing for Mariah Windspire turbine.

MasTech’s goal is to keep parts manufacturing in Michigan. Mariah’s goal is to keep it in the U.S.
Michigan Tool’s goal is to keep all the business at their end in Sturgis.

When they got the bid on three components, Michigan Tool hired two
new part-time and two full-time employees to create  parts for 200
windmills per month.

Those three components equal 42 pieces per windmill — six safety rings, 18 struts and 18 clamps — all made in Sturgis.

Local element

Keeping the work in Sturgis is crucial to the owners, both hometown boys and graduates of Sturgis High School.

“We are big on community,” Stemen said. “If we work together we can make it through this downturn.”
 

They use Sturgis Tool, PKG LLC, Maple Crest Packaging and Litho Printers for their new demands.

The parts are boxed to  exact specifications for overseas shipping,
because 75 percent of the sales are in Europe, where electricity is
three times more expensive than here, Morgan said.

For the complete story, see the Journal’s Monday edition or visit sturgisjournal.mi.newsmemory.com

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Hey everyone,
Below is an email I received from a reader of this blog.  I encourage you all to do the same.  This message I received below epitomizes the reason for this blog.  I want you all to share these type of thoughts on here as a place to organize, share ideas, vent frustrations, etc.  How many of you are offering “free engineering”?  I know this person isn’t alone in their viewpoint.  Anybody you work with that isn’t reading this blog please forward the address on so we can gain some momentum and get to the point where our voice can’t be ignored.  Read on…….

I’m not much for blogging myself but I did read the “Out of the box thinking”
topic on the new tool and die blog site. I was thinking about what was said and
I couldn’t help but feel contempt towards the industry itself. Why you ask? Well
I went to a supplier meeting of sorts to discuss how we could help our customer
cut costs through manufacturing. We provided some tried and true ideas that have
proven to save money in the past. No we didn’t come up with anything innovative
simply because we fail to see how this would benefit us (ROI). We have supplied
our customers with “free” engineering in the past but I fail to see how or why
we should continue to do so. I have witnessed, more times than I care to
remember, us providing “free” engineering to potential customers and then have
to watch them take our work and hand it to our competitor due to our quoted
price not being as favorable as theirs. Yes, we have also been a recipient of
“free” engineering.

In the past customers and suppliers had a better
working relationship than what we see today (take Plastech for example) “free”
engineering was something that was freely given. Everyone was happy making a
profit. Now we are so focused on cutting costs at every corner and fail to
realize that everything else around us has increased in cost. Overall cost of
living, fuel, milk, raw materials, gold, etc… While the dollar is plummeting.
This is why engineering becomes “free”. Engineering itself isn’t a commodity
like it once was. The field of engineering has been diminished in stature in the
past couple of decades.

Why do I place quotes around free? Because
engineering is not free. Does a Dr. give you free medicine? Does a Lawyer
actually do anything for free? Does an Architectural firm give free designs and
models to the builder prior to awarding the build?

Why do we feel that
our engineering skills are less important than any other professional skill set.
The out of the box thinking works only if you are recognized and compensated for
the work. What is the incentive if someone takes that knowledge and goes
elsewhere. Once it becomes “free” you hold no intellectual property to it.

Disgruntled Engineer

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