Springs 2014 Vol 53 No1

WINTER 2014
A Publication of the Spring Manufacturers Institute / Vol. 53, No. 1
THE INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE OF SPRING

NG MANUFACTURE
Robots and the

Spring Industry 19
SMI Fall Business
Meeting is a Winner 32
Comforting Earthquake
Victims 47
ROBOT
S
2001 Midwest Rd., Suite 106
Oak Brook, IL 60523-1335
Change Service Requested
Prsrt Std
US Postage
PAID
Michigan City, IN
Permit #3
President's Message
From Steve Moreland
SMI Executive Committee

President: Steve Moreland, Automatic Spring Products
Vice President: Hap Porter, SEI MetalTek
Secretary/Treasurer: Mike Betts, Betts Company
Immediate Past President: Scott Rankin, Vulcan Spring &
Manufacturing
At Large: Steve Kempf, Lee Spring
SMI Board of Directors
Passing the Gavel

We all know the saying Time ies when you are having fun! It is hard
to believe my term as your leader has come to an end and that this is my nal
Presidents Message. I can truly say it has been an honor and an extreme
privilege to serve as your president during the past two years. I will always
treasure and cherish this time.
Leading the SMI has been a richly rewarding experience in so many
ways, but mostly because of the people. Ive been blessed to work with such
great folks and to meet so many others around the nation and the world.
Over the past two years, we have developed a strategic plan with the
help of a broad representative base of SMI members. The specic initiatives
contained in this plan will help our members and the entire North American
spring industry improve its global competitiveness. If you are an SMI member,
I encourage you to attend our annual conventions and join one of the many
operating committees who will help execute these specic strategic plans.
During my inauguration speech two years ago, I shared that beyond my
rst two passions (my faith and my family), that my next two passions were
manufacturing and relationships. During the past two years, together we have
achieved all seven of my goals for the SMI under passion for manufacturing
and four of my seven goals for the SMI under passion for relationships.
Without a unied team of expert staff and dedicated volunteers, these goals
could not have been met.
I want to express my heartfelt thanks to an incredible list of players who
are responsible for the achievement of these goals and the ongoing success
of the SMI. No organization can sustain excellence without a steady stream
of dedicated, committed, hard-working volunteers; at the SMI it has been my
pleasure to work with a wonderful executive committee, board of directors,
committee chairs and committee members who together have helped to
make excellent and sometimes challenging decisions to assure that our
organization continues to reach for excellence in all that it does.
In addition to the great pleasure of working with all our wonderful volunteers, I
want to extend a very special thank you to Lynne Carr, our executive director.
Lynne is the glue that holds this organization together; in all my years of
working and volunteering, I can honestly say I have never had the privilege of
working with someone more dedicated, more committed and more loyal to an
organization than Lynne is to the SMI. As members, we all benet from this!
By the time you read this, I will have just passed the gavel to our new
SMI president Hap Porter. I am condent and enthusiastic about Hap leading
SMI over the next two years, not only because he is such a wonderful
person, but because of his great mind and strong leadership skills. As I step
out of the limelight, I wish Hap and the SMI the very brightest of futures!
Forever Grateful,
Steve
Steve Moreland
President, Automatic Spring Products
stevemoreland@automaticspring.com
2 / SPRINGS / Winter 2014
Tom Armstrong, Duer/Carolina Coil Torsten Buchwald, KernLiebers USA Ann Davey, John Evans Sons Mark DiVenere,
Gemco Manufacturing Chris Fazio, Diamond Wire Spring
Kurt Gillespie, Century Spring Richard Guimont, Liberty Spring
Gene Huber Jr, Winamac Coil Spring Miko Kabeshita, Ark
Technologies Charly Klein, Fox Valley Spring Bill Krauss,
Vulcan Spring Don Lowe, Peterson Spring Bill Marcum,
MW Industries Richard Rubenstein, Plymouth Spring Dan
Sceli, Peterson Spring JR Strok, Mohawk Spring Bill Torres,
Gibbs Wire and Steel Jeff Wharin, Bohne Spring
Springs Magazine Staff

Lynne Carr, Advertising Sales, lynne@smihq.org
Gary McCoy, Managing Editor,
gmccoy@fairwaycommunications.com
Dina Sanchez, Assistant Editor, dina@smihq.org
Sue Zubek, Graphic Designer,
zubekdesign@gmail.com
Springs Magazine Committee

Chair, Richard Rubenstein, Plymouth Spring Reb Banas,
Stanley Spring & Stamping Lynne Carr, SMI Raquel
Chole, Dudek & Bock Ritchy Froehlich, Ace Wire Spring
& Form Bud Funk, Fourslide Products Bill Marcum,
MW Industries Brett Nudelman, International Spring
Tim Weber, Forming Systems Europe Liaison: Richard
Schuitema, Dutch Spring Association Technical Advisors:
Loren Godfrey, Honorary Member Dan Sebastian,
Honorary Member
Advertising sales - Japan
Ken Myohdai, Sakura International Inc.
22-11 Harimacho
1-Chome, Abeno-ku
Osaka 545-0022 Japan
Phone: +81-6-6624-3601 Fax: +81-6-6624-3602
E-mail: info@sakurain.co.jp
Advertising sales - Europe
Jennie Franks, Franks & Co.
63 St. Andrew's Road
Cambridge
United Kingdom CB41DH
Phone/Fax: +44-1223-360472
E-mail: franksco@BTopenworld.com
Advertising sales - Taiwan
Robert Yu, Worldwide Services Co. Ltd.
11F-B, No 540, Sec. 1, Wen Hsin Rd.
Taichung, Taiwan
Phone: +886-4-2325-1784 Fax: +886-4-2325-2967
E-mail: stuart@wwstaiwan.com
Springs (ISSN 0584-9667) is published quarterly by SMI Business Corp., a
subsidiary of the Spring Manufacturers Institute: 2001 Midwest Road, Suite
106, Oak Brook, IL 60523; Phone: (630) 495-8588; Fax: (630) 495-8595; Web
site www.smihq.org. Address all correspondence and editorial materials to
this address.
The editors and publishers of Springs disclaim all warranties, express or
implied, with respect to advertising and editorial content, and with respect
to all manufacturing errors, defects or omissions made in connection with
advertising or editorial material submitted for publication.
The editors and publishers of Springs disclaim all liability for special or
consequential damages resulting from errors, defects or omissions in the
manufacturing of this publication, any submission of advertising, editorial or
other material for publication in Springs shall constitute an agreement with
and acceptance of such limited liability.
The editors and publishers of Springs assume no responsibility for the opinions
or facts in signed articles, except to the extent of expressing the view, by the
fact of publication, that the subject treated is one which merits attention.
Do not reproduce without written permission.
Cover art created using images from: iStockphoto.com/3alexd
Intelligent Process
& Quality Control
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SPRINGS / Winter 2014 / 3
Contents
19
27
FEATURES
19 Robots and the Spring Industry
By Gary McCoy
27 Flashback
Introduction to Robotics
By G.C. Macri
47
32 SMI Fall Business Meeting

is a Winner
35 SMI Hosts International
Standards Organization
(ISO) TC-227 Meeting in
Nation's Capital
DEPARTMENTS
2 Presidents Message
Passing the Gavel
36 Peterson Spring Celebrates

100 Years
40 Heart and Soul
7 Global Highlights
COLUMNS
By John Passante
45 JSSE Semi-Annual Lecture

Meeting and Awards
47 Comforting Earthquake Victims
Michio Takeda
13 Be Aware Safety Tips

OSHA Inspections: How You Were
Chosen and What to Expect
By Jim Wood
15 IST Spring Technology

Cautionary Tale: Stainless Steel
Turns 100 Years Old
By Mark Hayes
10 Regional Spring
Association Report
51 Springmaker Spotlight
Leading His Team to Victory:
A Profile of Norm Rodriques
and Springfield Spring
By Gary McCoy
57 Book Corner
59 Inside SMI
61 New Products
63 Advertisers Index
51
64 Snapshot
Jim Callaghan
CSX Hybrid
CSX
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Servo former they both signicantly reduce set-up times while increasing production rates. Couple that
with rotary wire and multiple single and dual servo spinners the impossible suddenly becomes possible at
an affordable price. No matter what level of spring making requirement youre being asked to perform, RK
Tradings line of CSX and CSX Hybrid machines offer something for everyone and make the difcult easy.
WWW.RKTRADINGUSA.COM
847-640-9771

For over 25 years, Zapp has been providing

the spring industry with the highest quality,
best performing products which far exceed
the industry standards. Our state-of-the-art
mill facility located in Dartmouth,
Massachusetts, offers a convenient supply
chain that insures continuity and reliability.
At Zapp, no matter how we slice it, our
precision quality and outstanding customer
service always shine through.
East Coast Service Center, 100 Benton St., Stratford, CT 06615

