Springs, Winter 2023 Vol 62 No 1

Cold

are often associated with occupations that take employees outdoors during the winter months. In addition to the obvious outdoor cold condition jobs, many employees work indoors in refrigerated environments year round. Production facilities involving food and the distribution network required to get refrigerated food products to consumers require exposure to cold conditions. Prolonged exposure can lead to cold

Even the most attentive, proactive worker can’t tackle the dangers of cold stress alone. A cooperative approach is important. OSHA’s guidance for cold stress prevention lists engineering controls, training, safe work practices and personal protective equipment (PPE), such as appropriate cold weather attire, as foundational components for employers to build into their work plans. Employers should:

• Provide engineering controls such as thermostats and door flaps to help control exposure

• Train workers on how to help prevent and recognize cold stress illnesses and injuries, and how to apply first aid treatment

• Give workers frequent breaks in warm areas

• Ensure employees are dressed properly in cold temperatures

• Reduce exposure time

• Allow workers to interrupt work if they feel a cold condition affecting them

S T R I P & W I R E

President’s Message

From Gene Huber Jr.

Timely Information About Our Industry

As we prepared this edition of the magazine there has been much activity at SMI to celebrate.

We announced the hiring of our future director, Gary McCoy, to take over for our beloved Lynne Carr. We also announced the joining of the Metal Engineering eXpo with the CASMI SpringWorld show in 2024. Life has not been boring!

This edition of Springs covers a topic that I will not declare myself an expert in — plant industrialization that includes IIoT, Industry 4.0 and many other technologies. I say this previous statement in some jest, as this is a very important topic and one we should learn about. Please don’t sell yourself short as many of the topics that will be discussed may involve equipment that most of us already own that would be great candidates for its implementation.

I pulled a few quotes about this topic from an article by Devin Partida in the online publication TechRepublic:

“IIoT can be a revelation when implemented successfully, but companies may run into obstacles.”

“IIoT represents a network of connected sensors, actuators and other components used to enhance industrial processes.

The widely held belief is that using this kind of connectivity throughout a facility enables better data collection and visibility, giving decision-makers more information they can use to act confidently and solve problems.”

Here are the top five obstacles mentioned by Partida.

“Failing to specify the purpose and scope”

“Experiencing data-related issues”

“Struggling to keep a connected infrastructure secure”

“Encountering scalability difficulties”

“Dealing with resource shortages”

“Challenges exist whenever companies plan to work with new technologies. These are some of the biggest obstacles. However, people should try to stay focused on their goals and positive outcomes rather than being overly discouraged by possible issues.”

Overwhelmed yet? Hopefully this edition of the magazine helps answer some of your questions and further whets your appetite for learning about this topic. As a matter of fact, this is exactly what we as SMI members should expect: timely information about our industry and trends in the overall industrial world that might be applicable to ours. I hope you enjoy it!

In closing I cannot forget to recognize that we have just been through the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday seasons here in the U.S. I hope you and your families felt the blessing of remembering and celebrating the birth of whom many of us call our Savior. We have much to be thankful for and an even brighter future to work toward!

God Bless and Have a Crazy Good Day!

Gene Huber Jr.

SMI Executive Committee

President: Gene Huber Jr., Winamac Coil Spring

Vice President: Don Jacobson III, Newcomb Spring

Secretary/Treasurer: David DeVoe, Plymouth Spring

Past President: Bert Goering, Precision Coil Spring

At-Large: Dave Deerwester, The Yost Superior Co. Executive Director: Lynne Carr, SMI

SMI Board of Directors

Jennelle Carlier, S3 Wireform • Kelley Christy, Diamond Wire Spring • 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 • Adam Jacobson, FENN/Torin • Don Lyons, JonSpring • Rob Meyers, RK Trading • Alex Melnikow, Midstate Spring • Tony Pesaresi, Winamac Coil Spring • Keith Porter Jr., Newcomb Spring • Michael Shapiro, Gibraltar Corp. • Tim Zwit, Motion Dynamics Corporation

Springs Magazine Staff

Lynne Carr, Advertising Sales, lynne@smihq.org

Gary McCoy, Managing Editor, gary@smihq.org

Lisa Plefka Haskin, Art Director, lisahaskin95@gmail.com

Springs Magazine Committee

Chair, Keith Porter Jr., Newcomb Spring • Reb Banas, Stanley Spring & Stamping • Lynne Carr, SMI • Hale Foote, Scandic Springs, Inc. • Patrick Gillum, Gilco Spring of Florida, Inc. • Adam Jacobson, FENN/Torin • Lucas Karabin, Acme Monaco • Gary McCoy, SMI • Michael Shapiro, Gibraltar Corporation • Bill Wynn, Gardner Spring, Inc. • Technical Advisor: Dan Sebastian

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

Charlie Yu, Worldwide Services Co. Ltd. 11F-B, No 540, Sec. 1, Wen Hsin Rd. Taichung, 408 Taiwan Phone: +886-4-2325-1784 • Fax: +886-4-2325-2967

E-mail: marketing@acw.com.tw

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: 630-460-8588.; 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.

Cover designed by Lisa Plefka Haskin utilizing Shutterstock photographic imagery.

FEATURES

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North America

Newcomb Spring Corp. , a worldwide supplier of custom manufactured springs, wireforms and metal stampings, has announced the retirement of G. Donald Jacobson Jr., CEO and chairman of the board.

Jacobson began his 53-year career with Newcomb Spring in 1969, notably as the third generation of the Jacobson family to serve as company leaders.  Jacobson became president in 1988, a position he filled until 1999, when he was named chief executive officer.

Focused on improving efficiencies and customer service, Jacobson invested in significant manufacturing upgrades, technology and equipment. Under his leadership, Newcomb Spring experienced a long period of expansion, with the opening of several new manufacturing facilities throughout the United States. Today, Newcomb Spring is an advanced coil spring and metalform manufacturing company with a network of seven plants in the United States and one plant in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.

“Don has been a steadfast and innovative thought leader,” said Robert

Jacobson, president, Newcomb Spring Corp. “He has exemplified our mission to be ‘First in Forming’ with his commitment to advancing technologies and proficiencies, while expanding our footprint to further serve the needs of our customers. His dedication to the staff and partners of Newcomb Spring, and to those in the spring and metalform industry, will continue to inspire us. We extend our congratulations to Don for a job well done and thank him for his tremendous service.”

During his career, Jacobson also served as president of the New England Spring Manufacturers Association, as well as president of the Spring Manufacturers Institute. As a leader in the metalforming industry, he shared his widely respected expertise during his tenure as chairman of Springs magazine and contributed to the creation and publication of the Spring Design Handbook, a popular manufacturing resource tool.

When asked about his plans for retirement, Jacobson noted, “After flying to all the Newcomb plants for so many years, I’ve decided to visit all the states

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) Commissioner Bob Rolfe and Rockford Spring Company officials announced in 2022 the company’s plans to establish new manufacturing operations in Lewisburg.

Rockford Spring will invest $10.3 million and create 62 new jobs in Marshall County as the company locates in an existing facility at 1100 Garrett Parkway.

By establishing a presence in Tennessee, the Illinois-based company will

utilize the Lewisburg facility to serve its existing markets while also expanding its customer base in the southeastern U.S.

“Companies choose to invest in Tennessee because of our strong business climate and highly skilled workforce. Rockford Spring’s decision to establish operations in Lewisburg will ensure opportunity for Tennesseans in Marshall County, and I look forward to their success,” Gov. Lee stated.

Founded in 1952, Rockford Spring Company manufactures custom precision

in between. My wife and I bought an RV and are traveling state to state, visiting all the sites. And as an avid boater, I have booked a trip up the Erie Canal.

“Spring and metalforming is my passion,” he continued. “Since my first day working loading docks to my retirement, I’m happy that Newcomb has thrived and exceeded so many expectations.”

springs and wireforms for automotive, agriculture, firearms, hydraulics and outdoor power equipment, as well as many other industries. The Lewisburg facility will increase Rockford Spring’s employment to roughly 150 people across its two U.S. operations in Illinois and Tennessee.

In the last five years, TNECD has supported more than 60 economic development projects in the southern middle Tennessee region, resulting in roughly 8,200 job commitments and $5.2 billion in capital investment.

G. Donald Jacobson Jr., CEO and chairman of the board of Newcomb Spring Corp., has retired after 53 years of service with the company.

The L.S. Starrett Company, a leading global manufacturer of precision measuring tools and gages, metrology systems and more, recently appointed Matthew Wells as director of operations and continuous improvement. In this new position based at Starrett headquarters in Athol, Massachusetts, Wells is responsible for production, planning, production control and purchasing, inventory management, warehouse and shipping, quality, manufacturing engineering, facility, EHS, maintenance and continuous improvement. Wells reports directly to Emerson Leme, vice president, Starrett Industrial Products, North America.

“We are very pleased to have Matt join the Starrett team,” said Leme. “He brings to Starrett a broad range of manufacturing and production expertise that will be vital for the company’s operations.”

Wells, a western Massachusetts native, has more than 25 years of manufacturing experience in the U.S. and Canada, including extensive experience with Toyota Production Systems, Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma during his tenure at a Toyota Motor manufacturing company and The Schaeffler Bearing Group, among other manufacturing enterprises. He has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and an MBA, both obtained at Western New England University. He currently resides with his family in central Massachusetts.

Rotor Clip recently announced it can now manufacture smallersized wave springs ranging from .118 -25” (3 - 635 mm). The company says the advancement will benefit a variety of industries that manufacture medical devices, electronics and consumer products. “Today’s marketplace calls for smaller, lighter assemblies with greater efficiencies and lower manufacturing costs,” said the company in a news release.

Smaller wave springs

Rotor Clip says wave springs can offer up to 50% of axial space savings compared to conventional coil springs, providing the same force and deflection. Wave springs do not suffer from torsional loading and twisting that can cause wear. Additional benefits include increased travel distances and the ability to self-locate in bored holes and shafts. The news release concluded, “Through a

SEI MetalTek, Inc., a niche springs manufacturer comprised of Colonial Spring (Bristol, Connecticut), Hardware Products (Chelsea, Massachusetts) and Spring Engineers of Houston (Houston, Texas), announced in November 2022 its acquisition by an investor group led by Desrosier Capital Partners.

SEI is a turnkey manufacturer of custom and stock springs, wireforms and stampings for a wide range of industries. Members of SEI management and the selling shareholders, whose family has owned SEI since its founding in 1966, will remain minority shareholders in the company going forward.

“We are excited to partner with the SEI MetalTek team and to support the next chapter of the company’s growth,” said John Desrosier, partner at Desrosier Capital

vertically integrated manufacturing process, starting with in-house wire production, the combination of process control and metallurgical expertise allows Rotor Clip to react quickly to meeting requirements, perfecting prototypes, and identifying favorable opportunities to enhance product quality.”

For more information, contact info@ rotorclip.com, phone 732-469-7333 or visit www.rotorclip.com.

“We look forward to helping the company grow within its existing markets as well as expand through add-on acquisitions in the springs industry,” added Peter Desrosier, partner at Desrosier Capital.

Desrosier Capital has teamed up with former SMI president Dan Sebastian, a veteran in the springs industry, to work on the investment. Sebastian, who has served in multiple CEO roles with several spring manufacturers including MW Industries, is joining SEI’s board of directors and will also serve as a strategic advisor.

Financing for the transaction was provided by Harbert Credit Solutions and Greyrock Capital Group.

For more information, please visit www.colonialspringco.com, www.hardwareproducts.com and www.springhouston.com. For more information on Desrosier Capital, please visit www. descap.com.

Matthew Wells

International

Since launching as a new company under a new brand in 2022, Lesjöfors Heavy Springs UK has invested £1.1m ($1,361,160 USD) in new machinery, in direct response to customer demand and growth in newly identified markets.

Following a 60% growth in their industrial sales in 2021 and further growth of 20% for 2022, the Cornwallbased spring manufacturer, with sites in Penryn and Redruth, is significantly increasing capacity, expanding production capabilities and advancing their supply chain processes with a suite of new state-of-the-art machinery.

Michael Gibbs, managing director of the U.K. factories, says: “This is a big investment, and this year has seen a number of big changes, showing confidence in our market position. Our strategy for growth has enabled us to expand our capacity in the U.K., to separate our automotive and industrial sector work across two industryspecific dedicated sites and to expand our industrial business even further.”

The industrial divisions expansion in Penryn includes investment in a new CNC coiler, which extends the wire coiling capabilities in the U.K. to 20mm wire diameter, in line with larger spring wire requirements from a growing global customer base. Weighing in at 30 tonnes, the new CNC coiler is integrated with a new 10m long in-line heat treatment oven, doubling heat treatment efficiencies.

Rounding off a grinding equipment investment program of a further £1m

($1,148,639.72 USD) since 2017, a new spring grinder doubles the grinding capacity in the industrial division. There has also been further investment in new lifting equipment.

Luke Smith, operations manager for Lesjöfors Heavy Springs UK, confirms: “Peak production efficiency is challenging when manufacturing is across two sites. These latest investments allow us to separate our automotive and industrial work so that each location is dedicated to its sector, which will significantly improve output and increase our efficiencies.

“It also allows us to further develop our in-house expertise specific to these sectors and to continue delivering the quality, accuracy and performance our springs are recognized for.”

Gibbs concludes: “We have been at our second site, in Penryn, for three years and have always aimed to strengthen our site-specific dedicated expertise and machinery bespoke to each location.

“Achieving this with our recent investment in new machinery and a restructured team, drives these efficiencies, reduces costs and allows us to pass those cost reductions on to our customers.

“We’re committed to investing in the future and predict, working on current projections, a payback on the capital expense investment of approximately five years.”

Concluding the investments is an additional shot peener for the newly dedicated automotive sector manufacturing site in Redruth.

Alloy Wire International (AWI), which employs 33 people at factories in Brierley Hill and Batley in Yorkshire, has promoted Tom Mander to the role of managing director after being with the company for more than 17 years. Mander takes over for Mark Venables, who has now become chairman, remaining in the business to guide and advise for the foreseeable future.

This is an exciting next step in the AWI journey and will accelerate its ambition to increase sales from its current £13m ($14,751,100 USD) level to £15m ($17,025,000 USD) by 2025, with most orders now coming from clients overseas.

“Alloy Wire International is a very special business and I’m honored to take the reins and help guide the company to the next stage,” commented Mander.

Alloy Wire International manufactures round, flat and profile wire in over 60 exotic alloys, such as Inconel, Monel, Hastelloy, Nimonic and Waspaloy.

Venables added his support, stating: “The senior management team wanted to protect the core values that make AWI so special, so we took the decision last year to make Tom, Adam Shaw and Andrew Du Plessis, managing director designate, finance director and technical director respectively.

“This was paving the way for the next generation to take over and Tom’s promotion to managing director is the next step in that process,” said Venables. “He has been with us for 17 years and understands the culture and our people. It’s a natural appointment and I’m look ing forward to seeing the fresh skills and insights he will bring to the role.”

For further information, visit www. alloywire.com or follow @alloywire on Twitter. n

Lesjöfors Heavy Springs UK has invested in new equipment to manufacture large diameter springs.

Tom Mander

Regional Spring Association Report

CASMI Report

By Michael Bandy, CASMI, Co-Executive Director

CASMI Hosts Successful SpringWorld in Rosemont

SpringWorld 2022 took place Oct. 12-14, 2022, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois. SpringWorld, which is presented by the Chicago Association of Spring Manufacturers, Inc. (CASMI) every other year, provides a unique opportunity for spring manufacturers, wireformers, OEM, and their suppliers to network, including oneon-one discussions with colleagues to share challenges, discuss solutions and provide new insights for business.

SpringWorld was cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Total registered attendance for SpringWorld 2022 was approximately 1,900. The trade show floor was comprised of 87 exhibiting companies occupying 25,800 net square feet of exhibit space. The ratio of buyers to exhibitor personnel was up 3% for SpringWorld 2022 when compared to the 2018 event.

CASMI is currently conducting an exhibitor survey, and while results aren’t final, exhibitors are reporting solid sales and meaningful contacts with both

current and potential customers. Additionally, preliminary results indicate this year’s show was successful in meeting or exceeding exhibitor expectations.

In addition to the trade show itself, the event featured several educational sessions—presented by industry personnel and exhibiting companies—in the education theater on the show floor, a Taste of Chicago Reception, sponsored by MEC Division of Amada Press System, and

an Oktoberfest Reception, sponsored by WAFIOS Machinery Corp., both on the trade show floor.

SpringWorld 2024 will take place Oct. 2-4, 2024, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois. Preliminary information, including the exhibitor floor plan, contract, and rules and regulations, are available on the CASMI web site at www.casmispringworld.org.

Market Outlook 2023 Is the Topic of

Randy Frederick, managing director of training and derivatives, Schwab Center for Financial Research, will address Market Outlook 2023 when the association meets Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, at Maggiano’s Little Italy in Schaumburg, Illinois.

Having timely insights into market performance and the economy can help

CASMI’s January Meeting

you make smarter and more informed decisions. This presentation will demonstrate how expert analysis and interpretation of key economic and market indicators can help shed light on their significance and financial implications for the coming year. Frederick will recap 2022 markets and share his outlook heading into the New Year including, thoughts

on U.S. and global equity markets, Fed policy and interest rates, and some of the top-of-mind items such as inflation and tax policy. Where applicable, these issues will be addressed as they relate to manufacturing.

Frederick focuses primarily on public relations, client education, and market analysis. He is frequently involved in

CASMI board and staff members gather for the ribbon cutting ceremony to open SpringWorld 2022.

matters of business development, product development and risk management.

Frederick has been published in trade magazines such as Active Trader, Futures & Options Trader, ETF Trends and MarketWatch. He is a frequent guest on Bloomberg TV, Yahoo Finance and NasdaqTV, and his comments often appear in the financial news media including The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, Fortune, the Financial Times, Bloomberg, Dow Jones, Reuters, CNBC.com, Forbes.com, TheStreet.com and CNNMoney.com

He holds a B.S., Marketing, Kelley School of Business, Indiana University.

