BY MIKE BOYER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
A new effort to show Cincinnati area companies what it takes to be "world class" competitive is being launched within the Institute of Advanced Manufacturing Sciences.
Dubbed the World Class Manufacturing Institute, the new education and training effort is designed to show local companies what it takes to be "world class," said Harry Stone, IAMS vice president.
"World class means being able to compete in a global environment," he said. "We don't have cheap labor in the United States, but we can compete with increased productivity, best practices and technologies."
Unlike most of IAMS' one-on-one training efforts, the new institute will aim to marshal area consultants and other resources in group training.
Mr. Stone said the effort won't focus just on manufacturing productivity but also on managing people and suppliers, understanding customers and using information technology across an organization. An advisory panel of executives from 10 local companies, which met for the first time this week, is helping formulate plans for the institute.
One of the first priorities, Mr. Stone said, is talking with local chief executives about their interests and availability. "The challenge is creating a context for executive decision-making," he said.
Machine tool orders increase in September
Machine tool orders totaled an estimated $713 million in September, up 6 percent from the estimated $673 million a year ago, two industry trade groups reported.
The September orders for machines that cut and form metal, an indicator of future manufacturing activity, was up 48 percent from the revised August estimate of $482 million compiled by the Association for Manufacturing Technology and American Machine Tool Distributors Association.
For the year to date, total orders are estimated at $5.9 billion, down 7 percent from a year ago. Export orders in September were $34.4 million, down 32 percent from a year ago.
Senco earns pair of customer awards
Cincinnati-based Senco Products, manufacturer of pneumatic tools and fasteners, has received recognition from two of its customers.
Fleetwood Homes will present Senco its "Circle of Excellence Award" for outstanding supplier service on Tuesday. Greensboro, N.C.-based Oakwood Homes Corp., a supplier of manufactured housing, also recently presented Senco with its Supplier of the Year award.
Seminar to examine manufacturing trends
A seminar on advanced manufacturing trends in Japan will be held Thursday at 3 p.m. at the Institute of Advanced Manufacturing Sciences in Bond Hill.
Masao Akiba, a professor emeritus at the Tokyo Institute of Technology and authority on Total Productivity Management, will discuss techniques used by leading Japanese companies. For more information, contact Traci Spencer at IAMS: 513-948-2053.
Cincom Inc. trots out manufacturing software
Springdale-based Cincom Systems Inc. has introduced a new suite of software to support automated demand manufacturing practices for complex products.
The new software includes a demand scheduler that calculates the effect of customer configurations on process lines; a sales and operations module that compares marketing plans to demand on flow lines, and a Kanban sizing and replenishment module that figures part replenishment needs.
Cincom is co-sponsoring a seminar on demand manufacturing, which shrinks traditional lead times by 80 percent or more, in Denver this week.
Tour of HK plant scheduled for Thursday
The Tri-State Chapter of the Materials Handling and Management Society will sponsor a tour of HK Systems' material handling equipment plant in Hebron on Thursday.
For more information contact Ron Baker at 513-792-4032, or fax 792-4019.
Hospital hazards topic of meeting
How hospitals handle hazardous materials injuries and exposure will be discussed at the meeting of the Alliance for Chemical Safety on Wednesday at 3 p.m. at the St. Bernard City Hall. For more information, contact Debi Leonard, 513-612-3074.
Granville receives registration certificate
Granville Plastics Co., a unit of Cincinnati-based United Shields Corp., recently earned ISO 9002 certificate of registration, signifying its compliance with standards established by the International Organization for Standardization in Geneva, Switzerland. Granville is an Oxford, N.C.-based injection molding company.
