The 100,000 people who converged in Chicago, IL, for the 2012 International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS), and the millions of dollars several major machine tool builders and cutting tool suppliers reportedly invested in IMTS, all point to a manufacturing rebound.
Brian Papke, president of Mazak North America, Florence, KY, told Shop Metalworking Technology that the first day of IMTS “was the best first day of any IMTS I can remember. We had a lot of people interested in machines and buying machines.”
Dr. Rüdiger Kapitza and Dr. Masahiko Mori who head the alliance of two machine tool giants under the DMG/Mori Seiki banner, and Mark Mohr, president of DMG/Mori Seiki USA, spoke at a press conference about their confidence in the resurgence in North America manufacturing.
“Industrial growth is coming back and overall production is coming back…we predict the US will pass Germany for the first time in eight years because of the recent Euro zone crisis,” said Kapitza.
The company also announced the November 7, 2012, grand opening ceremony of its new Davis, CA, manufacturing facility, which began production in August.
At a Seco press conference, Hans Hellgren, senior vice president, group sales and marketing, and member of the Group Executive Management of Seco Tools, also made note of the strengthening North American economy, noting that “NAFTA is supporting world growth today and will continue to be great. At Seco, we’re expecting to see growth of 6 to 10 per cent for 2013.”
At a Widia press conference, Bernie McConnell, vice president, Widia Product Group, noted that the company has experienced double digit growth and expects growth in North America to continue, noting that Widia invests 3 per cent of sales back into research and development.
As expected at IMTS, many companies debuted new products and technologies. Iscar launched its new IQ series for “intelligent machining”, while Widia introduced its VariDrill, a new design aimed at reducing chipping in holemaking. Machine tool builders launched new products too, including Hurco, which launched a newly designed series of machines with higher spindle speeds designed for higher volume production environments. Haas debuted its UNC 750 five axis, 40 taper spindle machine aimed at helping manufacturers move into more complex five axis machining cost competiively. At the 32,000 sq ft DMG/Mori Seiki booth, among the many machines being highlighted were the NHX4000 HMC, built at the company’s new manufacturing facility in Davis, CA, and the MillTap 700, the first true “baby” from the DMG/Mori Seiki alliance, which blends technologies from both companies on one unique milling-drilling platform.
