PMPA Business Trends February 2018

 

With 81 companies responding, the PMPA Business Trends Index for February 2018 declined 6 points or 4.4% to 129, the highest index for February on record. At 129, the index is up 10 points or 7.4% above the five-year average for the February sales index of 119.4. While our January value of 135 was a new record, the six-point drop to 129 in February is still in very high territory for our shops. What it feels like- with every order on the books a priority, we are running out of options to add capacity and move orders to the front of the line. Our scheduled overtime remained the same as last month’s, we are doing everything in our power to produce and ship customer orders. What to watch- Lead times. Lead times in our shops and Lead Times on raw materials. Last month, almost three quarters of shops reporting (74.3%) reported sales increases up by ten percent or more in January. This month, that percentage fell to 12.3%, with 61.7 % of shops reporting sales declines in February, compared with January which was-admittedly a record month for sales.

 

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PMPA Business Trends January 2018

 

With 82 companies responding, the PMPA Business Trends Index for January 2018 jumped to 135, up 25% over December 2017, and up 5% over January 2017. This is up 8.9% over the five year average for January Sales. This 135 value is a new record for our January Sales Index- Last year’s 128 (tied with 2013) was the prior record. What it feels like-your experience getting orders produced and shipped in January felt a lot like it did for you in 2012 and 2014 when your shipments were up by 26-29% over December. What we are hearing “falling behind…exceeded forecast by 10%…Can’t get it out quick enough…Picking which jobs to run…” Almost three quarters of shops reporting (74.3%) reported sales increases up by ten percent or more in January.

 

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September 2017  |  Craftsman’s Cribsheet #58

 

Machinability of different materials is generally expressed as a percentage compared with a known standard. Carbon and alloy steels are compared with 1212. So are stainless steels. Coppers, brasses and bronzes are compared with 360 Brass. The benchmark grade for aluminum is 2011 at 100 percent. Generally speaking, shorter chips equal better machinability

 

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July 2017  |  Craftsman’s Cribsheet #56

 

“Stress cracks are defined as transverse or near transverse open crevices created when concentration of residual stresses exceed the
local yield strength at the temperature of crack formation. These stresses can be mechanically induced or attributable to extreme temperature differences and /or phase transformations. They can originate at almost any point in the manufacture of the steel.”– AISI Manual Detection, Classification and Elimination of Rod and Bar Surface Defects.

 

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June 2017  |  Craftsman’s Cribsheet #55

 

In “The Toyota Way,” author Jeffrey Liker lists and discusses the eight non-value-adding wastes that can be found in business and manufacturing processes. These can be applied anywhere, not just on a production line. Here is a look at these wastes through the lens of our precision machining shop processes. 

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