Contact us today:
(847) 934-4500
tdaro@bernardandcompany.com
Contact us today:
(847) 934-4500
tdaro@bernardandcompany.com
New rotary head offers a simplified design, while the cam lock will now be available on additional heads besides the Bullet
Guill Tool, the global leader in extrusion tooling, is set to unveil new, simplified designs for its cam lock feature and rotary die at NPE 2024: The Plastics Show. The show will take place May 6-10, 2024 in Orlando, Florida.
The cam lock is the same as supplied on the Bullet and will be supplied on additional heads, where applicable. It allows quick and easy assembly and disassembly of the crosshead and eliminates the socket head caps screws. By removing and replacing the internals, a different profile can be extruded in minutes rather than hours. Since the cam lock resets the internals in the right configuration every time, there’s far less chance of error, compared to the assembly and misalignment issues with socket set screws. The cam lock offers several features such as: it takes only ½ turn to remove and install the deflector tip and no fastening hardware is required. Additional features include fast tool changes (threaded retaining ring for the die and threaded tip retainer), dies remove from the front and tips from the back, tooling retainers for gum space adjustment, vacuum connections, simplified cleaning and reduced downtime and operating costs.
Guill’s new rotary head is a simplified design compared to its previous models. By rotating the tooling in relation to the material flow, a rotary head increases the wall strength of an extrusion, thereby allowing a thinner wall with less material. Features include only rotating the die, randomizing any gauge bands or thickness variations and in some cases, improving material properties of the end product. Various sizes of tubing can easily be accommodated with the unique Guill cam-lock design that radically reduces set-up and changeover times.
Extruders can realize a cost savings due to the elimination of secondary processes, cosmetic enhancement of the end product with the elimination of weld or parting lines, plus reduction or complete elimination of ovality. Typical applications for rotary heads include medical and multi-lumen tubing plus various high-end extrusions with interlocking layers or multiple striping requirements.
Stop by booth W7051 to see these new products and more!
For more information, please contact:
Tom Baldock, Sales Manager, Extrusion
Guill Tool & Engineering10 Pike Street
West Warwick, RI 02893
USA
Phone: 401-465-5526
tbaldock@guill.com
The Manufacturing Leadership Council (MLC) is the digital transformation division of the National Association of Manufacturers and, as part of its mission, annually seeks world-class manufacturing companies and key individuals who contribute to the technology. 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of this premier awards program.
On June 5, 2024, various companies and individuals who have made significant contributions to the digital manufacturing transformation in America will be recognized and winners named throughout 9 categories. Among the finalists for the prestigious Engineering and Production Technology award is the ANCA Integrated Manufacturing System (AIMS), a recently developed, fully automated grinding, gauging and materials handling system with workflow monitoring, full tracking and data management capability. It allows shops and production departments to achieve a lights-out manufacturing ecosystem in coordination with company control protocols. ANCA is an acknowledged global leader in this technology.
The ANCA Integrated Manufacturing System (AIMS) offers an open ecosystem that aims to connect, automate and create all steps in the production of cutting tools for a broad spectrum of industrial applications, including automotive, medical, aerospace, electronics and woodworking.
Manufacturing processes controlled by AIMS achieve higher machine utilization while maintaining consistently high tool quality. Thanks to sophisticated tool measurement and compensation strategies, scrap is reduced and costs per tool are significantly lowered. Comprehensive reporting and intelligent insights supported by machine learning provide complete visibility into all aspects of operations.
AIMS is designed as an open system and allows the integration of third-party machines and workstations, plus AGV’s for material transport.
AIMS Connect
Connects all operations that are carried out to manufacture cutting tools. The central AIMS server controls compliance with the processes that a tool passes through during its manufacture. It checks whether the various process steps are being carried out and takes action if the process is not being executed to preset standards. An information system guides employees to carry out manual process steps.
