If you've got something to say about: The metalworking industry in Asia next year, What kind of demand you are seeing in terms of product types in 2013, How the metalworking/machine tool industry is faring in Asia, then this is your lucky day! International Metalworking News for Asia will feature a yearend report in the December issue. We want to know your thoughts for the next year by providing us your comments and thoughts. We need at least 200 words and picture of the respondent. Deadline is November 16, 2012. E-mail us at: metal@ringiertrade.com
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Industry-leading power transmission products at PTC ASIA
PTC ASIA 2012 introduces local and international companies displaying their latest technologies power transmission and control products.
Related Links
Day 3: Industry-leading power transmission products at PTC ASIA
Igus presents linear motion unit at PTC ASIA
Shangdong Fulishi GM promotes hydraulic cylinders at PTC ASIA
Staubli Sales Manager highlights air pipe products at PTC ASIA
Baldor Sales Manager exhibits power transmission line at PTC ASIA
Day 2: Products to Watch out for at PTC ASIA/CEMAT ASIA
PTC ASIA: Exhibitors Part 1
Related Links
Day 3: Industry-leading power transmission products at PTC ASIA
Igus presents linear motion unit at PTC ASIA
Shangdong Fulishi GM promotes hydraulic cylinders at PTC ASIA
Staubli Sales Manager highlights air pipe products at PTC ASIA
Baldor Sales Manager exhibits power transmission line at PTC ASIA
Day 2: Products to Watch out for at PTC ASIA/CEMAT ASIA
PTC ASIA: Exhibitors Part 1
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
International Metalworking News for Asia covers TMTS 2012
High-value machining efficiency
The trend in the automotive industry in Asia is toward higher performance with smaller cubic capacity; and less consumption brings with it a larger mechanical load on the engine block. This requires high-quality materials made of grey cast iron (GG) and compacted graphite iron (GGV). http://cn.industrysourcing.com/emagazine-s/newsletter/1210/imna1210.htm
PTC ASIA/CeMAT ASIA 2012 opening ceremony
Cai Jin, Vice Chairman of China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing, Wang Changming, Executive Vice President of China General Machine Components Industry Association, Wolfgang Pech, Senior Vice President of Deutsche Messe AG and Lv Zhongxin, General Managerof China Tobacco Commercial Logistics Ltd delivered speeches. Officials of Chinese government, foreign general consulates, industrial associations, scholars, journalists and over 300 domestic and foreign guests attended the ceremony. James Fu, General Manager of Hannove rMilano Fairs China Ltd hosted the ceremony.
Read More:
PTC ASIA: Exhibitors Part 1
PTC ASIA: Exhibitors Part 2
PTC ASIA 2012, CeMAT ASIA 2012 Opens
CeMAT ASIA: Leading transportation exhibition in Asia Pacific
PTC ASIA, CeMAT: Local/foreign firms exhibit cutting-edge products
CeMAT ASIA 2012: Asia’s most important intralogistics trade fair
PTC ASIA: Foremost power transmission, control trade fair in Asia
Friday, October 12, 2012
DMG / MORI SEIKI: Global expansion through partnerships
One of the more interesting areas to look at when analysing multinational companies are the different expansion strategies they apply when entering into a new global market. History is full of examples of attempted business failures with companies expanding into places like China , South East Asia and even parts of Europe . However, when we look at some of the success stories in the area of global expansion, it’s hard not to find DMG / MORI SEIKI as a shining example. At the MTA 2012 Exhibition in HCMC Vietnam Anthony Evans of International Metalworking News for Asia (IMNA) caught up with Christian Braun, Managing Director of DMG / MORI SEIKI South East Asia and asked him about the company, their products, and the reasons for DMG / MORI SEIKI’s amazing success in recent years.
IMNA: Could you give us some background on DMG / MORI SEIKI and your operations here in South East Asia.
BRAUN: DMG / MORI SEIKI handle the sales and service of two world leading manufacturers of machine tools, GILDEMEISTER in Germany and the Japanese based company Mori Seiki. Over the years, both had developed a number of strategic partnerships, before they started their cooperation from 2009 onwards. Overall we have more than 10,000 employees internationally and a yearly revenue of about 3.2 billion EURO, which makes us one of the leading companies in the market. My area of responsibility is managing the South East Asian region, which follows the overall strategy of being close to our customers with direct sales and high quality sales and service teams in the region.
IMNA: German companies operating in Asia I’ve spoken to over the years pride themselves on maintaining their manufacturing facilities in Germany; however DMG / MORI SEIKI doesn’t seem to follow this strategy.
