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SMI Plans Toward Annual Meeting in Scottsdale

It’s time to make plans for SMI’s 2022 annual meeting, scheduled for April 22-26 at the Hyatt Regency Gainey Ranch in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The 2022 meeting will include the installation of new SMI officers and the opportunity to network with fellow springmakers and suppliers. There will be numerous educational sessions, along with optional events and activities.

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

On Monday, April 25, Lisa Ryan, chief appreciation officer at Grategy, will join SMI for the second time after her wellreceived presentation at the 2018 SMI annual meeting in Napa Valley. Ryan’s presentation will address “Sweat the Small Stuff: Simple Strategies to Keep Your Top Talent from Becoming Someone Else’s.”

“The impact of COVID-19 has profoundly changed business for good,” explains Ryan. “Not only did companies have to change many of their work practices, but employees have found they have lots more options when it comes to how, when, and where they can get their work done: remote working, keeping teams motivated, flexibility to retain workers.”

Ryan says even the term “workplace” has potentially become obsolete. “Companies that never thought they could (or should) offer remote working opportunities have been forced to do so.”

Ryan believes flexible scheduling is no longer a “nice to have,” it’s expected.

“Organizations that come out of this pandemic successfully are the ones that integrate and master digital work, community, and collaboration. And yes, this does go for manufacturing plants,” said Ryan. “Workers may still have to show up to run production, but their mindset has probably expanded to adjust and adapt to new ways of using technology and communicating with each other and with leadership. It’s essential for you to have strategies to help employees deal with the fear, frustration, and uncertainty of the new work environment.”

Ryan’s presentation will look at: • How the pandemic has changed business for good — and how to take advantage of those changes. • Why creating a culture of appreciation through “gratitude strategies” can set your business apart from the competition. • How to relate to employees from both a personal and professional standpoint during trying times.

Lisa Ryan explained the principle of grategy at the 2018 SMI annual meeting in Napa Valley. • Why communication is more critical than ever before — and how to make sure you’re doing it the right way. • Why ignoring employees’ personal challenges will come back to haunt you. Ryan argues that manufacturers need to realize that there is no more “business as usual.” “In the case of the after-effects of COVID-19, the only thing we know for certain is that things are going to continue to evolve and change. In my presentation, springmakers will learn what it takes to connect with and keep your employees from becoming someone else’s.”

To learn more about Ryan, visit www.lisaryanspeaks.com.

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SMI Welcomes New Member

Please join us in a warm welcome for SMI’s newest member.

Rowley Spring & Stamping Corp.

Bristol, Connecticut

Annual Meeting in Scottsdale…continued

Unleashing True Potential With Afterburner

A second educational session will take place Tuesday, April 26, with leaders from an organization called Afterburner and described as a “high-energy experience that ignites momentum and moves teams forward.” The session will be led by Charles “Chaz” Campbell, a retired brigadier general with the U.S. Air Force.

The Afterburner team has a unique perspective on helping unleash true potential within business teams. The organization argues that one of the biggest roadblocks to this effort can be developing a clear vision of success.

“Taking that one step further, aligning your team with that vision and a plan to execute comes with its own set of challenges,” explained Campbell. “It all comes down to clarifying the true meaning of business success, aligning behind a common strategy, and being able to execute flawlessly. We’ve done this successfully with 25 allied countries across the globe and thousands of companies.”

The background of Afterburner started in 1989, when Jim “Murph” Murphy sat at the controls of an F-15 fighter jet and realized that the cultural discipline and strategic alignment needed to execute flawlessly in the unforgiving, rapidly changing world of military aviation was more than unique — it was aweinspiring. The U.S. military’s ability to cultivate a singleness-of-mind around strategic action was so compelling to Murph that he strove to translate these time-tested, combat-proven processes into a simple, scalable, agile methodology. The result was Flawless Execution, a proprietary framework that enables organizations to effectively leverage team experience, lessons learned, and a structured planning process to achieve new levels of success.

In 1996, Murph started Afterburner, Inc. to share the message of Flawless Execution with organizations around the world. Today, nearly 20 years later, more than 1.7 million professionals have experienced the power of Flawless Execution.

As leaders of elite military teams, the Afterburner crew has thrived in the harshest, most chaotic environments on earth. Through inspirational stories, they share those same principles to help companies align on vision and strategy.

They will introduce SMI attendees to its Flawless Execution model through a unique shared experience that helps teams to build trust and rally around common goals.

