AFA is heating up your summer by bringing three Young Fence Professionals Summer Leadership Summits to a city near you! These Leadership Summits will deliver a full day of informative topics and innovative training techniques to challenge our young professionals in the fence industry. We are also looking for speakers and volunteers for these events.
AUGUST DATES
Friday, August 23
Garland, TX
Fortress Fence
SEPTEMBER DATES
Friday, September 13
Buffalo, NY
Certainteed
Friday, September 27
Huntington Beach, CA
D&D Technologies
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Nominate a person or organization who has shown amazing dedication to the welding industry. Winners will receive a free trip, sponsored by WEMCO and the AWS Foundation, to the Excellence in Welding Awards Ceremony at FABTECH from November 11-14 in Chicago, IL.
The nomination deadline is June 30, 2019.
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PURCHASING
What's Your Process?
There are many approaches to creating the correct purchasing process, but which one works best for your company? Is having more than one person doing the purchasing the right choice?
It is important to know and understand your project needs, especially the project schedule for material lead time. Create a material list for your project.
It’s also imperative to build a relationship with your vendors, as this will help you understand their lead times, from point of quote request to delivery. Beware of low cost: it’s not always the best choice.
Missed the Roundtable? Listen to the recording at www.nomma.org/roundtable. Join us next month on June 12, 2019, at 2 p.m. CST/ 3 p.m. EST.
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On April 10, 2019, the metalworking industry said goodbye to William “Bill” Valerius, a long-time member and leader in the National Ornamental & Miscellaneous Metals Association.
Born on January 22, 1930, Valerius initially wanted to be an electrical engineer but the death of a brother in World War II, his mother’s request that he not enlist because she only had one son left, and his stepfather’s blacksmithing shop led him down a different path. He became a blacksmith at age 15 – working with his stepfather during the day, attending night high school, and graduating as valedictorian of his class. When his stepfather passed away in 1955, Valerius and his wife, Marion (1930-2017), took over the shop.
His continuing need to learn meant that he scoured antique books on metalworking and sketched designs – reworking them until they met his standards. Although he never met his goal of “perfection” on any project, his skill and creativity were recognized by numerous awards, including many Top Job awards from NOMMA and the Mitch Heitler Award. Marion was also a frequent award winner, and responsible for the design and creation of a metal-sculptured cake to celebrate NOMMA’s 25th anniversary cake.
Throughout his successful career, Valerius chose to give back to the industry to encourage creativity and professionalism. Demonstrations at conferences and meetings around the world, service as a NOMMA board member, sponsorship of an apprentice school through his business, and willingness to offer advice to industry members who asked for his help were a few of the ways that he supported other metalsmiths.
This “guru of artistic metalsmithing” will be missed.
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James' father and mother bought Memphis Wire and Iron Works in 1962, when it was already 70 years old. Over time, it has moved from focusing on woven wire products to mainly fabricating building stairs and rails, and miscellaneous structural materials. James now runs the shop, with the support of his wife, Sandra.
James was active in the Memphis Ornamental Iron Association back when the group helped renovate an old Marine hospital on the Mississippi River. Today, that renovated building is the National Ornamental Metals Museum.
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Category N - Structures & Miscellaneous
Gold: C.T. and S. Metalworks
Title of Entry: Sculpture Pavillion
Finish Type: Sandblasted Corten Steel | Hydrogen Peroxide - Muriatic Acid Oxidizer
Total Labor Hours: 2900
Materials Used: 7 x 7 x 1/4 Structural Tubes; A588 1/4 & 3/16 Corten Steel Plates
This Sculpture Pavillion is ALL clad in Corten type A588 Steel, and all side panels are 3/8" plate, laser cut to 3D layout, then strategically welded to prevent oil canning. The roof is 1/4" plate, and the footprint is 38 ft x 25 ft and 19 ft high. The structure is all welded from inside, using Corten rod, and the inside is Cald with Cyprus Wood. Congratulations to C.T. and S. Metalworks on a truly stunning sculpture!
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The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) reported this month that U.S. steel mills saw a 7.5% increase in shipments from February 2019 to March 2019. Shipments totaled 8,327,990 net tons, and year-to-year, AISI showed a 2.9 percent increase over 2018 shipments for three months. Of particular note, hot rolled sheets are up 8%, and cold rolled sheets are up 6%.
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Recent Bureau of Labor Statistics data examines the last quarter century of labor market data, from 1992-2016. The report, titled "25 Years of Worker Injury, Illness, and Fatality Case Data," is one of several components of BLS's 'Spotlight on Statistics' series.
Among the top findings:
-Fatal job-related injuries for workers 55 and older increased by nearly 49%, hitting 1,848 in 2016.
-From 2011 to 2016, fatal workplace injuries were largely due to transportation accidents. 11,846 deaths were reported in this category, including 4,701 violent deaths and 4,576 deaths attributed to incidents such as falls, trips and slips.
While some of the news is disheartening, the report also notes that overall, workers are incurring fewer fatalities and injuries, but there is still more work to be done.
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Studies show that about 70% of us are working longer hours and into weekends. Some of us have days where we hardly pause to eat, and many of us check email and make calls even when we're technically off the clock. As we continue to stretch ourselves to accomplish more, a solid time management strategy becomes ever more imperative - as does the decision to really take time off when we need it. Avoid these 12 time management pitfalls so you can continue to strengthen your work-life balance and increase your success.
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If you're like many people, the thought of conferences, chapter meetups, corporate dinners and other professional get-togethers can fill you with dread. It's common to get a case of nerves or feel anxious before an event, especially if you tend to be introverted. But with a little practice and prep, you can learn to appreciate these events, and walk away with new connections and opportunities that will benefit you and your business going forward.
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