Tel 203.386.0038 Fax 203.502.6681 www.zapp.com
iStockphoto.com/DNY59
Global
Highlights
North America
O n Novemb er 1, 2013, Lapha m-H ickey Ste el
Corporation purchased the assets of Industrial Spring
Steel. Industrial Spring Steel, located in Philadelphia,
Pa., was founded in 1958 and is a supplier of high carbon
tempered and annealed spring steel primarily throughout
the East Coast.
Lapham-Hickey Steel is a family owned and operated
full line service center that was founded in 1926 in
Chicago, Ill. The acquisition of Industrial Spring Steel will
strengthen Lapham-Hickeys presence and coverage on
the East Coast, and as a leading provider
of high carbon tempered and annealed
spring steels throughout the country.
We couldnt be more excited to welcome
Industrial Spring Steel their employees,
customers and all partnerships to the
Lapham-Hickey family, said Brian Hickey,
who will assume the responsibilities of
general manager for Industrial Spring Steel
in Philadelphia. Lapham-Hickey has a
rich history with the Spring Manufacturers
Institute and its member companies and we
look forward to increasing our service levels to this industry.
David Devoe, operations manager and general manager
of Plymouth Spring Company, Inc. in Bristol, Conn., was
presented with the annual Quality Recognition Award
sponsored by the Hartford Section of the American Society
for Quality (ASQ) in June.
Devoe was recognized for his contribution in helping
establish Plymouth Springs Lean Journey in 2011 and his
achievement results since. During that time, Plymouth
Spring has increased their on-time delivery by 20 percent,
while keeping reject rates below expectations, and at the
same time increasing sales growth by 10 percent.
The Hartford Section of ASQ honors individuals and
teams with this award annually for their contributions to
their associations and businesses. The American Society
for Quality is a 108,000-member professional association
headqua r tered in Milwaukee, Wis. t hat adva nces
individual, organizational, and community excellence
worldwide through quality improvement, learning, and
knowledge exchange.
More information on the Hartford Section of ASQ can
be found on the sections website www.asqhartford.org.
Kern-Liebers Pieron (KLP) has manufactured precision

springs and wire parts in Farmington Hills, Mich. for
more than 10 years. On September 7, 2013, they celebrated
the opening of a new 25,000 square foot facility near Grand
River and Drake, only a few miles from their previous
location. The new facility has doubled the production oor
space as their previous building, and will allow for business
growth into new markets. KLP is excited to be a continuing
part of the Farmington Hills community, and proud to be
producing quality products competitively in Michigan.
Chicago-based Rolled Metal Products has appointed

Steven E. Pearce as general manager. Before joining Rolled
Metal Products, Pearce served in a similar capacity for
A.M. Castle and Ryerson, Inc., both major processors and
distributors of metals. He previously held progressively
more senior positions with a global manufacturing
company. Pearce holds a bachelors degree in engineering
from Lehigh University and a masters degree in business
administration from the University of Chicago.
Im pleased to contribute my 30 years of management
experience to leading Rolled Metal Products to the next
level of business growth in our markets, said Pearce. We
will succeed by offering excellent customer service and
delivering high value and high quality to our customers
at all times.
Vulcan Spring and Manufacturing Co., a leading
designer and manufacturer of at steel springs and related
assemblies for diverse global markets, has hired Jon Racis
as its regional sales manager. Racis will be responsible for
eastern U.S. sales for both Vulcans industrial and point
of purchase markets.
Global Highlights
Jon adds an exciting amount of drive and experience

to our growing sales organization, said Don Jarvie, vice
president of sales. He will help Vulcan Spring better serve
our clients and to nd new opportunities that will align
with Vulcans strengths.
Originally from Wilmington, Del., Racis earned
his bachelors in sports management from Wilmington
University. He comes to Vulcan Spring from Fastenal
Industrial Supply in Delaware.
Connecticut Spring & Stamping (CSS), a manufacturer
of precision parts for the aerospace, medical, rearms and
defense industries worldwide, announces its capabilities
for producing compression springs for rearms from shaped
and stranded wire. CSS development and prototyping
assistance for both military and commercial rearms helps
OEMs accomplish the right spring design, and ensures the
springs are durable enough to sustain repeated use.
Using its 70-year history and diverse expertise in
developing stranded wire and shaped wire springs, and
its knowledge of design formulae for spring rate and
equivalent direct (tensile or compressive) stresses, CSS
helps OEMs design recoil compression springs that can
perform properly in the extremely limited space available
in most rearms.
Ready,
to Roll,
CSS services includes consultation on stranded versus

shaped wire, careful selection of wire base material, assistance
with wire manufacturing stranding specications to achieve
accuracy, as well as extensive development and prototyping
to assist the customer accomplish the right spring design.
For further information, please visit www.ctspring.
com or call 860-677-1341.
Decatur, Ga.-based Newcomb Spring Corporation
has named Daniel (Dan) Tetreault as the new general
manager of its New England facility, Newcomb Spring
of Connecticut. In this position, Tetreault will oversee
day-to-day operations at the plant, lead new business
development and assist customers in the manufacture
of custom springs, wire forms and stamped metal parts.
Tetreault was previously employed at WAFIOS Machinery
Corporation, where he served as vice president.
My past experience has been a valuable asset here
at Newcomb Spring of Connecticut, said Tetreault. I
have an in-depth understanding of CNC, verti-slide and
multi-slide forming machinery, and Ive been able to apply
those skills so that Newcombs very modern machinery is
utilized to its maximum potential.
Tetreault was appointed general manager at Newcomb
Spring of Connecticut after a month-long transition period
For over 25 years, Rolled

Metal Products has been
providing JIT delivery service,
quality metal and processes,
expert technical support and
high value to its respected
customers. With locations in
the Midwest and Northeast,
we have all the advantages
you expect from a leader in
the metal processing industry.
Bensalem, PA 19020
800.638.3544
215.244.7789 Fax
RolledMetalProducts.com
Your Edge Is Our Roll
Reel Time.
Global Highlights
working with the facilitys

previous general manager,
Keith Porter, Jr. Porter is now
general manager at Newcomb
Spring of Carolina.
I m r e a l ly e nj o y i n g
my new posit ion, a nd
t he Newcomb Spring
organization, said Tetreault.
I think my knowledge of
machinery and past metal
forming experience allows
me to ef f e c t ively a s si s t
Daniel Tetreault
customers, while also giving
me the ability to control shop
oor activity with a hands-on approach. I look forward
to providing Newcombs customers with the very best
products and service.
A veteran of the U.S. Army, Tetreault received his
Bachelor of Science degree in manufacturing engineering
from Georgia Southern University. In addition to postgraduate business studies, he also received training in
advanced metal form manufacturing in both the United
States and Germany.
International
Top: Brian Russell

is pictured standing
center with colleagues
at Airedale Springs.
Left: Brian Russell,
right, receives a
parting gift from
Airedale Springs
commercial director
Sean Parkinson.
continuous service and been welcomed into the companys

25-year club. Half of the current 32 employees are members
of this exclusive club. Q
Brian Russell has retired after a 44-year career with

Airedale Springs in Haworth, West Yorkshire.
Russell, of Oxenhope, joined the company as a
chargehand instructor in 1969, becoming chief instructor a
year later with overall responsibility for the training of the
companys apprentices. In 1978, he was promoted to training
superintendent and in 1980 his role was extended to cover
to the supervision of the heavy springmaking department.
In 1983, Brian reverted to having sole responsibility
for company training, and three years later, while still
maintaining an overview on training issues, his primary role
was meeting the needs of Airedale Springs smaller customers
through his work in the custom spring department.
Chairman Tim Parkinson said Russell was regularly
praised by customers for the personal service he provided
and the way he always went that extra mile.
Parkinson commented, Brian is a unique character.
He trained the majority of our current staff and many
others who over the years have gone on to work in other
companies within the area. While he has retired after 44
years of dedicated service, he will certainly never stop
being part of the Airedale Springs family.
The company, which last year moved into a new
purpose built factory completing a 3.5m investment, is
renowned for longevity of service among its workforce.
Since Airedale Springs was founded 68 years ago,
a total of 44 employees have completed 25 years of
iStockphoto.com/Scott Hirko
Regional Spring
Association Report
CASMI Holds SpringWorld Dinner
Looking toward October 2014,
the Chicago Association of Spring
Ma nufacturers (CASMI) held its
SpringWorld 2014 Kickoff dinner
on Thursday, October 17, 2013 at
the Donald E. Stephens Convention
Center in Rosemont, Ill.
CASMI executive director Tom
Renk said SpringWorld 2014 will
feature several new innovations to
enhance the experience for attendees
and exhibitors. SpringWorld 2014
will be held at Donald E. Stephens
Convention Center October 810.
The SpringWorld 2014 kickoff
dinner featured a presentation by
SMI president Steve Moreland, who
said international competition is a
reality in todays spring marketplace.
He shared his experience of traveling
to Europe and learning more about
t he composit ion of
the worldwide spring
market.
After Morelands
presentation, special
guest speaker, Nick
H a l l e y, a r e t i r e d
U.S. Army Brigadier
General, talked about
leadership and the war
against radical Islam.
In regards to the
subject of leadership,
Halley said leaders must improve
their leadership quota. He advised
that leaders must be good listeners
and lead by example all the time.
He concluded his remarks with
information from his book, Terrorism
The Target is You! The War Against
Radical Islam.
WCSMA Closes Out 2013