AIMS Automate
Automation of connected operations through the use of robots such as AMR for transfer or cobots for palletizing tools. A self-optimizing job scheduler ensures an ideal supply of pallets to the machines or provides individual tools for measurement.
AIMS Create
Create individual and customized workflow for the tool, based on linked operations. Workflows and processes can be described and stored with ISA-95 compliant recipes. Job orders are transferred to production via the link to recipes and the creation of work requests. Work cells, work units and assets are managed just as easily as grinding programs and grinding wheels. AIMS Create provides the cockpit for creating processes. Thanks to the state-of-the-art web application, this can be done on almost all smart devices and computers.
ANCA president for North America, Russell Riddiford, comments, “ANCA is very proud to be in the running for this award from the MLC. We support the digital transformation effort in both our machine building and motion control operations, as we seek to provide our customers the machines and software needed to move their companies in this exciting new direction, within industries of all kinds.”
The 2024 MLC Awards feature nine categories to recognize company achievements in AI and Machine Learning; Collaborative Ecosystems; Digital Network Connectivity; Digital Supply Chains; Engineering and Production Technology (the category in which AIMS is a finalist); Enterprise Integration and Technology; Operational Excellence; Sustainability and Circular Economy; plus Transformational Business Cultures. Additionally, individuals are entered into the Transformation Leadership and Next-Generation Leadership categories. The finalists represent a cross-section of industries, comprising global multi-nationals and start-up companies. The awards are judged by distinguished individuals from across many industrial sectors.
ANCA is based in Melbourne, Australia with its North American headquarters in Detroit, Michigan, where it operates a full tech center, including machines and training for its customers.
For further information, please contact:
Amanda Bakun
Marketing & Communications Manager – Americas
248-497-1168
amanda.bakun@anca.com
ANCA is a market leading manufacturer of CNC grinding machines. It was founded in 1974 in Melbourne, Australia where the company still has its global headquarters. ANCA has offices in the UK, Germany, China, Thailand, India, Japan, Brazil, Korea and the USA as well as a comprehensive network of representatives and agents worldwide.
ANCA CNC grinders are used for manufacturing precision cutting tools and components across a diverse range of competitive industries including cutting tool manufacture, automotive, aerospace, electronics and medical.
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The company will offer sales support throughout Europe, while Padraic Lunn continues to represent Guill in the UK
Guill Tool, the global leader in extrusion tooling, recently announced EuroDev as their new European sales representative company. They will offer the full line of Guill products across Europe, excluding the UK.
Since its establishment in 1996, EuroDev has been the preferred business development partner of more than 500 North American firms. Their team consists of over 75 highly skilled multilingual professionals whose aim is to help North American companies map out expansion strategies in an increasingly complex marketplace. The company’s sales outsourcing includes market research, entry strategy, lead generation and sales.
Padraic Lunn has worked since 1990 in the medical device extrusion industry in Ireland. With more than 16 years in precision extrusion, Padraic Lunn Enterprises Ltd offers a full range of extrusion machinery and consultancy for all extrusion processes with a strong emphasis on tubing, wire, pipe and profile applications. The firm represents extrusion equipment companies in the UK, Ireland and other parts of Europe. Furthermore, Padraic provides customized extrusion training programs which are based on a customer’s specific process requirements.
In other news at Guill, Rob Peters has been promoted to General Manager. Rob is a graduate of Cornell University, obtaining his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and Master of Engineering in Aerospace Engineering. He has worked for a 8 years at Guill, starting off as an R&D Manager, transitioning to Business Intelligence/R&D Manager, then Director of Technology. Rob is now responsible for various operations at Guill and reports directly to company ownership.
For more information, please contact:
Tom Baldock, Sales Manager, Extrusion
Guill Tool & Engineering
10 Pike Street
West Warwick, RI 02893
USA
Phone: 401-465-5526
tbaldock@guill.com
E-Z LOK, a leading manufacturer and master distributor of threaded inserts for metal, plastic and wood is now offering E-Z™ Knife brass and stainless steel threaded inserts for wood.
