Springs Magazine, Summer 2021 Vol 60 No 3 by Spring Manufacturers Institute

SUMMER 2021

THE INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE OF SPRING MANUFACTURE

A Publication of the Spring Manufacturers Institute / Vol. 60, No. 3

Springmaking Businesses Come in All Sizes page 26

It’s All About Size 28 Employee Engagement Ideas: Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way 38 Time-in-Process and Belt Speed Control on a Conveyor Oven 43

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A YEAR IN REVIEW

1981

Ronald Reagan is sworn in as the 40th President of the United States The first IBM PC was invented Space Shuttle Columbia lifts off Delorean Motors delivers its first car to the consumer

And the one that changed the direction of the world... Interwire Products opens for business

IWP - 1981

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President’s Message From Bert Goering

SMI Executive Committee President: Bert Goering, Precision Coil Spring Vice President: Gene Huber, Jr., Winamac Coil Spring Secretary/Treasurer: Don Jacobson III, Newcomb Spring At Large: David DeVoe, Plymouth Spring Past President: Steve Kempf, Lee Spring Executive Director: Lynne Carr, SMI

SMI Board of Directors

Every Company is Important to Our Industry’s Survival One of the most obvious ways in which businesses differ is their size. Most of us know businesses in our community that are very small— one-person businesses or microbusinesses of fewer than five people. It could be a local computer repair shop, a local garage that keeps our vehicles on the road, or a florist that employs one or two people. Without naming names, all of us know the large spring companies in our industry with multiple locations in the U.S., Mexico and around the world. They employ hundreds of employees. The reality is that our industry continues to be a made up of a spectrum of small- to medium-sized businesses, all striving to keep our customers happy and at the same time make a dime in the process. Everyone has a niche and a place in our industry. In some ways, the challenges for small and for large businesses are not so different. All businesses need to make sure they offer goods or services that people want to buy, that they have enough income to cover their costs and something left over, and that people working for them are motivated, well qualified and work well together. Regardless of your size, it is easy to agree that your spring company is only as good as the employees who work for you and the customers you serve. My father bought Precision Coil Spring back in 1957 and essentially knew nothing about the spring industry. What he quickly realized was that the previous owners had tried to be all things to all people and that this was not a formula for success. With his military background and experience working in our family’s meat packing business, he gave our company a focus of serving the aerospace and nuclear fuel industries, a focus that we continue to this day. This past year has been difficult with the pandemic. I know that I did not sign up to be SMI’s Pandemic President, but that was the hand I was dealt! I have been inspired to see how our industry has risen up to meet the challenge, and how SMI as an association has done the same. Whether you are small, medium or large, every company is important to our industry’s survival. Cheers! Bert Goering

Jennelle Carlier, S3 Wireform • Kelley Christy, Diamond Wire Spring • Dave Deerwester, The Yost Superior Co. • Joe Devany, Betts Company • Chris Fazio, Diamond Wire Spring • Linda Froehlich, Ace Wire Spring & Form • Brett Goldberg, International Spring • Agustin Estalayo Ibanez, RPK Mexico SA de CV • Don Lyons, JonSpring • Peter Mendel, Kern-Liebers USA • Rob Meyers, RK Trading • Alex Melnikow, Midstate Spring • Tony Pesaresi, Winamac Coil Spring • Daniel Pierre III, JN Machinery • Keith Porter, Newcomb Spring • Chris Witham, Motion Dynamics Corp. • Tim Zwit, Michigan Spring and Stamping

Springs Magazine Staff Lynne Carr, Advertising Sales, lynne@smihq.org Gary McCoy, Managing Editor, gmccoy@fairwaycommunications.com Dina Sanchez, Assistant Editor, dina@smihq.org Sue Zubek, Art Director, zubekdesign@gmail.com

Springs Magazine Committee Chair, Keith Porter, Newcomb Spring • Reb Banas, Stanley Spring & Stamping • Lynne Carr, SMI • Ritchy Froehlich, Ace Wire Spring & Form • Tim Weber, Forming Systems • Europe Liaison: Wolfgang Herrmann, VDFI • Technical Advisor: Dan Sebastian, Honorary Member Advertising sales - Japan Ken Myohdai, Sakura International Inc. Head Office: 3F,4F, ENDO Sakaisuji Bldg., 1-7-3, Bingomachi, Chuo-Ku, Osaka 541-0051, Japan Phone: 81-6-6624-3601 • Fax: 81-6-6624-3602 Tokyo Global Office: 5F Kamei No. 2 Bldg., 2-17-13, Kiba, Koto-Ku, Tokyo, 135-0042, Japan Phone: 81-3-5646-1160 • Fax: 81-3-5646-1161 E-mail: info@sakurain.co.jp Advertising sales - Europe Jennie Franks, Franks & Co. 63 St. Andrew's Road Cambridge United Kingdom CB41DH Phone/Fax: +44-1223-360472 E-mail: franksco@BTopenworld.com Advertising sales - Taiwan Robert Yu, Worldwide Services Co. Ltd. 11F-B, No 540, Sec. 1, Wen Hsin Rd. Taichung, Taiwan Phone: +886-4-2325-1784 • Fax: +886-4-2325-2967 E-mail: stuart@wwstaiwan.com Springs (ISSN 0584-9667) is published quarterly by SMI Business Corp., a subsidiary of the Spring Manufacturers Institute: 2001 Midwest Road, Suite 106, Oak Brook, IL 60523; Phone: (630) 495-8588; Web site www.smihq.org. Address all correspondence and editorial materials to this address. The editors and publishers of Springs disclaim all warranties, express or implied, with respect to advertising and editorial content, and with respect to all manufacturing errors, defects or omissions made in connection with advertising or editorial material submitted for publication. The editors and publishers of Springs disclaim all liability for special or consequential damages resulting from errors, defects or omissions in the manufacturing of this publication, any submission of advertising, editorial or other material for publication in Springs shall constitute an agreement with and acceptance of such limited liability. The editors and publishers of Springs assume no responsibility for the opinions or facts in signed articles, except to the extent of expressing the view, by the fact of publication, that the subject treated is one which merits attention. Do not reproduce without written permission.

2 / SPRINGS / Summer 2021

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Contents FEATURES 26 Springmaking Businesses Come in All Sizes By Gary McCoy

28 It's All About Size By Raquel Chole

37 Flashback

A Global Highlight About a Springmaker’s Anniversary

38 Employee Engagement Ideas: Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way By Julie Davis

43 Time-In-Process and Belt Speed Control on a Conveyor Oven By Daniel Pierre III

46 SMI Scholarship Program Surpasses $300,000 in Awards 50 Springmakers Eager to Reconnect at 2021 eXpo in Las Vegas

DEPARTMENTS

By Gary McCoy

2 President’s Message

C OLUMNS 15 Be Aware Safety Tips

Every Company is Important to Our Industry’s Survival

7 Global Highlights

Leading and Lagging Indicators: Safety Performance Measurements That Inspire Culture By Laura Helmrich-Rhodes

10 Regional Spring Association Report

19 Dean of Springs

55 Springmaker Spotlight

The Forgotten Manager By Dan Sebastian

21 Technically Speaking

Types of Tests Used to Characterize Springmaking Materials — Part 6: Fatigue Testing of Wire By C. Richard Gordon

25 Spring Design Tips and Tricks

Stress 101 By Gary Van Buren

53 Five Questions

Radcliff Wire, Inc.

Bringing it All Together: A Profile of John Bilik and All-Rite Spring Company By Gary McCoy

61 Book Corner 63 CTE News 65 Inside SMI 67 Committee Connection 69 New Products 71 Advertisers’ Index 72 Snapshot

Wade Keats, Keats Manufacturing Co

4 / SPRINGS / Summer 2021

RK Trading is proud to introduce an upgrade to our popular CSX series of Herdon formers. This

new technology offers a high-speed 20-Axis All-Servo Wire Former that supports multiple servo spinners, the 4-axis AT system and the EA attachment. With a next-generation processor and

larger touch-screen monitor, this enhanced operating system provides increased versatility and faster production speeds so you can make more parts complete in less time. Give us a call today to get up and running with a new 20-Axis All-Servo Wire Former from Herdon.

The “Plus” for your production

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elements, such as the simulation of operating sequences and enhanced geometry-based programming process, support the operator in setting up the machine. • Standard equipment includes a 3-year license for iQspring+. It enables the simulation of the production process, automatic collision control and performance optimization. • The design of the FMU + machine offers the greatest product diversity and a performance increase of up to 10% compared to the previous machine. spring+: the bending process can be graphically visualized and optimized while the part is being set up. • Advantages:

Early detection and automatic avoidance of collisions before the bending process starts output due to optimization of the axis movements • Determination of cycle time to facilitate the production planning • Reduction of the set-up time • Less rejects while setting up the machine Feasibility simulation before the bending process •

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Global Highlights North America MW Industries, the Charlotte-based precision component manufacturer, recently announced that it has brought together 21 of its businesses under a single umbrella: MW Components. The new division is on a mission to help manufacturers accelerate and simplify the entire process of creating, buying, and managing the often-complex task of getting the precision parts they need. MW Components will be led by Chris Fillmore, an industry veteran with over 15 years’ experience in delivering highprecision components for demanding industries including aerospace, medical, and oil and gas. The combined business has more than 100 highly skilled engineers on hand to provide feedback on design for manufacturability, cost, and performance. Specialist production capabilities span a wide variety of precision components, including high-performance springs, fasteners, bellows, wireforms, and virtually any custom-designed parts manufacturers require. MW Components brings together experts from industry leaders including Century Spring, Accurate Screw Machine, and Servometer into a single expanded team. It will enable the business to take a more holistic view of customer needs, giving valuable access to greater knowledge, expertise, and innovations from across the division’s 20 plus facilities. The intention, according to MW Components, is that the entire process of designing, ordering, and managing the multitude of components engineers need to meet customers’ design objectives will be streamlined. This offers a tangible speed advantage, regardless of whether a customer is developing a new product to dominate their market or racing against the clock to repair a missioncritical piece of equipment.

Commenting on the creation of the new division, MW Industries CEO Simon Newman said, “Our individual businesses have always had a well-deserved reputation of delivering a great product at high speed. Now, with the creation of MW Components, we’re looking forward to unlocking a step-change in how manufacturers get the precision parts they need to thrive. We believe MW Components offers demanding businesses a powerful new partner to help them succeed in today’s challenging markets.” The division’s new website is now live at mwcomponents.com with many of the existing brands already under the new umbrella. Additional brands will join MW Components in a staged process over the next 12 months. Also at MW Industries, the company announced in March 2021 the acquisition of Duer Carolina Coil, Inc., a leading manufacturer of hot and cold wound springs. The acquisition increases MW Industries’ existing portfolio of businesses offering engineered spring solutions for the automotive, heavy truck, defense, valve, and agricultural markets. The combined company will offer expanded hot and cold wound spring manufacturing capabilities and serve customers in more than 75 countries. “We are excited to welcome our new Duer Carolina Coil colleagues to MW Industries. During a period when businesses are under greater pressure to produce quality products quickly and at affordable costs, we offer expansive U.S.-based manufacturing capabilities and in-house expertise that can provide the components our customers need, when they need them,” said CEO Simon Newman. “We are thrilled to be able to provide even greater capacity with the

addition of Duer Carolina Coil to the MW Industries portfolio.” Duer Carolina Coil will join MW Industries’ existing family of companies, which includes more than 30 locations worldwide. Betts Company has acquired Rite-Way Axle and Suspension of Sun Valley, Calif., from owners Kelly and Nancy Virchow. Founded by Clarence and Dick Virchow in 1964, Rite-Way is a third-generation family business. Rite-Way Axle will join Betts Company as a truck parts and repair service center under the Betts Truck Parts & Service division. “On behalf of Betts Company and Betts Truck Parts & Service, we are excited to welcome the Rite-Way team as Betts team members,” adds Bill Betts, president, Betts Company. “The Virchow family has developed a great reputation in the Southern California market. We are excited to have their team join us and continue their tradition of excellent customer service. Rite-Way has a fantastic brand reputation, and we look forward to learning from them as well as bringing some of our strengths to their team.” Bill Shockey of BT Machinery Sales, LLC has retired, effective December 31, 2020. The business has been closed by Shockey, who said that after 40-plus years of working in the spring and wireforming industries, he believed it was time. “It’s been a great ride and I have had the opportunity to meet and work with many wonderful people,” said Shockey. Shockey said it is difficult to summarize more than 40 years of change. “From the mechanical coilers and hand forming that was done when I started to today’s fully automated CNC processing machinery; from the ‘mom and pop’ companies with one spring coiler that was operated

SPRINGS / Summer 2021 / 7

Global Highlights

on evenings and weekends as a startup company to the large conglomerates we have today, what hasn’t changed?” He said the one thing that hasn’t changed are customer friendships. “I’ve had the good luck to meet and become friends with many people at all levels throughout the industry. What has made them stand out has been their honesty and their desire to do the right thing. Hopefully, those that continue in the industry will follow their lead!” Shockey retired from active sales as a manufacturers’ representative for NIMSCO. He is keeping his BT Machinery telephone and email active until the end of 2021 in case any questions or inquiries come in that need to be forwarded on to Jerry Ashdown and NIMSCO. You can reach Shockey at 563-271-6146 or email: bill@btmachinery.com. Stanley Spring and Stamping, a leading supplier of custom metal parts and springs, has acquired Precision Forming and Stamping, located at 2419 West George Street in Chicago. Established in 1963 by the late Robert F. Lewis, Precision Forming and Stamping is a supplier of fourslide, multislide and other small stampings and flat springs to the automotive, electrical, HVAC and medical industries. The company has been at its current location since 1980 and under the leadership of secondgeneration owners Kathy and Brian Hill. “We are excited to welcome the employees of Precision Forming and Stamping to the Stanley Spring family,” said Reb Banas, president of Stanley Spring and Stamping. “As a small, family-owned business with more than 50 years of experience, Precision Forming is a strategic and complementary fit to bolster our stamping capabilities. Like us, they share a strong commitment to quality parts, customer service and on time delivery.” Banas said existing Precision Forming customers will have a seamless transition in delivered products from Stanley Spring’s 85,000 sq. ft. facility at 5050 West Foster Avenue in Chicago.

8 / SPRINGS / Summer 2021

Shockey said it is difficult to summarize more than 40 years of change. “From the mechanical coilers and hand forming that was done when I started to today’s fully automated CNC processing machinery; from the ‘mom and pop’ companies with one spring coiler that was operated on evenings and weekends as a startup company to the large conglomerates we have today, what hasn’t changed?”

For more information on Stanley Spring and Stamping, visit www.stanleyspring.com. The Wire Association International (WAI), Inc. announces the participation of 20 company sponsors that support Interwire 2021 and the Wire Association International’s 91st Annual Convention, which will be held at the Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, Georgia. The new show dates are October 26-27, 2021. Guests will be able to explore the technologies associated with Industry 4.0— the theme for the event—by visiting the Industry 4.0 pavilion, various exhibits, presentations and briefings on the topic. Interwire sponsors at the platinum level include Encore Wire Corp.; Gem Gravure Co. Inc.; Insteel Wire Products; James Monroe Wire & Cable Corp.; SDI LaFarga COPPERWORKS; Sonoco Reels & Spools; Southwire Co. LLC; and Wire & Plastic Machinery Corp. The Wire and Cable Industry Suppliers Association (WCISA) is an industry partner with WAI. Interwire 2021 registration is now open at: www.interwire21.com. Since all activities will be held on the exhibit floor, registration includes the Industry 4.0 sessions, exhibits, keynote, production solutions, and welcome reception. Advance registration pricing is as follows: WAI member: $75 USD; New WAI member: $140 USD; Nonmember: $175.

Registration for the hybrid Fundamentals of Wire Manufacturing course is separate with advance rates as follows: WAI member: $295 USD; New WAI member: $395 USD; Nonmember: $445. The 2021 staging of Interwire will mark 40 years since its inception. Hosted biennially, Interwire is an international trade event that includes exhibiting companies, speakers, and visitors from more than 50 countries. See developing details at www.interwire21.com.

International Due to the effects and uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, Messe Düsseldorf India has rescheduled the combined staging of the wire India, Tube India, METEC India and India Essen Cutting & Welding trade fairs. Originally scheduled for September 2021, the four events will now take place from November 23–25, 2022 at the Bombay Exhibition Center in Mumbai. For further information on visiting or exhibiting at wire India, Tube India or METEC India 2022, visit www.wireindia.com; www.tube-india.com; www. metec-india.com; www.iewc.in and www. mdna.com or contact Messe Düsseldorf North America at 312-781-5180, email: info@mdna.com; or follow on Twitter at http://twitter.com/mdnachicago. n

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Regional Spring Association Report NESMA Update By Lucas Karabin, Acme Monaco As we entered 2021, it seems we were ready for some changes, not all of them being virtual. Rollouts for COVID-19 vaccine shots kept us guessing, but the vaccination efforts have been nothing short of remarkable. I had my second shot in late April and I have to tip my hat to our National Guard, law enforcement and health care workers, whose performance makes us proud. Despite many, if not all of us being fully vaccinated, our NESMA board is presently maintaining our virtual meetings. Though convenient, we do miss our breakfast gatherings and look forward to meeting again in person.