Th e We s t C o a s t Spr i n g
Manufacturers Association (WCSMA)
closed out 2013 with three events. The
group held its annual outing to see the
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on
August 3. The group held a tailgating
party in the parking lot of Angel
Stadium of Anaheim prior to the start
of the event.
The WCSMA bi-annual Tabletop
Expo was held on Thursday, October
24 at the Holiday Inn in La Mirada,
Calif.
The groups golf outing and dinner
was held on November 14 at Skylinks
in Long Beach.
For more information, visit the
WCSMA Facebook page or www.
wcsma.us.
C A S M I c lo s e d o u t it s 2013
schedule with its member dinner/
holiday party on December 12 at The
Great Escape in Schiller Park, Ill.
For more information, visit www.
casmi-springworld.org.
NESMA Christmas Celebration and Recognition Dinner

By Ted White, Hardware Products
The New England Spring and
Metalstamping Association (NESMA)
had a record turnout of 166 people
for its annual Christmas Dinner on
December 5, 2013. George Fournier,
the president of NESMA, greeted
attendees with a few light hearted
and jocular comments and welcomed

several honored guests, including
Susan Sadecki, CEO of The Main
Street Community Foundation, and
Joyce Mowrey and Steven Hanecak
from Bristol Technical School.
Th a n k s w a s g iven to C i ndy
Scoville from the Central Connecticut
Chamber of Commerce who ably

assists NESMA, and her associates
Mary Kuharski and Reiny Malsheske
for helping organize the dinner.
The main purpose of the event
was to celebrate Christmas and give
special recognition to some NESMA
members. But because this is one of
A WORLD OF SPRINGS
Available in low volume quantities.
Avoid no-bids or timely set up on short runs. Century
Spring is a great source for filling low volume or
prototype demands. Our stock parts ship
same day at a very low minimum.
To learn more or to request a free stock spring
catalog, inquire at info@centuryspring.com
or by calling us at (800) 237-5225 Mon-Fri
6:00am - 4:30pm PST.
Compression Extension Die Disc Drawbar
H-Clips Tapered Torsion Urethane
222 East 16th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90015

ph 800-237-5225 fx 800-474-4479
info@centuryspring.com www.centuryspring.com/smi
Regional Association Report
only two general gatherings per year,

NESMA used the opportunity to bring
members up to date on recent efforts.
NESMA has been working to
coordinate fragmented efforts to improve
technical education in the Bristol area.
Members were advised that this was a
problem that neither the educators nor
the legislators could solve. It is a problem
that the entire membership needed to
get involved with if they wanted to see
workforce improvement.
It wa s poi nted out t hat it is
ludicrous for parents and educators
to steer high school students only into
college preparatory programs, when
the reality is that some will attend
college, graduate with $150,000 in
debt, and end up unemployed. At
the same time, the manufacturing
industries in the area are screaming
for educated technical employees.
Recognition was given to several
individuals, including Joe Panella and
Bobby Cox from North American Spring

Tool. Both Joe and Bobby have long
been noted for their dedication to the
spring industry while conducting their
business in the most gentlemanly way.
Mark DiVenere captured these many
years of history in a most accurate way
during his presentation of the award.
Bill Waseleski of Century Spring
made the next presentation to Doug
Johnson. Doug is a tireless individual
who is involved in many efforts to
create technical education and serves
on many boards to advocate this. Doug,
in a humorous acceptance speech,
said that he had the unfortunate
luck of sitting at a table with his two
female superiors and his wife who
were all telling him what to say and
how to say it.
Bi l l L at h r op t hen pr esented
Loren Godfrey with an award for his
professional accomplishments over
the years. Now semi-retired, Loren is
still available to help springmakers

through SMI when needed.
Bill Lathrop then presented the
next award to yours truly for Diligent
and Tireless Efforts to Improve the
Recognition of the Spring Industry
a nd N ESM A. C on sider i n g t he
eminence of the other honorees I was
not sure that I belonged in the same
group. However it certainly meant an
awful lot to me to be honored by my
peers and to be included in such a
well-respected group.
To conclude the festivities George
Fou r n ier once a ga i n caut ioned
NESMA members that the problem
of future manufacturing employees
was all ours and that it would be in
our best interests to collaborate and
begin solving the problem together.
For more information on NESMA,
visit www.nesma-usa.com. Q
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Be Aware Safety Tips
OSHA Inspections:
How You Were Chosen and What to Expect
By Jim Wood
iStockphoto.com/oytun karadayi
t is a misconception that OSHA picks companies

at random. It is true, however, that they conduct
inspections without advance notice. OSHA focuses
their inspection resources on the most hazardous
workplaces in the following order of priority:
1. Imminent Danger Situations hazards that could
cause death or serious physical harm receive top
priority. Compliance ofcers will ask employers
to correct these hazards immediately, or remove
endangered employees.
2. Fatalities and Catastrophes incidents that involve
a death or the hospitalization of three or more
employees come next. Employers must report such
catastrophes to OSHA within eight hours.
3. Complaints allegations of hazards or violations
also receive a high priority. Employees may request
anonymity when they le these complaints.
4. Referrals of hazard information from other federal,
state or local agencies, individuals, organizations or
the media receive consideration for inspection.
5. Follow-ups checks for abatement of violations
cited during previous inspections are also
conducted by the agency in certain circumstances.
6. Planned or Programmed Inspections inspections
aimed at specic high-hazard industries, or
individual workplaces that have experienced high
rates of injuries and illnesses, also receive priority.
When an OSHA inspector appears at your front door,

the rst thing you should do is ask for his/her credentials,
which include both a photograph and a serial number.
If you have any doubt about their identity, call the local
OSHA area director and get conrmation that the person
is indeed an inspector.
Opening Conference The compliance ofcer will
explain why OSHA selected your workplace for inspection
and describe the scope of the inspection, walk around
procedures, employee representation and employee
interviews. The employer then selects a representative to
accompany the compliance ofcer during the inspection.
An authorized representative of the employees, if any,
also has the right to go along. In any case, the compliance
ofcer will consult privately with a reasonable number of

employees during the inspection.
Walk around Following the opening conference,
the compliance ofcer and the representatives will walk
through the portions of the workplace covered by the
inspection, inspecting for hazards that could lead to
employee injury or illness. The compliance ofcer will
also review worksite injury and illness records and
posting of the ofcial OSHA poster.
During the walk around, compliance ofcers may
point out some apparent violations that can be corrected
Jim Wood is an independent regulations

compliance consultant to the Spring Manufacturers Institute (SMI). A certified instructor of
the OSHA Out-Reach Program, Wood conducts
seminars, plant Safety Audits and In-House
Safety Trainings. These programs help companies create safer work environments, limit
OSHA/Canadian Ministry of Labor violations
and insurance costs, and prepare for VPP or
SHARP certification. He is also available for
safety advice and information by phone at
630-495-8588 or via e-mail at regs@smihq.org.
join the best

7 11 April 2014
Dsseldorf, Germany
International Wire and Cable Trade Fair
Meeting point: wire 2014 in Dsseldorf!