Details are available on the CASMI website, www.casmi-springworld.org, or by calling the office at 630-359-4273.

NESMA Report

CASMI’s Biennial Spring Fling and Dinner Dance Returns in February

All CASMI Primary and Associate members, 2022 SpringWorld Exhibitors and others are invited to join CASMI for a special evening at the Chicago Association of Spring Manufacturers, Inc. Biennial Spring Fling Dinner Dance and Board Induction. It will take place Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023, at the Loews Chicago O’Hare in Rosemont, Illinois.

This event features cocktails, extraordinary food, dancing and more! New in 2023, CASMI is bringing in DJ Keith Christopher for musical entertainment and a festive evening to dance and mingle with friends and colleagues. Also new in 2023, a photo booth is available where

participants can get their pictures taken. And one more new item for 2023…a new location — the Loews Chicago O’Hare in Rosemont — that offers convenient accommodations for those wishing to spend the night.

Plan on bringing spouses or loved ones to help celebrate CASMI and the spring industry, and to welcome the organization’s new officers and board of directors for 2023-2024.

Details are available on the CASMI website, www.casmi-springworld.org. However, registration will not open until early in January 2023.

By Lucas Karabin, Acme Monaco, NESMA President

As we wrapped up 2022, NESMA was able to meet several objectives. We hosted a successful golf tournament, organized a group outing to a minor league baseball game, held our annual holiday party and annual meeting, added new members, and increased overall levels committed to our charitable causes. Our website committee recently added an intern connections section for current college students.

Our golf tournament was a great success Aug. 29, 2022, due to the leadership of our events chairperson, Ryan Cutter, president of FENN/Torin. Our overall low score was led by some ringers representing accounting services firm Marcum LLP that included employees Ted Lucas and Dan Villeco, along with Mike McGuire, Key Bank and Brian Kelaher, Merrill Lynch. We had a warm dry day, with 118 participants plus additional guests for our post play recap and social hour. The Country Club of Farmington was a new venue for NESMA, but a well-known private course in the area that most of us had never played. We want to thank our

volunteers, who worked hard all day to make sure our event operated smoothly, including Annelise Mackiewicz of FENN/ Torin, Katie Barry of Marion Manufacturing, Lynette and Allen Nadeau of Southington Tool and Manufacturing, and Dee Babkirk of Central Connecticut Chambers. These volunteers and our events committee worked hard for many months to ensure

The team from Marcum LLP captured first place in the NESMA golf outing.

The 2022 NESMA golf outing took place at a new venue,The Country Club of Farmington.

a smooth event. Our raffle was one of the best in years, thanks to Ryan Cutter and Craig Watterson’s generosity. Other key sponsors included our gold sponsors, StampTech, Ulbrich Stainless Steel, RDA Energy and our grand sponsor, Thomaston Bank. We look forward to the next tournament, which is tentatively planned for the Farmington Country Club Aug. 28, 2023.

Our minor league baseball game at the Hartford Yard Goats was held Sept. 7, 2022, and bolstered by wonderful weather. We scored a doubleheader in the matchup with the Somerset Patriots, the Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. Luis Severino, from the Yankees major league roster, was down for a rehab assignment with the Patriots and pitched several innings. Severino was overshadowed, at least in the eyes of the NESMA faithful, as Jake Youmans, our board member and the head of our Vanguard committee threw out the first pitch. He was fortunate to be able to include his father down on the field. We were seated in the Yuengling Party Deck with an open bar, barbecue and amazing views of both Hartford’s beautiful downtown skyline and Dunkin’ Donuts Park, thanks to the generosity of our grand slam sponsor, Gibbs Interwire, and our home run sponsors, Ulbrich Stainless Steel and MPI Metallurgical Processing Inc.

Our Vanguard members Annelise Mackiewicz, FENN/Torin, and Brendan Schuch, Acme Monaco, participated in

WCSMA Report

The West Coast Spring Manufacturers Association (WCSMA) will hold its 2023 Tabletop Expo Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023, at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Buena Park, California. The biannual event will take place from 3 to 7 p.m. and will include a technology update, along with door prizes, free hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar.

“Meet exhibitors who cater to your industry,” states a WCSMA flyer about

Career Day at Farmington High School. Our technical development committee and Vanguard plan to visit additional high schools in the near future.

Our annual meeting was held Dec. 2, 2022, following our Holiday Party Dec. 1 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Bristol. We honored Don Jacobson II, Newcomb Spring, and Sharon Lutkus, Naugatuck Valley Community College for their outstanding commitment to the mission of NESMA and support of the spring industry.

NESMA has been fortunate to add three new members, including Northeast Riggers of Plainville/Farmington that serves the rigging needs for the East Coast; Connecticut Compressors, privately owned and headquartered in Plainville that offers 24/7 service that can be contacted at sales@ctcompressor.com; and Len LaPorta, a principal in The DAK Group, an advisory business for exiting owners

that boasts a combination of manufacturing and investment banking knowledge.

NESMA and its charitable contributions have grown, and after board approval we have increased our 2023 scholarship program by $3,000 that is administered by the Main Street Foundation. A $300 donation was also made to the Bristol Police Heroes Fund after the ambush killing in October 2022 of two well-known Bristol police officers, Lt. Dustin Demonte and Sgt. Alex Hamzy, who were both promoted posthumously. The officers were killed while answering a 911 call.

We are now selling NESMA t-shirts and hats designed by board member Andrea Tarantino of Napcon Communications. If you would like to show your support and purchase apparel, contact Cindy Bombard at c.bombard@centralctchambers.org.

For more information about NESMA, visit www.nesma-usa.com.

the event. “An eclectic mix of vendors who supply products, materials, equipment, services and technology. Reacquaint yourself with companies from previous shows and get to know the many new vendors that are first time exhibitors to our show!”

There is no cost to attend. For those who would like to exhibit, the cost is $450 for WCSMA members, and $600 for

non-members (WCSMA membership is $350 annually). For complete exhibitor information, contact Mark Tiedeman of Tru-Form Industries at 562-924-8896.

For a flyer about the event, additional information or to register, contact Debra Kolodge of FTR Metal Products at 562-945-7504 or email: debra@ foremostspring.com. n

The view of the Hartford skyline from the Yuengling Party Deck at Dunkin’ Donuts Park.

A Fresh Start

By Laura Helmrich-Rhodes, CSP, Ed.D.

One of the great benefits I have found of being a full-time academic, is that a new semester begins in the fall and again in the spring. This is a nice way to live, with at least two fresh starts every year; a chance to evaluate, take stock, make changes and maybe even start a new exercise routine! Is it time to step back and look at and evaluate your company safety program as a new season approaches? As the fire, workers’ compensation and general liability insurance December policy deadlines have come and gone, it is always a good time to make a fresh start.

Whether you have an established safety, health and environmental program or have decided it is time to formalize your employee safety efforts, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has provided an excellent resource on their website called “Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs.” Within this helpful website it lists “Ten Ways to Get Your Program Started.” Let’s look at these 10 items as they impact the spring industry and how to use them to start anew.

Establish Safety and Health as a Core Value and Lead by Example

The first two elements, establishing safety and health as a core value and leading by example, need to be discussed together. There is no doubt that a safety culture begins with the owner(s) of the company. Written mission statements and policies are only as good as the leadership team implementing them. Those at the helm need to make decisions everyday with safety as a key question. Accepting jobs that exceed the capability of the workforce, equipment or time constraints, purchasing equipment that is properly safeguarded (machine guarding and hazardous energy shut down) and setting aside funds for higher level training for those in hazardous positions, such as maintenance and forklift operators, are all decisions that should have safety as a high-level consideration.

Leading by example goes way beyond owners and managers wearing appropriate protective equipment on the shop floor. Leading everyone to make decisions with safety in mind creates a culture of safety. When every employee truly believes they have the authority to stop work when they see an imminent danger and that management cares about them beyond profitability,

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 630-460-8588 or laurahrhodes@gmail.com.

then safety is a core value. As the old saying goes: “More is caught than taught!” Employees know when key decisions are made that overlooked safety considerations.

Established and communicated values will help attract and maintain a younger workforce. Youth want to know that organizations are committed to sustainability, environmental protection and the greater good. Showcasing your company’s commitment to safety and the environment might help hire and maintain a loyal workforce.

Implement a Reporting System

Creating a meaningful incident reporting system, where there is a follow-up system to prevent reoccurrence, is a critical element of a safety program. The best strategy is to identify near-miss events so that no one is injured, or property damaged. Behaviorbased safety programs work on reinforcing the positive work methods to avoid errors, damaged goods and injury to your workers. The key is that employees know they are free to report injuries and illnesses without fear of retaliation.

Beyond assuring employees that repeat events will not occur, collecting and synthesizing meaningful data regarding safety is a great way to elevate the importance in a company. Losses, potential losses, supervisor completed inspections, returned defective materials and work orders with safety as priority are all examples of little nuggets, that when analyzed for trends, can be used to continuously improve operations. Safety data should be a part of every senior management meeting so that your overall program stays fresh.

Provide Training

There are many federal OSHA requirements for safety training and there may be state requirements as well. For example, Pennsylvania requires annual training for hazardous chemical right to know (Hazard Communication), but federal OSHA has different times that re-training must occur. Commitment to training goes beyond the annual safety training I provide to SMI member companies (summer training dates are being scheduled).

Professional growth can help prevent workers from leaving. Create a training plan for all employees so that they improve and master job tasks and can move on to greater challenges. Grow supervisors and managers by providing in-house training, send others to advanced courses and conduct monthly, meaningful toolbox talks to keep employees interested in safety topics at work and at home.

Conduct Inspections

Inspections should be done at a variety of times, depending on the operational hazards and the depth of the safety culture. Some standards have specific inspection times. For example, forklifts must be inspected daily before each shift. Those inspection forms

need to be available to the OSHA inspector, if a forklift accident occurs. Rigging (includes, but is not limited to, synthetic and chain slings) used for material handling also have specific inspection times, as well as any fall protection.

Every employee should have inspection obligations for their work area, including the office staff and quality control labs. No one should be exempt. Everyone should know the extent of their authority to change it and/or who to notify if it is beyond their authority. The bottom line is that hazards should not be present until the next monthly inspection takes place and waiting for “someone” to fix it.

Collect Hazard Control Ideas and Implement Hazard Controls

I have found that employees are excellent resources for both hazard identification and new ideas for cost effective controls. Employees work with the equipment/process daily, meet deadlines and quotas, use a variety of raw material and experience failures. It is likely your employees have put a lot of thought into ways to improve both efficiency and safety.

Management is overlooking a vast pool of knowledge when they don’t ask employees for ideas. I have found that the employees “in the trenches” can have much better ideas than some engineers. By teaming skilled employees’ ideas with in-house or consulting engineers, problems can be solved and improved processes can be created while reducing/eliminating hazards.

This discussion could lead to the hot issue of “Quiet Quitting.” Employees who are offended or feel unheard are only going to do the minimum for the organization. Their loyalty is waning. Engaging employees and their ideas and acting on them help employees feel part of the team and the company’s overall mission. Of course, not every suggestion must be implemented. Gather them, recognize them and implement the ones that move the organization forward.

Address Emergencies

When I look back at the emergencies that were included in the first Emergency Action Plan (EAP) I created in the early 1980s, I am horrified by the expansion needed today. All emergencies that are possible need to be included in the Emergency Action Plan (EAP). Often overlooked is the required Fire Prevention Plan that accompanies the EAP. The federal requirements for employers over 10 employees in a calendar year are greater than very small companies; nonetheless, unfortunate events hit even very small factories. The key is to have a plan, publish and practice it. Consider inviting local emergency management and law enforcement to conduct drills and demonstrations at company facilities. The better they know the facility layout, location of shut-offs, hazardous chemicals and employee muster points, the more effective they will be when an emergency arises.

Seek Input on Workplace Changes and Make Improvements

Before changing operations or equipment, be sure to get employee input so that any safety or health issues can be addressed before implementing. Create a list of safety questions that purchasing managers must ask. Do a pre-purchase machine guarding study and obtain the lockout shut down procedures before the purchase. When planning any construction or making agreements with contractors, include safety in the bid process as well as a review of their safety program to assure they are not creating new hazard for your employees.

Take the beginning of a new year as a time to make a fresh start. Set aside time to review safety and health issues, goals, mission statements and measure how the company is doing in meeting/exceeding those goals. Act on the items employees bring to you as sincere concerns. By doing these things you can make a fresh start toward deepening the culture of safety so that it becomes a part of the fabric of your day-to-day operations. n

Helpful Resources Ten Ways to Get Your Safety Program Started (or Refreshed!)

Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs: How Do I Get Started?

Downloadable booklet also available in Spanish https://www.osha.gov/safety-management/ getting-started

American Red Cross Ready Rating: Assess your Company’s Level of Preparedness https://www.readyrating.org

OSHA Emergency Preparedness Safety Topics Page https://www.osha.gov/emergency-preparedness

Machine Guarding eTool https://www.osha.gov/etools/machine-guarding/ standards

Leading a Culture of Safety: A Blueprint for Success For health care but easily applied to any business venture https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/Leading_a_ Culture_of_Safety-A_Blueprint_for_Success.pdf

Establish safety and health as a core value.

Lead by example.

Implement a reporting system.

Provide training.

Conduct inspections.

Collect hazard control ideas.

Implement hazard controls.

Address emergencies.

Seek input on workplace changes.

Make improvements.

A Formula For Success

By Dan Sebastian

The opportunity to be a part of the first 20 years of MW Industries (MWI) is one of the greatest honors of my life.

I have been asked how we were able to take a failed attempt of a sleepy division of Rockwell International private and make it one of the largest spring companies in North America. The simple answer was “we.” It was a team of extraordinary professionals who came together to make it all work.

It all started in 1991 when I arrived in Logansport, Indiana, to help fix what was, at best, a midsize spring company that was in serious trouble. It was clear that the company had lost its way. I began by applying two management principles I had learned from the 23 years I worked at Associated Spring.

1. Developing a zeal and commitment to the spring industry by applying key principles presented by Tom Peters and Robert Waterman, Jr. in their management book “In Search of Excellence.”

2. Good managers can manage anything, from the teaching of Peter Drucker.

Developing a Passion for Springs

The book “In Search of Excellence” provided analysis by Peters and Waterman which showed that the most successful businesses in America all shared a zeal and commitment for their industries. These companies were leaders in the technical side of their businesses, along with design, marketing and financial excellence. I knew the spring business, having served in positions of engineering and quality, manufacturing management and general management. In addition, I was involved with other spring companies as a member of NESMA, CASMI and the Michigan Spring Association, where I became the president for several years. I immediately got involved with SMI where I got to know many industry executives.

I had the passion for our industry, the trick was to make it part of our culture. We began by making everyone a “spring guy or gal.” We got them involved by meeting the equipment makers, allowing them to participate in industry training, sending them to trade shows and promoting from within the organization. The internal efforts were augmented by recruiting people from within the industry who had demonstrated spring experience. At the same time that we addressed the need for passion in the business, we also needed to fix the problem of profitability. Passion without profit is like playing music while the ship is sinking, which is heartwarming but deadly. Fixing profitability required strong management throughout the organization.

Good Managers

The second key to success was fixing the management problem. MWI would require both leaders and managers. A good leader may not be the best manager, and a good manager does not always have the vision required to grow. We needed both.

At the outset it was apparent that there were potentially good managers at Logansport, but under Rockwell and the people that took them private, the leadership team was not professionally trained and had no experience. We had no time to waste, as the banks were not happy campers. My first task was to bring in Jim Callaghan, who I had worked with at Associated, to manage the financial and business issues, and Ron Orr to run the factory (Ron was the first supervisor I trained at Associated). I took on the technical and springmaking issues. All three of us were “Drucker” trained and shared a love for the business. We managed and trained the internal managers.

Peter Drucker was an Australian-born management expert and considered to be one of the founders of modern management theory. The senior management at Associated were great believers in his fundamental management theory. As a young manager, I was sent to numerous seminars and training sessions in the Drucker system. Peter firmly believed that managers were trained, not born to be managers. He constantly stressed that “Any good manager could manage anything.” MWI needed good managers if we were going to grow and prosper. I had observed many managers over the years, and I saw they had many different levels of success. It became apparent to me that the difference in their level of success was in their passion for the business. With the addition of the passion twist to the Drucker management system, we turned MWI around and positioned it for future growth.

The application of the two principles of passion for the business and sound management principles, along with internal training and recruiting industry-trained professionals, led to MWI growing to more than 15 times its original size in sales and much more in earnings over 20 years. It came from a combination of acquisitions and product development. 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 630-460-8588.

Stress Relieving One of the Most Common Titanium Alloys

By C. Richard Gordon

Titanium alloys are the materials of choice for some spring applications because the materials possess a number of desirable properties, such as being lightweight, having great strength and toughness, and having outstanding corrosion resistance. Some titanium alloys are fully biocompatible.

One of the most commonly used titanium alloys is an alphabeta (phases) alloy, containing 6% aluminum and 4% vanadium. This alloy is usually referred to as Ti 6Al-4V (Ti 6-4).

Two biocompatible grades of Ti 6Al-V used for springs include ASTM B348/B348M-211 Grade 5 [UNS R56400] (Ti 6Al-4V) and Grade 23 [UNS R56407] (Ti 6Al-4V ELI). In addition, F136-13 (2021)e12 (Ti 6Al-4V ELI) [UNS R56401] is also used. The ELI designation stands for extra low interstitials where the elements iron and oxygen are controlled to improve ductility and fracture toughness. The tensile strength of Grade 5 is typically higher due to the higher residual elements. However, in many cases, Grade 23 is substituted for Grade 5 due to material availability. As a result, designing springs based on Grade 23 mechanical properties provides an additional safety factor.

Ti 6Al-4V ELI was added as a new material in SMI’s Advanced Spring Design software as part of the August 2022 update.

The present study was conducted to determine time and temperature stress relief annealing conditions for Ti 6Al-4V ELI using a systematic approach developed previously and used successfully for other springmaking materials.