BRAUN: I’m not of the opinion that you only have to focus on Germany. Of cause we pride ourselves on our German roots, and we believe it’s important to stick to your roots; German engineering is known and respected worldwide. But don’t forget that Japanese engineering is also of high international quality. But regardless of our roots however, it’s important for us to be close to the market, even with our production facilities, so we developed a global production network to truly connect with our customers. Presently we have factories in Japan, Europe and one in China. In China and the United States two further factories are presently being built, and a new factory in Russia is planned for 2013. We are not what you would call a typical German company, but truly global.
IMNA: Do you find your customers concerned with manufacturing quality when they see your machines coming out of Asia or Eastern Europe?
BRAUN: It’s funny, when people question me on the quality of our products manufactured in countries like China; I always have a quick response. Pull out your IPhone and look on the back. It’s written: designed in California, assembled in China, and that’s basically what we are doing with our global factories. For example, when we’ve assessed the needs of the market, we transfer that knowledge to Germany or Japan where our engineers will design the product, but then it’s a question of how to organise the production flow and the people within the countries to always guarantee to maintain a high quality level. This is what we’re doing in the factories. One example would be the first DMG / MORI SEIKI joint product we developed with engineers from both Japan and Germany. It’s a highly productive compact machining centre we have on display here at MTA Vietnam that will eventually be produced in four different plants in Japan, Germany and China.
IMNA: What would you say DMG / MORI SEIKI’s approach to positioning yourselves in the market, is it the high end of the market you’re targeting?
BRAUN: The high end market is for sure a field we are covering well due to our innovation driven strategy and our goal of technology leadership in our industry. But that is not all we do. In fact we have factories in China and Eastern Europe where we produce the ECOLINE product range, which offers customers a lower price range of machines designed to cater for companies just entering the market or using technology for the first time to expand or improve production, and which are cautious about overinvesting.
IMNA: Another common approach I’ve noticed amongst foreign companies operating in the region is that they put a lot of effort into customer retention, is that DMG / MORI SEIKI’s approach to South East Asia, an emphasis on customer relations?
BRAUN: Yes that’s right, and what I mean about keeping good customer relations is having a strong application and service support, and having ongoing discussions with customers about their particular needs. What I feel is that with the highly dynamic development of the region, customers are looking at moving forward with technology and innovation as part of their strategy. So it’s not only providing leading products but providing the support to the customer with things like training and testing, application support, and on the other side, effective services support with fast response times. And of cause, there is always the added advantage of being the producer of the machines who is able to service them better, so it’s important to create that strong communication link with our customers. We try to assist them with all their needs, from the show room floor to the factory floor, providing advice on how to improve efficiency whenever we can. All of our customers know we are totally committed to the region.
IMNA: How long has DMG / MORI SEIKI been operating here in Vietnam?
BRAUN: We’ve been here in Vietnam for some time now, for more than 10 years, and we have an office in Hanoi and in HCMC offering a full range of services. Apart from sales and service we also have a strong application team here, which means we are able to directly support customers more effectively with application issues. Our leading application person here in Vietnam worked in Japan for 8 years and has excellent knowledge of the process, and we are finding our customers are increasingly demanding this type of application support. We’re also using our Technology Centre in Singapore as a main hub for support, which means we have our experts continuously coming to the country.
IMNA: With 10 years experience here in Vietnam, what would be your assessment of the market here?
BRAUN: Here in Vietnam we feel that the market is still quite price sensitive, which means we see a strong demand for the entry level machines with companies wanting to take the next technology step. What we’ve noticed here, is that companies may start with a second hand machine, and then upgrade to a cheaper new machine, but once they start trading in the international markets, as a lot of them do, and supplying companies in the United States and Europe, then they need the more advanced technology. At the moment the market is fairly entry level machines. What we are seeing however is a number of international customers who are coming to Vietnam to establish a footprint here in South East Asia and to service other markets. It is these companies which create the demand for the high end machines, particularly with companies operating in industries such as the automotive, mould and dies, oil and gas.
IMNA: What are some of the significant changes you’ve seen in Vietnam?
BRAUN: Well as I mentioned before, there is a definite move towards the higher technologies, and were noticing a race to grow and to develop competitive industries amongst most of the Asian countries. China was strong in previous years, and of course it’s still strong and will be the biggest market next to India, but we realised in South East Asia people are very keen to develop their companies here. Another noticeable change we’ve witnessed over the years, is that the sophistication of the buyers has increased tremendously, with a lot more of our local customers having overseas experience and knowledge. And it is the same with universities here. We’ve noticed, as DMG / MORI SEIKI cooperates with a number of local universities conducting seminars and workshops, there is a real hunger amongst the coming generation for the technological knowledge, which will have a positive impact on the future industry development.
IMNA: A lot of businesses these days are very waste conscious with regards to their operations, is this an area where DMG / MORI SEIKI puts any emphasis?
