Sheet Metal Stamping Simulation

Toolmakers all over the globe compete for tooling projects, whether it be tooling for a local Tier 1 supplier or an international customer. Die Engineering Pty Ltd (Brisbane, Australia, http://www.dieengineering.com.au) is no exception and relies on sheet metal forming simulation services from http://www.stampingsimulation.com to tool up complex drawn sheet metal parts in record quick time and on budget.

100 new manufacturing jobs appear to be headed to Dowagiac, with the job creation slated to start by the end of this year.

The project cleared a huge hurdle on Tuesday with the approval of state tax credits for Premier Tool and Die.

The much-awaited Volkswagen Vento finally entered India and the pricing seems to be quite reasonable for a car packed with so many features. Volkswagen claims that the Vento has been strapped with the best-in-class features and German engineering and believes that it will set a benchmark in its segment. The car has been built exclusively for India and auto maker is confident the new car will add strength to its inventory. Here’s a note on the car; its features and pricing.

Fischer Tool & Die Corp. will add 34,000 square feet to its factory in the Bedford Industrial Park, and add as many as nine workers under a $5 million expansion, company officials said.

An expansion project at York-based Tooling Dynamics was approved this week by York City Council.The $980,000 addition to the micro-precision metal stamping operation on Vogelsong Road will allow the company to add 30 to 40 new jobs for machinists and high-skilled maintenance workers, said Bob Updike, president and owner.

Toyota Motor Corp., the world’s largest automaker, added 1,000 workers to build Tacoma pickups at its San Antonio truck plant and is using the factory’s full capacity for the first time after a rocky start.

The company yesterday marked the start of compact Tacoma production in the plant built to make only larger Tundra pickups when it opened in late 2006. Lower demand for Tundras than Toyota expected and the closing of its former California joint- venture plant this year led it to move Tacoma output to Texas at a cost of $100 million.

President Obama visits GM and Chrysler auto plants in Detroit on Friday to call attention to the successes — so far — of the bailed-out companies.

And while he's likely to acknowledge that the decision to bail out the companies was widely unpopular outside the industrial Midwest, he's expected to make the case that government investment led to a stronger national economy overall.

In a recent analysis of the health of the Canadian auto manufacturing industry a year after the government bailout of General Motors and Chrysler, Dennis DesRosiers, Canada’s leading automotive industry analyst, made a number of insightful observations.He noted that GM and Chrysler appear to be making progress in their efforts to emerge from bankruptcy protection. Ford Motors is gaining market share and the three domestic manufacturers collectively appear to be competing more effectively against some imported brands.

Economic news has been up and down for some time now. Mostly it's been down, but we occasionally see sparks that give us hope. One of those sparks is news that General Motors is turning a healthy profit this quarter. Chrysler and Ford are doing better, too. This is a wonderful story that we hope keeps going and going.

According to a New York Times story, Ford made more money in the first six months of this year than it has in the last five years combined. Chrysler is hiring new workers and G.M. is profitable and getting ready for a huge public stock offering.

Cimatron Limited (Nasdaq: CIMT), a leading provider of integrated CAD/CAM solutions for mold, tool and die makers as well as manufacturers of discrete parts, announced it will sponsor a live webinar hosted by MetalForming Magazine on July 22, for die makers looking to increase efficiency, cut costs and be more competitive. Registration is at http://www.cimatrontech.com.Rezmin Tool and Die recently achieved a 25-30% more efficient process, a 30% reduction in costs, as well as improved quoting and better quality products, after implementing organizational changes to its operations. In a live webinar, Rezmin's Co-Owner, Zelko Rezler, will explain how this was done, providing real-life, practical advice for die makers.

The National Tooling and Machining Association (NTMA) and the Precision Metalforming Association (PMA) today called on the U.S. Senate to act immediately on the need to pass the Small Business Lending Fund Act, a bill that would help small and medium sized manufacturers access credit needed to help finance their day-to-day operations, invest in expansion of domestic operations and ensure that a disruption in the critical supply chain does not occur.

Kathleen Matthews, tooling manager with Pano Cap Canada Ltd., Kitchener, ON, attended her first Joint Open House earlier this year May 5 and 6, and she’s glad she did.

Not only did she find the machines she was looking for, she was the winner of a draw for a 42 in. Samsung flat screen tv. Matthews qualified for the draw because she attended all five open house locations—DMG Canada, Mississauga; Elliott Matsuura Canada, Oakville, ON; EMEC Machine Tools, Ferro Technique and SST-Canada, all based in Mississauga, ON. 

Some tool and die manufacturers are asking the city to give them tax breaks as they seek to retool their operations.At least one company, and possibly as many as three, could file requests over the next couple of months to be included in tool and die renaissance recovery zones, as city officials consider a policy dealing with them.

Taiwan exported US$1.029 billion of machine tools in the first five months, up 45% year-on-year from US$710 million, according to customs-cleared statistics compiled by the Taiwan Machine Tool Foundation (TMTF). 

B&H Tool of Richmond has received a $2.3 million low-interest loan from the federal government that will keep the metal stamping business in operation and its more than 80 local workers employed.

The firm, which stamps metal parts for the automotive industry, also employs more than 30 in Rockcastle County. Its weekly payroll in Madison County is $50,000, with the Rockcastle payroll totaling $20,000 a week, said its president, Sammy Hammons.