Event Committee This year, NESMA has leaned into the virtual environment with our 2021 Seminar Series. Board member and FENN Torin president Ryan Cutter agreed to participate with the professional help of Jessica Morgan, the company’s marketing coordinator. The webinar featured team members from FENN Torin giving a smooth introduction to their catalog of impressive equipment. Thank you to those among our turnout of 50 plus registrations. We were excited that members from outside New England registered, demonstrating the mass appeal. We are doing our best to keep the fires burning in this category with new member Markum LLP presenting “Research and Tax Development Tax Credit.” This event was scheduled for May 5 and was hosted by board member Ted Lucas, CPA and his colleague William Kuhlman, CPA. We hope to keep the events coming, delivering a value to our members both in terms of education and capacity, to reach our membership in an unintimidating manner. If you have an event you

10 / SPRINGS / Summer 2021

FENN Torin sponsored one of many NESMA 2021 seminars.

would like to present to NESMA, you are encouraged to reach out to our events committee chairperson Bob Swanson, president of United Wire. We will be meeting in person for our annual Golf Tournament at Chippanee Country Club in Bristol, Connecticut Monday, Aug. 23, 2021. Last year we had a great turnout and the support was overwhelming. You can register for the tournament on our website, www.nesmausa.com. We will close out the year with our annual Holiday Party at the DoubleTree Hotel in Bristol Dec. 2. Discounted rooms can be reserved by registration code; details to follow on our website.

Legislative Front Our new board member Allen Nadeau of Southington Tool & Mfg. Corp stoically volunteered to represent NESMA in the recently formed Connecticut Manufacturing Collaborative. This is an organization intended to tie in multiple manufacturers’ trade groups with direct communication to the governor’s office, high schools and colleges, Department of Economic Community Development, and

the general assembly. Time is spent on multiple fronts defending businesses from unpopular legislation like a truck tax, and to provide a voice for workforce needs. The cost to maintain the lobbyist for the group is under pressure, and like any byproduct of dealing with the government legislative efforts, it is not a passive effort. This group will face challenges as underfunded organizations reboot from 2020.

Technical Committee Our Technical Development Committee continues to focus on recruitment efforts through the promotion of our website’s “Apprenticeship Connections.” This link allows a potential candidate, interested in exploring a career in manufacturing, with the first chance to get their name out to participating members. Our efforts haven’t been helped by COVID restrictions, but ideally the students will be able to visit multiple companies and perhaps start working before they finish school. We are reaching out to area high schools and technical schools in an attempt to position ourselves as a viable option. continued on next page

Regional Spring Association Report

CASMI Report By Michael Bandy, CASMI, Co-Executive Director

IP Automation Hosts CASMI Plant Tour Nearly 20 CASMI members and industry professionals attended the CASMI Plant Tour Thursday, May 6, at IP Automation Inc. in Downers Grove, Illinois. The event featured presentations, a tour, equipment demonstrations and lunch. During the plant tour and demonstration, IP Automation demonstrated the latest CNC wireformers, which include the i6-SC, a 4-axis compact wire bender, the i13-S, 13mm 3D wire bender and the i8-D, dual head 18 axis CNC wire bender. IP Automation also demonstrated the latest Fanuc robots as well as the Fanuc CRX series of collaborative robots. IP Automation’s founders and upper management team have extensive

experience and knowledge in the CNC wireforming and automation industry. The company was founded to help solve the manufacturing challenges in the wireforming industry. IP Automation is one of the very few companies that can handle processes from raw material

to finished parts to packing in shippable containers with the most precise and streamlined processes. IP Automation has used their “out- of-the-box” approach and thinking to help customers grow their bottom line and add value to their business.

continued from previous page

SpringWorld Kick-off Dinner Scheduled for October

Students are critical to our talent pool, and we realize starting students is benefit to everyone involved and may reduce their hours in pursuit of apprenticeship. We plan to have a spring and fourslide set up class in the fall. It might be under a different curriculum than previous classes. Spring or fourslide equipment found at schools is sparse and generally mechanical. Newer spring and fourslide equipment is needed to attract next generation talent at schools. Tunxis Community College in Farmington, Connecticut is opening a new manufacturing site in 2022 and is actively seeking equipment donations. To donate, contact Mary Bidwell at MBidwell@acc. commnet.edu. As we reopen, we know there are many challenges ahead of us, but also many behind us. Please make sure you’re subscribed to our NESMA newsletter by contacting Dee Babkirk at d.babkirk@ nesma-usa.com and be sure to like our events on our LinkedIn page at www. linkedin.com/company/nesma-usa.

All CASMI members, SpringWorld 2022 exhibitors and suppliers who are potential exhibitors are invited to attend the SpringWorld 2022 Kick-off Dinner Thursday, Oct. 21, 2021, at Maggiano’s in Schaumburg, Illinois. The event will feature an update on the 2022 SpringWorld trade show, the opportunity to secure exhibit space, network with industry colleagues, and a dynamic speaker. Avish Parashar will present “Ding Happens!” This presentation provides attendees the tools and motivation to embrace change, rather than fear and resist it, and gives leaders the skills to manage and help their teams improvise, adapt and innovate in an ever-changing world. After being canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, SpringWorld 2022 has been rescheduled so that it will not conflict with Yom Kippur. According to CASMI president Tony Pesaresi, the event, which was scheduled to take place Oct. 5–7, 2022, will now take place Oct. 12–14, 2022 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois. According to Pesaresi, “SpringWorld taking place during Yom Kippur could have a negative impact on the event in terms of exhibiting company participation and attendance. CASMI strives to provide the best possible business atmosphere for buyers and suppliers at SpringWorld. Therefore, we decided to move the show to the second week in October.” SpringWorld is renowned for bringing springrelated businesspeople together. In 2018, nearly 2,200 attendees and exhibitors from around the world participated. The event is conveniently located at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois, just five minutes from O’Hare International Airport. Attendance is free and is limited to spring, stamping, fastener and wireform manufacturers and OEMs. For more information about exhibiting or attending, please visit www.casmispringworld.org or call the CASMI office at 630-359-4273.

SPRINGS / Summer 2021 / 11

Regional Spring Association Report

Wong Delivers Valuable Presentation at Live Membership Meeting Mike Wong, partner, SmithAmundsen’s Labor & Employment Practice Group, presented the 2021 CASMI Legal Update March 16 to a live CASMI audience during a membership dinner meeting. Wong advises clients regarding their day-to-day employee issues, employee handbooks, policies and procedures and represents clients in lawsuits, charges of discrimination and administrative matters involving discrimination and harassment, Title VII, ADA disability issues, FMLA administration and claims, wage and hour issues, class actions, cannabis in the workplace, and other labor and employment issues.

During the meeting, he addressed a variety of topics, including: • 2021 – Consolidated Appropriations Act and PPP Loans • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and State Covid-19 Updates • American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and FFCRA • Vaccinations Oh My! • Workers’ compensation • SB 1480 –Changes to IHR Are: Convictions and Equal Pay Act • BIPA • Minimum Wage Reminder Members can access the presentation handouts on the CASMI website under the section: “Member Central, Presentation Resources.”

Baseball Event Scheduled for August CASMI will host its third installment of “An Evening at the Ballpark” at Impact Field, Rosemont, Illinois, the home of the Chicago Dogs, a team of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball (AAIPB). The AAIPB is the largest and most successful independent minor league baseball league in the United States. The event will take place Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021. Successfully launched in 2018 (unfortunately the 2020 event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic), this event has consistently delivered a great opportunity for all CASMI members to network while enjoying a baseball game. The event includes your game ticket, networking, seating, food and beverage. According to CASMI president Tony Pesaresi, “This has been an extremely popular event and we look forward to its return in 2021. It’s great to be scheduling live programs again, and we look forward to hosting this event for our members this August.” Details and registration are available at https:// www.casmi-springworld.org/event/ballpark21. n

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Be Aware Safety Tips

Leading and Lagging Indicators: Safety Performance Measurements That Inspire Culture By Laura Helmrich-Rhodes, CSP, Ed.D.

re you measuring safety, health and environmental performance by your OSHA or workers’ compensation experiences? In other words, are only lagging indicators being used to assess your environment health and safety (EHS) program? To determine if you are meeting/exceeding your goals, other metrics need to be considered, along with creating a formalized process for continuous improvement. Let’s first look at what constitutes a safety management system, then begin to identify meaningful metrics that assure a return on investment, and ones that can move the company’s safety culture in a positive direction.

Safety Management Systems Companies operating in a federal OSHA plan in this industrial sector are not mandated to have a safety management system in place. Some state OSHA plans and certain types of business sectors do have obligations for formalized safety management. For example, California Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP or I2P2) is a state regulation. OSHA did attempt to make formalizing safety programs required; however, those criteria are now called “OSHA Safety and Health Program Guidelines.” The concept of an SMS is simple; a systems approach to manage overall risk, achieve total worker health and measure corporate social responsibility. During the Reagan/Bush administration, OSHA began to recognize exemplary performance by large organizations by creating the Voluntary Protection Program (VPP). Large organizations were recognized for implementing formal safety efforts using the “Guidelines,”

Celebrating hours/days/years without lost time accidents is no longer acceptable practice; however, rewarding positive behaviors that typically reduce accidents is highly encouraged. For example, improved department audit scores for housekeeping, or percent usage of protective equipment over six months would be worth celebrating. and it freed them from random OSHA inspections. It created a formalized partnership between big companies and OSHA. It also created an opportunity for data sets and measuring if these efforts really work. The National Safety Council reported in their 2014 “Journey of Excellence” that implementing an SMS reduces injuries 15 to 35 percent and has an estimated ROI of $3-$6 invested. The OSHA Guideline framework includes the following elements: • Management Leadership • Worker Participation • Hazard ID & Assessment • Hazard Prevention & Control • Education & Training • Program Evaluation & Improvement • Coordination & Communication on Multi-Employer Worksites According to OSHA, the use of this framework can improve product, process

and service quality, improve workplace morale, improve recruitment and retention, and provide a more favorable image and reputation among customers, suppliers and the community. Since the introduction of this framework, other formalized systems have evolved and are parallel with the evolution of the quality initiatives we have all experienced since the days of Edwards Deming. American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Z10, which began to be formed in 1999 and last updated in 2019, includes provisions for internal safety audits and management review. This consensus standard group worked with the American Society of Safety Professionals to outline a more comprehensive safety management system than what OSHA outlined in the guidelines. Since the publication of ANSI Z10, a more global business perspective has emerged. Your company may already be ISO 9001 and perhaps ISO 14001 compliant.

Laura Helmrich-Rhodes, CSP, Ed.D., is an independent regulations compliance consultant to the Spring Manufacturers Institute (SMI). A former member of PA/OSHA Consultation, she is an associate professor in the Safety Sciences Department at Indiana University of Pennsylvania where she teaches graduate and undergraduate classes on topics such as OSHA standards, safety communications, workers’ compensation and human relations. Rhodes is available for safety advice and information. Contact SMI at 630-495-8588 or laurahrhodes@gmail.com.

SPRINGS / Summer 2021 / 15

That same organization, ISO, in partnership with the American Society of Safety Professionals, has established its own safety management system, the ISO 45001. Like OSHA guidelines, it includes employer commitment and worker participation, hazard identification and controls, and training. In addition, it also includes provisions for monitoring and measurement for the purpose of improving the system. This standard

has the same structure and terminology as the other ISO standards. Another positive difference with this SMS is that it addresses outsourcing and procurement (a topic discussed in a previous Springs column “Not Your Grandfather’s Independent Contractor”). I would be remiss if I did not mention the use of incentive (reward) programs aimed at reducing accident frequency. These are not a substitute for a safety

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system, and they are a violation of OSHA if they influence accident reporting. Celebrating hours/days/years without lost time accidents is no longer an acceptable practice; however, rewarding positive behaviors that typically reduce accidents is highly encouraged. For example, improved department audit scores for housekeeping, or percent usage of protective equipment over six months would be worth celebrating. Keeping work fun and engaging workers is more important than ever, so finding creative ways to both retain workers and reward exceptional performance is necessary. Keep in mind that it cannot influence accident reporting.

Meaningful Occupational Safety Metrics? Most managers know that lagging indicators look back at events that have already occurred. The two best examples for this discussion are the Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) and Days Away Restricted or Transferred (DART) rates. These rates and the reduction of Experience Modification Rates (EMR) have been what safety and HR professionals, along with senior management, have long used as measures of the effectiveness of overall safety efforts. It has been determined that this strategy is not scientific and other measures need to be implemented. Numerous modern studies have shown these data, along with other long held safety beliefs such as the “Safety Pyramids” by Heinrich and Bird, are invalid and should not be used for decision making (see Manuele, Walaski and Hallowell). Instead, companies should use leading indicators as evidence of improvement in their safety management system. Leading indicators are those that are predictive and preventive. They offer feedback and show positive process movement. According to the Campbell Institute as reported by Pam Walaski (2020), 70 percent of organizations are still using lagging indicators only, while just 26 percent are using leading indicators to measure safety performance. Much of the literature on safety leading indicators reminds leadership to not just tally events such as safety committee meetings, supervisor safety trainings or

12/2/20 9:43 4:49 AM PM 7/10/20

Much of the literature on safety leading indicators reminds leadership to not just tally events such as safety committee meetings, supervisor safety trainings or incident investigations, but to also assess the quality of proactive and preventative events.

incident investigations, but to also assess the quality of proactive and preventative events. For example, it should not be the completion of a safety audit but the quality and improvements arising from the audits that should be measured. John Doerr, author of “Measure What Matters” advises senior management to have “clear benchmarks” that are “black and white.” That way, everyone is clear as to what is important and how they will be measured. Using leading indicators that underline a commitment to employee safety, with resources allocated to perform them, are the best way to move the safety culture forward. If you are only celebrating no lost time accidents or a reduction in your experience rating, dig deeper to see what is really being celebrated. What happened that allowed that to occur? What system processes were improved that employees acted without error? Have step-by-step procedures been written to avoid error/accidents over that time period? Has training raised safety hazard awareness? Were new safeguards installed?

Conclusion Large and small companies should consider implementing the new ISO 45001 standard, especially if ISO 9001 and/or ISO 14001 are already in place. Measure and celebrate the things that matter, the activities that display commitment to quality products and environmental health and safety! Use the continuous improvement methodology to move the safety culture forward too. If your company is interested in continuing this discussion and would like to formalize your safety program, be sure to turn to SMI for help. n

Sample Listing of Leading Indicators to Measure (Remember, it is quality not just quantity!) • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Hazard report completion Safety suggestions Supervisor trainings attended Supervisor toolbox talks Development/revision of job safety analysis (JSA) Behavior based safety observations completed Safety committee—percent attended, items completed Maintenance completion time of safety related items Employee retention rates PPE Usage Employee job trainings/retraining Welding/hot work permits completed Arc flash prevention permits completed

What we know about occupational safety: • Injuries and illnesses have a negative impact on profits • Work stoppages cost money • Replacing injured or ill workers has cost • Damaged property, machinery and product is a measurable loss • Accidents are errors in the process • Efficiency decreases waste and can increase profitability • Worker knowledge and attention to tasks vary by individual • Motivation is personal • Indirect costs of accidents likely are far greater than direct cost

Bibliography and Helpful Websites Burdick, Guy (April 8, 2021) Safety Management Systems — Which Is Right for You? https://ehsdailyadvisor.blr.com/2021/04/safety-management-systems-which-is-right-foryou/ (Retrieved 5/13/21) Esposito, Paul (March, 2021) Safety Through Accountability & Recognition, Professional Safety EHS Daily Advisor (April 7, 2020) Now’s the Time to Migrate from OHSAS 18001 to ISO 45001 https://ehsdailyadvisor.blr.com/2020/08/nows-the-time-to-migrate-from-ohsas-18001-toiso-45001/ (Retrieved 5/13/21) Hollawell, Mathew et al (April 2021) Statistical Invalidity of TRIR as a Measure of Performance, Professional Safety (Retrieved 5/13/21) https://aeasseincludes.assp.org/professionalsafety/pastissues/066/04/F2Hallowelletal_0421.pdf?_ga=2.23679091.839002868.1620857329-871067188.1531924963 Manuele, Fred (2008) Advanced Safety Management: Focusing on Z10 and Serious Injury Prevention, Wiley Jack J. Phillips, Patricia P. Phillips, & Al Pulliam, ROI in EHS (Environmental Health & Safety), ISBN: 978-1-118-63978-8, Scrivener and Wiley, print. Recommended Practices for Safety & Health Programs: Safety and Health Program Guidelines, US Dept. of Labor, OSHA https://www.osha.gov/shpguidelines/docs/OSHA_SHP_Recommended_Practices.pdf Walaski, Pam (August 2020) The Role of Leading and Lagging Indicators, Professional Safety Walaski, Pam, (June 2017) Right Sizing Risk Management for Small and Medium Size Business Professional Safety

SPRINGS / Summer 2021 / 17

Dean of Springs

The Forgotten Manager By Dan Sebastian

ver the years, we have recognized the importance of helping new employees get assimilated into their new jobs and the unique culture of our companies (if I were still working, my HR department would make sure I said that). It is even more important for those who are entering the workforce for the first time. There is another class of our employees that never seem to get the attention they deserve, and that is our first-time supervisors, who were likely promoted from within or were outsiders recruited for their special skills. I took on a number of supervisory roles during my career in the corporate world. Each was different and taught many valuable lessons. My first role as a supervisor took place when I was asked to manage the technicians at our research and development center. It proved very hard, as these were my friends and workmates. Like many first-time supervisors, I immediately began to micromanage all their activities. Fortunately, one of the techs, who I was very close to, finally had enough and sat me down as only a good friend can do. He taught me lesson No. 1: “Most employees know the job better than their supervisor.” His words, which I will never forget, were, “I was here before you and I helped train you. We all knew when you came in that you would soon be the leader. Now you should lead us with direction and support and let us do our job.” I had to learn these lessons on my own, because my supervisor was very busy and had no time to be a mentor or advisor. He believed in the “sink or swim” style of management. I learned that new supervisors need the same “care and feeding” as any new employee does. The next lesson took a little longer to sink in, but it was equally as painful to learn. It was: “Be able to separate friendship and the responsibilities of leadership.” This was especially hard for me, as I really like people and tend to make friends easily (I still struggle with this one). One episode, in the days before HIPAA laws were in place, involved an employee and close friend of mine who became ill. His doctor, who was also a close friend, confided in me that he was in much worse shape than he realized. The doctor told me that if I let him return to work in his old position, he would be endangering himself and those around him. I could not break the confidential information I had received, but I did not want to endanger my friend and the company. I made the difficult decision to limit his time and responsibilities when he returned. My friend never forgave me for what he perceived as unfair treatment, and our friendship was irreparably damaged. Lesson two was the need to manage the process between being a friend and being a supervisor.