BRAUN: Definitely, particularly regarding energy consumption, it’s always a very big topic. In fact we have a business unit called GILDEMEISTER energy solutions that produces and sells large capacity energy storage systems, small wind turbines and solar tracking systems, and we are offering our customers various types of energy efficient solutions. When you look at the design of factories, there is so much potential to utilise unused space such as roof areas to create a whole power source for a factory. So for a very low investment companies can be environmentally friendly while cutting energy cost dramatically. In some regions a well-planned combination of renewable energy generation and storage also helps to bridge imbalances in the public grid, thus ensuring maximum productivity for our customers.
http://cn.industrysourcing.com/ezine/res/12/10/imna.html
 |
| Christian Braun, Managing Director of DMG / MORI SEIKI South East Asia |
IMNA: Could you give us some background on DMG / MORI SEIKI and your operations here in South East Asia.
BRAUN: DMG / MORI SEIKI handle the sales and service of two world leading manufacturers of machine tools, GILDEMEISTER in Germany and the Japanese based company Mori Seiki. Over the years, both had developed a number of strategic partnerships, before they started their cooperation from 2009 onwards. Overall we have more than 10,000 employees internationally and a yearly revenue of about 3.2 billion EURO, which makes us one of the leading companies in the market. My area of responsibility is managing the South East Asian region, which follows the overall strategy of being close to our customers with direct sales and high quality sales and service teams in the region.
IMNA: German companies operating in Asia I’ve spoken to over the years pride themselves on maintaining their manufacturing facilities in Germany; however DMG / MORI SEIKI doesn’t seem to follow this strategy.
BRAUN: I’m not of the opinion that you only have to focus on Germany. Of cause we pride ourselves on our German roots, and we believe it’s important to stick to your roots; German engineering is known and respected worldwide. But don’t forget that Japanese engineering is also of high international quality. But regardless of our roots however, it’s important for us to be close to the market, even with our production facilities, so we developed a global production network to truly connect with our customers. Presently we have factories in Japan, Europe and one in China. In China and the United States two further factories are presently being built, and a new factory in Russia is planned for 2013. We are not what you would call a typical German company, but truly global.
IMNA: Do you find your customers concerned with manufacturing quality when they see your machines coming out of Asia or Eastern Europe?
BRAUN: It’s funny, when people question me on the quality of our products manufactured in countries like China; I always have a quick response. Pull out your IPhone and look on the back. It’s written: designed in California, assembled in China, and that’s basically what we are doing with our global factories. For example, when we’ve assessed the needs of the market, we transfer that knowledge to Germany or Japan where our engineers will design the product, but then it’s a question of how to organise the production flow and the people within the countries to always guarantee to maintain a high quality level. This is what we’re doing in the factories. One example would be the first DMG / MORI SEIKI joint product we developed with engineers from both Japan and Germany. It’s a highly productive compact machining centre we have on display here at MTA Vietnam that will eventually be produced in four different plants in Japan, Germany and China.
IMNA: What would you say DMG / MORI SEIKI’s approach to positioning yourselves in the market, is it the high end of the market you’re targeting?
BRAUN: The high end market is for sure a field we are covering well due to our innovation driven strategy and our goal of technology leadership in our industry. But that is not all we do. In fact we have factories in China and Eastern Europe where we produce the ECOLINE product range, which offers customers a lower price range of machines designed to cater for companies just entering the market or using technology for the first time to expand or improve production, and which are cautious about overinvesting.
IMNA: Another common approach I’ve noticed amongst foreign companies operating in the region is that they put a lot of effort into customer retention, is that DMG / MORI SEIKI’s approach to South East Asia, an emphasis on customer relations?
BRAUN: Yes that’s right, and what I mean about keeping good customer relations is having a strong application and service support, and having ongoing discussions with customers about their particular needs. What I feel is that with the highly dynamic development of the region, customers are looking at moving forward with technology and innovation as part of their strategy. So it’s not only providing leading products but providing the support to the customer with things like training and testing, application support, and on the other side, effective services support with fast response times. And of cause, there is always the added advantage of being the producer of the machines who is able to service them better, so it’s important to create that strong communication link with our customers. We try to assist them with all their needs, from the show room floor to the factory floor, providing advice on how to improve efficiency whenever we can. All of our customers know we are totally committed to the region.
IMNA: How long has DMG / MORI SEIKI been operating here in Vietnam?
BRAUN: We’ve been here in Vietnam for some time now, for more than 10 years, and we have an office in Hanoi and in HCMC offering a full range of services. Apart from sales and service we also have a strong application team here, which means we are able to directly support customers more effectively with application issues. Our leading application person here in Vietnam worked in Japan for 8 years and has excellent knowledge of the process, and we are finding our customers are increasingly demanding this type of application support. We’re also using our Technology Centre in Singapore as a main hub for support, which means we have our experts continuously coming to the country.
IMNA: With 10 years experience here in Vietnam, what would be your assessment of the market here?