Methodology

In order to determine the stress relief annealing optimum time and temperature, Dr. Terry Bartel described a methodology he

C. Richard (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.

had used successfully in the past3,4,5. This was originally published in Springs, October 20073 and subsequently republished in the Spring 2018 issue of Springs4. This methodology was followed in this work.

Current Work

Fort Wayne Metals was contacted for assistance to conduct the experiment for identifying the optimum stress relief annealing conditions for the Ti 6Al-4V ELI alloy.

Experiment Plan

Wire specimens were prepared from 0.0226 in. diameter stock from heat no. 8-17-08671, Grade Ti 6Al-4V ELI for this work.

The experiment was divided into two parts:

• In part one, specimens were batch heat treated for one hour at temperatures: 200°F, 400°F, 600°F, 700°F, 750°F, 800°F, 850°F, 900°F, 1000°F and 1100°F. Samples were tensile tested as described below.

• In part two, two temperatures, 600°F and 700°F, were selected from part one data for time at temperature batch heat treating experiments. Specimens were heat treated at each temperature for: 5, 10, 30, 45 and 120 minutes. Samples were tensile tested as described below.

Heat Treating

Specimens were heat treated in a metallurgical laboratory Carbolite air circulating furnace at the specified temperatures and times.

Tensile Testing

Specimens were tested using an Instron® model 5569 electromechanical tensile testing machine, equipped with a 225-lb load cell (LD 225-A). A two-inch gage length between pneumatic grips and a variable crosshead speed starting at 0.014 in/min and finishing at 0.25 in/min were used. Three specimens for each temperature condition were tested for part one, and two specimens were tested for each time for part two.

Test Results

Figure 1 is a graph of tensile strength and percent elongation versus temperature for samples heat treated at the temperatures shown. Elongation data is shown to document the relationship of this important ductility indicator and tensile strength. A polynomial curve fit for tensile strength and two point moving average curve for percent elongation are also included. From this graph, two temperatures, 600°F and 700°F, were selected for part two experiments.

Figure 2 is a graph of tensile strength and percent elongation versus time for samples heat treated at 600°F and 700°F for the times shown. The data indicates that treatment times ~ 40 - 50 minutes at 600°F and ~ 20 - 30 minutes at 700°F might be suitable for stress relief annealing Grade Ti 6Al-4V ELI material.

Discussion

Samples tested in this work were individual wires heat treated in batches.

Standard batch heat treating times for springs are typically 20-30 minutes at temperature. As a result, 700°F might be selected as a lower temperature limit for stress relief annealing Grade Ti 6Al-4V ELI.

Also, in many cases in the production of springs, continuous heat-treating furnaces are used where springs are heat treated for shorter times at higher temperatures to reach the desired mechanical properties.

Summary

In this article, an approach developed by Dr. Terry Bartel for determining stress relief annealing conditions was used to study the stress relief annealing behavior of Grade Ti 6Al-4V ELI. This approach can be useful in developing stress relief annealing conditions for new alloys as well as for refining stress relief annealing conditions for existing materials.

Acknowledgement

The assistance of Lawrence Kay, director of new product development at Fort Wayne Metals, and his team for conducting the heattreating experiments and mechanical testing is acknowledged and greatly appreciated. Also, special thanks to Josh Underwood, process technician, for coordinating the testing program.

Future Work

A future Springs magazine article on the family of titanium springmaking materials by Dr. Terry Bartel is planned. n

References

1. ASTM B348/B348M-21 Standard Specification for Titanium and Titanium Alloy Bars and Billets, ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA, 2017, www.astm.org

2. F136-13 (2021)e1 Standard Specification for Wrought Titanium-6Aluminum-4Vanadium ELI (Extra Low Interstitial) Alloy for Surgical Implant Applications (UNS R56401), ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA, 2017, www.astm.org

3. T. Bartel, Heat Treating, Springs, October 2007, Vol. 46, No. 4 p13.

4. T. Bartel, Heat Treating, Springs, Spring 2018, Vol. 57, No. 2 p38.

5. ASM Handbook, Vol. 4A, Steel Heat Treating Fundamentals and Processes, ASM International, Materials Park, OH, (2013), p.278.

SMI has a team of experts, who speak the language of springs, ready to assist you. It could be a metallurgy question about fatigue life or corrosion, or perhaps you need help with a spring design and the use of materials when manufacturing springs. To find out how SMI Technical Services can help you, phone 630-460-8588 or visit www.smihq.org/springsadvice.

Plant IndustrIalIzatIon The Promise of Smart

Many new technologies are available to modernize and transform today’s spring manufacturing facilities. There is great potential in the use of smart manufacturing utilizing Industry 4.0, commonly referred to as the “Fourth Industrial Revolution.”

Industry 4.0 conceptualizes rapid change to technology, industries, and societal patterns and processes in the 21st century due to increasing interconnectivity and smart automation.

One of the key drivers is the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) which Wikipedia describes as: “Physical objects with sensors, processing ability, software, and other technologies that connect and exchange data with other devices and systems over the Internet or other communications networks.”

This article will give you an overview of what smart manufacturing is all about and ideas as you plan toward the future. Consideration of smart manufacturing will be helpful as you purchase new machines and implement new hardware and software solutions. It’s no secret that the amount of data available from smart manufacturing holds great potential to help modernize manufacturing and especially in predictive machine maintenance and replacement.

While not everyone is ready to dive deep into Industry 4.0, there are many things that can be done to automate your manufacturing facilities.

By Gary McCoy

Manufacturing for the Spring Industry

What Is Industry 4.0?

Chuck Wetherington was the keynote speaker at The Assembly Show held Oct. 25-27, 2022, in Rosemont, Illinois. Wetherington, the president of BTE Technologies, discussed “Using Lean to Prepare for Manufacturing 4.0.”

Wetherington, who has been in manufacturing his entire career, prefers to use the term Manufacturing 4.0 rather than Industry 4.0. He explained that the first industrial revolution, from the 1770s to 1840s, involved the implementation of machines powered by steam, water and wind in the manufacturing of “things.” He said this era is credited with the creation and growth of the middle class.

The second industrial revolution, from roughly the 1870s to World War II, saw the introduction of electricity as a power source and the advent of railroads, the telegraph and the manufacturing production line. “This created great economic growth and a shift in worker skill sets,” explained Wetherington.

The third industrial revolution was digital, marked by computerization, the use of information, automation and supply chain management. This period, in the late 20th century, was marked by vast productivity improvements.

Wetherington says the fourth industrial revolution consists of interconnectivity, information availability, artificial intelligence (AI) and the decentralization of decision making. “It is the integration between manufacturing processes and designs,” explained Wetherington.

Wetherington cited a McKinney & Company study illustrating that Industry 4.0 can unlock significant value across multiple areas of a factory network. The study showed the value potential was 15 to 20% for inventory holding cost reduction, 15 to 30% in labor productivity increase, 30 to 50% in machine downtime, 10 to 30% in throughput increase, 85% in forecasting accuracy improvement and 10 to 20% in cost-of-quality improvement.

IIoT and Smart FactorIes

One of the leading proponents of IloT is Amazon Web Services (AWS), the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud platform, offering over 200 fully featured services from data centers globally.

The company says, “Industrial IoT brings machines, cloud computing, analytics, and people together to improve the performance and productivity of industrial processes. With IIoT, industrial companies can digitize processes, transform business models, and improve performance and productivity, while decreasing waste.”

The company asserts that using IloT can deliver value across a variety of use cases including predictive quality and maintenance analytics, asset condition monitoring and process optimization.

AWS says a typical industrial facility has thousands of sensors generating data.

“With IIoT, manufacturers, for example, can combine machine data from a single line, factory, or a network of sites, such as manufacturing plants, assembly facilities, and refineries, to proactively improve performance by identifying potential bottlenecks, failures, gaps in production processes,

4.0 is the integration between manufacturing processes and designs.

Chuck Weatherington , BTE Technologies

and quality issues before they happen. Combining data from a network of sites can also result in a more efficient control of material flow, early detection and identification and elimination of production or supply bottlenecks, and the optimized operation of machinery and equipment in all facilities.”

A 2022 advertorial written by Sam Yeh of Simco credits Smart Factory 4.0 with serving as a main driver of innovation within the company. The Smart Factory 4.0 cornerstones are:

1. Optimize machine utilization to increase production capacity

2. Transition from reactive to proactive quality management with IloT

3. Utilize intelligent data analysis to increase machine availability

“Springs smart manufacturing can improve almost all areas of existing manufacturing processes by giving employees access to a whole host of real-time information on their manufacturing processes. IloT technology gives managers access to a huge amount of data that provides vital insights into things like a spring machine’s overall health, energy consumption and productivity,” Yeh writes.

He observes that one of the greatest benefits of IloT is that the information gathered by this technology has the ability to significantly reduce the amount of downtime and make it extremely clear when a machine either needs maintenance work or potentially needs replacing altogether.

Industry 4.0 Is Here, But AdoptIon Is low

Jake Hall is a content creator and industry influencer who goes by the moniker “The Manufacturing Millennial.” He stands out from most presenters because he dons a Chicago Cubs baseball cap when he speaks.

Hall has attended numerous manufacturing events in the past year, including The Assembly Show, FabTech and the International Manufacturing Technology Show.

When asked if the technology is available to make the fourth industrial revolution a reality, Hall replied with a declarative statement of “absolutely.” He says, however, the culture at most companies is not ready to adopt these solutions.

Hall estimates that fewer than 10% of all manufacturers across the U.S. have truly adopted industry 4.0 initiatives as their culture going forward.

“There’s a lot of cool technology where the adoption of information is being enabled,” explained Hall, “so manufacturers can better understand their productivity, how efficient their investments and capital equipment processes are.”

He says it’s all about being able to take the machines inside the shop floor and connect them to the cloud, so they are accessible anywhere.

“We’re also seeing a lot more integration and adoption of collaborative systems and not necessarily just collaborative robots,” said Hall. “It is things like device wearables working alongside humans to make them more productive and make their lives easier.”

start wIth AutomatIon

While most are not ready to dive headfirst into Industry 4.0, the challenges of a prolonged labor shortage have provided many spring manufacturers with the opportunity and necessity to automate processes to help overcome this obstacle.

Sean Costin is director of sales for IP Automation Inc., a company that designs and manufactures a wide array of high-performance CNC wire bending machines using the latest servo and programming technology. Costin says the company has focused on helping manufacturers create a complete lean solution for “single piece flow” through a company’s multiple operations.

“Most of our customers are looking to replace their labor costs, especially with in-line processes, and a lot of times it involves the use of robotics,” explained Costin. Costin says it often involves robotic integration of secondary operations from welding, stamping, machining, stress relieving,

There’s a lot of cool technology where the adoption of information is being enabled so manufacturers can better understand their productivity, how efficient their investments and capital equipment processes are.

Paul Ryznar (left), Light Guide and Jake Hall, The Manufacturing Millennial

Sean Costin, IP Automation Inc.

inspection, and powder coating along with secondary bending and crimping.

Even if a company is not ready to integrate an industrial robot into their operations, Costin says all the machines they design are robot ready.

While Costin agrees that most companies are not ready for full implementation of Industry 4.0, he says machine maintenance information is often a hidden benefit of going digital.

“Machine intelligence and connectivity is an integral part of our ability to service customers,” explained Costin. “It provides them with important data they can use to identify the source of problems, as well it allows us to be virtually on-site with them in minutes to help them though a problem with their machine or their program. Recently, we have been installing VPN Tunnel capability that allows us to connect to machines quickly and directly with just an internet connection and safely bypassing the company network. By using these tools customers can experience a significant reduction in downtime.”

Costin says going digital gives you a lot more data. “Some people want and need that data and some people don’t need it as much due to the nature of their work,” he explained.

He says the data attainable through open platform communications, like OPC UA, by production machines can be used for various purposes from production monitoring to measuring Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) and can provide important decision-making information for managers of an operation.

In summary, Costin sees the great benefits of robotics to help a company automate and solve their labor shortage problem, especially in secondary operations. He also believes Industry 4.0 is a way to improve connectivity especially when it comes to machine maintenance. “It will forever change the way machines are made and the way manufacturers use machines,” he concluded.

other AutomatIon consIderatIons

Scott Marsic, group product manager for Epson Robots, presented “Why Automate? Manufacturing Considerations in Today’s ‘New Normal’” during The Assembly Show 2022. He said new users are leading a drive toward simplicity because of limited automation backgrounds. As a result, simple applications are being developed for ease of use and speed. He also pointed out that more small and medium companies are moving toward automation because it is easier to use and more affordable.

Whether a large or small company, Marsic said “automation is the great equalizer.”

Marsic pointed out that a top reason for not automating is “an inability to gain internal support and funding.” He advises companies to align on their priorities and do the legwork up front to justify your project because decisions downstream will depend on this.

He presented five considerations for any manufacturer’s next automation project:

1) Align on your reasons for automating

2) Take a 360° view of “risk”

3) Make sure to invest in the right places

4) Be cognizant of future changes in your product

5) Start simple to improve your potential for success

new TechnologIes

The Assembly Show featured many exciting technologies, especially in the areas of robotics and the factory of the future. A company called LightGuide showcased its smartAR Workstation. Powered by the company’s augmented reality software, this preconfigured, turnkey workstation uses digital projection technology to display step-by-step work instructions onto a mobile, ergonomic production area.

Augmented reality remote service is also becoming popular. Slideforming manufacturer Bihler 4 Slide-NC says its AR Remote Service provides a real-time audio and video feed with one of its service experts. This allows the company to hear and view the equipment along with their customer’s technician. Look for more of these options in the future to provide online workflow for maintenance, setup and production.

Experts predict that more machine learning and artificial intelligence solutions will be developed to aid in the collection and dissemination of IloT data.

A top reason for not automating is an inability to gain internal support and funding.

Scott Marsic, Epson America

The Future

Wetherington believes Manufacturing 4.0 is exciting, but it should be viewed as a toolbox. Deciding which tools to apply and when is the art and science that will help small and medium manufacturers thrive in the decade to come.

He advises manufacturers to assess your business, factory and processes. “Determine where the best opportunities lie, and don’t chase the easy in lieu of the valuable,” said Wetherington.

Importantly, he said that transitioning to Manufacturing 4.0 should always involve people, especially the employees on the shop floor. “Be sure to do it up front and often.”

Wetherington said a 2022 Manufacturing Leadership Council survey asked: “Do you expect your company’s rate of adoption of Manufacturing 4.0 technologies to increase or decrease over the next two years?”

The survey results showed that 89% believe the adoption rate will increase, 10% believe adoption will remain unchanged and 0% believe adoption will decelerate.

Hall sees a transformation in the workforce that will help accelerate Industry 4.0. “If you’re a manufacturer expecting a millennial or Gen Z to come in and work at your facility that

is still using technology and solutions and work instructions from 25 to 30 years ago, it’s a huge disconnect,” he explained.

As a result, he believes the younger generation will perceive that your company is not investing in the future. “If you can create technology in a way that’s going to make them more comfortable and understanding and it’s something they are familiar with, you have a better chance of keeping them on board.”

He encourages manufacturers to get involved with their local middle schools, high schools, community colleges and tech schools. “Labor is local, because small to medium size manufacturers represent 98% of all manufacturers in the U.S. If you’re not investing locally in your school programs and all that stuff, and talking with your local advisers and boards, you are missing out on the most critical area to find future employees and to bring up future employees.”

With the rate of adoption accelerating, spring manufacturers should look ahead to see when and if they are ready to pursue the promises that come from connected machinery using Industry 4.0. At a minimum, spring manufacturers should pursue automating their manufacturing plants to accelerate the process toward this new industrial revolution. n

Recognizing the urgent need to accelerate the adoption of smart manufacturing in the U.S., the Smart Manufacturing Institute (CESMII) and the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) recently announced the official launch of the Smart Manufacturing Executive Council (SMEC). Described as “a national think tank of smart manufacturing leaders,” the SMEC has been created to engage business and technology executives, thought leaders and visionaries advocating for the transformation of the U.S. manufacturing ecosystem.

“As we transition from one manufacturing era to another, it’s clear that legacy behaviors, business models and technology architectures must make way for new ones,” said CESMII CEO John Dyck. “It’s the charter of this Smart Manufacturing Executive Council to advocate for this transformation, and the practical steps, investments and policy recommendations that will help this ecosystem cross this digital divide.”

The SMEC will focus on these strategic initiatives:

• Ecosystem: Collaborative strategies enabling plants connected to the enterprise and supply chains for real-time data-driven business orchestration.

Goal: flexible and agile processes and supply chains easily reconfigured for changing market demands and empowering collaboration between OT and IT.

• Technology: Accelerate evolution from proprietary, closed systems, enabling interoperability to eliminate data silos, stovepipe architectures and vendor lock-in.

Goal: drive down costs, improve agility.

• Workforce: Aligning education, training and continuous improvement strategies to develop people with the skills needed to accelerate smart manufacturing and create data-driven cultures.

Goal: organizational structures and capabilities that align resources and people for SM success.

An inaugural SMEC Session was scheduled in December 2022 to affirm the charter and set strategic priorities for 2023. For more information about CESMII, SME and the SMEC, visit cesmii.org/about/sm-executive-council.

Council Formed to Accelerate the Adoption of Smart Manufacturing in the U.S.

Fourslide Spring and Stamping Celebrates Its 60 th Anniversary

Arthur Funk and a partner founded the company as Fourslide Spring Products, Inc. in Bristol, Connecticut in 1962. Starting with a single customer and a single machine for fabricating parts, Fourslide has steadily grown into a $6 million operation employing 25 workers locally.

Working alongside his wife, Dorothy, after buying out his partner, in 1968 Funk purchased a 4,100-square-foot building in Bristol to accommodate Fourslide’s growth. His daughter Judy Schmidt came aboard in 1970, and his son Arthur “Bud” Funk Jr. joined the family business in 1975. He would become president in the mid ‘80s. By 1980, Fourslide had doubled the square footage of its facility and pushed its annual sales past $1 million.