Join the best welcome to the worlds leading
trade fair for the wire and cable industry! To find
comprehensive information about the latest innovations
in wires and cables, manufacturing machinery and
equipment, look no further! It is all on display at the
worlds most important exhibition the meeting point
for international experts, specialists and global market
leaders. A focal point at wire 2014: The growing
importance of copper wires in automotive engineering,
telecommunications and electronics.
An important date in your calendar your visit to wire
2014 in Dsseldorf!
www.wire.de
Wire, Cable,
Fibre Optic,
Wire Products
and Machinery
Spring
Making
Fastener
Technology
Mesh Welding
Machinery
For show information: Messe Dsseldorf North America

150 North Michigan Avenue
Suite 2920 _ Chicago, IL 60601
Tel. (312) 781-5180 _ Fax (312) 781-5188
info@mdna.com _ www.mdna.com
For hotel and travel arrangements: TTI Travel, Inc.
Tel. (866) 674-3476 _ Fax (212) 674-3477
immediately. While the law requires that these hazards

must be cited, prompt correction is a sign of good faith
on the part of the employer. Compliance ofcers try to
minimize work interruptions during the inspection and
will keep condential any trade secrets they observe.
Closing Conference After the walk around, the
compliance ofcer holds a closing conference with the
employer and the employees representative to discuss
the ndings. The compliance ofcer discusses possible
courses of action an employer may take following an
inspection, which could include an informal conference
with OSHA or contesting citations and proposed penalties.
The compliance ofcer also discusses consultation and
employee rights.
Results OSHA must issue a citation and proposed
penalty within six months of the violations occurrence.
Citations describe OSHA requirements allegedly
violated, list any proposed penalties and give a deadline for
correcting the alleged hazards. Violations are categorized
as other than serious, serious, willful, repeat and
failure to abate. Penalties may range up to $7,000 for
each serious violation and up to $70,000 for each willful
or repeat violation. Penalties may be reduced based on
the employers good faith, inspection history, and the size
of the business. For serious violations, OSHA may also
reduce the proposed penalty based on the gravity of the
alleged violation. No good faith adjustment will be made
for alleged willful violations.
Appeals When OSHA issues a citation to an employer,
it also offers the employer an opportunity for an informal
conference with the OSHA area director to discuss citations,
penalties, abatement methods, abatement dates or any other
information pertinent to the inspection. The agency and the
employer may work out a settlement agreement to resolve
the matter and to eliminate the hazard.
Alternatively, employers have 15 working days after
receipt of the citation and proposed penalties to formally
contest the alleged violations and/or penalties by sending
a written notice to the area director. OSHA forwards the
contest to the Occupational Safety and Health Review
Commission for independent review. Alternatively,
citations, penalties and abatement dates that are not
challenged by the employer or settled, become a nal order
of the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
Jims Regulatory Tip:

Designate a key management employee that is well
versed in OSHA inspection procedures to accompany the
compliance ofcer during every step of the inspection. This
employee should ask the compliance ofcer to explain every
alleged violation found and record all information about the
alleged violation. At the end of the day your representative
should have a duplicate list of everything cited by the
compliance ofcer. The best rule when accompanying the
compliance ofcer is ask questions, give truthful answers
to questions asked, but volunteer nothing. Q
IST Spring Technology
Cautionary Tale:
Stainless Steel Turns 100 Years Old
By Mark Hayes
iStockphoto.com/DSGpro
id you know stainless steel was invented 100 years

ago in Shefeld, which is the headquarters town for
IST? For those interested in more information on
this important spring material, there is an excellent new
book written by Shefeld metallurgist Dr. David Dulieu
entitled Stay Bright. The book describes the history of
stainless steel from it invention by Harry Brearley to its
current use today.
The last cautionary tale discussed the oxide which
forms naturally on stainless steel and how that oxide
confers corrosion resistance. This prompted the idea that
the various types of stainless steel should be described.
They all have a layer of chromium oxide providing
corrosion resistance. There are four distinct types of
stainless steel. Two are excellent for spring production,
but the other two are not.
The type of stainless steel invented by Harry Brearley
contained 13 percent Cr (chromium) and 0.25 percent C
(carbon), and becomes corrosion resistant after it has been
hardened and tempered to a martensitic microstructure.
At rst sight this might seem ideal for springs because it
is corrosion resistant and has high strength.
Martensitic stainless steel is used for manufacturing
knives and surgical instruments, industries for which
Shefeld remains famous today. However, martensitic
stainless steel has a fatal aw that makes it a very unlikely
choice for making springs. It is not very corrosion resistant,
so even a slight trace of corrosion which will cause this
type of stainless steel to fail by stress corrosion cracking.
That is the rst moral of this cautionary tale do not be
tempted to use martensitic stainless unless you are certain
that its corrosion resistance is good enough.
For springs, a stainless steel is needed that will repair
its oxide lm in the event of slight corrosion before it fails.
Stainless steel with 18 percent Cr and 8 percent Ni (nickel)
has better corrosion resistance than the martensitic type. It
has a microstructure of austenite, which needs to be cold
worked to acquire spring strength. The microstructure is
austenite prior to the start of the wire drawing process,
but during wire drawing some of the austenite transforms
to martensite, and this is what makes this grade slightly
magnetic. The predominant microstructure remains
austenite though, and this type of stainless steel is the most
frequently used for springs everywhere in the world today.
The 18/8 stainless steel is usually called 302 or 304

type. There are two variants in common use. One is
316 type, which has 2 to 3 percent Mo (molybdenum)
added for improved corrosion resistance, especially in
salt environments. The other variant is 17/7PH (type
631), which has 1 percent Al (aluminium) added for
precipitation hardening, and hence a strength level higher
than 302 type.
Today, there are two other types of stainless steel, again
both named for their microstructure. There is ferritic
stainless steel, which has very good corrosion resistance,
but not the high strength needed for springs. This is the
type of stainless used for car exhausts.
Finally, there is duplex stainless steel, which has a
duplex microstructure of ferrite and austenite, which is
very corrosion resistant especially when molybdenum
Mark Hayes is technical advisor to the Institute of Spring Technology (IST) in Sheffield,
England. He is also the principal trainer for
the spring training courses that the Institute
offers globally. Readers are encouraged
to contact IST with comments about this
cautionary tale, and with subjects that they
would like to be addressed in future tales e-mail ist@ist.org.uk
(Mo) is an alloying element, and it may

be drawn to high strength levels, hence
Finally, there is duplex stainless steel, which has
conferring excellent spring properties.
IST predicts t hat duplex stainless
a duplex microstructure of ferrite and austenite,
steel will gradually replace 316 as a
which is very corrosion resistant especially when
spring material because it outperforms
molybdenum (Mo) is an alloying element, and it may
the latter with respect to corrosion
be drawn to high strength levels, hence conferring
resistance and strength levels.
All of these stainless steels contain
excellent spring properties. IST predicts that duplex
at least 12 percent chromium. It is often
stainless steel will gradually replace 316 as a spring
said that their corrosion resistance is due
material because it outperforms the latter with respect
to the formation of chromium oxide on
to corrosion resistance and strength levels.
their surface, something that happens
naturally in air at room temperature.
That is certainly true. However, the very
thin oxide on each type of stainless steel differs slightly, photoelectron spectrographic studies have shown that
and, despite being only nanometers thick, is always made there is almost no Mo present in the oxide there is
up of several oxide layers. Hence, there are differences in concentration of Mo below the oxide, but how does that
the corrosion resistance of the four types of stainless steel. help? This leads to the second moral of this cautionary
One thing that has always puzzled the industry is tale the precise explanation for the corrosion resistance
the fact that molybdenum (Mo) additions will invariably of stainless steels is, as yet, incomplete. This fact should
improve the corrosion resistance of stainless steels. So keep metallurgists employed for some years to come. Q
one might ask how the Mo affects the oxide, and X-ray
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ROBOTS
and the Spring Industry
By Gary McCoy
he term robot conjures up

a lot of images and ideas. Baby boomers might
remember back to the days of Rosie, the household
robot in the animated television show The Jetsons
or HAL (Heuristically programmed ALgorithmic
computer) 9000 in 2001: A Space Odyssey.
While those types of robots are the lore of
science ction, they bear little resemblance to
the ones being used in industrial manufacturing
settings such as the spring industry, where wire
is coiled to make springs or bent to form wire
parts. This article will attempt to take robots from
the realm of TV, books and movies into practical
applications for manufacturing.
A Fanuc M16 robot using dual Schunk PZN

style grippers and ATI Robotic Tool Changer
loads a part into the spindle of a Haas SL-20
lathe. The air blow nozzle is used to clear
jaws of dirt and swarf prior to load.
Article photos provided courtesy of Productivity, Inc. and are used by permission.
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SMI president Steve Moreland, the president of

Automatic Spring Products Corporation in Grand Haven,
Mich., says the term robots is wide and broad and
oftentimes people think of the most sophisticated kind
of robots they may have seen on television.
Robots have been existence for many years and
gained popularity in the 70s and 80s. Moreland says the
understanding of robots in the general public is not exactly
the same as it was back then.
They were large, complex and expensive machines,
explained Moreland. The nice thing about technology
today is that robots have come down in cost so they are
more affordable for small manufacturers like those in
the spring industry. There are many applications in our
industry where robots have a place in our factories.
Moreland says robots in spring industry applications
are often simple pick and place robots or small motion
robots used to automate or semi-automate a manufacturing
process. He says the latter type of application is often used
for secondary operations, such as an automatic transfer
between operations.
While it is true that robots can displace workers and
shrink labor costs, they are also seen as an economic tool
for competing with low cost countries.
[The robot] takes a job that once was

boring and monotonous, explained
Moreland. It eliminates that job and we are
able to retrain those employees to higher
level work and activities, so we both win.
We do a lot of automation or semi-automation with

robotic applications to reduce labor costs, admits
Moreland. One of the largest challenges we face right now
in North America is the continued force of the low cost
country competition especially for high labor content
work. One of the best tools to offset this and keep jobs in
America is to use robotic automation.
Don Engles, manager of the automation group for
Productivity, Inc. in Plymouth, Minn., has worked
with robotics for nearly 20 years and in precision
manufacturing for 35 years. His companys core business
is selling and servicing CNC machine tools, but also has
a robotics group that he is in charge of. The company is
a distributor and integrator of FANUC robots, one of the
largest manufacturers of industrial robots.
Engles says with manufacturing making a renaissance
in the U.S., robotics can help the industry stay competitive
with low cost countries.
The robot allows skilled labor to be better utilized
by concent rat ing t heir sk ills on t hose aspects of
manufacturing that are critical to keeping quality high,
explained Engles. The robot kind of replaces the drudge
work, if you will, of putting and taking, inserting and
obtaining parts from machinery especially in a hazardous
situation. I think robotics really helps that.
March of the Machines