BRAUN: Here in Vietnam we feel that the market is still quite price sensitive, which means we see a strong demand for the entry level machines with companies wanting to take the next technology step. What we’ve noticed here, is that companies may start with a second hand machine, and then upgrade to a cheaper new machine, but once they start trading in the international markets, as a lot of them do, and supplying companies in the United States and Europe, then they need the more advanced technology. At the moment the market is fairly entry level machines. What we are seeing however is a number of international customers who are coming to Vietnam to establish a footprint here in South East Asia and to service other markets. It is these companies which create the demand for the high end machines, particularly with companies operating in industries such as the automotive, mould and dies, oil and gas.
IMNA: What are some of the significant changes you’ve seen in Vietnam?
BRAUN: Well as I mentioned before, there is a definite move towards the higher technologies, and were noticing a race to grow and to develop competitive industries amongst most of the Asian countries. China was strong in previous years, and of course it’s still strong and will be the biggest market next to India, but we realised in South East Asia people are very keen to develop their companies here. Another noticeable change we’ve witnessed over the years, is that the sophistication of the buyers has increased tremendously, with a lot more of our local customers having overseas experience and knowledge. And it is the same with universities here. We’ve noticed, as DMG / MORI SEIKI cooperates with a number of local universities conducting seminars and workshops, there is a real hunger amongst the coming generation for the technological knowledge, which will have a positive impact on the future industry development.
IMNA: A lot of businesses these days are very waste conscious with regards to their operations, is this an area where DMG / MORI SEIKI puts any emphasis?
BRAUN: Definitely, particularly regarding energy consumption, it’s always a very big topic. In fact we have a business unit called GILDEMEISTER energy solutions that produces and sells large capacity energy storage systems, small wind turbines and solar tracking systems, and we are offering our customers various types of energy efficient solutions. When you look at the design of factories, there is so much potential to utilise unused space such as roof areas to create a whole power source for a factory. So for a very low investment companies can be environmentally friendly while cutting energy cost dramatically. In some regions a well-planned combination of renewable energy generation and storage also helps to bridge imbalances in the public grid, thus ensuring maximum productivity for our customers.
http://cn.industrysourcing.com/ezine/res/12/10/imna.html
Friday, July 20, 2012
MTA VIETNAM 2012 Post Show Report
Vietnam’s leading trade show for the manufacturing solutions industry, MTA VIETNAM2012, closed on a high note on 6 July 2012. The show recorded a total of more than 10,000 attendees, including trade visitors, exhibiting staff, conference delegates and speakers, and members of the press. Featuring a wide range of quality products and technologies from renowned international brands, this year’s MTA VIETNAM is the most comprehensive yet.
Anthony Evan, International Metalworking News for Asia's correspondent in Ho Chi Mihn, Vietnam, spoke to a number of exhibitors about the products they have on offer, and their history and experiences operating in the Vietnamese market. You can find this in the next month's issue of the magazine, so be sure to watch out for it. In the meantime, I'm sharing with you the link of our Facebook account, www.facebook.com/RingierMetals, here you will find pictures from the recent event taken by Anthony, and a news article on our website.
Anthony Evan, International Metalworking News for Asia's correspondent in Ho Chi Mihn, Vietnam, spoke to a number of exhibitors about the products they have on offer, and their history and experiences operating in the Vietnamese market. You can find this in the next month's issue of the magazine, so be sure to watch out for it. In the meantime, I'm sharing with you the link of our Facebook account, www.facebook.com/RingierMetals, here you will find pictures from the recent event taken by Anthony, and a news article on our website.
Monday, July 9, 2012
We are now International Metalworking News – Middle East & Africa (IMNEA)
To start, several interesting long reports on Africa can be seen in this month’s line-up.
In the Welding section you can read a new analysis from Frost & Sullivan, titled "Strategic Analysis of the South African Welding Solutions Market" which finds that the market was worth US$333.9 million in 2010 and estimates this to reach US$410.9 million in 2017. The demand for welding solutions is expected to sustain by an anticipated rise in manufacturing sector output, continued power plant construction activities and a rise in demand for repair and maintenance jobs within the process industries.
Africa Special Industry Report section shows the key to unlocking Nigeria’s potential. The Nigerian Federal Government has set itself the target of growing the country’s economy to become the biggest in Africa, as well as one of the top 20 largest (by GDP) in the world by 2020. In order for Nigeria to achieve her growth goals, the country will need to undergo an unprecedented level of infrastructure overhaul and development.
On the news front: The past decade of stagnation and decline in South Africa’s mining sector is set to end as several projects across the region’s vast mineral wealth come online in the next five years. South Africa’s mining sector value is expected to reach US$30.9 billion by 2016, from US$27 billion in 2011.