Today, a third generation of Funks oversees daily operations as President Bryan Funk is assisted by his brother, Shipping Manager Bradley Funk. Schmidt also maintains an active role as CFO. Fourslide’s facility has grown to more than 19,000 square feet, with a second property across the street held as a site for potential future expansion.

Continued Growth Amid Adversity

Fourslide showed resilience through a pair of recessions in the early 2000s, losing just a few key employees. Sales continued to grow at an average of 4% annually, eventually passing the $7 million milestone in 2017.

2018 brought additional hardship as the company took a 30% revenue hit when its largest customer relocated its operations out of the country. With Bryan Funk now at the helm, there was a company-wide effort to refocus on Fourslide’s core business, reworking its facility for greater efficiencies and reinforcing a solid foundation that allowed it to flourish through the COVID-19 pandemic. Sales are on pace to rebound to the $6 million mark this year.

Funk credits his loyal team with the company’s success. “We have several employees who have been here for more than 30 years, some who have worked their entire career at Fourslide,” he said. “Their ongoing dedication is largely responsible for our growth.”

Looking to the Future

Though its customer base and pipeline of new work is as strong as ever, Fourslide finds itself dealing with challenges that are all too common for American manufacturers in today’s climate: material lead times, supply availability and a lack of qualified applicants for job openings.

“With our square footage maxed out, we’re making every effort to increase efficiencies within that footprint and make Fourslide a more attractive place to work,” said Funk. “We’re investing more in

new employee training than ever before because it’s difficult to find anyone with experience in this type of environment.”

The company has experienced a noticeable uptick in new and returning business from customers reshoring their sourcing efforts in the wake of COVID-19. Production delays tied to overseas shutdowns, increased transportation expenses and ballooning delivery times affect a company’s bottom line, opening the door for domestic manufacturers to win on more than part quality alone.

“We pride ourselves in the quality of our product and our ability to respond quickly to a customer’s changing needs,” said Funk. “We do have customers coming back after dealing with offshore manufacturers.”

What is the Fourslide Manufacturing Process?

Fourslide Spring & Stamping takes its name from the fourslide manufacturing method that has been the company’s focus since day one. The process combines stamping and forming operations within a single machine utilizing a progressive die and four tool slides, allowing the company to fabricate a wide variety of simple and complex metal flat springs, contacts, connectors, clips and stampings from strip or wire. Fourslide is capable of high-speed production (up to 10,000 pieces per hour) with gauge-like accuracy, and the company has been ISO certified since 1996. You can learn more about the process, view a wide selection of sample parts and read more about the advantages of fourslide manufacturing on the company’s website, www.fourslide.com. n

Fourslide’s leadership team (l-to-r): President Bryan Funk, CFO Judy Schmidt, Chairman of the Board Arthur “Bud” Funk Jr., and Shipping Manager Bradley Funk.

Forecast 2023

The Spring Industry Faces Gathering

By Phillip M. Perry

After two years of frenetic commercial activity fueled by a post-pandemic recovery, the spring industry is facing a more challenging operating environment in 2023. Among the headwinds: rising inflation, higher interest rates, a softening housing market, continuing supply chain disruptions, declining capital investments, and escalating costs for wages and energy.

“I feel that we’re in a recession, most definitely,” said Dennis K. Bhaskaran, CEO/COO of Apex Spring & Stamping Corporation in Grand Rapids, Michigan. “Revenues at some of our customers are down by 15% to 20%, and they have been laying off employees, particularly white-collar ones.”

The loss of some helpful economic initiatives is only adding to the downward pressure. “Government stimulus packages, ultra-low interest rates, and strong money supply creation had been helping to compel business activity until mid-2022,” said Anirban Basu, chairman and CEO of Sage Policy Group. “All those fundamentals have been inverted.”

Economists are adjusting their forecasts to reflect the new normal. “We project real gross domestic product (GDP) will increase by 0.7% in 2023,” said Bernard Yaros Jr., assistant director and economist at Moody’s Analytics. “The expectation for 2022 is 1.7%. Both figures represent much slower activity than the 5.9% increase of 2021.” (GDP, the total value of the nation’s goods and services, is the most commonly accepted measure of economic growth. “Real” GDP adjusts for inflation.)

All of the above conditions should have a depressing effect on corporate profits,

projected by Moody’s Analytics to increase at a 5.2% clip in 2023. That represents a decline from the 7.9% figure anticipated for 2022. Both estimates are much lower than the 25% increase of 2021.

Strong Employment

Reports from the field reflect early glimmers of a less robust business environment. “In the first half of 2022 many of our members were still experiencing high demand,” said Tom Palisin, executive director of The Manufacturers’ Association, a York, Pennsylvania-based regional organization with more than 390 member companies. “But as the year progressed there was a significant slowdown caused by the labor shortage, inflationary issues and global events.”

With its diverse membership in food processing, defense, fabrication and machinery building, Palisin’s association is something of a proxy for all American industry. The good news is that a strong employment environment at the association’s members—as well as at companies elsewhere in the nation—is helping alleviate the negative impact of the economy’s headwinds. Moody’s Analytics expects a continuation of that favorable condition, forecasting an unemployment rate of 4.1% by the end of 2023. That’s not much higher than the 3.7% rate of late 2022. (Many economists peg an unemployment rate of

The springs industry is facing a more challenging operating environment in 2023

Clouds and Growing Turbulence

“Employers will be very focused on labor availability in 2023…. Despite a slowing economy, layoffs are low, indicating that businesses are holding onto labor in a reaction to the hiring difficulties they encountered during the pandemic.”

between 3.5% and 4.5% as the “sweet spot” that balances the risks of wage escalation and economic recession.)

On the downside, low unemployment usually increases business costs by forcing employers to boost wages to attract scarce workers. Today is no exception. “Our organization surveys members annually on their baseline entry level hourly wage figure,” said Palisin. “Increases typically run around 2.5% to 3%, but the figure was 8% in 2022.” While Moody’s Analytics forecasts a continuation of labor cost increases, they should moderate to 3.5% in 2023, down from their current 5%. Even so, those increases are expected to affect business profitability.

Worker Shortage

The tight labor market hits business profitability not only in the form of higher wages, but also in a scarcity of the very workers needed to produce goods and services. “Employers will be very focused on labor availability in 2023 as Baby Boomers continue to retire and the supply of immigrant labor has yet to fully recover from severe pandemic-related disruptions,” said Yaros. “Despite a slowing economy, layoffs are low, indicating that businesses are holding onto labor in a reaction to the hiring difficulties they encountered during the pandemic.”

When will workforce availability increase? Not anytime soon, say observers. “The labor

market’s going to be tight for years to come,” said Bill Conerly, principal of his own consulting firm in Lake Oswego, Oregon. “The decade from 2020 to 2030 is expected to have the lowest growth of working age population since the Civil War. One reason is the retirement of the Baby Boomers; another is the low rate of immigration over the last few years.”

Palisin agreed that a labor shortage is going to be a long-term condition, and said his members are making moves to lessen the

Economists expect growth to slow in 2023.

effect. “Employers are trying to be creative in the way they keep and retain workers, not only by offering higher salary rates but also by extending benefits and encouraging work flexibility. They are also investing more in automation for labor-intensive tasks.”

Retail Slowdown

If high employment levels can stress the bottom lines of many employers, they can also fill workers’ pockets with spendable cash. And flush consumers can help drive a robust retail sector, an important slice of the economic pie. “Wage rates, as measured by the Employment Cost Index (ECI), remain very high by the standards of the last couple of decades,” said Scott Hoyt, senior director of consumer economics for Moody’s Analytics.

Even so, activity is decelerating at the nation’s stores. “2023 is likely to be a challenging year for retail, with growth only at 2.8%,” said Hoyt. The projected growth is well below the sector’s historic 4.3% average as well as the 8.3% increase expected when 2022 numbers are finally tallied. The recent trend is well below 2021 when a 17.5% increase was fueled by a consumer shift away from services and toward goods.

A slowing economy is contributing to retail’s deceleration, as is a penchant for postpandemic consumers to shell out less cash on merchandise and more on services such as hotels, travel and restaurants. Any softening of inflation from recent highs should also depress results, since retail activity is measured in nominal terms.

Supply Chain Disruptions

Higher wages and scarce workers are not the only forces depressing business profits. Another major factor is a rise in interest rates,

the Fed’s favorite tool for fighting inflation. “The purpose of increasing interest rates is to drive down demand,” said Palisin. “So, our members are expecting to see a decrease in new orders that will impact the overall economy. Too many of our companies have lines of credit that rely on floating interest rates. Rising rates will take a hit to the bottom line as companies decide whether to utilize those lines to support their cash flow and investments.”

Adding further downward pressure are disruptions in the delivery of goods that continue to plague companies large and small. “Our biggest concern is that our suppliers are unable to find enough of the right people,” said Bhaskaran. “That has led to a nonstop struggle for us in dealing with shortages, whether it’s stainless steel or beryllium copper or specialty metals. Every week we’re battling to get the parts we need. Cold roll is coming back under control, but music wire is still out 20 to 26 weeks. We have responded by building a two-to-three-week inventory cushion. As a business owner, I have to make sure we get products to our customers on time so they can service their end consumers on time.”

The Russia-Ukraine war has worsened the situation for industries in general, noted Palisin. “The war has created an energy crunch and a disruption in raw materials from that region that have trickled through the economy to exacerbate the supply chain issues.” Companies are responding by sourcing from additional countries to reduce disruptions.

Housing Headwinds

Housing, a key driver of the economy, has also entered a period of correction. “The underlying dynamics of the housing market are changing as lower affordability spurred by higher prices and mortgage rates is starting to significantly weigh on demand,” said Yaros. Limited affordability is discouraging consumers from signing on the bottom line. Median prices for existing single-family homes are expected to increase 11.5% when 2022 figures are finally tallied. That comes off a strong 18% increase in 2021. Any relief

Employers are trying to be creative in the way they keep and retain workers, not only by offering higher salary rates but also by extending benefits and encouraging work flexibility. They are also investing more in automation for labor-intensive tasks.

will only come in 2023, when prices should decline by 2.6%. While affordability has sunk to its lowest level since late 2007, the 30-year fixed mortgage rate is within striking distance of its highest level in over a decade, leading to a decline in purchase applications.

Tight housing supply is only adding to upward pricing pressure. The inventory of for-sale homes remains historically low, and new ones will be scarce on the ground. “We expect housing starts to fall by 1.8% and 2% in 2022 and 2023, respectively,” said Yaros. “This compares with a 15.1% increase in 2021.”

There’s only so much the industry can do to bolster housing supply—one big reason being the above-mentioned labor shortage. “The unemployment rate for experienced construction workers is about as low as it’s ever been,” said Yaros. “Capacity limits have delayed housing completions and contributed to a record number of housing units in the pipeline.”

One bright spot in the housing picture: Mortgage credit quality has never been better. “The percent of loans delinquent and in foreclosure is at a record low,” said Yaros. “This goes to the stellar underwriting standards since the financial crisis, and borrowers’ credit scores are much higher.” While lending standards for mortgage loans are now tightening, the credit spigot is unlikely to seize up as it did during the financial crisis of 2008.

Looking Ahead

Given the above concerns, it’s little wonder corporate confidence is taking a hit. As the calendar turns to a new year, companies are responding to soaring interest rates and inflation by scaling back the capital investments that help fuel the economy. “Up until the second half of 2022, most companies were taking advantage of low rates to plan ahead for equipment purchases and expansion opportunities,” said Palisin. “Now, though, many are taking second looks at anything planned for 2023.”

Businesses are also taking steps to increase their liquidity to cushion against tough times. “We are all going to need to watch our cash flow,” said Palisin. “Most of our members

anticipate a slowdown in orders, and as a result they are holding off on some future investments and pulling back in hiring.” Uncertainty is the name of the game, and that makes planning difficult. “We are faced with a kind of a two-sided coin,” said Palisin. “The positive side represents strong current orders and a continuing need for more workers, while the negative side represents inflationary pressures and global headwinds.” Which side of the coin will show its face in 2023? Economists advise watching a few key indicators. “In the early part of the year companies should keep an eye on what is happening with the cost of money,” said Basu of Sage Policy Group. “Inflation is the driver of near-and-medium term economic outlooks.” A second vital element, he said, is the employment picture. “Employers should watch for any emerging weakness in the labor market.” Finally, what about consumers? “Any softening of spending would point to a looming recession.” n

Will We Have a Recession?

The accompanying article suggests an economic slowdown as the likeliest scenario for 2023. But what are the chances of a recession or an actual decline in business activity? A number of factors are helping buoy the economy for the time being. They include a low unemployment rate, rising wages, strong household balance sheets, increased consumer spending on services and still-positive corporate profits.

While Moody’s Analytics sets the odds at 50-50, avoiding a recession will require a bit of luck. “The U.S. economy will enter 2023 being vulnerable to anything that might go wrong,” said Bernard Yaros Jr., assistant director and economist at Moody’s Analytics. He pointed to risks such as a resurgence of the pandemic in China, a worsening of the Ukraine war and another energy supply shock that would hit consumer pocketbooks.

Avoiding a recession will also depend on a couple of things going right, added Yaros. The ebullient labor market will need to cool down at a pace that softens wage increases without sparking economic turmoil. Most important, the Federal Reserve will need to successfully tame inflation without allowing interest rates to spike the economy. Yaros, however, is optimistic. “We think inflation will steadily slow from more than 8% to a pace that is consistent with the central bank’s 2% target by the end of 2023.”

In the meantime, spring manufacturers will be seeking creative ways to maneuver through a more difficult economic terrain. “I’ve told our team that we’re not going to participate in the recession,” said Dennis K. Bhaskaran, CEO/COO of Apex Spring & Stamping Corporation. “We’re going to fight and kick and grind and figure out a way to get beyond it and still show growth going into these next couple of years.”

The company will continue its program of diversifying beyond the automotive industry as it benefits from a move at many American companies to firm up supply chains through domestic sourcing. “We’re seeing a lot of opportunity as companies reshore their manufacturing and purchasing,” said Bhaskaran. “That will help us offset the economic slowdown.”

THE #1 Thing Businesses Get Wrong During a Recession

By Jason S. Bradshaw

It seems like the question on most business owners’ minds at the moment is, “Are we headed for a recession?” Regardless of the answer to that question, one true thing is that even in times of recession, there are businesses that continue to grow and ones that barely survive.

Unfortunately, during tough times one of the first things that many businesses start to cut is their investment in the customer and employee experience. This is something that you should do as a last resort, and it starts by understanding why.

Research conducted over the last two years by multiple organizations shows that 30% of customers will leave an organization after just one bad experience. Who is delivering the bad experience? Your team members, of course.

Let’s be clear, not every bad experience delivered by your team is the fault of the employee. In most cases, it is the fault of the systems, processes and/or the training they are provided.

So, let’s assume that you can’t afford to lose 30% of your customers. Then, turn your mind to how many customers you want to attract to your business. Research consistently shows that over 50% of customers will try another organization if they trust that their experience is going to be better than the one provided by their current supplier.

Either way you look at it, there is a compelling reason to continue to focus on, and where possible, enhance the customer and employee experience.

The good news is that once you’ve made the decision to continue to focus on the customer and employee experience, there are just four areas that require your continued focus.

1. Be Personal and Make It Relevant

The most personal word to each of us is our name; using it is the fastest way to get someone’s attention, yet business systems are built around numbers.

Further injecting the person’s name into the conversation, whether it be face-to-face, over the phone or via a digital medium, is the first and easiest step in making the experience personal.

Beyond the use of the individual’s name, you don’t need to spend millions on systems that allow for hyperpersonalization, but you do need to ensure that the communications you have with customers are relevant to them. At the very least, start with grouping your customer communications based on products inquired about or purchased.

2. Keep Me (the customer and employee) Informed

Think about your own shopping experience; you click the payment button and then what happens? How do you feel when there are regular updates on the progress of your order versus few or no updates?

The simple rule here is to communicate often. In every message, make it clear when the customer can expect the next communication from you. For example: thank you for your order, it is being processed and you can expect to hear from us within 72 hours with the shipping details, and so on.

However, it is not only your customers that need to be kept informed. First, your team

members need to have timely communication so that they can provide customers with the right information the first time.

This is incredibly important when it comes to marketing and other public messages. Your team members would never be learning from a customer about the latest offer or problem before they have heard it internally. But it goes beyond just telling them about the offer/situation. You also should take the opportunity to reinforce how to deliver on the marketing message or how to manage inquiries about the issue.

3. Add Value Beyond the Sale

To create a relationship that generates repeat and referral business, you need to be finding ways to continually add value. The easiest way to do this is to provide free, relevant resources that help the customer get the full benefit of the purchase.

An easy example in this space is to think of a customer taking delivery of a new car. The delivery day is full of excitement and a desire to get behind the wheel and experience the car. The customer probably is distracted and not listening to the instructions on how everything

4. Enable the Employee

Employees turn up every day wanting to do great work, and to do so they need their managers and leaders to enable their success.

As a manager or leader in an organization, enable the success of your employees by:

• Defining what great looks like;

• Remove or minimize friction for the employee delivering on great; and

• Celebrate publicly great work and coach privately when something doesn’t go to plan.

As the economy goes through its cycles, the four principles outlined above will ensure that you continue to be a business that people want to spend their money with and tell their friends about, while also attracting employees that want to be part of delivering a great experience. n

works. The leading dealerships and brands will communicate with the customer post purchase to ensure that they are reminded about all the awesome features of the car so that they can maximize their enjoyment. It also creates a genuine reason for the brand to reconnect with their customer.

Think about your own business. What could you be communicating post purchase that will provide a genuine benefit to the customer and a reason for the brand to further build a relationship?

Jason S. Bradshaw started his first business at the age of 14, differentiating himself by the service he provided. For the last three decades, he has worked with some of the world’s most recognizable brands, improving the experience to transform the business. Bradshaw is a bestselling author and is considered a global guru on customer experience and a leading authority on experience management. For more information, visit www.jasonsbradshaw.com.