His words, which I will never forget, were, “I was here before you and I helped train you. We all knew when you came in that you would soon be the leader. Now you should lead us with direction and support and let us do our job.”

The final lesson is about being a new supervisor in a new place. This is one I encountered a number of times as I moved around the spring world. When you come in from the outside, you encounter two issues from the very beginning. One is that you frequently are believed to be the outsider, taking the place of an insider who should have had the job. The second is the perception that you are there to clean house and bring in your own team. Each of these has some semblance of truth but must be managed. The only way to get around these issues is to gain the respect of employees by demonstrating your special skills and abilities that got you there. You must gain their respect and earn their loyalty. One of the best ways to ensure the success of a new supervisor is to be a mentor and advisor who helps them to: 1. Lead and not overmanage 2. Balance their friendship and leadership roles 3. Earn the respect of employees by not dictating, but by demonstrating your skills and abilities 4. Be a lifeguard, instead of watching them “sink or swim,” because their success is your success (and the company’s) and it is less stressful on everyone. n

Dan Sebastian is a former SMI president and currently serves as a technical consultant to the association. He holds a degree in metallurgical engineering from Lehigh University and his industry career spans more than four decades in various technical and management roles. He may be reached by contacting SMI at 630-495-8588.

SPRINGS / Summer 2021 / 19

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Types of Tests Used to Characterize Springmaking Materials — Part 6: Fatigue Testing of Wire

Technically Speaking

By C. Richard Gordon

his is the sixth Springs magazine article in the series regarding mechanical and technological tests for springmaking materials, fatigue testing of wire. Previous articles in the series are the tensile test (Winter 20201), the coiling and wrapping tests (Spring 20202), the torsion test (Summer 20203) the hardness test (Fall 20204) and the reverse bend test (Winter 20215). This article includes presentation materials from a Testing and Properties class6 that I have taught for a number of years for the Wire Association International as part of their Fundamentals of Wire Manufacturing program.

Overview In general, the testing of materials represents an important part of all quality work. It can include the control of incoming raw materials, materials in production, and produced materials or components before delivery. Many different techniques are used, including chemical analysis; microscopy; nondestructive testing; mechanical tests such as tensile strength, hardness and fatigue; and technological tests such as bending, torsion, coiling, wrap and weldability. In this series of articles, we have focused on mechanical and technological tests used to characterize springmaking materials. In this article, fatigue testing of round wire will be discussed. Fatigue Testing Fatigue testing is a vital component for measuring the strength and long-term performance of products. Fatigue is the fracture of a metal by cyclic stressing or straining7. A fatigue fracture generally occurs in three stages: 1) crack initiation, 2) crack propagation and 3) catastrophic fracture of the remaining cross section. Fatigue damage is caused by the combined action of cyclic stress, tensile stress and plastic strain. If any one of these three is not present, a fatigue crack will not initiate and propagate. The plastic strain resulting from cyclic stress initiates the crack; the tensile stress promotes crack propagation or growth. Studies have shown that microscopic plastic strains can be present at low levels of stress where the strain might otherwise appear to be totally elastic. Spring processing, heat treatment, surface treatment, finishing, and service environment can significantly influence the behavior of a metal under cyclic loading. A detailed description of all of the factors that must be considered for the prevention of fatigue failure is beyond the scope of this article. More information is available for fatigue in general as well as specifically for springs in many references. A good starting point is reference8.

Figure 1. Fatigue striations in an aluminum alloy subjected to loading at high stress (10 cycles) and low stress (10 cycles) alternately as the fatigue crack progressed across the sample9. (Reprinted with permission of ASM International. All rights reserved. www.asminternational.org)

As wire manufacturers evaluate new rod sources for the production of wire products intended for dynamic, cyclic spring applications such as music spring wire, they often use fatigue testing as a critical tool to assure satisfactory wire performance. While this is not an article about fatigue failure analysis, Figure 1 shows how a fatigue crack, once initiated, proceeds to grow under alternating high stress and low stress cycling.

Rick Gordon is the technical director for SMI. He is available to help SMI members and non-members with metallurgical challenges such as fatigue life, corrosion, material and process-related problems. He is also available to help manage and oversee processes related to failure analysis. This includes sourcing reputable testing labs throughout North America, forwarding member requests to the appropriate lab and reporting results and recommendations. He can be reached at c.richard.gordon@gmail. com or 574-514-9367.

SPRINGS / Summer 2021 / 21

sample, and the sample is rotated, while remaining in the bending plane. Testing is done to establish the fatigue limit or endurance limit of materials. Fatigue testing is important to springmakers as historical work has shown that the fatigue performance of wire is well correlated with spring fatigue performance8. Other test methods that are used for fatigue testing of wire products include the reverse bend test5 and axial fatigue test.

Figure 2. Schematic of the Kenyon rotating arc fatigue test from the original patent10.

Stress σ

Tension

σa σm = 0

Time t

Compression Figure 3. Schematic representation stress in the wire during rotation in the rotating arc fatigue test where σa is the stress amplitude.

Figure 4. Schematic of the Kenyon rotating arc fatigue test showing wires in a high stress and low stress positions10.

The most efficient method used to determine the high cycle fatigue strength of wire samples is the rotating bending fatigue test. In this article, we will focus

22 / SPRINGS / Summer 2021

on two tests: the Kenyon rotating bending fatigue test and Hunter rotating bending fatigue test. With these test methods, a bending strain is imposed on a wire

Kenyon Rotating Arc Fatigue Tester John Kenyon obtained a patent (US Patent 2,170,64010) in 1939 for the rotating arc fatigue test. Figure 2 is a schematic of the testing unit from the Kenyon patent. The wire is bent in an arc less than 180 degrees and fixed so one end is free to move at a tangent to the holding device. The wire sample will assume the arc of a circle. The sample is rotated using a constant rpm motor. Thus, the stress in the wire goes from compressive to tensile as the wire is rotated and the mean stress is zero, as shown in Figure 3. Figure 3 is a schematic representation stress in the wire during rotation in the rotating arc fatigue test where σa is the stress amplitude. Figure 4 shows wires in the test unit demonstrating a higher stressed sample and a lower stressed sample. Approximately 15 inches of wire undergoes uniform stressing in this test, which is a relatively large sample test length. The liquid in the tank (Figure 2) is usually oil used to dampen vibration. Two test fixtures can be inserted in one tank. Different liquids can be used, for example to study corrosion fatigue. Stress is calculated using the following equation: S = d*E/(2R) Where: d = wire diameter (inches) E = modulus of elasticity (30x106 psi for steel) R = radius of curvature (inches) The common size range for this type of unit is 0.035 in. to 0.060 in. (0.89 to 1.5 mm) diameter. Some test procedures suggest that the initial stress should be set at 60 percent of

Calculated bending stress (1,000 psi)

the wire ultimate tensile strength (UTS), while other suggest a value of 45 percent of the wire UTS. Additional samples 60 are tested at decreasing levels of stress, in 5 percent incre50 ments until the fatigue limit is reached. For initial studies, Mild steel some suggest testing three specimens at each stress level. A 40 constant rpm motor (3600 rpm) runs 2780 minutes (46.3 Fatigue limit hr.) to reach 10,000,000 cycles. 30 Aluminium Alloy Stress (S) is plotted on the y-axis versus the number of cycles to failure (N) on the x-axis. A logarithmic scale is 20 used for N as shown in Figure 5. This is typically referred 10 to as an S-N curve. This is an interesting graph for mild steel (a ferrous alloy) and an aluminum alloy (nonferrous 0 alloy). The mild steel data shows a plateau known as the 105 106 107 108 109 fatigue limit or endurance limit where the aluminum alloy Number of cycles to failure (N) shows a continuous increase in cycles with decreasing stress. For material exhibiting behavior like the mild steel sample, Figure 5. Typical fatigue curves for ferrous and nonferrous metals11. 10,000,000 cycles without failure is considered to be the fatigue limit. For the aluminum alloy, the stress at 100,000,000 or 500,000,000 cycles is considered to be the fatigue strength. Figure 6 shows example data from the Kenyon patent for four materials which show a fatigue limit: Piano wire (sample A), two samples of high carbon wire (samples B and C) and a copperberyllium wire (sample D). Data shown includes the ultimate tensile strength (UTS), fatigue limit (FL) and FL/UTS ratio for each material. Many companies build their own test units based on the design concept from the Kenyon patent. The design is suitable for adoption for testing larger diam- Figure 6. Fatigue test results presented in the Kenyon patent10. eter wire samples. With larger wire diameters, vibration is a key point for consideration and test speeds may be lower. L = 2.19C

Hunter Rotating Beam Fatigue Tester Another rotating bending type test used to test smaller diameter wires is the Hunter rotating beam fatigue tester. These testers were originally produced by the Hunter Spring Company, Lansdale, Pennsylvania. The common size range for this type of unit is 0.002 in. to 0.040 in. (0.05 to 1.0 mm) diameter. In this test, the maximum stress occurs at one point at ρmin as shown in the Figure 7 schematic. Parameters are also defined in this figure for the test and the modulus of elasticity E is shown for steel. Figure 8 shows a commercial test unit12. As in the case for the Kenyon fatigue tester, a synchronous motor running at 3,600 rpm will take 2780 minutes (46.3 hr.) to reach 10,000,000 cycles.

h = 0.835 C ρmin = 0.417C

ρmin

σb = E(r /ρmin) c

Driven chuck

Idling chuck

C = 1.198* (Ed/σb) [in.] σb = Bending stress (test stress) psi C = Chuck to bushing distance L = Sample length (+0.75 in. to E = 30,000,000 psi allow for insertion in the chuck E = Elastic modulus and bushing [in.] d = Wire diameter (in.) h = Distance from the chuck to wire r = Wire radius (d/2) (in.) bend height at ρmin

Figure 7. Hunter rotating beam fatigue test schematic.

SPRINGS / Summer 2021 / 23

Figure 8. Hunter rotating beam fatigue test set up12. Wire guides and a wire break detection fixture are shown in the insert. Photographs are courtesy of Fort Wayne Metals.

Summary In this article, two types of rotating bending type fatigue testers for testing round wire products were described. The tests are well established and continue to be used for testing wire products intended for cyclic and/or safety critical applications. n References 1. Gordon, C.R., Types of Tests Used to Characterize Springmaking Materials – Part 1: The Tensile Test, Springs, Winter 2020, p.27 2. Gordon, C.R., Types of Tests Used to Characterize Springmaking Materials – Part 2: The Coiling and Wrapping Tests, Springs, Spring 2020, p. 27.

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3. Gordon, C.R., Types of Tests Used to Characterize Springmaking Materials – Part 3: The Torsional Ductility Test, Springs, Summer 2020, p.17. 4. Gordon, C.R., Types of Tests Used to Characterize Springmaking Materials – Part 4: Hardness Testing, Springs, Fall 2020, p.19. 5. Gordon, C.R., Types of Tests Used to Characterize Springmaking Materials – Part 5: The Reverse Bend Testing, Springs, Winter 2021, p.19. 6. Gordon, C.R., Ferrous Testing & Properties, Fundamentals of Wire Manufacturing, WAI, Spring 2021. 7. Wright, R.N., Wire Technology: Process Engineering and Metallurgy, Elsevier, p150 (2016). 8. ASM Handbook, Vol. 1, Properties and Selection: Irons, Steels, and High-Performance Alloys, 10th edition, ASM International, Materials Park, OH, (1990). 9. Chandler, H., Metallurgy for the Non-Metallurgist, (1998), ASM International, Materials Park, OH 10. Kenyon, J.N., “Fatigue Testing Machine,” US Patent No. 2,170640, August 22, 1939 11. Dieter, G.E., Mechanical Metallurgy, (1976) McGraw-Hill, USA

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Spring Design Tips and Tricks

Stress 101 By Gary Van Buren

et’s talk a little bit about stress. Not the type of stress most of you are thinking of. I know that many of you are dealing with a great deal of stress right now with customer demands, workforce shortages and long lead times on material. That type of stress is not the focus of this article. Instead, let’s talk about the stress related to mechanical springs. There are only a couple of types of stress factors in the spring industry. Compression springs are stressed in torsion. This means the wire is twisting when the compression spring is pressed to a loaded position. The force created is measured in pounds or newtons. When measuring between two points, we can calculate a rate which is measured in lbs/ in (pounds per inch) or n/mm (newtons per millimeters). People outside of or new to the industry find it a little confusing that our compression spring has torsional stress. They figure that a torsion spring would be stressed in torsion.

Torsion

Bending

Torsion springs, however, are stressed in bending. This means that the wire is bending. As the torsion spring bends around a shaft, it creates a torque, which we measure in lbf-in (pound inches) or

P P

d A R2 R1

Bending stress at A

Torsion stress at B

It is possible to see a torsional stress in your torsion spring. If the leg of your spring comes off at an angle from the body, you will see a torsional stress in the leg. N-mm (newton millimeters). The rate in a torsion spring is measured in lbfin/degree (pound inches per degree) or n-mm/degree (newton millimeters per degree). It is possible to see a torsional stress in your torsion spring. If the leg of your spring comes off at an angle from the body, you will see a torsional stress in the leg. When it comes to an extension spring, it can have both torsional stress and bending stress. The body of this spring is stressed in torsion. The loads and rate are measured the same as our compression

spring, along with the addition of initial tension. However, the hook or loop has both torsional and bending stress. The loop itself is in bending while the radius off the body is in torsion. Most extension spring failures happen in the hook or loop, so you should pay special attention to these stresses. Fortunately, the ASD7 (Advanced Spring Design) software calculates all these stresses for us. This software gives us all the tools required to design a spring, which will safely operate for years to come. n

SPRINGS / Summer 2021 / 25

Springmaking Businesses Come in All Sizes By Gary McCoy

26 / SPRINGS / Summer 2021

mall, medium or large, springmakers all share a common goal of serving customers and producing their products to the highest quality standards. In this issue we celebrate the different companies, of all different sizes, who contribute to the success of this great industry. Regardless of a company’s size and workforce, I agree with author Steven L. Blue who wrote the book “American Manufacturing 2.0” that there are key conditions needed for successful manufacturing to take place. I read this book when it was published in 2016. I was surprised to see how accurate his five key conditions for successful manufacturing are in light of the pandemic that, among other things, has resulted in labor and raw materials challenges. 1. Markets That Are Free and Stable 2. Raw Materials 3. Labor 4. Energy 5. Leadership

“While factors such as free markets, raw materials, labor and energy are not entirely within your control,” writes Blue, “your leadership is totally within your control.” Leadership is a common thread throughout the articles we present here. Leading off our lineup is an article by Raquel Chole, a frequent contributor to Springs. Her report, “It’s All About Size” on page 28, showcases six springmakers of various sizes. As she states in the article’s introduction, “The springmakers featured in this article vary in size and serve every industry that uses a mechanical assembly. For the largest companies, automotive is a key area served; for some of the smaller springmakers, they have found a niche in specialized markets that are unique to their geographical location.” Our Springmaker Spotlight looks at All-Rite Industries, located in Spring Grove, Illinois, just northwest of Chicago. “Bringing it All Together: A Profile of John Bilik and All-Rite Spring Company” can be found on page 55. It is a prime example of one family business that started out small,

but has grown much larger and is now thriving with third generation family ownership. Company chairman and CEO John Bilik gives much of the credit for the company’s growth to his employees and as a key factor to continued success in the spring industry. “Teamwork at every level is the only way forward in the industry.” One of the traditions of Springs is to celebrate the milestones of its springmaker members, who come in all sizes. Our Flashback, “A Global Highlight About a Springmaker’s Anniversary,” can be found on page 37. It is a reprint of an item about Vulcan Spring and Manufacturing Co. that appeared in our Global Highlights

section when the company celebrated its 40th anniversary. As Vulcan’s current president Scott Rankin says, “It’s definitely an old article, but still accurate. We have come a long way since then.” The company will celebrate its 55th anniversary next year. Whether owned by family members or a private equity firm, we hope you enjoy this celebration of the many and varied companies that make up this great industry. n

SPRINGS / Summer 2021 / 27

SIZE It’s All About

MIGHTY. The word that describes springmakers across

North America. Whether they are a small company with under 15 employees, a midsized company, or one of the big hitters with multiple locations, they have an impact on the industries they serve, the customers they supply to, and the communities they enrich by creating jobs and actively supporting local events and charities. The springmakers featured in this article vary in size and serve every industry that uses a mechanical assembly. For the largest companies, automotive is a key area served; for some of the smaller springmakers, they have found a niche in specialized markets that are unique to their geographical location.