Lastly, we want to know what you think about this month’s editorial line-up on Africa. If you have any suggestions on how to improve our editorial or topics you want to be featured, feel free to email us at: kathryn@ringiertrade.com. Your insights are important to us.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
JK Lasers’ message using a 400W single mode fiber laser
As the U.S. celebrates the adoption of
the declaration of independence, global industrial laser manufacturer JK Lasers
has ablated a celebratory message using a 400W single mode, continuous wave
fiber laser and scan head.
The red and blue anodised aluminium plates measuring 1mm thick were ablated at a scan speed of 3m per second (1 pass) to reveal the American flag and the message ‘Happy Independence Day from JK Lasers’.
The process was filmed and is available to view on JK Lasers’ YouTube channel.
Ablation trials carried out by JK Lasers have demonstrated that the JK400FL is particularly effective at removing thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) on jet engines and gas turbines.
By modulating the power, TBCs were removed cleanly and removal rates in stainless steel were increased eight times. For more information, download JK Lasers’ white paper ‘High Quality Ablation Using a 400W Fiber Laser’ for free from www.jklasers.com/news-events/whitepapers.
The red and blue anodised aluminium plates measuring 1mm thick were ablated at a scan speed of 3m per second (1 pass) to reveal the American flag and the message ‘Happy Independence Day from JK Lasers’.
The process was filmed and is available to view on JK Lasers’ YouTube channel.
Ablation trials carried out by JK Lasers have demonstrated that the JK400FL is particularly effective at removing thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) on jet engines and gas turbines.
By modulating the power, TBCs were removed cleanly and removal rates in stainless steel were increased eight times. For more information, download JK Lasers’ white paper ‘High Quality Ablation Using a 400W Fiber Laser’ for free from www.jklasers.com/news-events/whitepapers.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
New Version of Teamcenter Express
Hi Everyone!
I just want to share with you the latest in
Siemens PLM Software. The company released Teamcenter Express 9.1, the easy to
implement preconfigured environment of Teamcenter, and what they claim as the world’s
most widely used PLM system.
Teamcenter Express Version 9.1 introduces
several enhancements that help customers improve productivity when searching
for data and completing everyday engineering tasks, as well as improvements to
its extensive multi-CAD capabilities through updated CAD integrations.
Teamcenter Express Version 9.1 is a configuration of the latest release of Teamcenter.
This video will show you the latest enhancements in Teamcenter Express Version9.1
In addition, you may also be interested to
learn about Teamcenter Mobility mobile device application (app), for instantly
accessing the rich and comprehensive product knowledge managed by Teamcenter
Express. In addition to instantly accessing the existing product knowledge,
Teamcenter Mobility 2.0 provides individuals with the ability to capture and
contribute additional knowledge, browse product structures and initiate
workflow processes. Through the use of this new app, companies can enhance
their ability to interact with product data and workflows at the right time, in
the right place and in the right context to further enhance the speed and
accuracy of decisions made throughout a product’s lifecycle.
Do let me know if you have any questions or
if you wish to know more information regarding Siemens PLM Software’s latest version
of Teamcenter Express.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Update
Six
days after my last post??? Not good! I
vowed to be more active with my blogging. And here I am again-- another late
post. To say that I’ve been busy is not a valid excuse, especially if I want to
revive this blog.
Anyhow, I want to share with you some after show news updates and videos of the recent CIMES 2012, which ended Saturday, June 16, 2012. Please note that most of the videos are in Chinese but our editor in China has managed to put some brief translations for you.
For those of you who are into laser cutting technology, here is an article titled “QuickGuide to Laser Technology,” that might be of interest to you. Here’s a brief synopsis of the article. You can find the article in our website. I will be happy to provide you the link.
QuickGuide to Laser Technology
“A laser manufacturer has to master the
entire technological spectrum to be able to provide his customers with the
right and thus the most economical laser for every application. The demands
placed on production facilities are as diverse as the areas of application in
industrial materials processing. The processing result not only depends on the
type of laser used, but also on the systems technology, as well as influences
arising from the process itself. This means that a large number of different
factors need to be taken into account when choosing the right laser. With the
capacity to cut stainless steel, aluminium and carbon steel, lasers are
extremely useful in structural applications where the volume and precision of
the metal required for production is critical.” Read Full Story.
Everyone’s preparing for IMTS 2012. I will write more information about the show on my next post. So be sure to watch for it.
Anyhow, I want to share with you some after show news updates and videos of the recent CIMES 2012, which ended Saturday, June 16, 2012. Please note that most of the videos are in Chinese but our editor in China has managed to put some brief translations for you.
For those of you who are into laser cutting technology, here is an article titled “QuickGuide to Laser Technology,” that might be of interest to you. Here’s a brief synopsis of the article. You can find the article in our website. I will be happy to provide you the link.
Everyone’s preparing for IMTS 2012. I will write more information about the show on my next post. So be sure to watch for it.