The Spring industry Celebrates

Manufacturing Day has been described as “a celebration of modern manufacturing meant to inspire the next generation of manufacturers. It is a chance for students to see the diverse career options that are innovative, impactful and challenging.”

Each year, starting from the first Friday of October and throughout the month, the manufacturing sector organizes job fairs, exhibitions, shop floor walkthroughs, seminars and other events for students, educators, parents and community influencers. The day kick-starts a monthlong exhibition of America’s manufacturing prowess.

A variety of companies in the spring industry have been active participants in Manufacturing Day for many years, even in creative ways during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are photos and highlights of some of events held in conjunction with Manufacturing Day 2022.

expandIng mInds

Ace Wire Spring & Form Co., Inc. celebrated and promoted Manufacturing Day on Friday Nov. 4, 2022, by hosting 17 students from City Charter High School, who also belong to the BotsIQ organization, for a presentation and tour of the company’s facility in McKees Rock, Pennsylvania, just outside of Pittsburgh.

Ace Wire Spring has been a manufacturer of custom compression, extension, torsion springs and wireforms since 1939 and believes in supporting the local community and the education of young people in the field of manufacturing. “We want to help students experience what manufacturing is about,” said Julie A. Bruno, the company’s engineering assistant.

“The students enjoyed a PowerPoint presentation about working at a manufacturing firm like Ace Wire Spring and were given pieces of wire to see if they could make their own springs by hand,” said Bruno. “We explained the many uses of springs in their everyday life. Some of the kids were shocked at all the places you can find springs and learned how a spring manufacturer is an essential business, especially during COVID-19.”

Students were given a tour of the shop floor to see the springs the company makes.  Each student was given a little bag to collect their own samples of the springs they watched being made.

Bruno concluded, “The hope is that this event helped expand the minds of the students that visited Ace Wire Spring, and that they saw firsthand the many opportunities for a career in the manufacturing industry.”

Materials provided to students for Manufacturing Day at Ace Wire Spring.

Students visit the plant floor at Ace Wire Spring to see how springs are made. Students were given pieces of wire to see if they could make their own springs by hand while visiting Ace Wire Spring.

communIty engagement

Manufacturing Day is one of several ways that Wolverine Coil Spring (WCS) in Grand Rapids, Michigan, engages its community in the areas of workforce development, industry involvement and student engagement.

WCS hosted about 65 students in total from three different schools (Union High School, Northview High School and the Kent Career Tech Center) over a two-day period. According to Jay Dunwell, WCS president, the students were divided into small groups so the company’s tour guides could easily communicate and interact with the students.

“To keep the students’ interest and attention, we tried to engage their minds and their hands as often as possible,” explained Dunwell. “We highlighted the vast diversity of career opportunities within even a small manufacturing company… from making products in manufacturing operations, to quality, engineering, tooling, maintenance, sales, accounting, HR, planning, customer service. And each of those career paths taps into special skills, talents and passions that the students might possess.”

Dunwell said that students met staff members during the tours who shared their career journeys, often noting how they were more like “rock climbers” than “ladder climbers” as their careers progressed from manufacturing to quality and now to engineering, for example.

They also met multi-generational staff members, which Dunwell says is the ultimate compliment about Wolverine being a good career choice because it means a parent believes enough in Wolverine that they will recommend their child should join the company.

“The hands-on activities included making springs on a CNC wireforming machine, testing parts on a Keyence vision measuring machine, playing with sample parts and their related assemblies, and closing the tour with a debriefing session to ask students for their observations,” said Dunwell.

Dunwell said they also twisted a neon-colored pipe cleaner around a wooden dowel to form torsion, compression and extension springs. Afterward, Dunwell said they quizzed students with, “Where in your world have you ever encountered a torsion spring, compression spring and extension spring?”

The students had drinks and snacks to enjoy during the 10–15-minute debriefing time at the end of the 90-minute tour.

“We heard nice things from the educators who accompanied the students regarding the time our staff members took to carefully explain and show the students what was going on,” concluded Dunwell.

chIlI Fest

IDC Spring annually celebrates National Manufacturing Day. For the 2022 event they honored the day by hosting a chili cookoff for approximately 60 employees at the company’s Coon Rapids, Minnesota, plant in a newly remodeled area. The menu was chili, cornbread, and dessert.

As the company said on its Facebook page, “We are so thankful for all of our fantastic team members!”

Plan Your 2023 event

Every year, America’s manufacturing sector opens its doors to celebrate Manufacturing Day. The 2023 event will be held Friday, Oct. 6, and throughout the month. For those interested in making things with mind and machines, it is a day that begins a month of inspirational experiences. To plan your 2023 event, visit www.creatorswanted.org/resources. n

Grand Rapids area high school students toured the shop floor at Wolverine Coil Spring to see how springs are manufactured.

John Kvale, IDC Spring Shipping Department

By C. Richard Gordon, SMI Technical Director

What’s New in ASD7.14

In August 2022, the Advanced Spring Design 7(ASD7) software was updated and includes many enhancements to improve the product. Below is a list of the changes to version 7.14 that springmakers may find interesting.

If you have any question about these changes or any questions about the software in general, please feel free to reach out to Todd Piefer, vice president, applications development, Universal Technical Systems, Inc. (UTS) at 815-963-2220 or email: todd.piefer@uts.com.

UTS has been SMI’s software partner for nearly 20 years. Piefer is responsible for creating the mathematical models used in the ASD7 software as well as other products for UTS. He has a wealth of knowledge about the software and springs.

Piefer offers live ASD7 software demonstrations for both existing customers and new prospects free of charge via GoToMeeting. Presentations typically take about an hour.

Snap Rings Index and t/b ratio variables added to forms and reports.

Options

A default report header can now be saved in the Options form.

Materials

A “%” prefix is added to any duplicate names when new materials are added either by updates or imports.

Materials are now displayed in the forms with the standard preceding the name. This may also help in cross-referencing other standards defined in the SMI Encyclopedia of Spring Design.

Window Positioning

The positioning of the Design Status window and other windows is now directly next to the input/output form instead of on the edge of the ASD window.

New Materials Added:

ASTM A1000 Grade A Cr-Si

ASTM A1000 Grade B Carbon

ASTM A1000 Grade C Cr-V

ASTM A1000 Grade D Cr-Si-V ASTM F136 Ti 6AI 4V ELI

Wire

Updated Rocket-Missile Wire MTS coefficients.

Travel

Some of the compression, extension and torsion spring programs include a new variable labeled as “Travel.” Travel is defined as the deflection between the two cycle points.

End Types

The ASD conical spring program now allows for nine end types:

Both ends open, not ground

Both ends open, ground

Both ends closed, not ground

Both ends closed (stacked), ground

Both ends nested

Small end closed; large end nested

Small end closed, ground; large end nested

Small end nested; large end closed

Small end nested; large end closed, ground

The word “nested” implies that a closed coil on the small end is nested within the smallest active coil. On the large end, “nested” implies that a closed coil is nested around the largest active coil. A nested end coil has a pitch of 0. The word “closed” has the same definition it has for cylindrical compression springs. That end coil has a pitch of one wire diameter.

The coil diameter variables go from the ID of the small end to the OD of the large end. If an end coil is nested, Coil ID and OD are for the nested coil. The adjoining active coil will be sized appropriately. An adjoining small end active coil will have an ID that is 2.5 wire diameters greater than the closed coil. An adjoining large end active coil will have an OD that is 2.5 wire diameters smaller than the closed coil. All active coils are assumed to have the same pitch.

Spiral Torsion Springs

The program has been overhauled. Equation PS-21 from the SMI Encyclopedia of Spring Design (an approximation that supposedly could be used in estimating an arbor diameter resulting in equal coil spacing) was found to be inconsistent with other key design formulas and has been deactivated in the program. Existing designs that used that equation will no longer use that equation as a constraint so some outputs will not be displayed. Another input should be added to complete those designs. The new solution will be fully constrained and more accurate.

End constraint options (fixed versus hinged) have been added. Hinged designs result in 25% more deflection from a given torque.

The Turns to Solid value in the form is now formatted to four decimal places.

Spiral Forms 3D Images

The 3D images were updated for all four spiral forms programs.

Extension Springs

The 3D image for springs with dead coils and no hook on one end has been fixed.

The form handles springs with hooks on just one end more consistently.

New/Modified Help Topics

Guidance for importing ASD’s 3D coordinates into SolidWorks.

Design Notes for Spiral Torsion springs

SMI added commentary on the Torsion Spring rate equation and the impacts of friction.

Rocket-Missile Wire Added

Rocket-Missile Wire has been added to the list of available materials. Two entries were added: one for wire sizes less than 0.08 inches and another for wire sizes from 0.08 to 0.12 inches. This is because of a significant discontinuity in the tensile strength data. The data was provided by Mapes Wire Corporation and was originally developed by National Standard.

Two new entries for Chrome Silicon have been added to the list of available materials. Class B is also known as Chrome Silicon Vanadium. Class C&D is also known as Chrome Silicon Molybdenum. Tensile strength data for both comes from ASTM A877.

The Minimum Tensile Strength (MTS) material property data for Chrome Silicon Valve wire has been updated based on ASTM A877. The resulting MTS values will be higher. This will also impact fatigue life calculations, resulting in

increased estimates. The Max Diameter value changed from 0.625 to 0.375 and extrapolation for larger wire should NOT be done.

A new DXF image control is now used in the Show DXF window and in the reports. The old control was conflicting with some display configurations. Improved formatting of the email addresses on reports.

Left-hand wound extension spring 3D images were not displayed properly. This has been fixed.

CalcEdge Apps

We will be using CalcEdge to share preliminary versions of spring design calculations before they are considered for additions to the Advanced Spring Design program (ASD). This will help us in testing and gathering feedback. See the CalcEdge Apps section of the help for more information

Torsion Springs

• Improved formatting of the ASD7 spring design reports keeps the DXF image and design notes on page 1 of the report.

• Input of arm angle or angle between arms is now permitted and impacts the design if the optional allowable body length value has been input.

• Double torsion springs can now be pitched and not just close wound.

Extension Springs

• 3D image rendering has been improved. Hooks are centered more accurately, for example.

• Swivel hook wire diameter is now saved with the design.

• Tapered dead coils are now properly accounted for in the rate calculation.

• Rectangular wire weight calculation is more accurate.

• “Full Loop” has been added as an end type. This is the same as selecting “Machine” with an input of 0 for the hook gap value.

• Two different end types can now be specified.

Washer Springs

The reports have been corrected and correctly formatted.

Materials

• Hastelloy C276 has been added to list of materials in the “Round” category and is available for use in helical spring designs.

• The APB value for Stainless 17-7 has been changed from 60% to 75%.

• Users can now control the sequence in which materials are displayed in the forms. So if you add a new material, it no longer has to remain at the bottom of the list.

• A bug was fixed which caused the program to crash if you tried to save more than one material at a time.

Spiral Torsion Springs

• The 3D image is now rendered more accurately.

• The labels and formatting on the form are improved.

• The program now solves for the strip thickness if the torque to set is specified.

Two Conical Springs in Series

For the case of one end small and the other large, the 3D image is now rendered more accurately.

Tolerance Grade Default Setting

The default for new designs can now be set to Commercial or Precision by selecting Options in the Tools menu.

Series Compression Springs

Variable TPavg has been added to set the transition pitches equal to the average of the surrounding pitches. A check box in the forms allow users to activate this.

Design Notes

A quirk in the programming prevented users from using the Enter key to add lines to notes when saving designs. This has been fixed.

3D Coordinates Export

A new option is available in the Tools menu — 3D Coordinates Export. Users can now export the coordinates to a CSV formatted file. Such files can be imported into other programs such as

If you are an ASD7 user, you’ll want to take advantage of SMI’s spring design training program which consists of three fundamental, seven basic and four advanced classes. Fundamentals courses were developed with new hires and non-technical staff in mind. Basic classes are designed to meet the needs of production and technical staff, including engineers, designers and inspectors. Advanced courses address a higher level of expertise for engineers, designers and other technical staff. The SMI technical committee has been working to develop these programs.

Two fundamentals training modules, “Spring Fundamentals” and “Overview of Springmaking Materials,” are available to the public on the SMI website: www.smihq. org. SMI member feedback for these modules has been very favorable.

Courses are organized as focused, real-world spring design training programs, combining basic spring design

content for each spring type with practical hands-on use of SMI’s ASD7 software.

For each spring type, students will learn:

• The seven-step spring design process

• Definitions and terminology

• Design theory

• Design stress analysis

• How to input engineering design data into the ASD7 software

• Important ASD7 tolerancing criteria

Classes benefit students by increasing their spring design knowledge and benefit their company by having an SMItrained associate as part of their team. For more information and to register for classes, visit smihq.org/page/ spring-design-training-program

spreadsheets or solids modeling software. So, for example, the data used in the ZX, ZY and XY centerline plots in the extension spring programs is now available for export and use in other software.

Tolerance Grade Default Setting

The user is now able to set the default for Tolerance Grade to either Commercial or Precision.

Fix for Scaling problems

Microsoft has introduced a setting to fix scaling problems for users with high DPI settings. This fix will allow the user to continue to use high DPI settings without causing ASD forms to be cut off.

To activate this setting (Figure 2):

1. Locate the ASD7.exe file on your local hard drive. Typically this is found in the folder “C:\Program Files (x86)\ UTS\Advanced Spring Design 7 \”

2. Right-click on ASD7.exe and select “Properties”

3. Click the “Compatibility” tab

4. Click the “Change high DPI settings” butt

5. a) Check the box “Use this setting to fix scaling problems for this program instead of the one in Settings”

b) Check the box “Override high DPI scaling behavior. Scaling performed by:

c) Select “System (Enhanced)” from the dropdown box

(Figure 3)

6. Click “OK”

7. Click “OK”

Pitt Researchers Show How Imperfections Can Actually Improve Alloys

Sometimes, in creating an alloy out of multiple metals, defects and structural instability can occur in the material. Now, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering are harnessing those imperfections to make the material stronger while retaining its flexibility.

The investigators are designing metastable alloys that can overcome the well-known tradeoff between strength and ductility, revealing a strategy that can create alloys suited to a broad range of applications.

“Our work is showing how we can include intentional flaws in an alloy to make it stronger while retaining the ductility, or flexibility, of the material,” said Wei Xiong, associate professor of mechanical engineering and materials science, whose Physical Metallurgy and Materials Design Laboratory led the study. “The techniques we are developing can be used to make materials fit for earthquake construction, naval ships, aerospace, nuclear energy, or even transportation for oil or hydrogen—all applications where a strong but flexible material is crucial.”

This study looks at two mechanisms for metastability engineering that can be used to create strong, ductile alloys: transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) and twinninginduced plasticity (TWIP). TRIP and TWIP use changes in the microstructure that occur under pressure, which cause some defects in the material, to form purposeful defects that improve the strength.

“You can think of the strength and ductility of a material like plastic versus glass. Plastic is much more ductile and flexible: It is not as strong, but you can bend it with your hands,” explained Xiong, who is also the William Kepler Whiteford Faculty Fellow. “Glass is stronger than plastic, but it’s also much less flexible and will break if you try to bend it. This is the tradeoff that we are trying to overcome with alloys—something that has both strength and ductility.”

To conduct their study, Xiong worked with lead author Xin Wang, Ph.D., candidate in the Physical Metallurgy and Materials Design Laboratory, as well as researchers at the Illinois Institute of Technology and Northwestern University.

The CALPHAD modeling, supported by density functional theory calculations by the team, provides fundamental knowledge that can be applied to developing metastable alloys with TRIP/TWIP for enhanced strength-ductility synergy. It also can be applied to concentrated alloys, like steel and nickel.

“We want to understand the unstable microstructure so we can predict the instability, and then we can use the defects to further increase strength and elongation,” said Wang. “The resulting material is then self-strengthening—deform it, and it actually gets stronger.”

The paper, “Design metastability in high-entropy alloys by tailoring unstable fault energies,” was published in the journal Science Advances. To read the article, visit: www. science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abo7333.

Information and photo provided by University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering. n

Xin Wang (left) and Wei Xiong hold samples of the alloys in the lab.

“Our work is showing how we can include intentional flaws in an alloy to make it stronger while retaining the ductility, or flexibility, of the material.”

SMI Announces Leadership Transition

The executive committee of the Spring Manufacturers Institute (SMI) announced in November 2022 the appointment of Gary McCoy as the association’s new executive director. McCoy takes over for Lynne Carr, who will remain with the organization until her retirement after the 2023 SMI Annual Meeting, April 22-25, at the Waldorf Astoria Orlando. Carr began working part-time for SMI in 1995 as an administrative assistant and since 2013 has served in her current role as executive director.

McCoy started with SMI on Dec. 1, 2022, and will work with Carr through the annual meeting to ensure a smooth transition.

“On behalf of the executive committee and the board of directors, I want to thank Lynne for her tireless efforts on behalf of our association,” said SMI president Gene Huber Jr. of Winamac Coil Spring. “The many traditions and standards that she set and upheld over the years have been impeccable. She will be missed.”

McCoy has more than 30 years of experience in marketing communications, public relations and association management. He is the founder and president of Fairway Communications in Elgin, Illinois, and has been the managing editor of Springs magazine since 2008. He is the former director of communications for the Automotive Service Industry Association and a former president of the Automotive Communications Council.

“We are more than pleased to announce that Gary McCoy has accepted the position as executive director of SMI,” said Huber on behalf of the SMI executive committee that includes Don Jacobson III, Newcomb Spring, vice president; David DeVoe, Plymouth Spring, treasurer; Dave Deerwester, The Yost Superior Company, at-large; and Bert Goering, Precision Coil Spring, past president. “Gary brings not only a professionalism that comes from his many years of experience with trade associations, but the ability to listen to the needs of an association, as well. We look forward to the innovative ideas and technical savvy that Gary will bring to his new role with SMI.”