Dendoff Springs Ltd Mary-Anne Morris, Managing Director Surrey, British Columbia, Canada www.dendoff.com

Dendoff Springs was started by welding entrepreneur Hubert Dendoff over a hundred years ago. He saw an opportunity and morphed the business into a spring company. Eventually, the business passed on to his son-in-law and then to his

28 / SPRINGS / Summer 2021

granddaughter, Mary-Anne Morris, who took over at the young age of 23 upon her father’s death in 1985. “We serve resource-based industries,” says Morris. “Our parts are mostly used in heavy work, like forestry, mining, oil and gas and locomotive suspensions. We have developed our expertise in these heavyweight parts that are unique to our location and this is what we export from British Columbia to other parts of Canada and the U.S.”

By Raquel Chole

Morris is proud of the resourcefulness and versatility of her manufacturing operations. She specializes in custom work, and that usually means very large components. Dendoff does hot coiling as well as cold coiling (up to 5/8” diameter) of springs. Specialized leaf springs are a core product for the company and some of their leaf springs assemblies can weight up to two thousand pounds. There are not a lot of springmakers in Western Canada in general, according to Morris, which has helped her build a client base that numbers in the thousands across all different industries. “The Fords and GMs of the world are well catered to by some of the bigger spring companies in Eastern Canada and the U.S. Here we have to be a little more flexible. Out here in B.C., we don’t have the big OEMs as you have in the east. In forestry and mining you have a lot of the larger springs and a great variety of needs,” explains Morris. Resource-based industries are what drive the B.C. economy, and these comprise the major exports for this region. For example, logs from this province are shipped directly to China for processing — work that was once done in Canada. It has eliminated the need for sawmills

The size of the company has been especially beneficial in the area of training. “All our employees are well trained and versatile, and most of our guys have been here for 25 plus years, so they have a lot of skill,” says Morris.

in the area, but Morris feels this may be an industry poised for a comeback due to current economic situations that may drive the need for local processing of timber. That would be a happy outcome for her province, as well as her company, since her team has the knowledge to make the parts that industry needs — yet another niche market Dendoff Springs has historically served. The size of the company has been especially beneficial in the area of training. “All our employees are well trained and versatile, and most of our guys have been here for 25 plus years, so they have a lot of skill,” says Morris. On the downside, many of them are getting close to retirement. Morris recognizes the need to onboard and train new people, but with a relatively small shop, it is prohibitive to take on someone new before the person they are replacing is ready to move on or retire. “Our guys take the product from start to finish, as opposed to in larger companies where someone might be a machine operator and just wind springs all day and maybe do some quality checks. While our shop guys are very versatile, they typically don’t crossover between hot coiling and leaf springs to cold winding; however, on the products they are responsible for, they can do it all from the setup, the coiling, the grinding and whatever else is needed to get the part from raw material to finished component,” explains Morris. In looking to the future, Morris muses that some adjustments will be necessary because of the global situation we find

Top: Mary-Ann Morris and her son, Mason Wood. Bottom: Old company ad.

ourselves facing. “A few years ago, my answer about our future state would have been completely different,” she says. “As of May, Canada in general was still pretty closed down. We were able to operate, as we were deemed an ‘essential service’ during the pandemic. We did, however, experience a dramatic and abrupt slowdown. It taught me that we need to look at new automation and be less reliant on skilled manpower to succeed in the new future. If we improve by automation, I think everyone is aware that there will be changes related to technology. It’s critical to keep things rolling until our economy opens up again.” Morris foresees an operation that is smaller, increasingly automated and serving an even more specialized clientele.

Her son, Mason Wood, recently entered the business on the purchasing and inside sales end of the business. Before that, he spent a three-month stint in the shop. He most enjoyed the troubleshooting aspect of the shop floor. He found repairing and maintenance and fixing machines when they broke down rewarding and interesting. That’s a good omen for Morris: she’d love to see Dendoff carried on by family. Time will tell. Morris follows the strategy of her father and her grandfather before him, of focusing on maintaining status quo for the business — keeping things steady. In her time in leadership, she has seen major industries peak and then diminish. Wind power generation is a great example. It was a huge thing, says Morris. Dendoff

SPRINGS / Summer 2021 / 29

ramped up to supply. Then, the bottom dropped out and it was gone. The same sort of issue occurred when most highway guard rails moved from an all metalformed construction to concrete-formed structures or water containers. So, she counts on her stock, stable customer base to see her through. Over the years, Dendoff built the business on the heavy parts other springmakers often shy away from, and that product line helped the company become a trusted supplier to the likes of Hayes Manufacturing in the 1950s and ‘60s. Dendoff still produces that product line and actually makes leaf springs that can weigh up to two thousand pounds and are used on the massive logging trucks that are ubiquitous in Western Canada. In addition, Morris is especially proud of the work done for the Royal Hudson Steam Locomotive Company; Dendoff supplied every spring used, engine to caboose, from the suspension springs to the tiny springs in all the windows, as well as the window latches and even parts in the whistle. Rather than adding processes and in keeping with her maintenance of business philosophy, Morris sees value in terms of incorporating higher level management philosophies, like Lean Thinking, 5S or Six Sigma. All of these would be helpful; however, this is where Morris experiences resistance to new methods from her team. That may change, as automation increases and retirements cause newer, younger employees to enter the business. The barrier to automation, though, is the cost of upgrading equipment. “Everything in the spring world is so expensive. The prices are so much higher than they used to be, but there is a payoff. It is about picking and choosing and planning for it,” says Morris. While Morris started in the spring industry with a bit of a frightening jolt and only a short experience of working with her father before he died, she now considers it “old hat” after 40 years. “Things can come and go but I no longer get as scared as I used to when I see bad stuff in the business. You deal with it and move on,” she explains. At the end of the day Dendoff, though small, is right sized for the company it aspires to be.

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PIctured (l-to-r): Ritchy, Linda and Rich Froehlich.

Ace Wire Spring & Form Company, Inc. Linda Froehlich, Owner and Chief Problem Solver McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania acewirespring.com

“My father always said: ‘Don’t do automotive!’” says Linda Froehlich, owner of Ace Wire Spring & Form Company. “They’ll own you. They want parts for the cost of wire…even when we can’t get the wire anyway.” She feels this strong statement will resonate with many small and midsized spring companies. For Froehlich, midsized is a great place to be, a safe place to be, though she admits smaller might be better in these times because it is so challenging to find manufacturing floor employees. The most profitable operations, she feels, are the companies with fewer than 26 employees and often these have only family involved in the business. Froehlich says the big problem for companies like Ace is enticing young people to come into the industry. It is her fondest wish that springmaking could be seen as a career rather than just a job, as it was in days gone by, and that young high school graduates could find the satisfaction in making parts that are at the heart of every mechanical assembly.

Ace has been in business for more than 80 years and Froehlich loves the atmosphere: teamwork, family and future. “Future” because wireforms and springs will always be needed — they are the energy that moves things. She encourages employees to “stay, grow and continue on because there is always a tomorrow here. And, someone who starts here and thinks big could be an owner one day.” Froehlich sees the Ace niche as being the jobs no one else wants. “Automotive and appliance are down and dirty industries,” she says. “What I want is the work the other guys don’t want to do. When we see a job that is in our product line, we say, ‘Yes, we can do this.’” Some of that confidence comes from the continual investment in new equipment. Ace recently invested over a million dollars in new equipment, and through these machine acquisitions it is easy for the Ace leadership to see how technology has changed every aspect of the business. Froehlich credits the ingenuity and imagination of her team with using this new technology to create parts that translate to successful production outcomes for their clients. It has been many years since Ace made the leap from being a small-sized manufacturer to finding their sweet spot as a midsized operation. “At one point, with my dad as the owner, we had 7 to

For Froehlich, midsized is a great place to be, a safe place to be, though she admits smaller might be better in these times because it is so challenging to find manufacturing floor employees. The most profitable operations, she feels, are the companies with fewer than 26 employees and often these have only family involved in the business.

8 employees. By the time my husband Rich and I bought it, we had 26, and we grew it. Now our ideal number is 50 employees and we are a little shy of that,” she explains. “We have a great team of people. My husband and I are still working, and our son Ritchy is in the business

as well; some of the grandkids may come in eventually.” Froehlich is happy they have stayed in the business during what she calls scary times in the world today. “What would Rich and I have done during the pandemic if we didn’t have this business to go to? We can’t travel now. I’ll see Rich headed out the door on a Saturday or Sunday and I know he’s going over to Ace to see how things are going.” Most of the pivotal decisions that moved Ace from small to medium were sales related, not in terms of entering

markets, but in terms of adding sales muscle. First, they added manufacturers’ representatives to sell products on a commission basis. Later, as that produced good results, they added a sales manager who took them into the world of trade shows, which brought in high levels of desirable business. Now, their best manufacturers’ rep manages all the other reps, which takes the burden off the home team. One other decision resulted in game changing growth when, in the late 1970s, Ace purchased a Torin that could make

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up to 5/8” diameter parts. Froehlich remembers the shock of having to write a check for $125,000 for that machine, but now realizes that was a small ticket item compared to today’s machinery price tags. Their next investment is likely to be equipment that can run 24/7, says Froehlich, echoing the sentiments of Mary-Anne Morris of Dendoff in needing more automation when shop floor employees are hard to find.

While most spring companies never get the opportunity to make a stand-alone product, Ace found success with their own invention, called the Super Clip. It is a giant paper clip that remains popular today and can be ordered at www. superclip.com. It can securely hold 100 sheets of paper and Froehlich lights up with delight when she talks about it: “Everyone who sees them loves them and wants to buy them.”

Froehlich remains optimistic for the future and is quick to remind others of the company motto: It’s always springtime at Ace. “I wish my dad could see what we’ve become today, from his beginnings in an attic to a 55,000 sq. ft. operation, with plenty of incremental growth in between.” Ace has grown, has survived a pandemic and will continue to thrive.

Twist, Incorporated Mike Given, Vice President Kali Smith, Vice President of Business Unit Development at Twist Aero Jamestown, Ohio twistinc.com

Delving into some of the largest spring manufacturers in North America, a pattern of diversity of product lines emerges, and Twist is one spring company that has expanded in intriguing ways. They now have eight manufacturing plants in Ohio, plus one in Mexico. Their size has allowed them to become self-sufficient as a company, performing operations from forming to stress relieving, along with some heat treating and a broad range of plating, which gives Twist the chance to control quality, cost and lead time, making them a winning supplier to their clientele. Mike Given, vice president, says that developing plating operations has been a major advantage, because Twist can offer coating services to anyone on the outside that needs coating and they have a broad product range to choose from, including zinc, acid and alkaline zinc nickel, PTFE, e-coat and powder coating. Rather than sending parts out, Twist built a plating facility, so everything can be done in house. The in-house coating division also allows them to process parts faster without reliance on outsourcing to suppliers, where they are at the mercy of the coaters with regard to capacity and for transit time. These in-house processes allow Twist to react to customer requirements with agility because they have the capability to manufacture specialized equipment in-house, from sheet metal fabrication to full electrical integration.

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“Our goal is to be an essential supplier to our customers. We can supply more than one product, allowing them to reduce their supply base. Our latest venture has been our new facility in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. This facility was not built to move work from our U.S. operations, but to add new market segments to our overall business plan,” says Given. Along with their commitment to completing all processes under one corporate umbrella, Given says that Joe Wright, founder and president of Twist, takes pride in reinvesting in the business and is very active in day-to-day operations. He is committed to having the “latest and greatest” technology. As a result, they annually invest $1–3 million in technology and are also in the process of building a new, state-of-the-art e-coat facility. They can do this because they are a debt-free company. “This allows us to be independent,” says Given. “It’s a nice sales tool for us, as well.” Most of their business comes from sales of automotive components, medical components and aviation brake springs, though in the early 1980s they were 80 percent or more automotive. Today,

Twist's size has allowed them to become self-sufficient as a company, performing operations from forming to stress relieving, along with some heat treating and a broad range of plating, which gives Twist the chance to control quality, cost and lead time, making them a winning supplier to their clientele.

automotive makes up approximately 55 percent of their total business. By diversifying their product, Twist ended up with a more diversified customer base. Now their largest customer only represents 10 percent of sales, so diversity has become their success story. One venture has been the formation of the division called Twist Aero, which is not spring related at all. Kali Smith, vice president of Twist Aero, explains that this division engineers and manufactures systems that support aircraft on the ground with preconditioned air units, frequency converters, Boom Air hose management and other products.

That division represents a quarter to a third of total corporate sales for Twist. Smith is proud to help carry on the family business, which got its fitting name from an unusual source. “My mom had a horse named Twister and, when my grandfather was launching the company, he realized Twist would be a great name for a spring company, and that was how it started,” she explains. As a strong component of the next generation of leadership for her family business, Smith says it simply: “We’ve been in business for 50 years and we’ll be around 150 years from now because we are well positioned for that.”

SPRINGS / Summer 2021 / 33

Peterson Spring Mike Putz, CEO Southfield, Michigan USA www.pspring.com and www.racingsprings.com

Mike Putz grew up in the family metal forming business. His father owned Gagnier Products/RKM, a small stamping company, and his dad’s work ethic was second to none that Putz ever experienced. So, it seems fair to say metal forming is in his blood. “I’m the guy who looks forward to Monday mornings because I love what I do — just as my dad did. We go on vacation and

34 / SPRINGS / Summer 2021

my kids would want to include a picture of me on the phone in the scrapbooks, because…well… I can enjoy my holiday better if I know all is well in the shop. I remember feeling that way about my dad and his commitment to his shop.” Following the sale of Gagnier Products/RKM to Dudek & Bock Spring Manufacturing Company, after some transition time at Dudek, Putz eventually landed at Peterson, which was family owned for 105 years until it was purchased by MiddleGround Capital in April 2019. Putz marvels that a large metal forming company could go through as many generations of family management, as Peterson did, and still be active owners.

The family was involved in every aspect of the business before the sale. “I love the family aspect of this business,” he says. He has found it to be unique to the spring manufacturing industry. “Two years before I went to Dudek, the board meetings at Gagnier/RKM were (comprised of) me and my dad. The next year, I was across from an empty chair because he had died. But then, when we were sold to Dudek, I was sitting with the Dudek family. Then, I got to Peterson, and now I get to do it all again. I am blending the family values from the Petersons with the professionalism from MiddleGround.” “There’s a culture that the Peterson family built, and I spend a lot of time ensuring that culture continues. I want to be sure this is ready for the future. It’s the uncles, the cousins, the sisters and more who are all involved, not just historically among the owners, but this is what you see on the shop floor. It’s family, just like my dad’s company was, though it’s much bigger in size.” A wall at Peterson headquarters is dedicated to the company milestones over the years, and Putz enjoys that visual tour of the company’s past while also looking forward to the contributions their current business will add to the timeline. With

Putz finds many advantages to Peterson’s size. “The most important aspect is that we have the resources to supply customers with a range of equipment, a strong engineering intellect, and with a global footprint that has a local touch. We’ve broken down the silos within the company so we can provide better support across all areas of our operations.”

pride, he mentions that the company had springs on Apollo 11 and 12, but is quick to add with a sigh of relief that there were no Peterson springs on Apollo 13. As the head of the largest privately held spring manufacturer in North America, Putz finds many advantages to Peterson’s size. “The most important aspect is that we have the resources to supply customers with a range of equipment, a strong engineering intellect, and with a global footprint that has a local touch. We’ve broken down the silos within the company so we can provide better support across all areas of our operations.” Size is also an advantage in terms of purchasing

power for raw materials and with outside processors. Despite their size, Peterson has been savvy in morphing the business as needed to suit the times. While they remain major players in the automotive realm, their focus has turned to high performance race car valve springs and that is currently their strongest division. “Our racing division is really big. We still do a lot of automotive,” says Putz, “but we focus on a lot of border wires and some elements of steering as opposed to being as generalist as we once were.” The Peterson team is very cognizant of what is happening with the electrification

Mike Putz

of vehicles – especially because they make valve springs. “Crazy enough, though, we are doing a spring in an F150 electric vehicle drive train,” says Putz. As part of the commitment to pursuing a variety of markets, Peterson also is a player in heavy equipment, heavy trucks and agricultural equipment. In the next 105 years, they’ll continue to diversify that customer base. “We want to be in those next waves of vehicle developments. We want to be part of electric vehicles and we need to find our niche there. We research and speculate on where the market is going because we want to be the ‘go to’ spring manufacturer,

SPRINGS / Summer 2021 / 35

and we have the backing of our private equity owners to do that,” says Putz. A natural outcome of being PE owned is that a sales process will happen, likely by 2029. So, Putz is driven to be operationally focused. “We create value on the shop floor so we can be as lean and as efficient as possible, so that we become a strategic asset as an add-on to a larger company or a platform for a buyer who wants what we offer.” When Peterson was founded in 1880 by August Peterson, he was going to create a company that would last from generation to generation, not just for his own kids but for the extended company family. “August Peterson accomplished that dream,” says Putz. “I am making sure it’s still sustainable. The Petersons created a place for generations to make good livings for the families who worked here, and that legacy continues.”