Friday, June 15, 2012
Day 2: CIMES 2012 Videos
Forgive me if I'm slow to post the videos. My colleagues in China are all working very hard to provide you all the materials from the show--not to forget translating everything to English. Here's todays' line-up.
Do check our website for more videos and news updates.
Do check our website for more videos and news updates.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Day 1: CIMES 2012 Videos
List of videos from our team stationed
at CIMES in Beijing's New China International Exhibition Center. Some are on-site
interviews and product demos.
EMAG at CIMES 2012 - Christoph Hoene (Director Asia-Pacific)
Haimer (Shanghai) Trading Co. Ltd on-site interview (Chinese)
Rittal Gmbh & Co. Ltd on-site interview (Chinese)
I'd be happy to hear you , please drop a line if you’ve got anything to share in this year’s CIMES 2012.
I'd be happy to hear you , please drop a line if you’ve got anything to share in this year’s CIMES 2012.
Friday, June 8, 2012
International Metalworking News - Middle East & Africa
The latest issue of International Metalworking News - Middle East & Africa features a guide to laser cutting technology to help choose the right and the most economical laser for every application. However, different factors must be considered when choosing the right laser. The processing result not only depends on the type of laser used, but also on the systems technology including influences arising from the process itself. Aside from the capacity to cut stainless steel, aluminium and carbon steel, laser cutting equipment are extremely useful in structural applications where the volume and precision of the metal required for production is critical.
Link to E-zine
Link to E-zine
CIMES: China’s longest standing machine tool exhibition
CIMES is said to be China's largest machine tool show in 2012. It
has established itself in the global market as an international networking platform. I know that my words
are not enough – so today I’m sharing a link to our website related to CIMES2012. Here, you will find news, exhibitor previews, facts & figures including
technical seminars, contents and agendas.
Be sure to visit our website for more updates.
Be sure to visit our website for more updates.
Friday, April 27, 2012
I would like to share with you highlights from this year's SolidWorks World. Sorry for the very late post. Better late than never; however never late is even better.
Two big names made appearances during the first day. First is Tony Fadell, known as the “Father of the iPod.” He made his mark via his former positions as Apple’s senior vice president of the iPod division and adviser to Steve Jobs.
One of their latest devices is a Robotic Arm that weighs only 300 pounds, but can lift over 2000 pounds. It is built using Hydraulic motors and made from mostly 6000 and 7000 series aluminum. Mike and Geoff hope this arm can be used to lift heavy items in rescue situations or other situations where it isn’t safe (or practical) to send in people or other larger equipment.
Next
year's SolidWorks World will be in Orlando, Florida from January 20 – 23, 2013.
The
SolidWorks World 2012 event in San Diego, California kicked off in a big way. International
Metalworking News for Asia wraps up some of the highlights of
SolidWorks 2012, keynote presentation from the father of the iPod Tony Fadell, and
a glimpse of what you can expect from SolidWorks 2013.
Dassault
Systèmes SolidWorks Corp. (DS SolidWorks) CEO
Bertrand Sicot opened the first general session of the week. According to
Sicot, there were 5,650 people from 33 countries who attended. And there are
now 1.7 million users in the SolidWorks community. He said that if they were to
create a city of all the SolidWorks users, it would be the fourth largest city
in America.
Two big names made appearances during the first day. First is Tony Fadell, known as the “Father of the iPod.” He made his mark via his former positions as Apple’s senior vice president of the iPod division and adviser to Steve Jobs.
Today, Fadell is changing the game again as founder and
CEO of Nest, a hot startup that introduced the
world’s first learning thermostat. The Nest Learning Thermostat™ learns about
you and your home to automatically turns itself down when you're away, guides
you to energy-efficient temperatures when you’re home, and frees you from
programming hassles by creating a customized temperature schedule. Nest has
been dubbed the “iPhone of thermostats” by Wired, and the New York Times
describes it as “gorgeous, elegant and very smart.” Fadell said that to create
a game-changing product, function and design must go hand in hand.
While everyone knew ahead of time that Tony Fadell was
going to appear, everyone was surprised by the appearance of Mike Rowe, from
Dirty Jobs, the second big name. Mike discussed the origins of Dirty Jobs and
also talked about his website, www.mikeroweworks.com, which is a site that
helps people with special trade skills find jobs.
The second general session kicked off with Fielder
Hiss showing off some video clips of the CSWP event from the Midway aircraft
carrier. Mike and Geoff Howe from Howe and Howe Technologies were the keynote
speakers during that day. Howe and Howe Technologies have used SolidWorks for
several years, and are heavy users of Simulation and PhotoView 360, as well.
Mike and Geoff got their big break when the U.S. Army contracted them to build
some autonomous Ripsaw vehicles. They have developed many other vehicles and
devices of various types since then.