Suited for use in hardwoods like oak, cherry and maple, these inserts are ideal wherever assembly or disassembly could cause thread erosion or stripping. E-Z Knife™ threaded inserts use a proprietary external “knife” thread to slice into the wood and provide superior holding power. They are most often machined out of brass when internal thread sizes range from #4 to ⅜ or M3 to M8. Notable features include superior hardwood holding power with sizes available in inch (coarse/fine) and metric. The inserts easily install with a bolt/jam nut or optional drive tool.
Brass inserts are ideal for furniture, cabinetry and partitions, while stainless steel is used in marine applications. Several industries including shipping containers, outdoor furniture and storm shutters use either.
E-Z™ Knife threaded inserts and thread repair kits provide an easy solution for adding machine threads to hard woods. They can also be used for softwood, but they are not recommended for plywood. A proprietary external thread for superior holding power is used by these inserts.
FREE SAMPLE ON REQUEST
CAD files on this product can be downloaded in over 100 file formats from the E-Z LOK website at https://www.ezlok.com/cad-downloads
For more information, please contact:
Kyle Lindsly-Roach, Director of Sales & Marketing
E-Z LOK
240 E. Rosecrans Ave
Gardena, CA 90248
USA
Phone: 310-323-5613 x221
klindsly@ezlok.com
www.ezlok.com
E-Z LOK is a leading manufacturer and master distributor of threaded inserts for metal, plastic and wood. Inserts for metal include solid wall and helical wire-thread inserts, while inserts for plastic feature press-in and ultrasonic/heat stake designs. Those for wood are die cast zinc alloy hex drives for soft wood and brass knife threads for hardwood. A variety of kits for the above inserts are available and feature installation tools, drill bits, etc.
E-Z LOK is a third-generation family owned and operated company. Founded in 1956, it primarily sells through local, regional, and national industrial distributors.
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ANCA, a leading innovator in precision grinding solutions, is thrilled to announce the grand opening of its new state-of-the-art Technology Center in Korea. ANCA has offered local sales and service to customers across diverse industries for more than 30 years in the Korean market and opening the new facility is a significant milestone for the company as it expands its presence in the Asian market.
Jake Farragher, General Manager of ANCA Asia, says, “ANCA’s newest technology center is a commitment to our customers in Korea. This investment in our global infrastructure enables our team to deliver premium sales and service support to this important and growing market. We understand the importance of offering customers local support and at our new facility we can showcase the capability of our flexible grinding machines, world-leading software, and market-first automation solutions.”
“Thanks to our long-standing partnership with SH International in Korea, we have a legacy of innovation with our customers in the market, and our local team at our new ANCA office is poised to facilitate our customers’ success into the future.”
“We are excited for our new center to serve as a hub for grinding excellence, innovation and collaboration, confirming our position as a global leader in the tool and cutter grinding industry and medical tools industry.”
For 50 years ANCA has committed to providing cutting-edge grinding solutions worldwide, and ANCA Korea, located near Seoul, is equipped with the latest technologies, such as ANCA’s ULTRA technology with nanometer resolution control.
The demonstration facility provides the ULTRA experience with ANCA’s MX and FX ULTRA machines, as well as automation solutions with ANCA’s Integrated Manufacturing System (AIMS). The facility additionally includes support and training services.
The grand opening event was attended by key stakeholders and customers, industry partners, and local dignitaries.
Celebrating 50 Years and Innovating the Future with ULTRA Technology
Pat Boland, ANCA Co-founder said: “50 years ago, Pat McCluskey and I did not anticipate ANCA to be what it is today. We embarked on a business journey that felt in hindsight like stepping onto a treadmill, with our customers driving the speed. Yet we have not only kept pace with the market, we’ve surged ahead, introducing cutting-edge innovations. I am proud of the technology we are still releasing, such as the ULTRA and GCX packages and the many innovations that underpin these product releases.”