Mubea North America James Sheehan, CEO Florence, Kentucky USA www.mubea.com/en

Mubea is an international powerhouse with 48 locations in 20 countries and that gives Mubea a number of clear advantages, says James Sheehan, CEO. Their size enables Mubea to invest in technology and also affords them a purchasing advantage with vendors. The biggest asset that Sheehan sees is that customers can find one-stop shopping for their global platforms. “We are here to serve our customers, and where our customers go, we follow,” says Sheehan. A good example is Mubea’s Mexico footprint. If someone were to draw a circle around our North American operations with a 600-mile radius, they would see the vast majority of U.S. customers are located within that area. “We are always considering further expansion and have done so in Eastern Europe and China, for example, and we are in early discussions to bring in new technology that will support that expansion,” says Sheehan. Despite being large, the company is agile. It is still family owned and the owners are very involved in the business, which shortens the decision-making process. “We can bring products to market quite quickly,” explains Sheehan. Leadership at Mubea is eager to see what the future will bring for the world

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James Sheehan

Despite being large, the company is agile. It is still family owned and the owners are very involved in the business, which shortens the decisionmaking process. “We can bring products to market quite quickly,” explains James Sheehan.

of springmaking. Sheehan’s team, for instance, sees great promise for the use of reinforced glass fiber in strengthening leaf springs. Using reinforced glass fiber leaf springs could save 40 kilos of weight per heavy vehicle. Electrification of springs has good potential for battery cooling plate applications. “I think in America in general, we have a passion for success through providing stable employment for our people and aspiring to operational excellence. Regional expansion into the U.S. and Asia has been important to the growth strategy of the company and has created some pivotal success moments for us. That, combined with regularly introducing new technology will take us forward,” says Sheehan. To understand the history, the culture and the modus operandi of the company

as a whole, Sheehan recommends a book that captures the Mubea spirit well, called “The Mubea Way.” The book delves into the vision of the founders to provide sustainable growth and success because, “as a family company, we’re in it for the long haul,” he explains. A common thread of family commitment runs through these featured companies because there is a family feel to the business, regardless of size and current ownership. It is a philosophy that does seem unique to the spring industry. While owners can have feisty debates about which markets are best and what size is the right size for them, the continuous thread that runs through is that the businesses they built are well positioned to have an impact on many generations of families whether those families are the owners or part of the team on the floor. n

Flashback – January 2008 ©iStockphoto.com/unoL

A Global Highlight About a Springmaker’s Anniversary (Editor’s note: One of the traditions of Springs is to celebrate the milestones of its springmaker members, who come in all sizes. In keeping with the theme of this issue, we present this item about Vulcan Spring and Manufacturing Co. that appeared in our Global Highlights section when the company celebrated its 40th anniversary. As Vulcan’s current president Scott Rankin says, “It’s definitely an old article, but still accurate. We have come a long way since then.” The company will celebrate its 55th anniversary next year.)

he year 2007 marked the 40th anniversary of Vulcan Spring and Manufacturing Co. in Telford, Pennsylvania. From its humble beginnings in the basement of an entrepreneur’s home to its prominent position in the industrial and point-of-purchase marketplaces, Vulcan Spring has grown by constantly inventing new technologies and new uses for springs and retracting tethers. In 1967, Vulcan’s first commercial application gave voice to the iconic “Talking G.I. Joe” action figure. In 1973, Vulcan Spring provided the precision necessary to create the surgical stapler that became a standard medical device in operating rooms around the world. In 1981, the Pullbox® retractable tether was an innovative solution for product positioning and theft deterrence. In 1990, Vulcan Spring invented the variable force spring for point-of-purchase displays. In 2003, the

company supplied the springs that opened the solar panels on NASA’s exploration rover when it landed on Mars. In Vulcan’s 40 years, it has manufactured over 6,000 individual products for more than 2,000 customers. It employs QC/QA and SPC programs that allow Vulcan to meet the strictest tolerances, documented within 99.9999 percent of specification. n

SPRINGS / Summer 2021 / 37

©iStockphoto.com/GCShutter

Employee Engagement Ideas: Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way By Julie Davis

mployee engagement increases productivity, increases profit, increases quality, and is one of the top ways to improve employee retainment. According to Wikipedia, an engaged employee is “one who is fully absorbed by and enthusiastic about their work, and so takes positive action to further the organization’s reputation and interests. An engaged employee has a positive attitude toward the organization and its values. In contrast, a disengaged employee may range from someone doing the bare minimum at work (aka ‘coasting’), up to an employee who is actively damaging the company’s work output and reputation.”

According to a 2016 Gallup Employee Engagement Survey, 87 percent of employees are disengaged, costing companies up to $550 billion in annual productivity losses.

Why Should You Care? According to a 2016 Gallup Employee Engagement Survey, 87 percent of employees are disengaged, costing companies up to $550 billion in annual productivity

losses. Organizations in the top 25 percent of employee engagement scores achieved dramatically better operational performance than organizations in the bottom 25 percent.

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Companies with the top 25 percent employee engagement experience rewards like: • 10 percent higher customer loyalty/ engagement • 21 percent higher profitability • 20 percent higher sales productivity • 70 percent higher in fewer safety incidents • 28 percent higher in reduced shrinkage (shop stealing and similar) • 41 percent higher in less absenteeism • 40 percent higher in quality (fewer defects) If Gallup Survey results weren’t enough to have you seriously rethinking employee engagement, according to the Workplace Research Foundation cited on the Talent Culture website, increasing employee engagement investments by 10

percent can increase profits by $2,400 per employee per year.

What You Can Do Multiple research reports and surveys have shown that the three most important factors directly impacting employee engagement are communication, connection and development. Quantum Workplace administered a survey to nearly 5,000 organizations and found 31 items that were drivers of engagement. Of the 31 items, you may be surprised to learn the three items of lowest importance were: 1. I have a close and trusting relationship with one or more co-workers. 2. My benefits meet my (and my family’s) needs well. 3. We have benefits typically not available at other organizations. While benefits and compensation are often the first items cited when thinking about employee turnover and retention, there are multiple factors, such as feeling connected, valued, and a sense of contributing to a bigger picture, that are shown to be more influential.

Build Your Strategy Employees account for a large organizational investment, so why not make sure employees feel like a valued resource? Companies regularly invest in systems

Companies with the top 25 percent employee engagement experience rewards like:

21%

Higher profitability

20%

Higher sales productivity

and equipment updates. Making an investment in “human capital” can give you amazing returns. Here are some ideas on how to start. Assess and prioritize. We measure what matters, so get started with employee engagement by understanding what is currently taking place. There are many available survey examples. Make sure that the questions you ask get at the heart of communication dynamics, employee perception of leadership, and employee development. Understanding the various ways to analyze results and

70%

Higher in fewer safety incidents

prioritize findings can be essential in choosing what type of assessment you use. Build effective organizational communication. Is the information you communicate relevant, accurate, engaging, informative and instructive? Does it lead to a greater sense of organizational transparency and build trust? Do you have clear lines of internal communication? Daily communication is one of the fastest ways to increase employee engagement. Foster connection and trust with leadership. According to Quantum

©iStockphoto.com/skynesher

SPRINGS / Summer 2021 / 39

Workplace research, the three themes for creating the largest impact on employee development are the leadership’s attention to the workplace experience, the visibility of leadership, and employees seeing their personal future within the organization. This means leaders need to be attuned to and invested in shaping the culture and that they take time to connect with all levels of the organization. This connection can support an employee’s sense that the

organization’s future is secure. Further, employees need to be able to see a path for personal and professional growth as they look ahead. Create development opportunities. It has been said that when employees stop learning, they start leaving. When it comes to employee retention, development is a strategic part of ensuring that your employees feel valued and engaged. There are many activities that encompass

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employee development, including continuing education, employee participation in professional organizations, activities like mentorship that lead to increased job performance, and increased duties or responsibilities. There is also skill-based training, specialized projects or teams, and coaching. While not every employee may want development opportunities, the employees that do are generally the ones you want to grow and retain. Measure impact. Employee engagement should be measured annually. General surveys can be created to reflect the organization’s key performance measures, such as profitability, productivity, quality, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. However, specific surveys can also be generated to better reflect departments, teams, specific areas of focus (such as communication), or other outcomes. Your best results will be achieved when you build a plan from your survey results that focuses on one or two achievable outcomes.

No More Arguments The biggest argument against establishing an employee development program is the cost and time that it takes to manage. But what if there was a virtually zero cost method to offer your employees development opportunities? Chris Czarnik, founder of Career Research Group, presented at AEM’s Workforce Solutions Summit where he described in detail a virtually zero-cost method that any company could use to create an employee development plan that would benefit both the employees and the employer. It can be done so that where there is willingness and creativity, there is a way. n Julie Davis is the workforce solutions director for the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM). AEM is the North America-based international trade group representing off-road equipment manufacturers and suppliers with more than 1,000 companies and more than 200 product lines in the agriculture and construction-related industry sectors worldwide. The equipment manufacturing industry in the United States supports 2.8 million jobs and contributes roughly $288 billion to the economy every year. If you need more support, ideas or information, get started by visiting the Workforce Solutions Toolkit at www.aem.org/ workforce-solutions#toolkit or contact Davis at jdavis@aem.org.

3/30/21 11:44 AM

Plan now to participate in SpringWorld® 2022! Join your colleagues at the industry’s premier event.

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Time-In-Process and Belt Speed Control on a Conveyor Oven By Daniel Pierre III

©iStockphoto.com/StudioM1

hen comparing ovens for a new investment, one factor that influences your decision is the range of time you can keep parts in the oven. To a lesser extent, another is whether you can control your speed digitally or through a variable speed potentiometer. If you have a specific application in mind, you may know what speed or Time-In-Process (TIP) you require. If you need an oven for general use, one tends to select ovens with the widest range of speeds to maximize your flexibility. Unfortunately, most specification sheets do not come with asterisks to further explain that you usually cannot get the entire range of speed indicated. To make things more complicated, there are additional speed ranges available for that oven. This lack of clarity illustrates that you need to utilize your relationship with your oven supplier to fully understand an oven’s capability. It is nearly impossible to compare “apples to apples” by just looking at the specification sheets. From an oven designer’s point of view, let me explain what goes on to develop the optimal drive system for an oven. First, ovens are designed from the inside out. You have known

wattages of heating elements and/or a known capacity of heating forced air. For electric ovens, there are limits to consider so you do not have nearby elements affecting another element’s performance. In the end, you have a heat chamber with the optimal heating power. Next, you determine how much mass can pass through the oven so it will not be overloaded, both physically and thermodynamically. These are the hard facts, and all sorts of formulas can assist in this design stage. Now comes the “art” of the design. An oven designer must guess the typical loads that will be used in these ovens. This is where relationships with our customers as well as relationships with the makers of spring coiling machines are beneficial. The more oven designers can understand the probable load scenarios, the better we can calculate the stress relief needs of the parts, i.e., TIP. You are left with a range of speeds that are likely to be needed for this oven. This is only half of the design, though. The harder calculations are understanding the torque

The more oven designers can understand the probable load scenarios, the better we can calculate the stress relief needs of the parts, i.e., TIP. needs based on the load range. The smoothness of the conveyor bed, the weight of the conveyor belt plus parts, the size of the drive drum and a customized torque wrench reveal the torque needs of the drive motor. Next comes the calculations based on the gear ratio (or choices of gear ratios) of various drive motors. All of this information will give you a specific range of speeds possible for a particular motor on an oven. Typically, for digital speed control, the range of speed is limited to about 90 percent of the motor’s range. In analog potentiometers, you can often see that the motor stops before you crank the dial all the way to zero. Digital controllers can cut that dead space out.

SPRINGS / Summer 2021 / 43

Table 1 How gear ratios affect TIP Motor size

Motor ratio

Motor torque

Motor TIP range

120:1

110

1~10.5 minutes

24:1

220

2~21 min utes

120:1

279

1~10.5 minutes

240:1

477

2~21 minutes

300:1

247

2.5~26 minutes

750 : 1

617

1.5~65 minutes

This is still not the whole story. Remember the mention of gear ratios on drive motors? Some motor makers offer different gear ratios in the same sized motor. It means one could swap motors to yield a different set of speed ranges. Please note that this comes at a cost of torque. While you might get the optimal speed range, the motor might not be able to handle the load. Some examples of this can be seen in Table 1.

If you wanted to process 17-7 stainless steel, you might think you are golden if you just swap in a size 22 motor with a 750:1 gear ratio. On a larger oven, this might be an option, but on a smaller oven, a larger motor might not physically fit in the space provided. A potential solution is changing the drive system to an indirect drive system and adding in yet another set of gear ratios. Often, the cost to fabricate a new motor mount and to add chain

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and sprockets is about a wash, adding with the cost of a larger motor with a favorable gear ratio. However, external gearing in this manner increases your torque and expands the overall speed range. [Specifically for 17-7 material, you should desire a 70-minute belt speed so you can have time to get the parts to 900F and hold for a full 60 minutes.] If the range of parts you will run are similar enough to use the same belt weave, but you need the added flexibility to run the belt very slowly, there is always the option of buying the indirect drive system. It takes perhaps 30 minutes to make a changeover, plus a small change in programming for the digital speed controller. Your oven supplier can assist with that. If you have an analog potentiometer, just be warned that any previous markings you may have made on the dial such as “3 = 7 minutes” will change when you change the drive system, and your markings will have to be recalibrated. If you look at Table 2, you will notice the new range of speeds and that there

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is still a trade-off on the fastest speeds. For this oven, it would be impossible to have a total range of speeds from 2~73.5 minutes. If you will run applications that require 4-5 minutes for some parts and 65-72 minutes for another application, you will likely need to manually change the drive system (or buy two ovens!). There is no one perfect oven that can handle all production runs, just like you would not use the same coiler to run 0.008” and 0.625” wire. A larger oven would be overkill for small parts, even though it might get you the belt speed range you desire. A larger oven’s belt weave could also be too open for smaller parts. The cost to maintain temperatures in a larger oven when running small parts also adds to inefficiencies. If you are considering an oven for general use, please discuss your potential applications so your oven provider can steer you in the right direction. Sometimes the better investment is buying an option, rather than buying an oven that is too large for the sum of your applications. n

Pictured on the left is an indirect drive furnace option that can increase your belt speed range. Pictured on the right is a direct-drive furnace system that has minimal costs.

Table 2 How Indirect drive systems add torque, but limit speed ranges. "indirect drive with 3.5 sprocket ratio" Motor size

Gear ratio

Torque

TIP Range

Torque

TIP Range

240:1

220

2~21 minutes

770

7~73.5 minutes

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SPRINGS / Summer 2021 / 45

SMI Scholarship Program Surpasses $300,000 in Awards By Gary McCoy

SMI member companies will be sent information for the 2022 scholarship program in the fall, via mail, email and SMI’s website, www.smihq.org.

46 / SPRINGS / Summer 2021

©iStockphoto.com/jacoblund

he SMI Scholarship program is now in its 11th year and has cumulatively awarded $310,00 in financial aid. This year $23,000 in scholarship awards were granted to 10 students among a pool of applicants from SMI’s members in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. “SMI appreciates the opportunity to recognize and celebrate the 10 students who received awards in our 2021 scholarship program,” said SMI president Bert Goering. “As an association we highly value the impact that higher education can have upon on the sons and daughters of our member companies. Our program is designed to be a tangible benefit that can help students make their dreams of a higher education become a reality.” To be eligible for an SMI scholarship, award winners must be a full-time employee or a dependent child of a full-time employee who works for an SMI member company. For 2021, SMI awarded five regional scholarships in the amount of $2,000 each. In addition, five at-large scholarships were also selected: • Ronald and Adrienne Banas Scholarship, $5,000 • International Spring Scholarship, $4,000 awarded to two students in the amount of $2,000 each • Callaghan-Hart Scholarship, $2,000 • Albert H. Goering Memorial Scholarship, $2,000

2021 Regional Scholarships

Scholarship Recipients Say Thanks

U.S.

Here are excerpts from correspondence sent to SMI by this year’s scholarship recipients to express their gratitude.