Since 2001 McCoy has been a member of the automotive scholarship committee at AutomotiveScholarships.com that awarded 471 scholarships in 2022 for a record total of $731,350. In 2009, McCoy received the prestigious Northwood University Automotive Aftermarket Management Education Award. He earned a B.A. degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from Iowa State University and holds the professional development designation of Master Automotive Aftermarket Professional (MAAP) from the University of the Aftermarket.

“It will be a challenge to follow in the footsteps of an industry legend like Lynne who I have had the privilege of working with for the past 14 years,” said McCoy. “I am honored to be selected by the leadership team of SMI to serve in this new role, and I look forward to the opportunities ahead. I believe SMI has great potential to grow in its outstanding offerings of business and technical information to reach even deeper into the industry. I have developed many friendships with SMI members during

my 14 years as editor of Springs, which has allowed me to understand the challenges that springmakers and their suppliers face.”

Carr’s 27-year history with SMI and the spring industry includes helping the association organize and operate the Metal Engineering eXpo, a three-day education and trade show that started with the inaugural event in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2015. In addition, she has served as the advertising manager for Springs during her entire career and has been responsible for running SMI on a daily basis and organizing all SMI events. In addition, she has served as an ex-officio member of the SMI executive committee.

“Lynne has worn many different hats in her time with SMI and has become a beloved friend and colleague to many in the spring industry,” said Huber. “We are planning a big sendoff party in Orlando to thank her for her loyal and faithful service.”

Gary McCoy

By E.V. Cavagnero, Vice President, Torin Corporation

Parts Forming Machines — 1960/1970

(Editor’s note: In this edition of Flashback, we rewind to the October 1971 issue of Springs. As this current issue is devoted to the topic of plant industrialization, this article describes the landscape of new forming machines from 50 years ago designed to help springmakers improve their methods and processes. To make these improvements, the dilemma has always been and continues to be: how to design one machine that meets the needs of all springmakers.)

In the United States, the early sixties promised a rebirth of the American spirit on all fronts. As a nation, we were wrestling with data processing and computers, soaring into space, strengthening the technical domains of our educational systems, and gearing our attitudes for the new tomorrows. Machine tool sales and marketing experts were gaining rapidly on the technical problems associated with numerically controlled machines, but couldn’t overcome the “Return on Investment” arguments.

We in the metalforming machinery building business were also exploring. Market requests were many and varied. Let’s consider some:

• Automatic looping devices were needed to reduce labor costs.

• Coilers and torsion winders needed redesign to reduce the level of setup skills presently required.

• Automatic gaging with feedback was needed to reduce scrap and operator costs.

• Compensation for material variations was needed. Feed, diameter and pitch tolerances would have to be held more closely.

• More tonnage and stroke length were needed on fourslides. The list was longer, but I haven’t yet touched upon the real problem faced by machinery builders. Here it is. How does one provide the answer to ABC company’s needs that also meets the requirements of XYZ’s with a single machine or manufacturing concept?

This question, if applied to nearly all of the above listed market requests, would clearly explain why 1971 arrived without answers to all of the above listed problems. However, here are some of the answers that were provided:

• In spring looping, there were several combination coiler loopers introduced with varying degrees of sophistication. The conceptual effort employed here was directed toward dropping the spring completed to spec with minimum handling. An entirely different concept separated the coiler from the looper to allow optimum performance of each unit with minimum handling when used with an automatic feeder. Both systems worked and offered the marketplace a choice.

• In torsion winders, there were two major domestic efforts made. One offered a completely new design of a machine capable of extending all the previous specifications with better secondary capabilities on the machine.

• Another company offered a numerically controlled torsion winder also capable of extending previous specs with

improved secondary capabilities on the machine. The numerically controlled advantages permit setup with reduced skills but at a higher initial cost. Again, the market had a choice. Coiler buyers had newcomers to consider. From England came a new coiler utilizing both forward and reverse strokes of the crank mechanism. From Italy came a new coiler with continuous feed embodying a flying cutoff and, naturally, high production speeds. In the United States, we introduced new sizes and new attachments designed to extend the universal coilers versatility. We improved materials and manufacturing tolerances for better life and precision. Adaptive controls offered both by machine manufacturers and independent suppliers added to the buyer’s confusion, especially in companies employing their own designs. As 1970 closed, a new domestic coiler appeared with the intent of offering advantages in versatility and ease of setup.

Fourslide manufacturers were very active during this period, oftentimes going in seemingly opposite directions. Let’s look at the results:

• New massive horizontal fourslides appeared for the first time.

• A large new vertical fourslide was introduced to automated assembly lines and parts production.

• New designs of very small fourslides competed vigorously for electronic parts production.

• A principal manufacturer of lower priced machines introduced the first line of higher priced versions.

• A principal manufacturer of higher priced machines introduced the first of a line of lower priced designs.

• A principal manufacturer of horizontals, in an apparent attempt to please both vertical and horizontal proponents, offered an adjustable angle design.

• Several European companies offered vertical designs with slides adjustable in a circular path. The intent here is to reduce tooling complexities by rearranging slides to best suit the part geometry.

Adaptation of fourslides into new concepts of manufacturing by combining forming with both resistance and electronic beam welding have effectively reduced parts costs. The market again was offered a choice.

Additionally, new devices for secondary forming, load testing, stress relieving, wire payoff, hopper feeding, etc., have been employed with varying degrees of success.

Where are we, where will we go? Our market is still concerned with versatility, cost, ease of setup, extended specifications, reduced secondaries, cost of tooling, reliability, durability and all the others. Machinery builders will continue their best efforts to supply equipment answers to these demands. n

Alloy Wire International

Five Questions provides an opportunity for SMI associate members to tell the spring industry about the products and services they offer. In this edition, we talk with Tom Mander, Managing Director of Alloy Wire International (AWI).

1|Can you tell us about Alloy Wire International and the products it offers to spring manufacturers?

AWI is 100% employee-owned, creating a unique culture that has helped us lead the world in the manufacture of wire in nickel-based alloys for more than 77 years.

We provide springmakers across the globe with wire, both round and profile shaped, in more than 60 exotic alloys including Inconels, Hastelloys, Nimonics, Rene 41, Waspaloy and Nispan C902.

These alloys are selected because they can perform in high temperature and corrosive environments. Each wire order is custom-made for the spring manufacturer, with a vast dimensional choice and wire available in sizes between 0.001” to 0.827”.

more than 75 countries, by increasing investment in stock material. This means we now have 400 tonnes (approximately equal to 441 tons) of wire at our disposal at any given time.

3|What type of services do you offer to springmakers?

High-tech applications often require only a handful of springs in these exotic alloys, so AWI has created two world-class production facilities in the U.K. that can manufacture wire in small batch quantities – in some instances, as little as a few feet of wire. This services the customer’s actual wire requirement and not the large minimums imposed by some wire mills.

5

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

AWI offers an emergency manufacturing service (EMS) for those rare, time-critical occasions when our standard threeweek lead time is not quick enough. For one naval submarine stuck in port and requiring Inconel 625 springs for its gearing system, our EMS delivery of five days was still not fast enough!

With the sailing of the submarine dependent on these four springs, AWI’s challenge was to manufacture this precision spring wire in half the time, while also complying with exacting specifications and safety standards.

2|

What are the latest trends impacting wire manufacturers/distributors and what effect is it having on spring manufacturers? Engineers in high-tech sectors, such as nuclear, aerospace, medical, space and oil/ gas extraction, are increasingly stipulating raw material from selected approved sources, and the wire manufactured to specific AMS and ASTM specifications.

These practices are adopted by AWI as standard, making it simple for springmakers to select us as a strategic supplier. This is further strengthened by our quality and operational systems that are accredited to AS 9100 (aerospace) and ISO 13485 (medical devices).

With volatility in the energy markets bringing disruption to the supply chain, AWI has taken the decision to bring stability to its 7,000 customers, spanning

Our technical team is also well respected across the sector, and we ensure that all spring engineers have access to our experts for exploring alloy selection, post heat treatment of springs and ensuring manufacturing is completed to the appropriate specifications and/or standard.

4|

What logistics challenges have your company faced over the past couple of years due to COVID-19 and ongoing supply chain shortages?

While most of the world was struggling with supply chain shortages, a strong investment strategy ensured we had about 18 months’ worth of alloy in stock.

We upped our investment even further, reinforcing our stock levels, extending our factory and creating stronger relationships with our domestic and international logistics providers.

AWI prides itself on giving springmakers repeatability and high quality, hence our strap line ‘Manufacturing Quality—delivering reliability.’

It was completed and certified in 48 hours from start to finish. The material was then hand delivered to the springmaker at an agreed meeting point on a Friday evening, so the springs could be made the following day. This resulted in one happy submarine captain. n

Alloy Wire International 87 Dewey Ave. Warwick, RI 02886 866-482-5569 tommander@alloywire.com www.alloywire.us.com

Tom Mander

Alex Melnikow

Change is Our Opportunity: A

Profile of Alex

By Gary McCoy

Melnikow

and Midstate Spring

Located in Syracuse, New York’s fifth largest city with a population of nearly 150,000, Midstate Spring has been in existence since 1939 and recently announced that it will move to a new facility this spring that is less than 10 minutes from its current location. The 128,000-square-foot building will more than double its space and help Midstate consolidate its operations, which are currently scattered over four buildings.

Moving to a new location helps fulfills the company’s ambitious mission statement: “To Be The Last Great American Springmaker.” Here’s a partial quote of how they state this on their website (www.midstatespring.com/ the-last-great-american-springmaker):

“We intend to exist in perpetuity. Our first focus is on business sustainability through understanding our customers and evolving alongside their needs. In less than a decade we have doubled our size, while many of our competitors have exited the market. To be the last great American springmaker,

we must continue growing. Growth begins with 100% customer retention. We will take care of our customers. Our formula for remaining relevant in an ever-changing market is continued investment in new technologies combined with expertise. Change is not our enemy, it is our opportunity.”

Helping lead the charge is Alex Melnikow, a third-generation springmaker, who serves as company president. Of the new space, Melnikow says, “We’ve had one foot out the door for the last five

years looking for the right building, and we finally found it.”

Five years ago, Midstate leaders were looking for a much smaller space. The delay turned out to be a blessing due to recent company growth during the pandemic that doubled their employee population from 55 to more than 100.

“We found a great location in a historical manufacturing building that was formerly occupied by a welding company,” explained Melnikow. “I grew up in the old building. So, it will be hard

Midstate Spring in its early days.

Midstate manufactures custom, precision springs and wireforms from round wire diameters of .002”- .437” and flat wire recoil springs that are ready to be shipped worldwide.

to leave. But we needed floor space for equipment, and it’s a good reason to be moving.”

Looking Back, Looking Forward

Like many businesses during its era, Midstate started 84 years ago at the outset of World War II. The original owner was not a family member. Melnikow’s maternal grandfather, the late Paul H. Bernet, worked for Midstate and bought the company from the original owner along with four employees. He later bought out his partners to retain sole

ownership. Melnikow’s father, Walter Melnikow, and his uncle, Paul S. Bernet, actively ran the company for many years and grew it through the second generation. No longer involved in the day-today operations, Walter Melnikow and Paul S. Bernet continue to serve Midstate Spring in an advisory role.

Helping Melnikow lead operations at Midstate is his brother-in-law, Mike Komurek, who serves as the company’s vice president and chief operating officer.

Melnikow first worked at the company when he was six sweeping the parking lot. “I came in with blistered hands

after sweeping our semi-paved parking lot,” he fondly recalls. “After that I was a little more thoughtful about the value of money.” He later worked as a teenager and through college in various roles as a janitor, in production and administrative support.

Melnikow earned a degree in business administration and management from Utica University in 2006. After graduation, he said he wasn’t ready to join the family business. Instead, he moved to Las Vegas and pursued a career as a professional poker player. His setup included four monitors, where he would have

Midstate Spring will move to a new 128,00 square-foot building this spring to more than double its space.

“We intend to exist in perpetuity. Our first focus is on business sustainability through understanding our customers and evolving alongside their needs.”

24 tables of games going at once. “I would play like 1,600 hands an hour. I got good at repeated, relatively simple decisions at a fast pace. That’s sort of the skill that I took away from this: really diving into it and making quick choices.”

Coming Back to Join the Team Melnikow left Las Vegas in 2011 to join the family business. Although there are elements of playing poker that he misses, Melnikow does not miss the lifestyle. “At the end of the day you’re not really bringing anything into the world when you’re doing that for a living. It’s a zero-sum game minus what the casino takes out. You make money, but someone else had to lose money.”

While joining Midstate was not something Melnikow saw as inevitable,

it worked out well because it allowed him and his wife, Fanny, to move back to Syracuse before starting a family. “With great parks and schools and things to do, Syracuse is a great place to raise a family.” The Melnikows have two boys, Elliot and Oliver.

Melnikow started out as vice president at the company and credits much of his growth and development to John Kirby, the company’s longtime general manager.

In addition to Komurek and Kirby, Melnikow’s five-person senior management team includes: Rick Raus, plant manager, and Caeresa Richardson, operations manager. The management team meets weekly and the different departments within the company like production, scheduling, customer service and quality, also try to meet weekly.

“Our model as a business has always been making quality parts and delivering them on time.”

Midstate Spring leadership team (l-to-r): Alex Melnikow, president: John Kirby, general manager; Mike Komurek, COO; Caeresa Richardson, operations manager; and Rick Raus, plant manager.

Jim Destefano

Small Business Mindset

Even though the company has scaled up over the last few years, Melnikow says Midstate still has a small business mindset. For a while, the pandemic forced him to step back into purchasing but more recently he has returned to his primary responsibilities for the company’s overall strategy.

“I handle almost all of our interactions with our professionals, whether it’s lawyers or accountants, and in reviewing contracts and for the overall financial health of the company,” he explained.

Melnikow says the company is working to develop its mid-level managers so they are empowered to handle greater responsibility. “We want to make sure they are able to successfully execute more regular and meaningful contact every 90 days with all of our employees.”

Working with Small and Large Wire

Midstate manufactures custom, precision springs and wireforms from round wire diameters of .002”- .437” and flat wire recoil springs. They are registered to ITAR and ISO 9001:2015. Midstate’s springs and wireforms can be found in products such as firearms, power tools, locomotive air brakes and medical devices. While they are involved in freight and heavy trucks, they have chosen not to be involved in the automotive industry.

One of the distinctive things about Midstate is that some of the company’s springs are made of wire finer than a human hair, while others are of wire nearly one-half inch in diameter.

“Our model as a business has always been making quality parts and delivering them on time,” said Melnikow. He says the pandemic made it a little bit harder to reach those goals and to achieve a “painfree” buying experience for the customer.

“It was made especially difficult for us when our materials orders were 12 months late and our 25-year supplier of plating wouldn’t accept any orders for parts,” he explained.

The company’s recent growth was more of an expansion of its core areas. Melnikow describes Midstate’s expertise as precision work, and this growth required scaling this approach to a massmarket. “We do a lot more set out in the shop than we used to, and we’ve added a lot of capacity in our larger coiling and grinding areas.”

Midstate serves numerous domestic customers, but also exports products to China and Mexico. “Which I think speaks to the kind of work that we’re going after,” added Melnikow.

Melnikow recognizes the global challenges of working in New York state, where the minimum wage will soon hit $15 an hour. He said they’ve had to change

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Jack and Jeff Shoemaker, second and third generations continuing the tradition at Anchor Abrasives.

their business model over the last eight years to be more competitive. Melnikow believes the key is using technology in the right ways. “If you can take on your customer’s hardest problems, then you make yourself very difficult to replace.”

He says they are always looking for ways to automate processes and recently purchased their first industrial robot.

As they are on the verge of moving to a new location, Melnikow says it’s a fun prospect to be able to lay out something from scratch, instead of doing it incrementally. “We’ve managed with

space being a constraint for a long time, so going into a period where that isn’t the case is going to be really fantastic.”

He says the plan with the new space is to leave enough room in each area of their operations to further expand in the future.

Looking for Icebergs

When asked what he likes most about being a springmaker, Melnikow said in his 2020 Snapshot that, “Springmaking requires such a wide range of skillsets and personalities that it necessitates a team

approach. I enjoy being on a team and trying to maximize my strengths to make the whole team better, while having my weaknesses minimized by the strengths of others.”

He affirmed that sentiment for this article and went on to say, “My job, in a lot of cases, is to look for icebergs and avoid them. It’s not always obvious when you’ve done that. I do know there’s a satisfaction in knowing that when customers get their parts on time, it’s because we purchased the wire when we did by looking forward instead of being reactive.”

“As a result of attending SMI meetings, I now have a network of people

can call upon who have dealt with the same problems I have. It’s not about sharing company secrets; it’s all about helping each other for the good of the spring industry.”

Program Helps African Refugees and Midstate

During the height of the pandemic, Midstate Spring developed a unique program to help refugees from Congo. It was also a way for these refugees to help the company fill a need for more workers.

It all started when Alex Melnikow became aware of local African refugees through All Saints Church in Syracuse. At the same time, Melnikow was working to bring back longtime Midstate employee and cousin, Alec DelGigante, who had left the company in 2019 to pursue a sales career.

“Alex reached out to me and said, ‘We could use you to come back to help relieve our labor shortage and to head up a new task force with refugees from Congo,’” explained DelGigante.

In his prior 17 years at the company, DelGigante had worked with refugees from Bosnia, Sudan and Burma (now Myanmar). He noted that those refugees came to work at Midstate through a staffing agency and it was required that they have some basic English skills. Some of those refugees were later offered full-time jobs.

The new program with the African refugees was different. These refugees could only speak their native Kinyarwanda language and would need an English translator. It just so happened that DelGigante attended All Saints Church, was familiar with the church’s refugee program and was up for the challenge to lead the new program. DelGigante serves as the managerial lead who anchors the team technically.

Midstate quickly identified Elizabeth Kaitesi as the perfect person to translate for the group because she could speak both Kinyarwanda and English. Kaitesi, a refugee herself from Uganda, came to the U.S. in 2016 at the age of 16. She honed her English skills at Syracuse Academy of Science high school where she graduated in 2020.