Edmund Boland, General Manager of ANCA CNC Machines and son of Pat Boland, highlighted ANCA’s agility as a privately owned company, enabling swift decisions to support ANCA’s people and customers.
“ANCA has always endeavored to stay ahead of the curve, anticipating market trends, and delivering cutting-edge solutions that enable our customers to thrive,” Edmund said. “With 50 years of innovation behind us, our product and technology portfolios are perfectly positioned to meet the challenges of the future.”
ANCA’s 50th anniversary marks a half century of the company’s relentless pursuit of excellence and commitment to pushing the boundaries of precision grinding technology. The ULTRA machine range, with its nanometer technology, allows customers to produce the best tools in the market through superior accuracy, quality and surface finish.
The ANCA Integrated Manufacturing System (AIMS) is a groundbreaking advancement in grinding technology. AIMS connects, automates and creates all processes required to manufacture a cutting tool, ensuring maximum accuracy and consistency while minimizing downtime – enabling end-to-end digitally connected and automated production systems for cutting tools.
For media inquiries or more information, please contact:
Sepideh Zandieh
Acting Group Communications Manager
sepideh.zandieh@anca.com
Phone: 0439 316 131
About ANCA:
ANCA is a market leading manufacturer of CNC grinding machines. It was founded in 1974 in Melbourne, Australia where the company still has its global headquarters. ANCA has offices in the UK, Germany, China, Thailand, India, Japan, Brazil, Korea and the USA as well as a comprehensive network of representatives and agents worldwide.
ANCA CNC grinders are used for manufacturing precision cutting tools and components across a diverse range of competitive industries including cutting tool manufacture, automotive, aerospace, electronics and medical.
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Truly optimizing medical machining often requires specialized cutters, and there’s no better model for designing and grinding them than ARCH Cutting Tools, headquartered in Warren, Michigan, USA.
Take the task of machining a polyethylene tibial insert. As ARCH Cutting Tools’s northeastern regional director of operations, Jim Gray, spelled out, this has almost always been done with a single, flat blade mounted in a holder so as to maximize the shear angle. But, said Gray, this design often produces lines on the surface, or an “orange peel” effect, due to burning, as it doesn’t cut the polyethylene as cleanly as desired. A straight flute design also impacts the part with a lot of force on each rotation.
Gray’s team instead used their knowledge and ANCA’s programming software to create a unique 1½” (38.1 mm) diameter 3-flute carbide helical cutter with high shear and multiple radii along the profile. They grind it on an ANCA MX7 machine, using a dozen wheels to create a mirror finish and a cutting edge “sharper than a razor blade,” as Gray described it. “You need a very sharp edge to cut the plastic perfectly cleanly. Even a diamond grain that goes through cutting edge, leaving a tiny chip, will show up in the insert. We inspect these tools under a microscope to confirm the edge is crisp and clean.” Gray added that their helical design also distributes the cutting forces, in contrast to a straight flute. In sum, the ARCH Cutting Tools solution delivers an outstanding part finish, higher throughput, and longer tool life.
Replicating perfection
Gray also pointed out that in addition to the tool design assistance derived from ANCA’s programming software, which includes full 3D simulation, the ToolDraft feature enables detailed documentation for process control. “Instead of relying on 2D drawings on the shop floor,” Gray expounded, “ToolDraft gives us the ability lay out every aspect of the tool and the required grinding wheels. One page covers the gullet shape, with the roughing wheel, the finishing wheels, and any information related to fluting. The next page covers profiling, again with all the wheel shapes and data, and the required clearance angles, land width, and other tool geometries. And so forth for the end face. We also add notes to each drawing to provide detail on what’s pertinent to this tool…what really makes it work.