“ Magdalena Chwieralski

Hometown: Niles, Illinois SMI Member Parent: Zbigniew Chwieralski, Stanley Spring and Stamping Attending: Adler University, Chicago Major: Clinical Mental Health

Anna Gruchala

Hometown: Clarendon Hills, Illinois SMI Member Parent: Grzegorz Gruchala, Sterling Spring Attending: University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama Major: Mechanical Engineering

Canada

Sydney Cusick

Hometown: San Luis Obispo, California SMI Member Parent: William Cusick, MW Industries, Inc. Heli-Cal Products Attending: University of California: Davis, Davis, California Major: Animal Science Jaclyn Buttafuoco

Hometown: Schaumburg, Illinois SMI Member Parent: Michael Buttafuoco, Keats Manufacturing Company Attending: Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences, Kansas City, Missouri Major: Biomedical Sciences

Saumya Mathur

Hometown: Pickering, Ontario SMI Member Parent: Rajiv Mathur, Bohne Spring Industries Ltd. Attending: University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario Major: Comparative Physiology, Neuroscience, Chemistry Attending: Southern Connecticut State University, New Haven, Connecticut Major: Elementary Education

I would like to send my sincere appreciation for being selected for a $2,000 scholarship. I am incredibly honored. This award means so much to me as it allows my academic journey to continue here at UC Davis, with less financial stress on myself and my family. I cannot thank you enough for your generosity, as I will be able to pursue my career goals with your support. It has been my dream to someday become a veterinarian, but the path toward this career is costly. However, this award has made this dream of mine appear all the more possible. As I continue my educational career, I will remain forever thankful for receiving this financial support. I assure you that these funds will be used responsibly and with immense gratitude. Thank you once again for your generosity and support.

Sydney Cusick

“

I was recently notified that I have been selected as the awardee for a $2,000 SMI scholarship. I would like to sincerely thank you for awarding me this scholarship. My father, an employee of an SMI member company, informed me that this was the first time that someone’s dependent from his location was awarded this scholarship which is incredibly exciting!

Saumya Mathur

SPRINGS / Summer 2021 / 47

“

I am sincerely honored to have been selected as the recipient of the Ronald and Adrienne Banas scholarship. I plan on using this to pay for my tuition at Kettering University, where I am pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering with a minor in innovation and entrepreneurship. Your generous donation has afforded me with the opportunity to focus more on my studies and less on how I am going to pay for them. I can’t thank you enough for your generosity.

Kelsie McManus

“

I wanted to thank you and everyone at SMI for awarding me with this scholarship. It is going to help me a lot of and I am very grateful for this opportunity!

2021 At-Large Scholarships

Albert H. Goering Memorial Scholarship

International Spring Scholarship

Leah Pennington

Carrie Lefeber

Hometown: Randolph, Mississippi SMI Member Parent: Christy Pennington, MW Industries Inc. Pontotoc Spring Attending: Itawamba Community College, Fulton, Mississippi Major: Secondary Education

Hometown: Van Dyne, Wisconsin SMI Member Parent: Christine Lefeber, Spiros Industries Attending: University of WisconsinPlatteville, Platteville, Wisconsin Major: Mechanical Engineering

Lily Shane

Callaghan-Hart Scholarship Tomasz Gruchala

Hometown: Clarendon Hills, Illinois SMI Member Parent: Grzegorz Gruchala, Sterling Spring Attending: Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago Major: Medicine

International Spring Scholarship Lily Shane

Hometown: Dallas, Texas SMI Member Parent: Aki Shane, Newcomb Spring of Texas Attending: Undecided Major: Film Production 48 / SPRINGS / Summer 2021

Ronald and Adrienne Banas Scholarship Kelsie McManus

Hometown: Grand Haven, Mi SMI Member Parent: John McManus, Motion Dynamics Corporation Attending: Kettering University, Flint, Michigan Major: Mechanical Engineering

Springmakers Eager to Reconnect at 2021 eXpo in Las Vegas By Gary McCoy

50 / SPRINGS / Summer 2021

ith the state of Nevada reopening at 100 percent capacity on June 1, the spring industry is excited to gather in person to network, see new products and equipment, and enjoy an array of educational presentations at the 2021 SMI Metal Engineering eXpo (MEE), Sept. 28–30 at the South Point Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. “The industry has spent more than a year being separated from one another due to the pandemic,” said Daniel Pierre III of JN Machinery, who is a co-chair of the 2021 SMI Metal Engineering eXpo (MEE). “Exhibitors are anxious to see customers and impress them with new offerings and solutions.” Held every two years at venues across the U.S., MEE provides an opportunity for springmakers, metalstampers, wireformers and suppliers to the precision spring manufacturing industry to gather together.

“We know the spring manufacturers’ community is more than ready for three days of relevant education, new technology and equipment and engagement with our peers,” said SMI president Bert Goering of Precision Coil Spring. “In preparation for MEE 2021, we are working closely with the state of Nevada, South Point Hotel and Casino and our partner Tradeshow Logic to ensure your experience with us is both safe and rewarding,” explained Goering. “We will be adhering to all COVID-19 guidelines and protocols as established by the state and the facility and will adopt any additional industry best-practices as recommended by Tradeshow Logic.”

Registration Opens Registration to the eXpo is now available at www.MetalEngineeringeXpo.org. You will find detailed attendee and exhibitor registration categories and fees. Hotel registration is also now available. Just click on the convenient link on the homepage of the eXpo website to make reservations at the South Point Hotel and Casino.

eXpo Schedule Tuesday, Sept. 28 Exhibit Hall Hours Opening Reception (included in registration)

3:00– 6:30 p.m. 5:30– 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 29 Technical Symposia 8:00– 9:50 a.m. Exhibit Hall Hours 10:00 a.m.– 5:00 p.m. Networking Reception 5:30– 7:30 p.m. (ticketed event)

Thursday, Sept. 30 Technical Symposia Exhibit Hall Hours

8:00– 9:50 a.m. 10:00 a.m.– 2:30 p.m.

©iStockpho

to.com/4FR

SPRINGS / Summer 2021 / 51

Strong Education Focus Continues The other chair of MEE 2021 is Joe Devany of Betts Company. As a springmaker, Devany says the eXpo has developed two distinct strengths since it started in 2015: exhibitors showing new equipment and the educational presentations during the Technical Symposia. “We work with our presenters in conjunction with our education and technical committees to tailor the content specific to the needs of springmakers,” said Devany. “We are also finding new ways to help exhibitors highlight ‘what’s new,’ whether it is a new machine, a new function, or even new personnel.” The Technical Symposia features a variety of topics surrounding the design, engineering and production of springs, wireforms and stampings, along with topics related to management and leadership. The 2021 Metal Engineering eXpo’s Technical Symposia agenda is organized into three tracks: • Business Trends and Best Practices • Manufacturing, Technology and Innovation

52 / SPRINGS / Summer 2021

• Materials and Testing

SMI would like to thank its sponsors for their generous support of MEE 2021.

A detailed listing of the topics and speakers for the Symposia is now available on the website. Networking events have been a popu- TITANIUM. STAINLESS. NICKEL. COBALT. lar feature of the eXpo. The 2021 eXpo 50+ reasons to select Elgiloy as your exotic alloy supplier. VISIONARY SPONSOR carries on the tradition of an opening reception adjacent to the show floor Tuesday, Sept. 28, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Strip, Foil, Wire and Bar. A separate, ticketed networking event will be held from 5:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. Precision rolledto strip: .001 to .100 Wire diameters: .001 to .825 Wednesday, Sept. 29. Bar diameters: .062 to .750 PLATINUM SPONSORS The eXpo will take inside the Shapedplace wire South Point Hotel and Casino, a 24-story 10 lbs to 10 tons, delivered to meet your schedule. find out more, contact us cenat wire@elgiloy.com or strip@elgiloy.com or call 888-843-2350. hotel tower, casinoToand convention ter located on South Las Vegas BouleRolling to Meet Your Schedule Elgiloy Specialty Metals vard just 10 minuteswww.elgiloy.com from the famed Las Elgiloy is a trademark of Elgiloy Specialty Metals Vegas Strip. MP35N is a trademark of SPS Technologies Haynes 25 is a trademark of Haynes International, Inc. The trade show in Las Vegas will mark the fourth time the eXpo has been held for the North American engineered spring and GOLD SPONSOR precision metal components industries. For more information and to register, visit www.MetalEngineeringeXpo.org. n

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Five Questions

Radcliff Wire, Inc. Five Questions provides an opportunity for SMI associate members to tell the spring industry about their company and the products and services they offer. In this edition, we talk with Charlie Radcliff, president of Radcliff Wire, Inc.

Can you tell us about Radcliff Wire and the products it offers to spring manufacturers?

Since our start in 1959 serving the spring industry, Radcliff Wire has grown into a world class manufacturer of quality precision shaped and round wire. We specialize in round and shaped wire made from beryllium copper, brass, phosphor bronze, nickel-silver, copper, aluminum, stainless steel, carbon steel and high nickel alloys for a wide variety of industry applications. We have developed an unsurpassed reputation for service and dependability by meeting the stringent requirements of our customers.

What are the latest trends impacting wire distributors and what effect is it having on spring manufacturers?

As a wire manufacturer, we purchase our raw materials from both wire mills and distributors. Materials for the majority of our short run jobs are supplied by local distributors. Larger production jobs require us to buy directly from mills. The high demand placed on domestic mills, as well as imported raw materials, continues to impact orders placed by spring manufacturers during this pandemic. Because of the unanticipated high demand, many of our distributors are finding stocking material to be very difficult, and in some cases they have been put on allocations by North American mills. Based on history and blanket orders, we stock many

different materials and sizes that can be drawn down to a wire size needed for an order. Due to the many different shapes, materials, odd tempers and special requirements, every order is made customer-specific.

What type of services do you offer to springmakers?

Our services are based on our customer’s requirements. We have introduced innovative techniques in rolling and drawing wire as well as expanding our straight and cut abilities. In many cases, we work with our customers to engineer a shaped wire that performs better than the conventional wire method. For example, flat and square wire designs utilize more material density than traditional round wire springs. Our use of keystone or trapezoidal shaped wire allows springmakers to coil wire evenly by compensating for distortion. This basically stretches the outer or thicker area of a trapezoidal wire to equal the dimension of the inner portion on the spring while coiling.

a major impact. Material lead-time has gone out considerably. Sales are good and they continue to grow because of our ability to respond to industry needs. Except for minor difficulties, we are producing more product than we had ever expected in these times. As raw material and production costs continue to rise, our main challenge continues to be our ability to deliver in a timely manner.

Can you tell us about a recent challenge that you were able to solve for a customer?

We recently had two medical customers that developed parts utilizing a very expensive wire EDM method. One part was a small sized ½ round wire with a close tolerance groove to be used as a mandrel in a plastic medical part. We replaced the wire EDM part by developing a system that would roll, then draw wire into the shape they needed. The other was a high quality custom shaped stainless steel square wire that required close tolerances with angled teeth that could line up with a sprocket making a miniature wheel turn in a surgical tool. This “ratchet-gear” allows the surgeon to have more leverage and precise control. Both solutions made it more economically feasible. n

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What impact has COVID-19 had on your business and the customers you serve?

As we have seen industry wide, many office employees still work from home and COVID-19 related absences have slowed production and lengthened delivery times. The trickledown effect from the mines and mills to the springmakers has had

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SPRINGS / Summer 2021 / 53

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Springmaker Spotlight

Pictured (l-to-r): John and Lisa Bilik, and Marty Krashoc.

Bringing it All Together: A Profile of John Bilik and All-Rite Spring Company By Gary McCoy, Managing Editor

ike most companies in the spring industry, the story of All-Rite Spring Company involves strong personalities, an entrepreneurial spirit, many sleepless nights and much blood, sweat and tears. The formula for success at the company reminds me of a book by Tim Layden, “Blood, Sweat & Chalk,” which is subtitled “How the Geniuses of Football Created America’s Favorite Game.” The history of All-Rite Spring Company could be a chapter in a book about “Blood, Sweat and Springs.” John Bilik is the chairman and CEO of All-Rite Spring Company. His grandfather, Stan Bilik, started the company in 1943 near O’Hare Airport with his brother-in-law, Rudy Schneider. Schneider soon left and went on to start O’Hare Spring Company. Stan Bilik moved to Harwood Heights, Illinois and grew the business from a 19,000 sq. ft. facility.

SPRINGS / Summer 2021 / 55

Bilik said there were already many great spring companies in the Chicago area when his grandfather started, each specializing in different kinds of springs. “Aside from basic coilers and simple fourslides, processing and specialized tools for intricate springs needed to be designed and built in-house,” explained Bilik. “Our early focus was on formed ends and transferring parts mechanically for additional bending, and then on to presses if additional bending was needed. Of course, we offered all the traditional compression, torsion and extension springs that customers needed.” To get a foot in the door with new customers, Bilik said they always started with the most difficult or complicated jobs that other companies did not want.

Second Generation Changes After returning from a stint in the Air Force around 1967, Edward Bilik joined the family business. “After several restless years of working as father and son, Ed decided to begin a separate company,” explained Bilik. All-Rite Industries was

formed, specializing in fourslide and stamping work. Both companies grew over the years, until finally Ed Bilik purchased All-Rite Spring from his father in 1979. All-Rite Spring was nearly out of the spring business by 1985, having few customers and equipment left. “Several family members were given spring and wire machines over the years to begin their own companies,” said Bilik.

Rebirth of All-Rite Spring Bilik and his wife, Lisa, were gifted the remnants of All-Rite Spring in 1989. The turnaround of the company is nothing but remarkable. Utilizing a small rental unit in Barrington, Illinois, the Biliks started making cold calls and reconnecting with former customers. After three years, they had reached $1 million in sales and moved to nearby Lake Zurich, to rent a 10,000 sq. ft. facility and build revenues to more than $4 million over the next three years. It was in 1994 that the company moved to its current location in Spring Grove, Illinois. From an initial 20,000

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sq. ft. facility, the company has added on numerous times to expand their footprint to its current size of 115,000 sq. ft. of manufacturing space. Buying the property in Spring Grove northwest of Chicago all started with an RV trip organized by Lisa Bilik. “We got about 10 pizzas, some beverages and I think we had around 12 or 13 employees. We drove from Aurora, Illinois to Janesville, Wisconsin before ending up in Spring Grove,” explained Bilik. He said the area was pretty much farmland at the time. With low housing costs and good schools, Bilik said everybody really liked the area. “With the exception of one guy who ended up moving to Michigan, all the original people on the RV trip are still here and they have built a life in this area,” explained Bilik. “Work is hard. so why make it any harder on yourself? That’s a choice.” The company offers springs, stampings, wireforms, injected molded products, perforated and expanded metal items, and welded assemblies, with an emphasis

on shaped materials. About 70 percent of the company’s current work is in the automotive industry.

Uniting Two Companies When Bilik’s father recently decided to retire, plans to unify All-Rite Spring with All-Rite Industries began to take shape. With both companies now operating under one management system, total revenues have increased to $40 million annually with a combined 250,000 sq. ft. of production floor space and 175 employees. “Today, I get to work with my wife, Lisa, my sister, Elizabeth, and her husband, Chad Genengels, who is our vice president of sales,” said Bilik. The management team includes company president Marty Krashoc, who works out of the Spring Grove facility, and Mark Andreasik, who serves as the general manager at All-Rite Industries in Lake Zurich. Andreasik grew up in the business and Bilik said he’s kind of like the oracle for the company when it comes to solving problems. Bringing Krashoc on board in May 2015 to run the company was quite a change for Bilik. “The difference between how my grandfather and my father and how I did things early on and how we do them today has changed. Marty runs the business as a business,” explained Bilik. “He has a lot of creativity, but he has a lot more discipline than I do.” Krashoc was not a stranger to springs, because his parents had worked in the industry his whole life. After earning a degree in mechanical engineering at Purdue University, Krashoc worked at Motorola in the area of mobile devices for a little more than 10 years. He moved out of state to pursue other work, but the opportunity to return to the spring industry lured him back, along with the chance move back to his hometown of Spring Grove. Krashoc also earned an MBA in finance from the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management. Bilik says Krashoc helps verify the numbers and strategy to take the company to the next level. “With our current revenues at around 40 million, we’re looking to grow beyond 100 million and Marty runs the company.

Pictured (l-to-r): Mike Steele and Jim Tomei.

“With the exception of one guy who ended up moving to Michigan, all the original people on the RV trip are still here and they have built a life in this area,” explained Bilik. “Work is hard. so why make it any harder on yourself? That’s a choice.”

I’m stepping back and trying to keep the peace in the family.” With the discipline that Krashoc brings to the company, Bilik says “that is the item probably most in demand at every spring company that has brought itself to a certain level of success.” The reunification of All-Rite Spring Company and All-Rite Industries started in January 2021, and Bilik jokes that “blending these two families is a job for a psychiatrist or psychologist.” Bilik says his wife Lisa has been a key. “She’s the one who speaks calmly, listens to everybody and tries to keep the peace.” Bilik says the combination of the two companies provides an environment where there are plenty of opportunities. With the size of the combined operations, Bilik says there is no room to do things on a whim. “There’s a lot more science to the business now.”