Campbell is the most senior member of the Afterburner Team. He recently retired from active service, having achieved the rank of brigadier general and accumulating over 30 years of service in the U.S. Air Force and the Florida Air National Guard. During his career,

Chaz Campbell

Campbell commanded at all levels within the Air Force, none more demanding than his last assignment as the Vice Commander of Air Forces North, First Air Force. In this assignment, where he led in the “can’t fail” environment of Air Defense of the entire United States airspace, helping ensure Sept. 11 would not ever happen again. He now shares his experiences and leadership lessons with Afterburner clients.

To learn more about Afterburner, visit www.afterburner.com.

More information on the 2022 SMI annual meeting will be mailed to members in early 2022.

Known for their high-energy presentations, the Afterburner crew has thrived in the harshest, most chaotic environments on earth. Through inspirational stories, they share those same principles to help companies align on vision and strategy.

2021 ISO/TC 227 Springs Meetings Held Virtually

The U.S. was well represented at the ISO/ TC 227 Springs online meetings, held Sept. 27 to Oct. 1, 2021.

The U.S. delegation was led by Tom Armstrong, retired chairman of Duer/ Carolina Coil. Participants included Al Mangels, chief technical advisor, Lee Spring; Don Jacobson III, product development and acquisitions manager, Newcomb Spring; Keith Porter, general manager, Newcomb Spring of Carolina; Dick Carter, director of product engineering, Michigan Spring & Stamping; Gene Huber Jr., vice president, Winamac Coil Spring Inc.; and Rick Gordon, SMI’s technical director.

More than 25 participants from nine participating-member countries (China, Germany, Italy, France, United Kingdom, United States, Japan, Malaysia, and Finland) were present via Zoom and WebEx for working group 3, working group 4, and the plenary sessions. SMI technical experts bring more than 160 years of

A screenshot of the representatives attending the plenary session.

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.

Working group 3 (WG3) is responsible for the development of the new ISO standard “Springs — Measurement and Test Parameters — Part 2: Cold Formed Cylindrical Helical Extension Springs.” Draft comments were reviewed and the next draft of the standard will be prepared for the next review step (Draft International Standard) stage. Fabio Visentin from Italy is the convenor (project leader) for this standard.

Calendar of Key Events for the Global Spring Industry

2022

Jan. 20

SMI Spring Design Training 301 Springs — Fatigue

Online www.smihq.org Feb. 9 – 11

wire Southeast Asia

Bangkok, Thailand www.wire-southeastasia.com

March 17

SMI Spring Design Training 304 Springs — Dimensioning, Tolerancing, and Testing

Online www.smihq.org March 17

NESMA Casino Night

DoubleTree by Hilton, Bristol Connecticut www.nesma-usa.com April 14

SMI Spring Design Training 201 Compression Spring Design

Online www.smihq.org April 22 – 26

SMI Annual Meeting

Hyatt Regency Gainey Ranch, Scottsdale, Arizona www.smihq.org May 9 – 13

wire & Tube 2022

Düsseldorf, Germany www.wire-tradefair.com

May 19

SMI Spring Design Training 202 Extension Spring Design

Online www.smihq.org June 7 – 9

WAI WireExpo

Dallas, Texas wirenet.org/events/wire-expo June 16

SMI Spring Design Training 203 Torsion Spring Design

Online www.smihq.org July 21

SMI Spring Design Training 301 Springs — Fatigue

Online www.smihq.org Oct 5 – 7

wire and Tube Southeast Asia

Bangkok, Thailand www.wire-southeastasia.com Oct. 12 – 14

SpringWorld 2022

Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont, Illinois www.casmi-springworld.org Oct 25 – 27

wire South America

São Paulo, Brazil www.wire-south-america.com

Nov. 9 – 11

ISO/TC227 Meetings

Hangzhou, China Nov. 23 – 25

wire India

Mumbai www.wire-india.com

2023

Sept. 12 – 14

SMI Metal Engineering eXpo

South Point Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas www.metalengineeringexpo.org

Working group 4 (WG4) is responsible for the development of a new ISO standard “Springs – Measurement and Test Parameters – Part 3: Torsion Springs.” Draft comments were reviewed and the next draft of the standard will be prepared for the next review step. Wang Decheng from China is the convenor for this standard.

Technical comments for the working groups were provided by Mangels (WG3, WG4), Carter (WG3, WG4), Huber (WG4) and Gordon (WG3, WG4). The majority 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.”

The status of these projects will be reviewed at the next ISO/TC227 meetings, scheduled for November 9-11, 2022, in Hangzhou, China.

In summary, Armstrong said, “I look forward to November 2022, when we will hopefully be able to again share social interaction and in-person meetings. The past two 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!”

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

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