“We love what ToolDraft does for us. Because if all you put out on the floor is a 2D drawing with an outside diameter or shape of the tool, the operator can say ‘This tool is good. It’s to print,’ when in reality, the body’s thin and the rake is not right. There are so many things that go into why we designed a tool a certain way, that if we don’t get complete information to the operator, everyone can have a different opinion about what constitutes a correct copy. We’ve promised our customers that no matter what person and what machine grinds their tool, they’ll get the same tool every time. And the only way we can keep that promise is with the documentation we’ve created with ToolDraft.”
Gray added that although it’s possible to grind such tools with a ball screw driven machine, it’s much easier to produce them with ANCA’s newer linear motor technology. “Linear motors have definitely changed our world when it comes to finishes and transitioning for profile cutters,” he explained. “They make it easier to grind the profile, especially with a tool like a condyle cutter, because multiple radiuses go up and over the edge. If you’re grinding in just one direction, a ball screw machine is fine. But if you go up and over and you need to produce multiple radiuses in the front and multiple radiuses in the back, that little backlash or wear in the ball screws will force you to fight until you get it all settled and tweaked in. Whereas with a linear motor machine, it’s just true from the start.”
Not all ball nose end mills are equal
Moving on to hip stems, Gray said machining up and over these parts requires ball nose end mills in which the radius and its transition to the OD must be perfect. The end face gashing must also meet exactly at the center. “Any mismatch in the center of the ball nose will put a line in the hip stem, and that’s not acceptable.” Any error in the radius will create geometrical distortion in the part profile, he added. “We scan that whole radius to ensure it’s correct.”
Hip stems have generally been made of titanium and cobalt chromium, Gray explained. These materials are challenging enough, but Gray said the new 3D printed titanium alloys from leading medical suppliers are even more difficult to machine. They’re porous, to facilitate integration with the patient’s bone, which essentially guarantees an interrupted cut. The material is also highly abrasive. Thus, minimizing tool changes and increasing manufacturing speed to achieve an acceptable level of efficiency requires an engineered solution from the likes of ARCH Cutting Tools.
Fast turn-around for custom tools and regrinds
In another example of ARCH Cutting Tools coming to the rescue, a customer suddenly ran out of an imported, replaceable head, keyseat cutter during production. ARCH Cutting Tools delivered a custom engineered, solid carbide version, with coating, in under 48 hours. In another case, ARCH Cutting Tools created a multi-step counterbore that combined 6 different operations in one tool for machining titanium and superalloys. Both examples again point to the power of combining experienced grinding professionals with ANCA’s software and machines to produce high quality medical devices that improve a person’s life.
Regrinding is yet another such area. Not only does ARCH Cutting Tools reliably return used tools to new condition, Gray said there are numerous cases in which they’ve actually improved upon the original tool. “One of our bigger medical customers was buying a faceted drill from one of the world leaders in cutting tools,” recalled Gray. “The drill was being used on titanium, and we put a roll point on it and made some other changes to the geometry that made the reground drill run better than the new tools.”
In this context, Gray praised ANCA’s integrated laser to automatically check for and correct errors in tool runout, and ANCA’s probing capability. In addition to probing coolant holes to ensure proper tool orientation for a regrind, Gray said ANCA makes it easy to probe the entire point profile to enable K-land grinding, a notoriously fiendish task. “You adjust how many points you want along that edge,” Gray expounded. “And if you’re manufacturing the tool, you can probe the profile once and store that data. From then on you don’t have to re-probe to produce a good K-land, until wheel wear becomes a factor.”
Wheel wear would cause the K-land to vary, Gray added, but he again pointed to the ease of re-probing the profile to make adjustments, plus the existence of wheel probes on their ANCA machines. “The wheel probe is absolutely awesome, because it takes human error out and it’s really accurate,” said Gray. The older method uses a measuring bar, and Gray recounted that operators all too often forgot which orientation they should use and destroyed an expensive wheel.