An enlightening, yet controversial 60 Minutes
segment called March of the Machines aired on January
13, 2013. While accurately portraying technological
advances in automation and robotics, the piece implied
that robots are costing the American workforce in the
elimination of routine, middle-skilled jobs.
Not everyone agrees with that assessment. The
Associat ion for Adva nci ng Automat ion (A3), t he
global advocate for the automation industry, expressed
disappointment in how 60 Minutes portrayed the
industry in a news release.
Human hands putting parts

on the shelf after it has gone
through a robotic cell.
A Custom end-effector is used to exchange nished

parts with un-machined blanks. Components used are
FANUC M10iA robot, Schunk PZN-50 grippers, special
tool stem, ATI QC-11 Robotic Tool Changer. Note that
custom jaws allow gripping of rectangular shapes using
conventional 3-jaw gripper for better clamping/carrying
force by robot. Hollow robot wrist allows extremely neat
arm dress-out, eliminating the bulky conventional umbilical cord to actuate EOAT components.
While the 60 Minutes depiction of how technological

advances in automation and robotics are revolutionizing the
workplace was spot on, their focus on how implementation
of these automation technologies eliminates jobs could not
be more wrong, said Jeff Burnstein, president of A3, a trade
group representing some 650 companies from 32 countries
involved in robotics, vision, and motion control technologies.
We provided 60 Minutes producers several examples
of innovative American companies who have used
automation to become stronger global competitors, saving
and creating more jobs while producing higher quality and
lower cost products, rather than closing up shop or sending
jobs overseas. They unfortunately chose not to include these
companies in their segment. With respect to MIT Professors
Brynjolfsson and McAfee who gave their viewpoint in the
piece, they are missing the bigger picture.
To paint advances in technology as just taking jobs
is very one-sided, stated Dr. Henrik Christensen, KUKA
chair of robotics and director of robotics, Georgia Institute
of Technology. Studies have shown that 1.3 better, higher
paying jobs are created in associated areas for every one
job that may be insourced. In fact, the larger issue is that
companies are having trouble nding qualied employees
to ll these high tech job openings. We instead should focus

on how best to educate our workforce in the United States so
that we can remain the leader in automation technologies.
The news release also cited the success of Drew
Greenblatt, president and owner of Marlin Steel (past
author of articles in Springs) and Matt Tyler, president and
CEO of Vickers Engineering. Greenblatt and Tyler were
featured in a discussion at a 2013 A3 conference on how
they successfully implemented automation technologies
instead of going out of business or sending manufacturing
overseas. They also participated in a separate roundtable
on How Robots Create Jobs.
Automation creates jobs in the United States,
said Greenblatt. Marlin Steel is hiring people because
our robots make us more productive, so we are price
competitive with China. Our quality is consistent and
superior, and we ship much faster. Our mechanical
engineers can design material handling baskets more
creatively since we can make more precise parts. Our
employees have gone 1,492 days without a safety incident
because robots can do the more difcult jobs while our
employees can focus on growing the business. American
manufacturings embrace of robotics will ensure a new

w
manufacturing renaissance in this country.
Roughly 90 percent of our automated cells
l aree
ls
producing parts that were previously made offshore
f
fshore
e
while the other 10 percent were also globally competitive,
e
etitive
,
o hass
on
strictly due to automation, said Tyler. Automation
U
d
not only allowed us to bring more jobs back to the United
States due to our 'new' cost structure, but our prot margin
m
n
has increased. This ultimately allows us to fund additional
i
itional
l
growth, which in turn creates more stateside jobs.
Environmental Benefits
Moreland says Automatic Spring Products Corporation
oration
n
r thee
re
uses robots in heat treating applications, where
i rable.
environment is hot and the job is not the most desirable.
So we have higher functioning robots that work in ourr
u
uctive
e
heat treating areas which allows us to be more productive
n
and competitive, plus we have a higher level of precision
and technology, said Moreland.
We arent asking a worker to be in an undesirable work
environment, and he says with a laugh, and the robot
doesnt care! The robot is happy to do its work in whatever
environment we place it in. And it will do it repetitively
and will do it without the labor costs.
Automatic Spring Products Corporation also uses
pick and place robots to extract parts out of machines, so
wire forms dont tangle. These kinds of applications are
prevalent throughout our manufacturing environment
and it takes a job that once was boring and monotonous,
explained Moreland. It eliminates that job and we are
able to retrain those employees to higher level work and
activities, so we both win.
Dan Sceli, president and CEO of Peterson Spring, says
his former company, The Woodbridge Group, where he
was a president, used robots at their 64 plants. He said
the robots were primarily used for mixing and pouring
liquid foam into heated, moving tools in specic patterns
for ow. Currently, Peterson Spring is not using robots at
their facilities.
Sceli says he doesnt see as many applications in the
spring industry for using robots, but is open to the idea
where it makes sense. He said areas like packaging could be
implemented down the road where the cost/benets align.
"Our quality is consistent and superior,

and we ship much faster. Our mechanical
engineers can design material handling
baskets more creatively since we can make
more precise parts. Our employees have
gone 1,492 days without a safety incident
because robots can do the more difcult
jobs while our employees can focus on
growing the business. "
In a news release issued by The Assembly Show, Jeff

Burnstein, president of RIA, said, It is great to see the
record demand for robots continuing into 2013, following
our record-breaking year in 2012. While activity continues
to be strong with automotive OEMS and tier suppliers,
the real story is the resurgence of other industries. Nonautomotive orders grew 15 percent over 2012.
Growth and Cost Considerations

There is no question that the robotics industry has
grown dramatically from the last time Springs examined
robotics in the May 1984 issue (see Flashback on p. 27).
According to the Robotics Industries Association (RIA), a
total of 5,833 robots valued at $341.2 million were ordered
from North American robotic companies through March
2013, an increase of 14.5 percent in units over the same
period in 2012 and 10 percent above the previous rst
quarter record set in 2005.
Most of the people who start thinking about

the robot want it busy, explained Engles. The
most common source of nancial justication
failure for robotic cells that I see happens
when the robot is over applied.
Further showing the interest in robotics, The Assembly

Show held in October 2013 included many robotic suppliers
such as ATI Industrial Automation, Epson Robots, IPR
Robotics, Janome Equipment and SCHNUNK, Inc.
Engles says the cost of robots has dropped in the
30 years since Springs produced its last article on
robots. Robots are cheaper and have much more robust
technology. They are much more capable and a dened
and engineered core piece of technology.
The average cost of robotic system today is around
$150,000, says Engles. Although the robot is the focal point
of a system, he says there are many other things involved
in putting together a robotic cell such as xtures, end of
arm tool sets, gripper ngers, conveyors and pallets.
Engles the typical payback period for robotics for a job
shop is more in labor reduction than capital investment.
He says the two most important areas to measure when
looking at robots is labor reduction and efficiency
improvement. He says robots are Just in Time (JIT)
manufacturing friendly and tend to have more uptime with
historic efciency gures above 90 percent.
Practical Considerations
When considering whether a robotic system is right for
your company, Engles suggests three things springmakers
should consider: repeatability, process stream and
simplicity.
You have to have a repeatable, sustainable ow of
work, advises Engles. Robotics doesnt lend itself to
traditional job shop work, where you only do a job once
and then its gone and you never see it again.
In his experience repeatable set ups are important.
You have to do enough homeworkeither towards a
nite number of parts that go through a particular cell
repeatedly with just set up changeovers from time to time,
or you have to have a core process ow through a grouping
of machines or operations. Thats consistent with a family
of parts or consistent processes.
A second consideration is mapping out the process
stream. You must address every aspect, explains Engles,
of how the part gets delivered into the cell, presented to

the robot to how they come out.
Finally, the last consideration is important, said
Engles, especially for small manufacturers: Keep it simple
in order to keep it manageable. A more complicated cycle
doesnt lend itself to being more productive.
Robotic systems that are simple generally tend to
be more versatile, easier to bring new parts into, and
ultimately have a higher uptime. As complexity increases,
so does change-over time. Changes to the part mix also
become more difcult, says Engles.
He says small manufacturers who are considering
automation must focus on keeping value-added machinery
producing in cycle and not worry so much about keeping
their robots busy 100 percent of the time.
Most of the people who start thinking about the robot
want it busy, explained Engles. The most common source
of nancial justication failure for robotic cells that I see
happens when the robot is over applied.
Engles has witnessed manufacturers who want a robot
to manage a lot of machines. Thats a false economy,
because if youre a machine shop or a spring manufacturer
thats running spring coilers you want to make as many
springs as you can. If you want to apply a robot to the
process and the robot sits for 20 percent of the time or even
50 percent of the cycle, so be it.
Dont worry if the robot is not 100 percent busy,
advised Engles, because your operators arent either.
Whether you decide its time to consider robots for your
spring operation, robotic integrators such as Productivity Inc.
can provide a valuable service, acting as an effective supplier
for the necessary planning and implementation process.
Toward the Future