Kaitesi admits that she had never set foot inside a spring manufacturing plant before coming to work at Midstate. She serves as the primary Kinyarwanda translator and working supervisor. The 10-person team began working together in 2021 and consists of DelGigante, Kaitesi and eight refugees from Congo. The Congo refugees and Kaitesi all know each other through the church. “Which made it feel like home when they came to work at Midstate,” explained DelGigante.

DelGigante and Kaitesi said the group really had no technical experience and practically no experience working at a business. Midstate needed the most help in the large wire area in their grinding department.  Kaitesi was responsible for translating safety and technical information and admitted it was a bit difficult at first, “but now everyone is doing fine.”

DelGigante also admits that it was challenging at the beginning but now says, “they are knocking it out of the park.” The team works Monday through Friday on second shift and DelGigante says their team is rated as the most productive shift at Midstate in the large grinding area. In addition, he says the team has integrated well with the rest of Midstate’s workforce.

Would Midstate ever bring on more refugees? DelGigante responded with a resounding “Yes.” He said the current team of refugees has helped the company to catch up on its work. “As we get busier again, and we certainly will, I can see adding more refugees to our workforce.”

Melnikow says the refugee program is something that other springmakers should consider as everyone tries to find more workers.

Members of the Midstate Spring refugee team.

In addition, he says he loves the industry because “springmaking equipment is mesmerizing, and it’s cool that we create things. I recognize that not everyone has a job like that, and there’s a real satisfaction in that element of the industry.”

Melnikow has more recently become involved in SMI as a board member and as a part of the team spearheading the revival of the association’s Vangaurd

(Avant-Garde) group for young people in the industry. He says the company’s involvement with SMI goes back more than 40 years with his dad, “who built some really impactful relationships with his peers in the industry.”

SMI continues to be a place where relationships are made and renewed. At first, Melnikow found it difficult to connect with people at SMI because he was much younger than others and at a different stage in his career. “Once I got over that and made the effort to connect, I found people to be very welcoming.”

Melnikow said, “I value the peer network I’ve developed through my association with SMI. As a result of attending SMI meetings, I now have a network of people I can call upon who have dealt

with the same problems I have. It’s not about sharing company secrets; it’s all about helping each other for the good of the spring industry.”

Being a Steward

As Midstate looks to the future, Melnikow says the company’s success is all about people. “We want all our employees to get better at what they’re doing and to continue developing strong relationships with our customers.”

Melnikow says if you’re successful financially, but your employees and customers aren’t highly satisfied, then what’s the point? “In a family business there is the concept of stewardship and in my time running the company I want to make sure we get stronger, and we spend time taking care of and protecting this entity. After all, our goal is to exist in perpetuity. Which means it is important to know why you’re doing what you’re doing.” n

Midstate Spring uses a variety of machines to produce springs and wireforms.

Simple Truths of Leadership

Reviewed by Gary McCoy

Bestselling author Ken Blanchard has written many books on servant leadership and in 2022 he delivered his latest book, “Simple Truths of Leadership: 52 Ways to Be a Servant Leader and Build Trust” with his co-author Randy Conley, an expert on building trust.

As the authors argue, “Effective leadership comes down to implementing every day, common sense practices to help organizations thrive—and yet so many leaders are still missing these fundamental principles from their personal and professional lives.”

In the introduction to the book, Blanchard said they originally wanted to title the book: “Duh: Why Isn’t Common Sense Leadership Common Practice?” Blanchard said when he mentioned the title to audiences where he spoke that people would roar with laughter because they recognized the truth in the title. The publisher ultimately rejected the alternative title.

I love their book because it is all about simplicity, what 2016 World Series winning Cubs manager Joe Maddon deemed in his catchphrase: “Do Simple Better.” Blanchard and Conley disclose the simple truths about leadership they have gathered during their careers to help bring common sense into common practice.

The book is organized into 52 simple truths, one for each week of the year. On the left page the authors identify a simple truth about servant leadership (written by Blanchard) or building trust (written by Conley). On the right page, the authors describe the puzzling lack of use of the concept, and briefly explain why

it is important. The final element is a call to action, what they deem: “Making Common Sense Common Practice.” This is where the authors break down the concept into ideas that leaders can easily apply on the job.

Here are some good quotes from the book:

“The key to developing people is to catch them doing something right and praise their progress.”

“Create autonomy through effective boundaries that channel the individual’s power and energy.”

“Model servant leadership by owning mistakes and accepting responsibility.”

“Use different strokes (leadership styles) for different folks, depending on their commitment and competence.”

I think you will find this to be an enjoyable book to read and discuss with your leadership and management team. n

Have a favorite business book you would like to tell us about or review? Send your suggestions to Springs magazine editor Gary McCoy at gary@smihq.org.

Illinois Announces New Training and Innovation Center

Local and state leaders in Illinois announced in October 2022 an $8.6 million award for a new SouthCentral Illinois (SCI) Training & Innovation Center. The grant, from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), will be used to redevelop a warehouse in the City of Litchfield’s Industrial Park to create a regional training center to provide a Career and Technical Training (CTE) option for school districts in Montgomery and Macoupin counties. The center is expected to launch in fall of 2023.

“Educational opportunities are key to an economically prosperous state—and the new South Central Illinois Training & Innovation Center is just one of the many ways we are preparing our young people for the jobs of today and tomorrow,” said Illinois Governor JB Pritzker. “Thanks to an $8.6 million award from DCEO, students in Montgomery and Macoupin Counties will have access to top-tier training in everything from welding and auto technology to precision machining

and IT certifications. This investment is a win for our young people, the SouthCentral region, and the entire state of Illinois—and I am grateful to DCEO and our partners at Lincoln Land Community College and Lewis and Clark Community College for their leadership.”

The Center will offer training to both high school students as well as displaced workers located in the region. In partnership with Lincoln Land Community College and Lewis and Clark Community College, students will have the opportunity to earn college credits and industry credentials while still in high school — helping them meet regional workforce demands while preparing them for postsecondary success.

The Center will offer training in auto technology and welding as well as an Illinois Laborers’ and Contractors apprenticeship program focused on the trades. The warehouse will be retrofitted to offer state-of-the-art facilities, including a full-scale auto garage, welding center and separate modules in different areas

within the trades — all designed for hands-on learning.

Located within the City of Litchfield’s Industrial Park, the center is expected to add additional areas of training designed to meet the demands of the workforce, including precision machining, IT certifications and agriculture technology.

The $8.6 million investment is part of the state’s commitment to support and grow Illinois’ workforce by providing capital grants for training centers, creating targeted training opportunities and building pipelines. This includes more than $15 million for the Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship program, $15 million in capital grants for Advanced Manufacturing Academies, $20 million to boost equitable workforce recovery through the Training and Economic Development Program (JTED) program and much more.

To learn more about job training and workforce development efforts and opportunities, please visit dceo.illinois.gov. n

The $8.6 million investment is part of the state’s commitment to support and grow Illinois’ workforce by providing capital grants for training centers, creating targeted training opportunities and building pipelines.

SMI Announces Combined 2024 Trade Show

In December 2022 SMI announced the cancellation of the 2023 Metal Engineering eXpo, scheduled for Sept. 12-14 in Las Vegas at the South Point Hotel and Casino. The announcement came after a November agreement made by SMI and the Chicago Association of Spring Manufacturers, Inc. (CASMI) to combine their trade shows in 2024.

The joint CASMI SpringWorld and the SMI Metal Engineering eXpo will be held Oct. 2-4, 2024, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois.

“In light of the agreement to combine the shows, we made the decision for the good of the industry to cancel our show so we can put all our energy and resources toward the event in 2024,” said SMI President Gene Huber Jr.

At a joint presentation titled “Challenges We’ve Seen…As an Industry” for the November CASMI meeting in Oak Brook, Illinois, CASMI president Tony Pesaresi and Huber announced that CASMI and SMI had reached an agreement to combine their trade shows.

Pesaresi and Huber, who are third-generation leaders from Winamac Coil Spring in Kewanna, Indiana, first talked about the challenges facing the industry such as labor and material shortages along with the tough decisions springmakers have had to make regarding asset allocation. They concluded their remarks by discussing the perceived value in the industry of the two trade associations. Huber and Pesaresi said that one of SMI’s strengths is in its technical education and information, and for CASMI it is the trade show.

®

SEPTEMBER 12–14, 2023 • LAS VEGAS

CASMI president Tony Pesaresi and Gene Huber Jr., SMI president.

Technical Director Rick Gordon (left) was available at the SMI booth to answer questions.

Pesaresi and Huber said it made logical sense to combine the strengths of the two associations into one trade show for the good of the industry where SMI provides the education and CASMI provides the venue. They said the combined event will be “one of the most distinctive experiences in the industry putting CASMI SpringWorld and the SMI Metal Engineering eXpo together in one place, at one time.”

SMI was scheduled to host the next ISO/TC227 meetings Sept. 14-15, 2023, in Las Vegas, Nevada, in conjunction with the 2023 Metal Engineering eXpo. SMI will continue to host the meetings with a date and location to be announced soon.

SMI serves as the technical advisory group to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) for ISO/TC227. The role of the U.S. delegation is essential to ensure that the interests of American spring manufacturers, designers and consumers are represented in international standards development.

Exhibitors who reserved space for the eXpo will receive a refund for any payments made.

SMI President Gene Huber Jr. talks with visitors to the SMI booth at SpringWorld.

SMI Executive Director, Lynne Carr, is pictured with (l-to-r): Dennis Backhaus, Jim Maronde, and Mark Theis of Spiros Industries.

SMI’s executive committee met during SpringWorld and are pictured (l-to-r): Dave Deerwester, The Yost Superior Company; Don Jacobson III, Newcomb Spring; Gene Huber Jr., Winamac Coil Spring; David DeVoe, Plymouth Spring; and Bert Goering, Precision Coil Spring.

2023 Annual Meeting Features Three Outstanding Speakers

In addition to the beautiful surroundings of Orlando, the SMI annual meeting will feature three presentations to help you grow personally and professionally. The annual meeting will take place from April 22-25 at the Waldorf Astoria, a Disney property. SMI has negotiated an outstanding room rate of $289 per night that is good three days before or after the annual meeting. Complete registration details will be forthcoming soon.

Grow Your Business

Charles E. Gaudet II, CEO and founder of Pursuing Profits, will provide his perspective on the rapidly evolving economy in his presentation, “Growth Today and Tomorrow: How to Create Sustainable Growth in the New Economy.”

Gaudet says, “We’ll discuss how buyers have changed, how to outshine your competition to win more deals (even if you’re more expensive), and the framework for generating sustainable growth right now.”

The author of “The Predictable Profits Playbook: The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Dominating Any Market and Staying on Top,” Gaudet is also the host of The Beyond 7-Figures podcast.

Gaudet has been an entrepreneur since the age of 4, created his first multimillion-dollar business at the age of 24, and is credited for developing strategies that have helped many clients achieve “Fastest Growing Company” status.

Learn more about Gaudet at predictableprofits.com.

The Power of Potential

Thomas D’Eri has dedicated his career to unleashing human potential by creating organizational systems and culture that empower people to grow. D’Eri is the co-founder and COO of Rising Tide Car Wash, an organization that employs over 90 individuals with autism in a successful car wash business.

D’Eri’s SMI presentation is titled “The Power of Potential.”

The Rising Tide Car Wash in Parkland, Florida, isn’t average in any way. When D’Eri and his father John bought the location in 2013, it was struggling. Now it’s one of the highest-volume washes in Florida. Its employee retention rate is five times that of its competitors. It has spun off into a second location that was immediately successful. Both locations are quite profitable with a third location that just opened in July 2022. 370,000 cars a year drive away sparkling. Rising Tide has become a media darling, featured on “The Today Show,” “NBC Nightly News” and in magazines including Entrepreneur, National Geographic and Forbes

The Rising Tide Carwash has a unique mission: D’Eri and his father wanted to create employment opportunities for workers with autism. Like 1 in 44 Americans, D’Eri’s brother Andrew has autism, and was facing lifelong unemployment. So, the family set out on a mission to wildly expand professional opportunities for people like Andrew, starting with one car wash. Rising Tide’s workforce is roughly 80% on the spectrum, 20% neurotypical.

D’Eri explains that you might think that Rising Tide has been so successful because people have celebrated its social mission. “That’s true, but the mission alone doesn’t explain the excellence that permeates every aspect of the business: service quality, customer experience, teamwork, management and organizational design.” D’Eri says you’ll find Rising Tide has the edge when comparing any aspect of its operation against other businesses. During his presentation, D’Eri will tell the inspiring, surprising reason why: The excellence isn’t in spite of their unusual workforce, but because of it.

D’Eri will explain how Rising Tide built a thriving business by developing highly accurate hiring practices, designing the work environment to empower all of its team members, developing managers who care enough to coach and building a culture of accountability and psychological safety.

“The audience will leave my presentation understanding how Rising Tide has integrated all of these practices into an operating system that drives real business results and also mitigates the perceived risks and challenges of employing neurodivergent talent,” explains D’Eri.

Be Inspired by Former Astronaut Story Musgrave, M.D., a physician and retired NASA astronaut, will share his inspiring life story. He has six graduate degrees in math, computers, chemistry, medicine, biological physics and literature and has been awarded 21 honorary doctorates. He was a parttime trauma surgeon at Denver General

Story Musgrave

Charles Gaudet

Thomas D’Eri

Hospital for the duration of his astronaut career.

Musgrave was a NASA astronaut for more than 30 years and flew on six spaceflights. He performed the first shuttle spacewalk on Challenger’s first flight, was a pilot on an astronomy mission, conducted two classified DOD missions, was the lead spacewalker on the Hubble

Telescope repair mission and operated an electronic chip manufacturing satellite on Columbia. He was the lead communicator in mission control for 25 missions. Today he is a producer/director of multimedia, a landscape architect, a heavy equipment operator, an artist/ designer/engineer with Applied Minds Inc. and a professor of design at Art

Need a Hand?

“Without the internal resources of a full-time metallurgist or failure analysis expert, I sometimes need advice. SMI’s professional staff has helped our company problem-solve issues to confirm that we are on the right track for solutions.”

Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. Story also performs multimedia presentations on the topics of design driven innovation, personal and professional development, operational excellence, human performance, reliability, quality and safety.

For more information on the 2023 SMI annual meeting, visit smihq.org.

Calendar of Key Events for the Global Spring Industry

2023

April 22-25

SMI Annual Meeting

Waldorf Astoria, Disney Property Orlando, Florida smihq.org 2024 April 15-19 wire and Tube Düsseldorf, Germany wire-tradefair.com tube-tradefair.com

Oct. 2-4

SMI has a team of experts, who speak the language of springs, ready to assist you. It could be a metallurgy question about fatigue life or corrosion. Or perhaps you need help with a spring design and the use of materials when manufacturing springs.

In addition, our team can call upon the resources of the SMI Technical Committee who collectively represent hundreds of years of springmaking experience.

To find out how SMI Technical Services can help you, phone 630-460-8588 or visit smihq.org/page/SpringsAdvice

SpringWorld/Metal Engineering eXpo Donald E. Stephens Convention Center Rosemont, Illinois casmi-springworld.org metalengineeringexpo.org

Tom Little, Sales Manager, Apex Spring and Stamping

SMI Says Goodbye to Dina Sanchez

SMI would like to thank Dina Sanchez for her 14 years of service to the association. She resigned in November 2022.

Sanchez started work at SMI in 2014, serving as part-time administrative assistant and as assistant editor for Springs. She was a strong presence at all SMI meetings and trade show events and the person on the other end of the phone that many members interacted with. During the pandemic, she coordinated interchanges between members looking for wire.

“Dina was invaluable to me over the last 14 years. All SMI has accomplished would not have happened without her knowledge of SMI, contribution to our membership and unwavering support,” said Lynne Carr, SMI executive director. “She will be missed by me and so many others. I wish her well.”

“It is extremely hard to bid Dina farewell,” said SMI president Gene Huber Jr. “Her literary talents, organizational skills, attention to detail and buoyant attitude made her a real asset and assistant to Lynne in the director’s role. She will be missed, and we wish her well wherever she ends up.”

“Dina was an invaluable member of the SMI magazine team,” said Gary McCoy, managing editor of Springs. “I always appreciated her attention to detail and ability to see things I didn’t always see. As the editor I received a lot of the praise for our publication, but I have always viewed the magazine as a team effort and Dina was a valuable contributor to the work that took place. She will be missed.”

Vanguard Committee Meets at SpringWorld; Announces Monthly Roundtables and New Name

The SMI Vanguard group met in-person during SpringWorld 2022 in Rosemont, Illinois, to discuss ideas and network. Adam Jacobson of FENN/Torin chairs the group and said it was great to gather for an in-person discussion during an important industry event.

The group recently changed its name to Avant-Garde and describes itself as: “Bold, daring, forward-thinking, radical. We are a group of SMI members bringing innovative and experimental ideas to shape the future of SMI and the springmaking industry. We exist to serve the needs of the emerging and future generation members and ensure that content and conferences evolve to meet the needs of emerging leaders and nonowner participants. We are an inclusive group, welcoming diversity.”

Jacobson says the intent of the group is to open the gate to the SMI community and ensure that new members are welcomed, embraced and positioned to grow into future leadership roles within SMI.

Jacobson said the group has been meeting virtually each month and recently agreed to organize a series of roundtable presentations.

“The roundtables are designed for the Avant-Garde group but are open to all members of the spring industry,” said Jacobson.

Evan Rodgers of Gifford Spring has volunteered to handle the logistics in setting up the online meetings. The first roundtable was held Dec. 7, 2022, and led by Alex Melnikow of Midstate Spring on the topic of retaining employees. In

January, Joe DeVoe of Plymouth Spring was scheduled to facilitate a 2023 business outlook discussion.

The next roundtable will be held Feb. 14, 2023, and presented by Cullen Olson of IDC Spring. Olson will facilitate an open discussion about effective methods, opportunities and challenges of integrating and leveraging ERP systems with spring manufacturing processes.