The science of productivity
As Gray put it, ARCH Cutting Tools has to be fast to be competitive, and that requires a process that’s “down to a science.” Things like matching different wheel specifications to the diverse tool materials they have to grind, proper coolant placement, and adaptable tool support. In the latter category, Gary praised ANCA’s P-axis traveling steadyrest and said that for some challenging applications they use an Arobotech, which grips the tool at 3 points and adjusts to changes in diameter as the P-axis moves below the grinding wheel, providing support. “These are all things that give us an edge to be able to do these instruments,” Gray concluded. “They virtually eliminate runout and allow us to run faster.”
But Gray reserves his highest praise for ANCA’s simulation software, calling it “the greatest tool…We used to go to the machine blind. We’d end up scrapping blanks to figure out these complex tools right at the machine. With ANCA’s software, you create complex tools before going to the machine and you’re close to perfect when you run your first part.”
From creative tool design, to efficient machine setup and operation, to tight quality control, ARCH Cutting Tools consistently exemplifies what it takes to meet the challenges of machining medical components.
Images
Condyle Cutter.jpg
ARCH Cutting Tools produces a unique 3-flute carbide helical cutter that delivers unequaled part finish, higher throughput, and longer tool life in machining a polyethylene tibial insert
Ball Nose End Mills.jpg
These ball nose end mills (for machining hip stems) feature a perfect transition from the ball radius to the OD, and an end face gash that meets exactly at the center
Key Cutter.jpg
ARCH Cutting Tools delivered this custom engineered, solid carbide keyseat cutter, with coating, in under 48 hours
Multi-Step Counterbore.jpg
ARCH Cutting Tools created this multi-step counterbore to combine 6 different operations in one tool for machining titanium and superalloys
Carbide Trepan Cutter.jpg
This complex trepan cutter was created to meet an urgent need for cutting non-ferrous material used in respiratory equipment. The tool features a very fine finish and leaves no marks on the part. Gray reported that “the customer was ecstatic”
For further information, please contact:
Amanda Bakun
Marketing & Communications Manager – Americas
248-497-1168
amanda.bakun@anca.com
ANCA is a market leading manufacturer of CNC grinding machines. It was founded in 1974 in Melbourne, Australia where the company still has its global headquarters. ANCA has offices in the UK, Germany, China, Thailand, India, Japan, Brazil, Korea and the USA as well as a comprehensive network of representatives and agents worldwide.
ANCA CNC grinders are used for manufacturing precision cutting tools and components across a diverse range of competitive industries including cutting tool manufacture, automotive, aerospace, electronics and medical.
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Cybersecurity
Edge Technology
Metaverse
AI (Artificial Intelligence)
WFH (we all know that one by now)
Such terms were not even in our lexicon a few years ago. One of our new clients deals EXCLUSIVELY with a few of the above concepts, so we needed to update the team on much of this terminology for that client, who’s niche is bringing those services to industry vs. the commercial/retail sector. And that’s the good part here.
It is precisely due to the fact industrial terminology is in our DNA at Bernard & Company that we’re so good for our clients. In the above case, we hit the ground running (a very OLD expression) for this new client, as a result of 49 years doing it.
This fact results from many others, including our unique Special PR service, wherein we gather and amass a matrix of editorial topic ties from among THOUSANDS of trade magazines, covering all the vertical markets and functions our clients need to address, each season. We then contribute content to maintain their top-of-mind awareness and stature as thought leaders on various business topics in various industries.
By doing this, we also remain on a very high awareness level of the topics relevant to each market…and ALL markets…which helps us better devise a strategy for business development and marcom tactics with our clients.
Budgets and objectives change, as does our methodology in developing them and maximizing their value in the overall biz plan of each client.
All these services, coupled with unmatched copywriting and graphic art abilities make our agency a truly full-service, industrial leader. No brag, just fact.
Call us with your challenges.
We’re here to help.
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E-Z Lok, a leading manufacturer and master distributor of threaded inserts for metal, plastic and wood offers E-Z Press™ inserts.