While the adoption rate for robots has gone up, the
U.S. is still far behind the rest of the world. Engles points
out that China, often made out as the bad guy of foreign
competition, uses more robots per year than the U.S. does.
Theres something inherently wrong with that, says
Engles. Robots have been more readily adopted by the
rest of the world and America lags behind. America has
to do this (implement robots) in order to have a vibrant
manufacturing sector again.
The 60 Minutes segment, referenced ea rlier,
explained the success story of iRobot, started by Rodney
Brooks, a pioneer who ran the articial intelligence lab at
MIT. His latest project is a friendly robot named Baxter.
Brooks told the CBS news program, Its (Baxter) meant

to be able to go in a factory where they dont have robots
at the moment. And ordinary workers can train it to do
simple tasks.
Brooks says Baxter can pick stuff up off a conveyor
belt, costs $22,000 and can be trained to do a new task by
a coworker in just a few minutes. It can also be upgraded
like an iPad with new software as new applications are
developed.
Brooks and investors in his new startup, Rethink
Robotics, see a potential market worth tens of billions
of dollars, and believe that Baxter can help small U.S.
manufacturers level the playing eld against low cost
foreign competitors. Visit www.rethinkrobotics.com for
more information.
Other companies that show promise for industrial
manufacturing are Universal Robots www.universalrobots.com and Adept Technology www.adept.com.
With the cost and operational technology that has
improved over the last 30 years, it could be time for
springmakers to reconsider their use of robots. If not,
youll want to keep monitoring new robot developments,
like Baxter, to see if its time to bring them to your plant. Q
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Flashback
Introduction to Robotics
By G.C. Macri, Vice President, Productivity Systems, Inc.
(This excerpt is
from a complete
article that originally
appeared in the
May 1984 issue of
Springs.)
iStockphoto.com/angelhell
n awareness of automationincluding robotics is

necessary for springmakers who wish to remain
competitive in the future. This article will provide
a brief review of the development of robotics, the use of
an initial survey, and qualication of operations suited
for potential robotic operations.
Ten years ago, the United States and its manufacturing
industries were the leaders in robotic technology and
implementation. As of now, we have lost the lead in robotic
implementation and are about tied for rst place in the
area of robotic technology. Our loss has been the gain of
our foreign competitors, particularly Japan.
The dedication of U.S. manufacturing managers to
short-term payback periods (one to two years) precludes
the implementation of many hundreds or even thousands
of robotic systems in the United States. Overseas industries
look to ve to eight year payback periods or they do not
consider it at all. The only real consideration given to
robotic implementation by our overseas competitors is
the increase in quality and productivity over the longterm. Sweden, with its socialistic type government, has
increased their robotic population at a much greater rate
than we have in the United States.
Industrial management in the U.S. must change the
emphasis from short-range Return on Investment (ROI)
to an understanding of the need for long-range thinking.
Dale Hartman, director of manufacturing technology for
Hughes Aircraft Company, suggests that today we are
trying to do 21st century engineering with 20th century
manufacturing and 19th century accounting.
The dramatic rise in ination over the last few years
has caused us to lose sight of one of our goals, that of
increasing productivity to remain or become more
competitive worldwide. This loss of perspective is not a
late phenomenon, but was started some 12 years ago when
the United States productivity growth was 3.2 percent but
has since actually become negative (1982 = -2 percent).
The U.S. did improve in 1983, but if the average trend
continues with no more correction, using current rates
and trends, other nations will surpass us by 1990. The
spring manufacturing industry is in no way immune to
this national problem.
One of the technologies that can

help turn the above trend around
and increase productivity is the
eld of robotics. The United States
led worldwide in this eld once and
we could again with some effort.
The Robot Institute of America
(RIA) now defines an industrial
r ob ot a s, "a r epr o g r a m m a ble
mu lt i f u nc t ion a l m a n ipu l ator
designed to move material, parts,
tool s or spe c ia l i zed dev ices,
t h rough va riable progra m med
motions for the performance of a
variety of tasks." Although they
vary widely in shape, size, and
capability, industrial robots all
generally are made up of several
basic components: the manipulator,
the control, and the power supply.
The manipulator is the mechanical
device which actually performs
the useful functions of the robot.
Manipulators are pneumatically,
hydraulically, or electrically driven
jointed mechanisms capable of
as many as seven independent
coordinated motions. Feedback
devices on the manipulator provide
information regarding its motions
and positions to the robot control.
A gripping device or tool designed
for the specic tasks to be done
by the robot is mounted on the
manipulator.
The control stores the desired
motions of the robot and their
sequence in its memory, directs the manipulator through
this sequence or program, and interacts with the machines,
conveyors, and tools with which the robot works. Controls
range in complexity from simple stepping switches to
minicomputers.
Hyd raulically actuated robots also include a n
electrically driven pump, control valves, a reservoir, and
a heat exchanger in a unit which provides uid ow and
pressure to drive the manipulator.
Two Basic Types of Industrial Robots

There are two basic types of industrial robots: servocontrolled and non-servo. Motions of the non-servo robots
are controlled by xed stops on each mechanical joint, or
axis. Thus, each axis of these robots can move to only a
few positions. These stops are adjustable so that the end
positions of each axis can be set up as required for the
task to be done. This limits the capabilities of non-servo

robots to the performance of basically simple tasks. With
some non-servo robots, movable stops are provided which
are inserted or withdrawn automatically to provide more
than two positions for an axis.
The non-servo robots are relatively inexpensive; they
are simple to program or set up for the task to be done and
they require little maintenance. Simple stepping switches,
capable of executing single programs of as few as four
consecutive steps or solid-state electronic sequencers,
such as programmable controllers, are used for control.
The positioning precision of non-servo robots is in the
range of 0.010 in. Payload capacities range from 1 Ib. to
about 100 Ib., vertical and horizontal reach range from
10-72 in. or more and from two to ve independent axes
of motion may be available. Approximate prices range
from $8,000 to $40,000.
Despite their apparent universality,

indust rial robots a re not widely used
in the spring manufacturing industry.
Applications potential does exist in this
industry as our observations have shown,
but contacts with the robot manufacturers
and distributors indicate little or no action
by spring companies. This could be the
result of any of a number of reasons, one of
which could be that mentioned at the onset
of this article. Another may be that most
spring manufacturing facilities are relatively
small. Thus, their engineering resources are
limited and can only handle the product
problems at hand. The added task of incorporating a
new technology in the operation may be more than the
engineering staff may be able to handle. Also, the lack of
knowledge of the robotic eld may cause reluctance to
get involved. Therefore, I offer here an approach to robot
application planning, which illustrates a method on how
to get started in the application of robots.
Productivity System, Inc. (PSI) and others in the robotic/
automation systems consulting and engineering eld can
assist companies with the nding and engineering of
robotic applications. Some robot manufacturers also have
systems application groups which can be of assistance.
The Robot Institute of America (RIA)

now denes an industrial robot as,
"a reprogrammable multifunctional
manipulator designed to move material,
parts, tools or specialized devices,
through variable programmed motions
for the performance of a variety of tasks."
The servo-controlled robots incorporate feedback