Wired for Business Another important change for the company has centered on raw materials. “Most of our volume issues weren’t something that we were doing wrong, it wasn’t the machines fault, it wasn’t the operator’s fault, it certainly wasn’t for the lack of inspecting. The raw materials had occasional problems,” explained Bilik. “We couldn’t live with the occasional problems, so we started making our own flat wire. We started rolling wire and ordering entire heats that were to our specification in chemistry.” Bilik said it came down to being unable to find material consistently enough on the open market to keep their customers happy. He further stated, “So we’re controlling the raw material, we’re getting the right tensile, the right hardness, the right ductility, and the right grain structure as we’re

SPRINGS / Summer 2021 / 57

Bilik says when it comes to suppliers, they will hold their hand through the entire journey. “Mistakes will be made and we try to catch them early. We try to explain our needs exactly and look for elements crucial to a successful outcome that may be overlooked,” said Bilik. “When we make a promise, we keep it, and we give our suppliers every opportunity to understand our needs, and the commitment they are taking when working with us.” He says teamwork at every level is the only way forward in the industry.

Maribel Morales sorting clock-wound springs.

forming and coiling these springs, where it used to be kind of a happy accident.” They also hired industry veteran Jim Tomei in December 2020 to help oversee the materials side of their business. Tomei came on board with experience at Suzuki Garphyttan, and graduate and undergraduate degrees in metallurgical engineering. “Bringing Jim in to take charge of the materials has really helped us because he understands the ins and out of wire materials,” said Bilik.

A Three Legged Business Bilik says the company’s business stands on three legs of its employees, customers and suppliers.

58 / SPRINGS / Summer 2021

“Others have said it, but I strongly agree that a manufacturing company is like a family,” said Bilik. “When everybody is working together, everybody wins. When someone has a problem, it affects everybody around them. We act and operate as a family, and we don’t leave anybody behind who is making an effort to do their best.” Without customers, Bilik says All-Rite would have nothing. “We treat our customers the way we would like to be treated on the best day,” he explained. “Extending every courtesy, holding ourselves accountable, never offering something that might not be possible, and playing a role as an actual part of their team.”

Current Challenges Paired with an Exciting Future Bilik says like every spring company, the past year has been a challenge that has included unexpected tariffs, plant shutdowns, union strikes, supply chain interruptions and the coronavirus. He says every year feels like it has its own character. “But each challenge can be overcome with the same teamwork and philosophy of preparing for the unexpected,” he explains. “Keeping everybody employed through these challenges has been a primary goal for our company. I’m happy to say we’ve accomplished it, time and time again, learning from each experience. Every year the ‘rainy day fund’ grows, just in case it gets crazier.” Bilik believes the immediate future is exciting. “Orders are strong, and challenges have shifted from finding work, to finding materials. There are still unexpected interruptions, but the trend is looking good,” said Bilik. “We have increased our raw material, work in process, and finished goods to account for new and unexpected challenges. Keeping our customers happy during difficult times is often rewarded with new business during good times. We have many new programs launching over the next three years; our challenge is deploying the proper automation to maintain the lowest cost process we can.” Growing Up in the Industry Like many other springmakers, Bilik grew up in the industry, and his family made their home in River Grove not far from the

Chicago city limits. He has many relatives still living there who have been involved in the spring industry over the years. “At an early age, many of my cousins and I were introduced to the simplest of coilers, 00 Torringtons and a Samuel 1 Popcorn, making springs for our grandfather,” said Bilik. “Stan would point out any imperfection and make us adjust actions and regrind cams until the ends were perfect, often extending set up time by hours. We would learn the finer points of proper gearing, roller selection and just how far a tool could wear before it was rendered useless.” Bilik said this tutelage by his grandfather prompted him to study mechanical engineering and to attend Bradley University before returning to a new role in quality and administration with All-Rite Spring after college. He has always appreciated the spring industry because it affords opportunities to do many different things. Bilik said there are new enabling technologies that make old processes more viable, or things that can be combined with old processes to create something new.

“At All-Rite Spring, we are always looking for new machine designs, add in robotics and integrated vision, torque and force sensors into processes to make our product safer for the end-user,” says Bilik of the company’s desire to innovate. “Right now, we are in a push to take sequential processes and make them as parallel as possible, sometimes doubling or tripling yield. We have over 200 pieces of CNC equipment that are less than 7 years old on the floor. Even the newest machines are subject to process improvement.” Bilik said it is not uncommon for machine builders to visit them to learn and adapt the company’s processes into their machines. “The engineers and builders in our automation department like hearing people tell them something is impossible. It may take a year or more, but what was impossible in the past is now running on the floor. The future of automation is the most exciting thing happening on the floor right now. When we hire young engineers, machinists, toolmakers

or automation integrators, the excitement is always centered around the latest process we are bringing online. Each month, there is something moving from R&D to the process floor.” He said the most difficult thing about running a spring company right now is estimating an uncertain future, with respect to base material costs. “Many long-term customers have traditionally worked with supply agreements that have a predetermined cost, with productivity givebacks.” Bilik candidly states that the way material costs have risen, a structure like that is hard to continue. “Many customers are resistant to negotiating work, leaving the raw material cost open ended and subject to future adjustments. We have considered turning away from new business when this format is nonnegotiable.”

Family, Free Time and Friends John Bilik and his wife, Lisa, have three children, Luke, Grace and Anne. Luke graduated with a mechanical engineering degree and is currently enrolled in

All-Rite Spring Company employees outside their headquarters in Spring Grove, Illinois.

SPRINGS / Summer 2021 / 59

Three generation of Bilik family members (l-to-r): John, Ed and Luke.

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the MBA program at Marquette University. Grace is finishing her undergraduate degree in political science and social justice. Anne is a freshman at the University of South Carolina studying biology. Away from work, Bilik enjoys making music. “I’ve been playing various instruments for four decades,” he explains. “Starting with guitar in the church, to nightly lullabies on the piano, music has always served to bring calm to a flustered mind.” He also likes to fly and has logged almost 25 years as a private pilot. He is a multi-engine instrument pilot with a type rating in Cessna Citation jets. To get away from work and their home in Illinois, the Biliks like to retreat to Lake Tomahawk in Minocqua, Wisconsin. “It’s where our family has been going to relax for more than 80 years. It’s like a second home to us.” Bilik has made many friends in the spring industry. He said some of the the best times he’s had is traveling to other countries for work and meeting new people and being exposed to new cultures. One of his good friends is Robert Kupczak, who owns RK Trading Company and Jackson Spring and Manufacturing. Kupczak has taken Bilik and other friends and spring industry colleagues on trips to Asia. “Bob has a gift for explaining the history of a country and its people; he is extremely passionate about every detail, and willing to talk for hours and hours to anyone willing to listen,” said Bilik. “He is very friendly and has relationships with springmakers and machinery builders all over the world. On trips we’ve taken, Bob is never afraid to make travel plans, jump on a train, plane, or boat in a foreign country and see where it takes us.” Bringing it all together reflects his relationship with Kupczak and the way he personally gauges success. “I get to work with people I love and adore,” said Bilik. “I’m a resource for my friends and family. I get to choose who I work for, with and against if necessary. Having options that lead to fulfillment on whatever level is important over time; that’s how I personally gauge success.” He concludes, “We have come a long, long way, but there is always so much further to go; feeling good about that is a reflection of success.” n

Winning in Reverse: Defying the Odds and Achieving Dreams— The Bill Lester Story Reviewed by Gary McCoy

had the privilege of meeting Bill Lester in 2004 when he came to speak at the Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium in Chicago, an event I used to help produce. His story of being one of a select group of minorities to compete on the NASCAR circuit was inspiring then, and is now the subject of a new book called “Winning in Reverse.” The book is written by Lester with assistance from motor racing author Jonathan Ingram. As a news release from Lester’s publisher, Pegasus Books says: “NASCAR has traditionally been a southern, white man’s sport, but it was knocked off its axis when Lester entered the playing field. Bill did not grow up in the sport as so many other drivers had. He enjoyed racing as a side hobby while he worked as an engineer at HewlettPackard until, at the age of 40, and while standing on the brink of peril or promise, he quit his job to pursue racing full time.” As Lester says in the introduction to the book, “All of my experiences have helped me develop character and cultivate what

I refer to as my ‘Winning Circle.’ Specifically, there are eight key attributes that I have identified and applied to every step of my path to success: Getting out of your comfort zone, passion, sacrifice, persistence, discipline, enthusiasm, networking and gratitude. Each of these key attributes helped me grow as a person and propel my career forward. Because I embraced and implemented these qualities from an early age, I was able to achieve a level of happiness, both personally and professionally, that I never could’ve dreamed possible.” At the end of each chapter, Lester reflects upon specific values from this Winning Circle that helped him along the way. He calls these reflections “Racing to the Front.” I love the second chapter of the book, where he talks about how he fell in love with racing. His father took him to a CanAm (Canadian-American Challenge) event in 1968 at Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, California. Lester said the hook was set. “I knew then and there that I wanted to be a racecar driver. But I had no idea if I could actually be one. Almost nobody at the track looked like my father, his friend or myself. Unbeknownst to me, this was a theme that would follow me all through the course of my life, from childhood to school to corporate America to NASCAR.” For those who know very little about racing, the book has a helpful 11-page glossary of racing terms. Like most industries, motor racing has a list of jargons and acronyms that mean little to outsiders.

There are parts of the book that are difficult to read when you recognize the harsh treatment that Lester received as an African-American driver. He handled it with grace and dignity that must have been challenging. He talks about Wendell Scott, who was one of the first African-American drivers in NASCAR, and how he learned from his experience. “I learned the same lesson that Wendell Scott learned over the course of his entire career: not everyone in NASCAR was going to welcome a black man, especially if they felt he would win. Black men dominated in sports like football, baseball and basketball, but racing was still a white man’s sport, and they weren’t relinquishing their grasp on it without contention. Anyone who looked different was treated differently. Diversity was a battle that was clearly being fought off of the track.” I love sports books, and Bill Lester’s story is inspiring. But this book has value for the business world, as well. I wholeheartedly agree with a statement about the book from the publisher’s news release. Lester’s book “…provides inspiration to those who may be thinking about a career change or struggling against prejudice or bigotry. The message of ‘Winning in Reverse’ is the power of perseverance in the face of adversity.” n

Have a favorite business book you would like to tell us about or review? Send your suggestions to Springs managing editor Gary McCoy at gmccoy@ fairwaycommunications.com.

SPRINGS / Summer 2021 / 61

A plan for the future Spring Manufacturers Institute 401(k) Retirement Program An exclusive program for SMI Members only Provide a superior retirement plan, spend less time on plan administration and save money Major advantages from three industry names you can count on:

In partnership with Fiduciary support from fiduciaryPATH 3(38)

Administrative support from 3(16) plan administrator Pentegra Retirement Services

Participant resources provided by Empower Retirement • Online tutorials

• Provides employee notices

• Award-winning participant flyers

• Interprets and enforces Plan Document

• Quarterly statements

• Ensures IRS and Department of Labor compliance

• Monitors fees to ensure they are reasonable

• Online requests for loans, distributions and hardships

• Includes an ERISA attorney as part of the compliance team

• Advocates for plan sponsors by negotiating below-market investment costs whenever possible

• Online investment fact sheets and prospectuses

• Ensures flexibility in plan design

• Annual fee disclosure statements

• Selects and monitors plan investments in accordance with the Investment Policy Statement (IPS) • Provides professional asset allocation solutions that are suited to each participant’s needs

• Electronic participant newsletters

• Signs and files the 5500 form as the plan administrator • Accepts nearly all responsibilities and powers of an ERISA fiduciary

For more information, contact Core Financial Partners at 401-236-2350 or email Liz Hickox at liz@newportcfp.com.

Spring Manufacturers Institute, Core Financial Partners and Pentegra Retirement Services are not affiliated with GWFS Equities, Inc. or its parent company, Great-West Life & Annuity Insurance Company. Securities offered and/or distributed by GWFS Equities, Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC. GWFS is an affiliate of Empower Retirement, LLC; Great-West Funds, Inc.; and registered investment advisers, Advised Assets Group, LLC and Personal Capital. This material is for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide investment, legal or tax recommendations or advice. ©2021 Empower Retirement, LLC. All rights reserved. GEN-FLY-WF-1017869-0421 RO1629942-0421 FOR PLAN SPONSOR OR FINANCIAL PROFESSIONAL USE ONLY. Unless otherwise noted: Not a Deposit | Not FDIC Insured | Not Bank Guaranteed | Funds May Lose Value | Not Insured by Any Federal Government Agency

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CTE News

Executives reported they cannot even fill higher paying entrylevel production positions, let alone find and retain skilled workers for specialized roles.

2.1 Million Manufacturing Jobs Could Go Unfilled by 2030

he manufacturing skills gap in the U.S. could result in 2.1 million unfilled jobs by 2030, according to a new study by Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute, the workforce development and education partner of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). The cost of those missing jobs could potentially total $1 trillion in 2030 alone. The study’s dramatic findings come from online surveys of more than 800 U.S.-based manufacturing leaders, as well as interviews with executives across the industry and economic analyses. All told, they paint a worrying picture of manufacturing’s labor shortage. The lack of skilled labor was the industry’s major challenge even before the pandemic, according to the NAM’s quarterly outlook surveys— and this new study shows it’s still a major concern today.

About 1.4 million U.S. manufacturing jobs were lost during the early days of the pandemic, according to the study, setting back the manufacturing labor

force by more than a decade. However, the industry has largely recovered those lost jobs and is now urgently seeking more workers. While the manufacturing industry recouped 63 percent of jobs lost during the pandemic, the remaining 570,000 had not been added back by the end of 2020, despite a near record number of job openings in the sector.

According to the new study by Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute:

1.4 million

U.S. manufacturing jobs were lost during the early days of the pandemic

63%

U.S. manufacturing jobs lost in the pandemic that have been refilled

36%

harder now for manufacturers to find the right talent compared to 2018

SPRINGS / Summer 2021 / 63

“Attracting and retaining diverse talent presents both a challenge and solution to bridging the talent gap. To attract a new generation of workers, the industry should work together to change the perception of work in manufacturing and expand and diversify its talent pipeline.”

MFG Day 2021 Held annually on the first Friday in October with events that continue throughout the month, MFG Day— Manufacturing Day—helps show the reality of modern manufacturing careers by encouraging thousands of companies and educational institutions around the nation to open their doors to students, parents, teachers and community leaders. As manufacturers seek to fill 4.6 million high-skill, high-tech and high-paying jobs over the next decade, MFG Day empowers manufacturers to come together to address their collective challenges so they can help their communities and future generations thrive. This year, MFG Day also includes a strong emphasis on engaging digital and virtual events throughout the country. With manufacturing careers at the heart of some of the most impactful work being done in response to the pandemic, shining a spotlight on manufacturing careers should draw needed attention to these opportunities. For more information, visit creatorswanted.org/mfgday.

Manufacturers surveyed reported that finding the right talent is now 36 percent harder than it was in 2018, even though the unemployment rate has nearly doubled the supply of available workers. Executives reported they cannot even fill higher paying entry-level production positions, let alone find and retain skilled workers for specialized roles.

64 / SPRINGS / Summer 2021

Among those surveyed, 77 percent of manufacturers say they will have ongoing difficulties in attracting and retaining workers in 2021 and beyond. Fortunately, the study found that diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives exert a growing influence on workforce trends and can help manufacturers fill these empty jobs. Manufacturers have

more work to do to attract larger numbers of women and diverse workers to the industry, and the Institute is leading an industrywide effort to close the opportunity gap. “Given the foundational role the manufacturing sector plays in our nation’s economy, it is deeply concerning that at a time when jobs are in such high demand nationwide, the number of vacant entrylevel manufacturing positions continues to grow,” said Paul Wellener, Deloitte vice chairman and U.S. industrial products and construction leader. “Attracting and retaining diverse talent presents both a challenge and solution to bridging the talent gap. To attract a new generation of workers, the industry should work together to change the perception of work in manufacturing and expand and diversify its talent pipeline.” “Manufacturers are proud to lead efforts to build stronger, more diverse and inclusive workplaces because we are committed to being the solution,” said Carolyn Lee, executive director of the Institute. “As we expand our programs at The Manufacturing Institute, and work with the National Association of Manufacturers on initiatives like our Creators Wanted campaign and tour, we’re making sure that Americans of all backgrounds in all states can find a home in manufacturing and get equipped with the skills to seize these opportunities.” n

Inside SMI

SMI has introduced a new 401(k) pooled employer plan (PEP) through Core Financial Partners. The program, Empower Select, was put together through Empower Retirement, the second largest retirement plan provider in the country. Administrative support is also provided through Pentegra Retirement Services Empower Retirement was named “2020 Retirement Leader of the Year” in the annual Mutual Fund Industry Awards organized by Fund Intelligence. It is estimated that U.S. employers sponsor more than 500,000 individual 401(k) plans that can be described as “complicated, risky, and costly to manage.” The SECURE Act now allows employers from all industries and sizes to band together to create a PEP. Employers may now parti-

WINTER 2021

A Publication of the Spring Manufacturers Institute / Vol. 60, No. 1

THE INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE OF SPRING MANUFACTURE

SOCIAL MEDIA

AND THE

SPRING INDUSTRY Join the Conversation: Digital Marketing Tools for Spring Manufacturers 28 Kern-Liebers North America and Social Media 31 Social Media with Ace Wire Spring and Form 32 Forecast 2021: Return to Normalcy 38

cipate in a PEP instead of sponsoring a traditional 401(k) plan. Liz Hickox of Core Financial Partners is the point person for SMI’s new program. Hickox will be traveling throughout the U.S. in 2021 to introduce SMI members to the new program. In addition, Hickox will be available for meetings at the SMI Metal Engineering eXpo in Las Vegas. “There is an enormous amount of risk in sponsoring a plan for your employees,” said Hickox. “Unless you have outsourced all of the plan’s responsibilities to a named third party, you are still on the hook for personal liability.” For more information, contact Core Financial Partners at 401-235-2350 or email Hickox at liz@newportcfp.com.