For information on Avant-Garde and how you can participate, contact Jacobson at 860-308-6732 or adam.jacobson@ fenn-torin.com.

Pictured (l-to-r): Dina Sanchez and Lynne Carr.

SMI’s Avant-Garde group gathered to discuss future plans at SpringWorld 2022.

2022 ISO/TC 227 Springs Meetings Held Virtually

The U.S. was well represented at the 2022 ISO/TC 227 Springs meetings held virtually again, out of an abundance of caution. The meetings were planned to be held in Hangzhou, China.

More than 28 participants from 10 contributing participating-member countries (China, Germany, Italy, France, United Kingdom, United States, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand and India) were present via WebEx for working group 3 (WG3), working group 4 (WG4) and the plenary sessions. SMI technical experts bring many years of manufacturing experience to the ISO/TC227 working groups 3 and 4 which are currently developing two standards.

SMI serves as the technical advisory group to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) for ISO/TC227. The role of the U.S. delegation is essential to ensure that the interests of American spring manufacturers, designers and consumers are represented in international standards development.

The U.S. delegation was led by Tom Armstrong, retired chairman of Duer/ Carolina Coil. Participants included Al Mangels, chief technical advisor, Lee Spring; Tom Featherstone, general manager, Liberty Spring; Gene Huber Jr., SMI president and executive vice president, Winamac Coil Spring Inc.; and Rick Gordon, SMI’s technical director.

The WG3 is responsible for the development of the new ISO standard “Springs — Measurement and Test Parameters –Part 2: Cold Formed Cylindrical Helical Extension Springs.” WG3 met Sept. 23 where draft comments were reviewed. The next draft of the standard will be prepared for the final review stepFinal Draft International Standard (FDIS) stage. Fabio Visentin from Italy is the convenor (project leader) for this standard.

The WG4 is responsible for the development of the new ISO standard “Springs — Measurement and Test Parameters — Part 3: Torsion Springs.” Draft comments were reviewed Nov. 9 and 10. A revised draft of the standard will be prepared for the next review step. Wang Decheng from China is the convenor (project leader) for this standard.

Technical comments for the working groups were provided by Mangels (WG3, WG4), Featherstone (WG3), Huber (WG4) and Gordon (WG3, WG4). Most of the U.S. comments were accepted by the working groups. According to Armstrong, “The contributions to this standardization effort by these individuals is very much appreciated.”

conjunction with the 2023 Metal Engineering eXpo. A new date and location for the meetings will be announced soon.

In summary, Armstrong said, “I look forward to September when we will hopefully be able to again share social interaction and in-person meetings. The past three ISO/TC227 virtual meetings have been a challenge because of the pandemic. It is because of the personal relationships developed during prior inperson meetings that enabled great progress to be made in the working groups. The virtual ‘business only’ meetings have gotten the necessary jobs done, but I look back fondly to when the meetings were much more!”

Huber added that even though the only meetings he has attended have been virtual, he has thoroughly enjoyed the interaction with the numerous representatives from the many countries. He also added that hosting the meetings in person this year “will be a great honor for those of us from the United States.”

Anyone interested in participating in the ISO standards process should contact either Rick Gordon at c.richard.gordon@ gmail.com or Tom Armstrong at tgarmstrong@outlook.com.

The status of these projects will be reviewed at the next ISO/TC227 meetings, originally scheduled for Sept. 14-15, 2023, in Las Vegas, Nevada, in Below: A screen shot of the representatives attending the plenary session.

Spring Design Training Program Continues to Grow

SMI spring design training sessions continue to be well received by both members and non-members. SMI presented its third new course for 2022, 206 — Snap Ring (Retaining Ring) Design, virtually on Sept. 15, 2022, with favorable reviews from student attendees.

In addition, SMI presented 304 Springs — Dimensioning, Tolerancing and Testing advanced training module at SpringWorld 2022 in Rosemont, Illinois. SMI Technical Director C. Richard Gordon taught the class and said students were happy to be able to attend an inperson class.

To date, 585 students have participated in training sessions for SMI’s four basic modules, 201 Compression Spring Design, 202 Extension Spring Design, 203 Torsion Spring Design and 206 Snap Ring Design along with the two advanced level modules 301 Springs — Fatigue and 304 Springs — Dimensioning, Tolerancing and Testing.

2023

Class

Training Schedule

304 Dimensioning Tolerancing and Testing

206 Snap Ring Design

201 Compression Spring Design

202 Extension Spring Design

203 Torsion Spring Design

206 Snap Ring Design

201 Compression Spring Design

202 Extension Spring Design

203 Torsion Spring Design

Date

Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023

Thursday, March 16, 2023

Thursday, April 20, 2023

Thursday, May 18, 2023

Thursday, June 15, 2023

Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023

Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023

Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023

Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023

The first in-person spring design class in three years was held during SpringWorld 2022.

The SMI Technical Committee plans to introduce two new courses in 2023: 205 — Beam, Torsion Bar and Constant Force Spring Design and 207 - Strength of Materials and Spring Material Manufacturing. Dates for these offerings will be announced at a later date.

SMI’s training program consists of three fundamental, seven basic and four advanced spring design training classes. Fundamentals courses were developed with new hires and non-technical staff in mind. Basic classes are designed to meet the needs of production and technical staff, including engineers, designers and inspectors. Advanced courses address a higher level of expertise for engineers, designers and other technical staff. The SMI technical committee has been working to develop these programs.

Two fundamentals training modules, “Spring Fundamentals” and “Overview of Springmaking Materials,” are available to the public on the SMI website: www. smihq.org. SMI member feedback for these modules has been very favorable.

Courses are organized as focused, real-world spring design training programs, combining basic spring design content for each spring type with practical hands-on use of SMI’s Advanced Spring Design 7 (ASD7) software.

Classes benefit students by increasing their spring design knowledge and benefit their company by having an SMItrained associate as part of their team.

For more information and to register for classes, visit smihq.org/page/ spring-design-training-program.

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Spring design classes provide students with hands-on training and interaction with the ASD7 software.

SMI

Committee Connection

SMI Board Meets Prior to SpringWorld 2022

The SMI board of directors met in regular session Oct. 11, 2022, a day before the start of SpringWorld 2022 in Rosemont, Illinois. It was noted that SMI continues to be in a good financial position and a full audit was to be completed before the end of 2022.

Planning is coming together for the annual meeting in Orlando with speakers lined up for both the Monday and Tuesday sessions. The meeting, scheduled for April 22–25, 2023, at the Waldorf Astoria, includes bus transportation to the Disney parks. It was also noted that SMI has a great hotel rate of $289 per night that is good three days before or after the meeting.

Technical

The technical committee is led by Tim Zwit of Motion Dynamics, and he noted that SMI Technical Director Rick Gordon is active with the committee to help keep it organized. Gordon provides technical

advice, training and failure analysis information to all SMI members. SMI has had 585 students participate in spring design training since 2019. Gordon is doing all the training since Gary Van Buren retired.

The 301, 304 and 206 classes are new, with 107 total new participants out of 137. The spring design training classes are averaging 25 students per session. Gordon noted that the committee has given great support for class content. He also said he invites students to participate in the committee and contribute. One more class that people are interested in is 205 Spiral, Torsion Bar and Constant Force Spring Design, which is currently being developed.

Magazine

The magazine committee is led by Keith Porter Jr. of Newcomb Spring. He noted that the committee has grown in size and met in September via Zoom to select

By Gary McCoy

magazine themes for 2023. Porter also noted that the committee is focused on increasing the magazine’s social media presence which includes increased usage of the app and overall digital communications. A podcast has been proposed that would be subsidized by sponsorships to keep the cost down. After approval by the executive committee, the hope is to launch the podcast in 2023.

Regulatory Compliance

The regulatory committee is led by Joe Devany of Betts Company, who noted that it is hard to get engagement in the committee. Laura Rhodes, SMI’s regulatory compliance consultant, had six contracts in 2022. She also performed three audits and provided a lot of phone support for members. More marketing is needed to promote the services available through Rhodes.

It was suggested that more operation-specific activity would be helpful

SMI’s board of directors met the day prior to SpringWorld 2022.

that could be accomplished with a safety panel or roundtable, where each person could ask specific questions. Dave Deerwester of The Yost Superior Co. mentioned that his company had a medical emergency take place recently. Deerwester said he was able to talk with Rhodes about Occupational Safety and Health Administration reporting in that situation and suggested this would be good topic for a webinar or as part of a roundtable discussion.

Membership

It was noted that regular SMI membership continues to be affected by mergers and acquisitions. The hope is to connect with middle managers at member companies to get them more involved and engaged

with SMI. This could possibly be done with smaller events that more companies can afford, such as business seminars and company tours. There is also an effort to reach private-equity-owned companies that have multiple locations.

Regional meetings were successful pre-COVID and a road show to introduce the new executive director of SMI would be a way to promote SMI services to more members and prospects.

Avant-Garde

The Avant-Garde group is being led by Adam Jacobson of FENN/Torin. He noted that the group planned a meeting during SpringWorld to discuss ideas and hear concerns.  He said one of the goals of the group is to promote the future and

growth of manufacturing. He said Jennelle Carlier of S3 Wireform has been helping with expanding the social media and marketing program.

NESMA

David DeVoe of Plymouth Spring said NESMA is all about workforce development with younger people. He said they continue to work with local technical schools to obtain new equipment and to get more participation in spring manufacturing. DeVoe said they continue to work with local high school students and parents to attract them to the industry and manufacturing jobs.

The SMI board of directors will hold its next meeting in April the day before the annual meeting starts in Orlando. n

Alloy Wire International Introduces Inconel Alloy 686

Alloy Wire International, a UK-based leading manufacturer of round, flat and profile wire, recently launched its new Inconel Alloy 686, a single-phase, austenitic alloy that delivers excellent resistance to general and stress corrosion cracking that can occur in aggressive liquids and gases. The company says this wire is expected to be used within components destined for corrosive environments in industries that demand material that performs under the most extreme engineering conditions without premature failure.

Areas of application include springs, wireforms and fasteners throughout the chemical and petrochemical processing, oil and gas extraction, acid processing, waste management and in marine environments.

“Springmakers had a fundamental role in the COVID-19 response, and we continue to support firms who supply products into automotive, aerospace, medical, nuclear and the resurgent oil and gas markets,” said Alloy Wire International’s Stephen Olley. “They require

material that can work in all types of demanding applications, from intense heat and sub-zero temperatures to highly corrosive environments. This is why we are so pleased to be launching Inconel alloy 686 after months of trials and testing.”

HSI and Forming Systems, Inc. Launches New Conveyor Oven Model HCF85

The miniature HSI Conveyor Oven Model HCF85 is flexible and able to work in-line between springmaking or any other metal hardware machinery. A 3.6 kW heating power and minimized footprint makes the HCF85 a lean and powerful oven.  Available with an optional ECB-E, which prevents the springs from bouncing off a conveyor belt.

General specifications of this small oven include: a 11.8” x 1.9” heat zone (L300mm x H50mm); 3.9” wide (100mm) conveyor; and overall size

L33.5” x W20.9” x H63.4” (850mm x 533mm x 1610mm).

HSI now offers over 38 standard conveyor oven models and, like all HSI high performance ovens, the HCF85 is available with optional accessories including a digital speed meter, solid state relays, HMI temperature recorder (485H-mini) and a maximum temperature of 500°C (930°F).

For additional information, including option details and pricing, contact Forming Systems, Inc. at info@formingsystemsinc.com or 269-679-3557.

Alloy Wire International says the new material is available in sizes ranging from .001” (0.025mm) to .197” (5.00mm) and can be made to customer specification within three weeks. For more information, visit www.alloywire.com or follow @alloywire on Twitter.

Digital Faceplates and Control Panels Offer Prototyping Solutions

For a rapid, functional prototype to be created to look exactly as the proposed final product, many companies count on printers to create custom faceplates and control panels. Badger Tag & Label has offered digital printing and plotter die cutting for more than 10 years and has seen exponential growth in the requests for short-run pieces used on prototypes. Their wide format digital printing allows for full color plus white to encompass every color imaginable on substrates up to 1.75” thick. The photo quality reproduction and crisp resolution can be combined with lamination for even greater durability.

When the printing is combined with Badger’s Zünd plotter cutter, virtually any intricate cut and quantity are possible. Because no die costs are involved, this is a cost-effective method for a

quantity as minimal as one finished piece. Both die and kiss cutting can be completed on the same piece.

“When companies use our services to design faceplates, control panels and other graphics for their prototypes, the development process is quick and costeffective. Those companies get feedback and identify any concerns during the development phase instead of after the final product is launched. We’ve even been able to offer options not considered when we are involved early on,” says Ryan Will, vice president at Badger.

One example of the ideal piece for this process was a self-contained testing kit. Badger’s customer engineered the technology, assembled the components and created the kit. Then they enlisted Badger to design and print the faceplates for both halves of the case as well as the exterior

label. The customer shared the prototype with potential clients and was able to validate market interest. They were then able to proceed to full production in a record timeframe.

While these digital control panels and faceplates are an alternative to the traditional metal versions, one area of metal that is exploding for Badger Tag & Label is Metalphoto.® When permanent identification is critical, this process seals the image inside anodized aluminum which makes it resistant to temperatures exceeding 700ºF, corrosion, sunlight, abrasion and chemicals. Metalphoto stands up to the outdoor elements for over 20 years and it meets military specifications.

Contact Badger Tag & Label at 800331-4863, sales@badgertag.com, or www.badgertag.com. n

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 gary@smihq.org.

A & D Trading (440) 563-5227 20

Admiral Steel (800) 323-7055 56

Alloy Wire International (866) 482-5569 11

Anchor Abrasives (708) 444-4300 55

BB Spring Technology +39 031 536584 47

CASMI www.casmi-springworld.com 18

Dispense Works (815) 363-3524 23

Elgiloy (888) 843-2350 inside back cover

FENN/Torin (860) 259-6600 50

Forming Systems Inc (877) 594-4300 back cover

Gibbs Interwire (800) 800-4422 1

Industrial Steel & Wire (800) 767-0408 3

JN Machinery (224) 699-9161 24-25

John Evans’ Sons (215) 368-7700 74

Larson Systems (763) 780-2131 58

Maguire Machinery (609) 968-9171 17

Mapes Piano String Co (423) 543-3195 56

NIMSCO (563) 391-0400 74

North American Spring Tool (860) 583-1693 45

Proto Manufacturing (800) 965-8378 69

Advertisers Index

Radcliff Wire (860) 583-1305 72

RK Trading (847) 640-9371 5

Simplex Rapid (563) 391-0400 48

Spring Manufacturers Institute (630) 495-8588 inside front cover, 65

Tool King (847) 537-2881 69

United Wire (800) 840-9481 60

WAFIOS (203) 481-5555 6

Zapp Precision Strip (203) 386-0038 9

Snapshot

Katherine E. Dalton • Gardner Spring, Inc.

president until she died in June 2020, when the company passed to her grandchildren.

Job title: President.

Spring industry affiliations: Manufacturing x Digital, Women in Manufacturing, Oklahoma Manufacturing Alliance, Spring Manufacturers Institute, The National Association of Manufacturers and Tulsa Area Manufacturers Association.

Birthplace: Tulsa.

Current home: I live between Tulsa and Asheville, North Carolina.

Family (spouse, children, pets, etc.):

My husband and best friend, Adam Dalton, and I have 13 chickens and three well-loved, rambunctious dogs: Ziggy, Zuri and Luna.

A really great evening to me is: Hiking to the top of a mountain and enjoying the sunset, or snuggling in for a good movie or a bath and a book.

The one thing I can’t stand is: When people are unkind.

My most outstanding qualities are: Listening and asking questions. I also have a great memory.

People who knew me in school thought I was: Well, I got an award for “most graceful when falling,” if that tells you anything.

If I weren’t working at Gardner Spring, I would like to: Run a nonprofit animal sanctuary.

Name: Katherine E. Dalton

Nickname (if any): Kat

Company name and city: Gardner Spring, Inc., Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Brief history of your company: Gardner Spring, Inc. is a family-owned stock and specialty spring company based in Tulsa.

My great-uncle, Marshall Jackson, purchased the name and inventory of a long-established Chicago business, as it was liquidating, in 1967. Placing my grandmother, Katherine Magrini, in charge of the company, he involved her in springs and manufacturing like the rest of her brothers.

Gardner Spring, Inc. was moved to Tulsa and sold to the Barnes Group in the late 1960s, with the stipulation that she would remain the general manager—the only female general manager in their company at the time. My grandmother loved springs, and in 1978 was able to repurchase Gardner. She remained the sole owner and

What I like most about being a springmaker: I am fascinated by the infinite number of applications in the spring industry, and while the technical aspects of manufacturing and engineering do not come easily to me, I am motivated to continue learning.

Favorite food: Anything that includes potatoes or butter.

Favorite books/authors: “Even Cowgirls Get the Blues” by Tom Robbins.

Favorite song/musician: “The Circle Game” by Joni Mitchell.

Hobbies: Running with my dogs and exploring the world with my husband.

Favorite places: Any place I can dip my body in water and gaze at the stars.

Best times of my life: I love big holiday meals where I spend days in the kitchen with my mom or one of my grandmas. We’ve done this all my life and now work together in an easy rhythm…oh, and all of us really enjoy eating.

The most difficult business decision I ever had to make was: Assuming my grandmother’s roles in the company after she passed. I was applying to veterinary school and my brother, who intended to head the company, couldn’t—so I took the initiative to learn. I have grown to love the industry, largely due to Gardner’s employees: their patience, advice, and knowledge offered over the last few years has been invaluable.

Role models: Extraordinary family and friends (too many to name) and incredible women like Catherine Raven, Maxine Hong Kingston, and Viola Davis.

I would like to be remembered in the spring industry for: Investing in research and development that is able to revolutionize medical applications, while keeping them affordable for the community.

But people will probably remember me for: Talking extensively about the importance of processing our emotions so we can adequately communicate in the workplace.

©iStockphoto.com/Tryfonov Ievgenii, nicholas belton