devices on the manipulator which continuously measure
the position of each axis. These provide the capability for
the manipulator to stop each axis at any point within its
total stroke, rather than at only two or a few points. The
servo-controlled robots thus have much more capability
than the non-servo robots by being able to position a tool or
gripper anywhere in the total space which they can reach.
Many of the servo-controlled robots use minicomputers
or microprocessors in their control systems and are capable
of executing more than one program containing several
hundred sequential steps. The positioning precision of the
servo-controlled robots is in the range of 0.060 in. Payload
capacities range from 5 lb. to as much as 2,000 lb.; vertical and
horizontal reach ranges from 3-10 ft. or more and as many as
seven axes of motion may be available. Both point-to-point
and continuous-path playback capabilities are available.
Prices range from about $35,000 to about $180,000.
Industrial robots are being used for a wide variety of
tasks. They load inserts and unload parts from die-casting
machines and plastic-injection molding machines. They
load and unload parts at machine tools and stamping
presses. They handle parts or gages in inspection
operations. They handle cores and castings in foundries
and make shell molds for investment castings. They
handle hot billets and parts in forging operations. Robots
are used for resistance (spot) and continuous fusion
(arc) welding. They spray paint, stain, porcelain frit,
and plastic resins. They apply sealers and adhesives in
complex patterns. They perform many material-handling
operations, stacking and un-stacking parts in complex
patterns and handling hot, cold, fragile, large, small, light,
and heavy parts quickly, safely and reliably and work with
either stop-and-go or continuously moving conveyors,
often handling several parts at a time.
Robots are used for drilling, chipping, grinding,
polishing, and deburring a wide variety of parts, handling
either the parts or a power tool. They can be used to
perform a range of assembly tasks, often working in groups
under control of a central supervisory system.
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The methods or approach used by

any one or more of the foregoing
may differ from that presented,
but it will only be in detail and
format and not in basic concepts of
requirements.
Not everyone welcomes robots with open arms.

Production workers are concerned with the
possible loss of jobs. Factory management is
concerned with the possible loss of production.
Maintenance personnel are concerned with
the new technology. Company management
is concerned with effects on costs and prot.
Collectively, all of these concerns may be
reected in a general attitude that, "Robots are
OK, but not here."
Robotic Application Planning

The application of industrial
robots to manufacturing operations
is generally done under one of two
sets of circumstances.
The rst is the situation involving
a new facility, process or product;
here, robots are incorporated into the
initial plans and are implemented
routinely along with other equipment
and facilities.
The second, more common, situation involves the
application of robots to existing processes and operations,
often in response to management direction or upon
a suggestion from an engineering consulting firm or
a supplier of robotic equipment. Here, the robot must
be integrated into on-going operations and changes to
product, process, equipment, or facility which may be

necessary are often difcult to accomplish.
To assure success in either case, the application of
industrial robots must be approached in a systematic
manner. Launching a robotic production system is best
done in a multi-step process which involves not only the
robot, but the product, production equipment, layout,
scheduling, material ow, and a number of other related
factors. Where robots are being integrated into existing
operations, there are ve discrete steps in this process:
initial survey, qualication, selection, engineering and
implementation.
Conclusion
Not everyone welcomes robots with open arms.
Production workers are concerned with the possible loss of
jobs. Factory management is concerned with the possible
loss of production. Maintenance personnel are concerned
with the new technology. Company management is
concerned with effects on costs and prot. Collectively,
all of these concerns may be reected in a general attitude
that, "Robots are OK, but not here."
It is essential to know whether a robot will be given a
fair chance. Reassignment of workers displaced by a robot
can be disruptive. Training of personnel to program and
maintain the robot can upset maintenance schedules and
personnel assignments, and new skills may even have to
be developed. The installation and startup can interrupt
production schedules, as can occasional breakdowns of
the robot or related equipment. Unless everyone involved
is aware of these factors and is willing to accept them, the
probability of success is poor.
The rule to apply here is: A robot must be accepted by
people, not only on general principles, but on the specic
operation under consideration.
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The foregoing screening process will, no doubt,
eliminate a number of operations from the "shopping
list." Those which remain should be operations which
qualify as technically and economically feasible for the
application of robots. These operations should now be
prioritized, in preparation for the selection step. The
prioritizing of operations and subsequent selection of an
initial robot application can be facilitated by the use of
an operation scoring system. The elements of a scoring
system might include:
Complexity of the task.
Complexity of end-of-arm tooling, part orienters,
feeders, xtures, etc.
Changes required to facilities and related
equipment.
Changes required to product and/or process.
Frequency of change-overs, if any.
Impact on related operations.
Impact on safety related and hazardous operations.
Cost and savings potential.
Anticipated duration of the operation.
than the less important elements. How an engineering

group would evaluate or score a potential operation is
dependent on the manufacturing company's objectives.
Using a scoring system, each operation on the
"shopping list" can be rated and prioritized; the operation
with the highest score will be the prime candidate
for the rst application. Other factors such as timing,
management direction, experience, and human relations
are to be considered. However, subjectivity in establishing
priorities should be minimized.
Generally speaking, based on cost and operational
technology, most small precision spring companies are not
likely to nd an effective application for robotics at this
time. However, the time will come when robotics will be
used in the spring industry and it behooves springmakers
to monitor developments in robotic technology. Q
For each of the elements involved in the prioritization,

a set of measures and a score range is established, with the
more important elements having a higher range of points
ch, Nevada
Green Valley Ran
September 2013
SMI Fall Business

Meeting is a Winner
hose who attended the 2013 SMI Fall Business Meeting

at the Green Valley Ranch in Henderson, Nev. may or
may not have conquered the odds presented by the
casino. But due to the bevy of educational and networking
opportunities available, those who attended from September
29 to October 1, 2013 were able to walk away with plenty of
information and contacts to make them a winner.
The meeting began on Sunday, September 29 with the
SMI board and committee meetings and an evening cocktail
reception.
After a continental breakfast, it was time to get down to
business on Monday, September 30 with greetings from SMI
president Steve Moreland and vice president Hap Porter, who
helped organize the educational tracks.
The first morning sessions featured Chirag Shah of
Exova on "Does the Pareto Principle (The 80/20 Rule) Apply
to Spring Failures?" Then author and motivational speaker
Marc Wayshak presented ideas on "How to Close the Sale in

the New Economy."
The morning session concluded with presentations on
"The Affordable Care Act: How It Will Impact Your Business"
by Mike Campbell of CPS Financial. Former SMI president
Dan Sebastian brought insights on "Residual Stresses, Stress
Relieving, & CQI-9."
Following a networking Luncheon Buffet, John Mackay of
Mackay Research Group presented "Resurrecting Americas
Manufacturing Dominance," and Daniel Pierre III of JN
Machinery brought insights on "CQI-9 Requirements as it
Relates to Stress Relieving with Conveyor Ovens." The day
ended with tabletop exhibits as part of a cocktail and hors
doeuvres reception.
The nal day of the 2013 SMI Fall Business Meeting began
with an entertaining session on family succession planning by
Joe Murray of First Financial Group. Scott Schmidt of Black
Line Group, with the assistance of SMI member Hale Foote of

Scandic Spring, presented "Manufacturing Your Way to Lower
Taxes with the R&D Tax Credit."
The education portion of the event concluded with Dr.
Uwe-Peter Weigmann of WAFIOS Machinery Corporation, who
presented "Innovative New Technologies to Improve Quality
and Enhance Productivity in Spring End Grinding, Spring Coiling
and Wire Bending."
Moreland wrapped up the meeting, thanking attendees for
taking time out of their schedule to attend the Las Vegas meeting.
He announced that through the adoption of SMIs strategic plan,
the traditionalSMIFallBusinessmeetingwillnotbeheldin2015.Instead,
a new trade show and technical symposium is planned with dates,
times and more details to come.
We are excited about SMIs future, said Moreland, and this
new event in 2015 will be a game changer for the spring industry. Q

iStockphoto.com/aimintang
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SMI Hosts International Standards Organization

(ISO) TC-227 Meeting in Nations Capital
epresenting the United States
a nd t he A mer ica n Nat iona l
Sta nda rds I nst it ute (A NSI),
SMI served as the host of the ninth
annual global meeting of the ISO/
Te c h n ic a l C om m it te e 227. The
November gathering was comprised
of representatives from international
spring ma kers a nd sta nda rds
organizations who regularly convene
to draft and adopt standards for
manufactured springs. Among the
54 participants were delegates from
10 countries: China, France, Germany,
Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines,
Spain, Thailand, and the United States.
Eight SMI representatives attended
the Washington, D.C. meeting, led by
SMI Board of Directors member, Tom
Armstrong of Duer/Carolina Coil.
The meeting was convened by
Shigeo Aiba of Japan, the groups
secretariat. The highlights of the
meet i ng i ncluded
d iscussion of t he
Leaf Springs project
chaired by Chen Xin
f rom Ch ina. Th is
project completed the
committee discussion
stage and now moves
forward to the review
stage for all worldwide ISO member
countries to provide comments on the
draft document.
A new project, Disc Springs, was
proposed by and is being chaired by
Japan. Not only did Japan propose the
project, they offered a rst discussion
draft of a standardization document.
Osamu Noda of Japan was appointed
as the project leader for disc springs.
Wolfgang Hermann of Germany
was elected as the new chairman of
the group. His term started on January
1, 2014.
In addition to their working sessions,

the ISO/TC-227 delegates visited the
U.S. Capitol grounds and toured the
U.S. House of Representatives chambers
escorted by retired U. S. Congressman
Edward A. Pease.
If any U.S. companies would like
a spring standard proposed to the ISO
committee, contact Tom Armstrong or
Lynne Carr at SMI.
The French delegation agreed to host
the 10th annual meeting at a location to
be determined in October 2014. Q
A spouse event during the TC-227 meeting was

held at Restaurant Nora in Washington D.C.
Peterson Spring specializes in the

designing, prototyping, testing and
manufacturing of springs.
Peterson Spring
Celebrates 100 Years
or Peterson Spring, also known as Peterson American