Press-in Inserts are designed for post-molding installation in either thermoset plastics or thermoplastics. A slotted design with diamond-knurled OD allows for “cold” installation with optimum torque/pull-out resistance. When the E-Z Press™ insert is installed, it compresses slightly along the slot. As the fastener is threaded into place, the insert expands and the diamond knurl is pressed into the wall of the hole, securing the insert in place.
Cold installation of threaded inserts reduces the costs of moldings and eliminates the need to “chase” threads after molding. Furthermore, they also help cut reject waste caused by misaligned and faulty inserts and assist in proper installation without a precise hole depth.
E-Z Press™ inserts are available in three styles: flush, flanged, and reverse slot. All three types press into place for fast, easy installation. Anything from a rubber mallet to an arbor press can be used for installation.
CAD files on this product can be downloaded in over 100 file formats from the E-Z Lok website at https://www.ezlok.com/cad-downloads
FREE SAMPLE ON REQUEST
For more information, please contact:
Kyle Lindsly-Roach, Director of Sales & Marketing
E-Z Lok
240 E. Rosecrans Ave
Gardena, CA 90248
USA
Phone: 310-323-5613 x221
klindsly@ezlok.com
www.ezlok.com
E-Z Lok is a leading manufacturer and master distributor of threaded inserts for metal, plastic and wood. Inserts for metal include solid wall and helical wire-thread inserts, while inserts for plastic feature press-in and ultrasonic/heat stake designs. Those for wood are die cast zinc alloy hex drives for soft wood and brass knife threads for hard wood. A variety of kits for the above inserts are available and feature installation tools, drill bits, etc.
E-Z Lok is a third- generation family owned and operated company. Founded in 1956, it primarily sells through local, regional, and national industrial distributors.
Continue reading“At the speed of light” is a saying we hear often. In today’s world, everything happens fast. That’s why social media is a great investment for businesses to reach customers quickly and easily.
Social media management is just one of the many services offered at Bernard & Company. We make sure that our clients’ message is shared with their target audience through regular posts regarding new products, industry trends and events.
A strong social media presence benefits the client in several ways. First, it enhances their visibility. Many people who access a company’s website immediately visit the social media pages to get a better sense of what the company does. Thus, regular and relevant content will attract visitors to your pages and lead to new followers and opportunities. Videos are a highly effective way to encourage interaction as well as giveaways. Secondly, if someone would like to contact the company with a question or comment they can do so on social media and receive a response shortly. Thirdly, we can post in real time from trade shows, obtaining significant coverage for our clients. Fourthly, Bernard & Company helps establish clients as thought leaders in their industries by promoting articles where corporate management offer their insights on specific topics.
Market research is another useful tool that should be used on a regular basis to differentiate yourself from rival companies and ensure current customers and prospects choose you as their top choice. Competitive research includes company news, products, advertising as well as industry trends.
Obtaining this information helps our clients know where their competitors fall short and what they can do to fill that void. For example, a rival company could take a long time to ship a product. If your company is known for fast service then you can promote this aspect on social media, your website and other advertising efforts. Research also uncovers competitors’ key selling points, whether these are quality product design, good pricing, beneficial customer service, quick delivery or advanced technology. Being able to see what rival companies promote gives you a major edge. From there, you can start brainstorming about what your brand already offers and how you can make it better.
Both social media and market research can help improve your business and ensure your success in today’s fast-paced business environment.
Thank you!
Ioana Benea is a Marketing Information Specialist at Bernard & Company, an industrial advertising/marketing agency. Her responsibilities include translating technical press releases (English-Spanish) for magazines in Latin America, interviewing clients for stories, writing product releases, ads and success stories, conducting client research on the market/ competitors and managing and posting to clients’ social media pages.
She has worked at Bernard & Company for 9 years and is based Palatine, Illinois (Chicago). Ioana is a graduate of Benedictine University, holding a Bachelor of Arts in Global Studies and Spanish. She received her Masters in Integrated Marketing Communications from Roosevelt University.