SMI Introduces New Pooled Employer Retirement Plan Send Us Your News SMI members get priority placement for their product, company, personnel and events announcements in the magazine. Your news releases should be roughly 50 to 100 words and may be accompanied by color photos (high-resolution JPEG photos at 300 dpi preferred). Send to dina@ smihq.org.

Letter to the Editor Your cover story (“Social Media and the Spring Industry,” Winter 2021) on social media is very timely for us. Scandic had four open positions (very unusual for us) and we spent a little time publicizing that, using both company and personal Facebook and LinkedIn pages. All those referenced our www.scandic.com page, too, where we had more detailed job descriptions. Friends reshared on both platforms. The local chamber of commerce picked up the news and blasted that to their members. A couple of community Facebook groups also referenced our openings.

I think I paid all of $28 on Facebook to boost the post to 40,000 local people. After a week we had almost 1,000 views just on LinkedIn, and I was able to see who was looking. We have filled three of the four positions, and I realized the additional benefit was getting our growth news in front of these companies, our customers. The 45 percent of respondents who said social media does not improve their business are really missing something! Thanks for the article. Hale Foote, Scandic Springs, Inc.

SPRINGS / Summer 2021 / 65

Inside SMI

Calendar of Key Events for the Global Spring Industry 2021 Sept. 6–8 International Committee on Spring Technologies – ICST – 2 Online www.icst2020-germany.de/ Sept. 13–16 Fabtech McCormick Place, Chicago Sept. 28–30 2021 SMI Metal Engineering eXpo South Point Resort and Casino, Las Vegas www.metalengineeringexpo.org Sept. 17 ISO/TC 227 Changed to online meeting www.iso.org/committee/369318.html Oct. 5–7 Wire South America São Paulo Expo Exhibition & Convention Center, São Paulo, Brazil www.wire-south-america.com

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Oct. 7–9 11th International Congress of Springs Barcelona, Spain www.federnverband.com

June 7– 9 WAI WireExpo Dallas, Texas wirenet.org/events/wire-expo

Oct. 26–27 WAI InterWire Atlanta, Georgia wirenet.org/events/interwire

Oct. 12–14 SpringWorld 2022 Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont, Illinois www.casmi-springworld.org

2022

Nov. 23–25 wire India Mumbai www.wire-india.com

Feb. 9–11 wire Southeast Asia Bangkok, Thailand www.wire-southeastasia.com April 22–26 SMI Annual Meeting Hyatt Regency Gainey Ranch, Scottsdale, Arizona www.smihq.org May 9–13 wire & Tube 2022, Düsseldorf, Germany www.wire-tradefair.com

Committee Connection SMI Holds April Zoom Board Meeting

MI president Bert Goering of Precision Coil Spring presided over the association’s second board of directors meeting held via Zoom April 22, 2021.

New 401(k) Program Goering welcomed Liz Hickox of Core Financial Partners, who will administer a new 401(k) program for SMI members. “She is very dedicated to making this happen and wants to travel the country to make individual presentations to SMI members,” said Goering. In addition, Hickox will be at the SMI Metal Engineering eXpo in Las Vegas to meet with members. Hickox has worked with former SMI president Scott Rankin for the past eight years on a plan for employees of Vulcan Spring. Hickox said the new plan is “a pooled employer plan, which allows multiple employers from unrelated businesses to pool together to better leverage the benefits of pricing and support, outsourcing risk and responsibility.” Hickox has worked with Goering and SMI executive director Lynne Carr to iron out details of the program. Hickox and her team reviewed the plans of nine different SMI board members to determine that this pooled plan would substantially save costs and time for their companies. Why is SMI doing this? “There is an enormous amount of risk in sponsoring a plan for your employees,” said Hickox. “Unless you have outsourced all of the plan’s responsibilities to a named third party, you are still on the hook for personal liability.” The provider of the program is Empower Retirement, a large market provider that caters to plans of $50 million and up.

The new 401(k) program for SMI members is “a pooled employer plan which allows multiple employers from unrelated businesses to pool together to better leverage the benefits of pricing and support, outsourcing risk and responsibility.” The program was scheduled to launch in mid-May 2021. There is a small revenue sharing benefit for SMI.

Bylaw Change The SMI board unanimously voted to accept a bylaw change that extends the service term for a board member from two to three years. This gives board members more time to engage and make improvements to their committees. Finance Committee SMI secretary/treasurer Don Jacobson III of Newcomb Spring reported that SMI, under Lynne Carr’s leadership, has worked hard to reduce costs as much as possible during the pandemic. He noted that a new source of revenue has come to SMI with the movement of the spring design training classes to an online format. The revenue from the training classes is expected to continue to be strong through the end of 2021. Jacobson also said that due to the postponement of the 2021 SMI annual meeting in Arizona due to COVID, SMI will not suffer the financial loss that normally takes place. He also noted that very few companies did not pay their association dues, and that ASD revenue continues to be strong. Technical Committee Dr. Edwin Odom, a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Idaho,

has created a formula related to torsion spring values. He asked Todd Piefer from UTS if it could be validated and incorporated into SMI’s Advanced Spring Design (ASD) software. Goering put it out to the board to try to find a company that manufactures a lot of torsion springs to test the formula. Tim Zwit, chairman of the technical committee, also noted that more volunteers are needed for the committee due to the numerous projects that are taking place. The committee wants to compile a database of technical articles that have been printed in Springs, and have them added to the website to be easily accessible. The committee said there is a great demand for technical knowledge and they will assist SMI in putting these into different categories.

Spring Design Classes Zwit noted that 14 different classes/webinars have been formulated. The 202 class was scheduled for May and the 201 class in June. Two of the advanced 300 level classes will soon be presented for the first time later this year. Since the spring design classes started in 2019, 10 classes have been presented representing almost 300 participants. Evaluations have been strong, with an average of 4.3 out of 5 that “strongly agree” the information is valuable. The committee is developing the programs

SPRINGS / Spring 2021 / 67

that the participants want, based on the survey portion of the evaluations. The 301 fatigue training is being put together now, led by Jason Sicotte from Associated Spring and Al Mangels from Lee Spring, which meets weekly and it will be a fairly substantial program. Rick Gordon added that the existing fatigue data was dated and didn’t reflect the latest in steelmaking technology. New data was put together by Goering, Sicotte and Dan Sebastian. The 304 dimensioning, tolerancing and testing class is tailored after the Testing and Tolerancing book in the “Encyclopedia of Spring Design,” and is scheduled to be held in the summer. The team is looking for extension spring participants.

Regulatory Compliance Committee chair Joe Devany of Betts Company said SMI is hosting four webinars this year. He noted that there has been no nonmember participation and the committee is looking for ways to drive that. Among SMI members, there are

St o c k Springs Ready To Ship 68 / SPRINGS / Summer 2021

Since the spring design classes started in 2019, 10 classes have been presented representing almost 300 participants. Evaluations have been strong, with an average of 4.3 out of 5 that “strongly agree” the information is valuable. multiple participants from each company. A lot of OSHA and COVID information has been emailed to members from Laura Helmrich Rhodes, as well as posted on the website. Rhodes would like to have members add new ideas for webinars. Rhodes also noted that she has had virtual conversations and emails with many members in lieu of in-person visits. Some companies are planning on-site audits and training classes this summer. Rhodes said the committee wants to create a group of “safety champions” from member companies to gather for information and training, and to help create webinar topics.

Membership Membership chair Dave Deerwester said SMI currently has 280 members, which includes 202 regular and 78 associate members. He noted that membership is down about 5 percent, but there are a few unpaid memberships and some of those companies have committed to sending their payment. Next Meeting The next SMI board meeting is scheduled for Sept. 27, 2021 just before the start of the SMI Metal Engineering eXpo in Las Vegas. n

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Vader Combo from Brass Knuckle® “When it comes to protective equipment inspiring compliance, only one can rule the universe, and it’s the Vader Combo,” according to a news release from Brass Knuckle®. “This force to be reckoned with starts with the coolest, best-fitting, most fog-free protective eyewear product on the market. But it is significantly more than protective eyewear — Vader Combo doubles as a form-fitting face shield, all in one product.” Brass Knuckle says the Vader Combo is ideal for construction, water departments, grinding, whipping a galaxy into shape, you name it. If the application calls for a face shield, this is the one to choose. The Vader Combo joins Brass Knuckle’s Vader splash goggle with an integrated face shield, offering 180-degree peripheral vision and face coverage. The only material that touches the face is an ultra-soft conditioned rubber that forms the splash barrier. Because the face shield isn’t attached to a hard hat, it provides unprecedented mobility and visibility—the shield goes where your head goes. If a job exposes its workers to any kind of wetness or debris being thrown into their faces, the Vader Combo brings the necessary protection. It protects from the sun, from impact, from splash—and even from dangerous, temporarily impaired vision caused by fog. The Vader Combo exceeds the industry’s most stringent anti-fog standard, features a durable anti-scratch treatment and is D3 rated for droplet and splash protection. The built-in venting system helps reduce the potential for moisture buildup, helping to maintain clear vision. It provides 99.9% UV protection and fits over most prescription eyeglasses. For more information on the Vader Combo or the Brass Knuckle® Spectrum™ (BKFLEX-4040N), visit www.brassknuckleprotection.com.

Dual Chamber Red Devil Furnace from Lucifer Furnaces Lucifer Furnaces, manufacturer of industrial heat-treating furnaces and ovens, shipped a dual chamber Red Devil Furnace to a customer in the Midwest. The Red Devil offered the end user a cost-effective means to heat treat their small tool steel parts in-house in a timely manner. The model RD8-KHE18 is a space saving dual chamber unit with working dimensions of 12”H x 14” W x 18” L in both upper and lower chambers. The upper hardening chamber is rated up to 2200°F, while the lower convection oven tempers up to 1200°F. This unit was customized with a programmable controller with an overtemp safety system for the upper chamber, as well as a 7-day timer with alarm for audible event notification. Both chambers are lined with a multilayered 4.5” combination of lightweight firebrick hotface insulation and mineral wool backup insulation for energy efficient operation. The firebrick is precision dry fit inside the chamber, with staggered seams for reduced heat loss while allowing for thermal expansion. Heating elements are coiled with heavy gauge wire of low watt density mounted in easy-to-replace side wall panels. The lower chamber has a rear-mounted fan for uniform circulation of heat. Ceramic hearth plates in both chambers support the workload and protect floor brick and can be replaced without removing heating elements. For more information, contact info@luciferfurnaces.com.

SPRINGS / Summer 2021 / 69

New Products

PC200H and PCL200 Parts Collectors HSI Machinery and FSI have announced the addition of the new PC200H and PCL200 parts collectors. The PC200H (parts collector with HMI panel) allows for scheduled bin change by number or time. Product applications include springs, stampings, screws, plastic parts, etc. In addition to the PC200H, other sizes include the PC30, PC75, and PC100 The PCL200 parts collector allows the user to change bins by number, time, or weight. Product applications include springs, stampings, screws, plastic parts, etc. The PCL200 provides load cell overload protection. In addition to the PCL200, other sizes in the series (parts collectors with load cell) include the PCL75 and PCL100.

For more information, contact FSI at 269-679-3557.

Kwik Mark FC Option with Full Height Stand Kwik Mark Inc. has introduced the FC Option with a Full Height Stand to its line of dot peen markers. “The new product is extremely handy and even easier to use, with adjustable ergonomic marking head and table positioning to suit both standing and seated operation,” according to the company. This optional full column stand is designed “to improve every aspect of your marking operation.” The floor mount base — which occupies only 20" x 20" of floor space — features twin linear ball slides that span the entire 58" length of the column, to provide infinite height adjustment for both the marking head and the T-Slot table. An optional programmable (entire column) Z axis is available. In addition to accommodating tall parts, this design provides a clear open line of sight during the setup and marking operation, from a standing position, without having to lean down looking under the marking head. Furthermore, all Kwik Mark accessories and fixtures may be used, along with limitless customizing capability to streamline a company’s marking operation. Optional, locking casters are available to provide mobility where required. All machines are designed and manufactured at the company’s state-of-the-art facility in McHenry, Illinois. For more information, visit kwikmark.com. n

70 / SPRINGS / Summer 2021

New Products

Send Us Your News SMI members get priority placement of their product news. News releases should be roughly 50 to 100 words and may be accompanied by color photos (HiRes .JPEG at 300 dpi preferred). Send to dina@smihq.org.

Advertisers Index A & D Trading (440) 563-5227. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 Admiral Steel (800) 323-7055 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Alloy Wire International (866) 482-5569. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Anchor Abrasives (708) 444-4300 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 CASMI www.casmi-springworld.com. . . . . 41 Diamond Wire Spring Co. (800) 424-0500 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Dispense Works (815) 363-3524. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 FENN (860) 259-6600 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Fives Group www.fivesgroup.com . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Forming Systems Inc. (877) 594-4300 . . . . . . . . . . back cover Gibbs Wire & Steel Co. Inc. (800) 800-4422 . . . . inside back cover

Gibraltar (847) 383-5442. . . . . . . . . . . . . .13, 54 Industrial Steel & Wire (800) 767-0408. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Interwire Products Inc. (914) 273-6633. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 JN Machinery (224) 699-9161. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Larson Systems (763) 780-2131. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Maguire Machinery (609) 266-0200 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Mapes Piano String Co. (423) 543-3195. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 NIMSCO (563) 391-0400. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 North American Spring Tool (860) 583-1693. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Proto Manufacturing (800) 965-8378 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Radcliff Wire (860) 583-1305. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

RK Trading (847) 640-9371. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Simplex Rapid (563) 391-0400. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 SMI CA, Inc (562) 926-9407. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35 Spring Manufacturers Institute (630) 495-8588. . inside front cover, 62 Starrett starrett.com/springs. . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Tool King (847) 537-2881. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 United Wire (800) 840-9481 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Vinston (847) 972-1098. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Vulcan Spring & Manufacturing Co. (215) 721-1721. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 WAFIOS (203) 481-5555. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Zapp Precision Strip (203) 386-0038 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

SPRINGS / Summer 2021 / 71

Snapshot

Current home: Highland Park, Illinois. Family: My wife, Christine, two sons, Brad and Todd and two stepchildren, Michelle and Jason. What I like most about being a springmaker: Helping the customer achieve their goals. Favorite food: King crab. Favorite books/authors: “The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century,” by Thomas L. Friedman. Favorite song/musician: “Winning it All” by the Outfield. Hobbies: Golf. Favorite place: Amelia Island, Florida. Best times of my life: When my kids were born, and marrying my wife. A really great evening to me is: A romantic dinner with my wife.

Wade Keats, Keats Manufacturing Co

The one thing I can’t stand is: Someone who has no humility. My most outstanding quality is: I’m a good listener. If I weren’t working at Keats Mfg., I would like to: Travel the world.

Name: Wade Keats Nickname (if any): Vadle Company name and city: Keats Mfg. Co., Wheeling, Illinois. Brief history of your company: Keats was founded by Bert and Glenn Keats in 1958. The company was established as a fourslide and multislide company. We now have three locations in Wheeling, El Paso Texas, and Queretaro, Mexico. Job title: Co-Chairman. Spring industry affiliations: SMI, CASMI, TMA, and PMA. 72 / SPRINGS / Summer 2021

The most difficult business decision I ever had to make was: Putting the right people in the right places in the organization. I wonder what would have happened if: I had gone into the hotel restaurant business. Role models: My dad. I would like to be remembered in the spring industry for: Making sure that the Keats organization is one of the most respected in the industry. But people will probably remember me for: Being a happy guy.

Birthplace: Lake Forest, Illinois.

A MEMBER OF

Springs Magazine, Summer 2021 Vol 60 No 3

Articles inside

Snapshot

New Products

Committee Connection

CTE News

Book Corner

Five Questions

Springmaker Spotlight

Springmakers Eager to Reconnect at 2021 eXpo in Las Vegas

SMI Scholarship Program Surpasses $300,000 in Awards

Time-In-Process and Belt Speed Control on a Conveyor Oven

Employee Engagement Ideas Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way

Flashback

Be Aware Safety Tips

Technically Speaking

It's All About Size

Regional Spring Association Report

Dean of Springs

President’s Message

Springmaking Businesses Come in All Sizes

Global Highlights