One of their latest devices is a Robotic Arm that weighs only 300 pounds, but can lift over 2000 pounds. It is built using Hydraulic motors and made from mostly 6000 and 7000 series aluminum. Mike and Geoff hope this arm can be used to lift heavy items in rescue situations or other situations where it isn’t safe (or practical) to send in people or other larger equipment.
Next
speaker was Ben
Kaufmann from Quirky.com, a
collaborative site for inventors to share their product ideas. Every week after
receiving an average of 200-300 product ideas, they pick two to develop. With
30-40 mechanical, industrial design, and electrical engineers on staff, Quirky
does much of the footwork in developing the products. During the development
process, all online collaborators are involved. They are allowed to see the
design as it progresses and provide feedback. If their ideas are used in the
product, collaborators can end up receiving royalties. The inventor who
submitted the idea can end up receiving up to 30% of the final profits.
One of the things attendees of SolidWorks World always
look forward to is the day where attendees get a peek of the next version. The
last general session at SolidWorks World 2012 showed some new features coming
in SolidWorks 2013. SolidWorks
team came up with a sort of "Back to the Future" theme, featuring
SolidWorks founder Jon Hirschtick. Some of the enhancements that got the most
enthusiastic response were previous release interoperability, variable pattern
instances and the ability to insert multiple parts.
Partner pavilion
In
every trade fair, exhibitors are given the chance to display industry solutions
and the opportunity to build upon existing business relationships, establish
new ones and secure their position as leaders on the forefront of CAM machining
innovations. Exhibitors exuded confidence in the manufacturing
sector’s growing strength. An upbeat movement was echoed by virtually every
MCAD/CAM vendor. The conference was a showcase for innovation that drew excited
attendees who physically vied for a close-up view of newly-released software
and hardware to experience these game-changing technological advances.Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Kung Hei Fat Choi, Everyone!
Chinese New Year 2012 is the year of the Dragon. It is considered to be an exciting time. In a Dragon year, events can be magnified and everything feels intense. This is a time when we can be daring and bold to take risks. It could also be an excellent time to embark on a new business venture. As long as you use the power and energy of this year to power your ambition, there is very little you cannot achieve!
Wishing you a great year of the Dragon!
All the Best,
Message from JK Lasers
Wishing you a great year of the Dragon!
Ringier Metals
**
Message from JK Lasers
In celebration of the Chinese New Year, industrial laser manufacturer JK Lasers has cut a greetings message using a 400W fiber laser.
Demonstrating the precision cutting capability of the JK400FL, the intricate design depicts a dragon with the message ‘May You Enjoy Good Fortune’ in Chinese.The image was cut at 2 meters per minute on 0.3mm stainless steel using a Nitrogen assist gas to cool the metal and remove dross. Depending on the shape to be cut, the JK400FL can cut up to 10 meters per minute. To see the Chinese New Year message being cut, visit.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Plasma Cutting Technology
Plasma cutting is believed to improve productivity and lower cutting costs. It cuts faster, and do not require a pre-heat cycle. Plama cutting also cuts any metal that conducted electricity. However, many are still unaware of its benefits and how it is really works.
Feel free to send me your comments regarding this video.
Hypertherm presents a 30 minute Plasma Cutting Course, which demonstrates how plasma is used for cutting, its uses, parts including consumables, and various cut types.
Feel free to send me your comments regarding this video.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Smarter decisions, better products
 |
| Rajiv Ghatikar, Vice Presiden, General Manager, Asean and Australasia, Siemens PLM Software |
In an interview conducted by International Metalworking News for Asia, Rajiv Ghatikar, Vice President and General Manager, Asean and Australasia, Siemens PLM Software, explains the numerous enhancements of Tecnomatix 10 to power manufacturing productivity and how it can help manufacturers in Asia.
According to Ghatikar, today’s increasingly competitive global manufacturing industry, combined with the current international economic environment, has companies looking for new and innovative ways to boost productivity, cut costs and increase quality, especially this region where the manufacturing sector is so competitive.
“We believe that this latest version of Tecnomatix, which is a digital manufacturing solution available from Siemens, has tremendous potential to positively affect the productivity and efficiency of the manufacturing industry, and as the leader in this field, we are proud to deliver the kind of solutions that will continue to create value for our customers, while helping the manufacturing industry thrive and grow,” he said.
Software features
“Machining and metalworking manufacturers focus on component production using NC processes. A robust and capable CAM system is required for these manufacturers. More importantly, it is critical that the manufacturing work packages are created and managed so that the correct information is available at every stage of the process. While NX CAM is well known as a premium CAM system, Tecnomatix 10 includes several components that directly support the creation, management, distribution, and effectiveness of these work packages on the shop floor,” Ghatikar added.He said that starting with Tool Data Information systems, NC programmers make use of approved, inventoried tool data as they develop programs. Fixture and Machine libraries are managed and maintained with Resource Manager. Complete packages of component manufacturing processes are built with Part Planning components. And all of this critical information is delivered to the shop floor using direct Teamcenter access and DNC data delivery.