Continue readingHow Lena Risse went from apprentice to ANCA Female Machinist of the Year
Like many people, Lena Risse didn’t know what career to pursue when she entered young adulthood in 2017. Now she’s won ANCA’s inaugural Female Machinist of the Year contest.
Lena studied media technology at a university for a time, and began a related apprenticeship in supporting trade fairs and concerts, but it didn’t suit her. Then, at 19, she decided to give tool grinding a try, an option that seemed simultaneously obvious and crazy. Obvious, because her father Horst Risse was running a one-man tool grinding company with such love and dedication that he routinely says he’ll be standing at a machine when he’s 85. And crazy, because to this day, Lena finds so few females in the field, though she’ll convincingly explain why that should not be the case.
Lena had helped out at Risse Werkzeugtechnik GmbH (Risse Tool Technology GmbH) in Erkrath, Germany, as a teenager, doing things like packaging and laser marking. But she’d never touched the tool grinders. That changed as she started her apprenticeship in 2018. She took immediately to her father’s four ANCA machines and found that the more she did, the more she liked it.
Her curriculum called for cycles of six weeks of practical work in the company combined with two weeks of classroom theory. By the beginning of 2022, Lena passed her exams to become a fully qualified machinist. By then she was also responsible for all the company’s regrinding, which is roughly half their business, plus many additional duties. On top of that, she’s pursuing a master craftsman qualification—the only woman in the region to do so—and is on track to finish this summer. That would certify her to manage and train production teams.
It’s not the diplomas that motivate her though. It’s the satisfaction of things like starting a week with hundreds of diverse, damaged or worn-out tools, wondering how you’re going to sharpen them all, and then measuring, programming, grinding, and delivering them all to happy customers by week’s end. Or the satisfaction of inventing a dead stop for their automatic chuck, so they could hold a tight tolerance on length when regrinding a series of unequal end mills.
Lena’s training didn’t include the intricacies of ANCA’s iGrind software, but she’s explored it on her own, greatly boosting the company’s capabilities. (The elder Risse never had time to attend any of ANCA’s training courses.) For example, she introduced auto-loading tools of different lengths, expanding the kinds of “lights out” jobs they can do. And when a customer ordered 1,000 drills with through-hole coolant, she immediately recognized that her father’s approach of adjusting the rotational position of the blank by sight was not going to work. So she programmed a probing routine on their 15 year old ANCA RX7 to automate the task.
What’s next? Lena envisions continuing to stand alongside her dad for years to come, and they’re discussing the option of taking on an apprentice when Lena gets her master machinist certification. She’s also considering the possibility of adding the role of teaching other grinders at a nearby school or business.
Whatever she does, Lena is adamant that it’s a wonderful career for women and she decries the fact that virtually everyone she meets in the field, and all her instructors and company managers, have been male. As she sees it, “tool grinding is about patience, precision, logical thinking, and just finding solutions for problems. And I don’t think that men are better at this than women. I never have a day at work where I say ‘I don’t want to do this. This is a job for a man,’ or anything like that.” She adds that while she thinks women can do dirty or strenuous work, they should know that tool grinding is pretty much the opposite, “and I would like to see more women have the courage to just do it.”
For further information, please contact:
Amanda Bakun
Marketing & Communications Manager – Americas
248-497-1168
amanda.bakun@anca.com
ANCA is a market leading manufacturer of CNC grinding machines. It was founded in 1974 in Melbourne, Australia where the company still has its global headquarters. ANCA has offices in the UK, Germany, China, Thailand, India, Japan, Brazil, Korea and the USA as well as a comprehensive network of representatives and agents worldwide.
ANCA CNC grinders are used for manufacturing precision cutting tools and components across a diverse range of competitive industries including cutting tool manufacture, automotive, aerospace, electronics and medical.
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