When asked about some of the recent and larger challenges Asian manufacturers faced, and what can be done to overcome these issues with Tecnomatix 10 in mind, Ghatikar outlined numerous difficulties faced by Asian manufacturers. “We would say worldwide competition, shorter product cycles, newer methodologies, and manufacturing complexity are critical and crucial.”
Worldwide Competition — Intensive global and local competition increasingly forces manufacturers to produce quality products in the shortest possible time at minimum cost. The pressure to reduce lead times is particularly obvious. Every country continues to upgrade the skills of their citizens. Therefore, competition is more intense at all levels.
Shorter Product Cycles — The primary force of driving manufacturing is a reduced product development cycle. While continual changes in design are implemented, more frequent and additional NC programming is required to manufacture products, along with the dies, moulds and tools that are often desired.
Newer Methodologies — Newer manufacturing methodologies are becoming popular. Digital manufacturing, collaboration, concurrent engineering, lean production, supply chain management, and design for manufacturing have moved manufacturing operations into the mainstream.
Manufacturing Complexity — The tools and processes used in manufacturing are also becoming more complex, to gain higher production efficiency. The rapid pace of technology change continues. High-speed machining has gained acceptance to improve both product quality and productivity. Multi-functional machine tools such as machining centres, turning centres, mill turn machines, and multi-axis lathes are commonplace. More NC programming is driven by the continued change in technology and increased complexity in manufacturing tools and processes.
In general, Ghatikar said the latest release of Tecnomatix powers manufacturing productivity by enabling smarter decisions for manufacturing throughout the plan, define, build and support lifestyle. From a new, more intuitive user interface presenting information in-context, to a more integrated product/production environment that helps to eliminate errors before they are discovered on the shop floor, Tecnomatix 10 brings to market the latest in digital manufacturing solutions, which work together to power productivity for the manufacturing sector in this ever-changing world.
“Because of various recent calamities in Asia, particularly the natural disasters experienced in the Southeast Asian region, what manufacturers need now is to increase productivity to boost manufacturing to make up for lost time. With the various new functionalities and capabilities of Tecnomatix 10, Asian manufacturers will now be able to achieve increased productivity and overcome all abovementioned challenges in a shorter period of time,” he added.
Enhanced solution
The latest release of Tecnomatix includes a host of enhancements across the manufacturing spectrum. In the part manufacturing space, the most noticeable advancement is the introduction of the Shop Floor Connect for Teamcenter component.Shop Floor Connect for Teamcenter is an application add-on for Teamcenter software that delivers CNC program files directly into the machine controller. More than just a traditional DNC system, the connection to the centralised Teamcenter database avoids data duplication and manages revisions to ensure the correct manufacturing data is used on the shop floor. It also enables production staff to access current and released CNC programs, drawings, 3D models and other data sources through a web-based user interface that runs on any browser-enabled device or controller.
Tecnomatix components are woven tightly into the larger Part Manufacturing Solution, an integrated approach to moving from part to production, all under the part and process management control from Teamcenter. This integration of resources, data, and supporting information, provide the process and data management to keep the shop floor connected directly to the engineering data.
Siemens PLM is committed to the Asian marketplace with a network of direct and channel sales, multiple offices, and support personnel. “We understand trends and customer needs in various Asian countries and industrial segments. Siemens PLM and our partners can provide professional services and consultancy to help customers achieve business visions and goals, by providing competitive solutions to solve their problems in product design, manufacturing process planning and validation, and production execution,” said Ghatikar.
One major trend that Ghatikar see in terms of technology is the consolidation of disparate databases and management structures, allowing more direct data sharing and reduced confusion across the enterprise. “Our Shop Floor Connect for Teamcenter product addresses this trend directly, making sure that the production environment is connected directly to the PLM environment. Manufacturing work packages, released to production can be browsed, viewed, and selected for use on the shop floor. Duplicate databases are eliminated and optimised work packages are properly stored as revision updates for future use,” he stated.
Ghatikar added, “In Asia specifically, businesses, especially those in the manufacturing sector, need to be agile and flexible to meet the demands of their customers while staying competitive at the same. With the current economic situation in Europe, the focus for manufacturing will be on Asia and there is a great deal of potential for growth, not just among bigger players, but also among SME/SMBs. With the availability of PLM solutions now, smaller manufacturing companies now have a competitive edge, evening out the playing field and creating more growth potential for the industry as a whole.”
In 2012, Siemens PLM targets to introduce advanced and intelligent end-to-end solutions to the Asian market to enable customer enterprises working in a more collaborative and flexible environment, from product concepts through actual production. “Our business vision is smarter decisions, better products,” he finally said.
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