Corporation (PAC), 2014 is a special year, as it
commemorates the companys 100-year anniversary.
It all started back in 1914 when Norwegian immigrant
August Christian Peterson and his son, Alfred, founded
the rst mechanical spring factory in Detroit.
From its humble beginnings, Peterson Spring has
grown to 13 manufacturing and distribution facilities
operating in four different countries: United States,
Canada, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. The company
supplies more than 450 customers in 48 different
countries with a broad line of mechanical springs, rings
and wire forms for various markets such as: aerospace
and defense, automotive, consumer products, industrial/
equipment, medical/healthcare, recreational vehicles,
specialty products (developmental, prototype, service),
and motorsports.
One of Peterson Springs most signicant products is
engine valve springs, which they started producing in 1912
(before incorporating). As the story goes, Barney Oldeld,
the most famous American race car driver of his day, called
August to ask for help. Valve springs were often the rst
thing to fail in a race car, and the Indianapolis race was a
few days away. Oldeld and August hand wound the valve
springs using drill rod, which August had hardened and
tempered. After the race August received a telegram from
Oldeld, saying they had beaten all the other American
entries.
Today, Petersons PAC Racing division manufactures
engine valve springs used in all types and classes of highperformance racing engines in street rods, Indy cars,
top-fuel dragsters and off-road vehicles. The knowledge
gained from the research and development for specialty
high-performance applications carries over into Petersons
valve spring designs for production automotive engines.
PAC Racings high performance sales and business
development manager Jason Youd says, Development
is key to maintaining performance advancements that
ensure success and race championships.
Research and development has proven vital over
the companys years and continues to propel Peterson
into the future by utilizing its impressive dynamic and

metallurgic laboratories and staff. New industries and
renewable energies bring new projects that are challenging
manufacturers around the globe to rethink traditional
products and processes and nd ways to make them more
efcient in design, cost, weight and size. Along with new
projects, new regulations or new expected product life
can accompany them.
Senior vice president of sales and marketing Don
Lowe says, Our experience and technical know-how has
earned such credibility in the industry, our customers
and suppliers rely on us to solve problems and identify
opportunities for improvement.
Above: Detroit, Michigan plant circa 1946.

Right: A new engine valve spring produced
by Peterson Spring.
Far Right: Dan Sceli has been president and
CEO of Peterson Spring since 2008.
By fostering innovation from all employees, investing

in state-of-the-art technology and tools that facilitate
new applications for their products, and maintaining
undeterred discipline in all aspects of service and
production, Lowe says Peterson Spring is poised to
brilliantly build upon their 100 year legacy of performance.
Both the second and third generation leaders of
Peterson Spring, Bud and Pete Peterson, served as
president of the Spring Manufacturers Institute (SMI).
In 1981, Bud was presented with SMIs prestigious Gold
Coil Award, which recognizes individuals for signicant
contributions of lasting importance to the spring industry.
In its long history, SMI has presented the award to only
two other springmakers. Today, current president and CEO
Dan Sceli and Lowe serve as board members.
In 2008, the company continued to thrive into the
fourth generation and it was at that time the family
reached out for support f rom experienced outside
management. Thats when Sceli joined the company as
president and CEO.
To take the company to the future Sceli installed a
new management group and a strategic plan. Among other
values, the strategic plan instills the Peterson Corporate
Culture.
Sceli stated, The Performance Culture is in fact
the foundation of our future prosperity and growth.
Encapsulated in the Peterson Corporate Culture is:
- Discipline in everything we do
- Hard work and integrity, operational and
business excellence
- Innovation by all
I would like to take this

opportunity to thank all
the employees, customers
and suppliers who presently
contribute to the continued
success of our company and
all the people who came
before, helping make our
place in the industry."
- Dan Sceli
Regarding the companys 100 year anniversary, Sceli

said, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all
the employees, customers and suppliers who presently
contribute to the continued success of our company and
all the people who came before, helping make our place
in the industry. We look forward to the next century and
what it will bring. Q
New Queretaro, Mexico

plant built in 2009.
iStockphoto.com/Squaredpixels
Heart and Soul

By John Passante
(Editors note: The following

article is reprinted by permission
of John Passante and is a chapter
from his new book, The Human
Side: High-Touch Leadership in
a High-Tech World. Passante
has previously contributed
articles to Springs on leadership
and management. See more
information on his new book at
the end of this article.)
he success of any business enterprise is based on increasing

prot, revenue and market share. The key elements of
an organization are its product, processes, distribution,
customer base, image, customer service, its ability to innovate
and adapt quickly to global market conditions and the quality of
its people. Obviously this is a tall order.
For those of us that toil in todays business world, I pose this
question: Can and should a business have a heart and soul?
I am sure that many hard charging, bottom line driven leaders
would respond to this question in a negative fashion and I can
perhaps understand their point of view.
True leaders are accountable to provide direction and a creative
vision of the future. With that vision, they need to view the
business through a different lens. The lifeblood of any enterprise
is fresh ideas that lead to innovation, which in turn drives
protability and sustains the future. In effect, businesses must
continue to reinvent themselves in order to offer new products,
services or processes that contribute to the long-term success of
the business. Innovation is the lifeblood of any organization.
The heart of any business are its people. A companys culture
either supports its people or does not.
People give the business its spirit and its freshness. They are
the face of the company to its customers, investors, vendors and
public. People have knowledge and opinions about your business,
and the ability to inuence its success. They are the heartbeat of
the company. Their loyalty, commitment and recommendations
are essential to long-term growth.
The factor inuencing the heart of a living organization is touch.
Heart has the ability to truly touch the customer and respond in
kind to their needs. As important as the companys advertising and
marketing messages are, employees are in fact the most

important element of a companys image. Human beings can
emote, laugh, listen and show compassion to others, while
computers cannot. This is the essence of heart.
The elements of corporate soul are purpose, passion,
courage and striving for greater achievements. Soul is
the re that motivates employees and encourages them to
dream big. It fuels excitement and a feeling of belonging
to something special.
Soul is the moral ber and compass that guides the
organization to exceed business objectives and to do good
at the same time.
A relationship-based organization is solidly anchored
in soul.
Some people say, Come on, markets are not about
morals, they are about prots. I say this is old thinking.
Thats a false choice.
The great companies will be the ones that nd a way
to have a hold on to their values while chasing their prots,
and brand value will converge to create a new business
model that unites commerce and compassion. The heart
and the wallet. The great companies of this century will
be sharp to success and at the same time sensitive to the
idea that you cant measure the true success of a company
on a spreadsheet, said Bono, the leader of the band U2
and a noted social activist.
Perhaps the concept of soul and the business world
appears at rst glance not to be a good t; however, upon
deeper investigation and contemplation, we should be able
to connect the dots.
I am rmly convinced that every organization has a
soul. It is woven into the ber of its culture. It is witnessed
by the well-being of its employees, the wondrous spirit that
one sees in their eyes and the enthusiasm that is in the
atmosphere. Soul is a persuasive calling of being engaged
in activities that make a difference.
What Will You Choose?

The book Trust Agents states that, A leader with
soul acts as a human artist, a person who understands
the so-called soft skills.
If the human side of business is so difcult, why is it
called the soft side?
The soft side is indeed difcult because it inuences
all aspects of an employees work life and carries over to
what they do at home. It inuences moods, personalities,
self-image, energy, pride and the ability to perform to their
potential. Good leaders must understand and appreciate
the soft side of the business.
As soul singer a nd songw riter George Jackson
proclaimed: You Gotta Have Soul!
Heres how I dene a companys S.O.U.L.:
S. - Service, responding to the needs of customers,
employees, vendors and shareholders.
O. - Open to risk taking and change.
U. - Understanding the importance of its employees.
L. - Loyal to its associates in good times and in bad times.

Does your business have or desire a heart and soul?
Perhaps now is the time for your companys 100,000-mile
check-up.
Tales from the Frontlines: Practicing Forgiveness

One of the most rewarding aspects of leadership is
when you have the opportunity to recognize performance
and promote an employee.
I remember working with a highly spirited, hardcharging salesman. He always went the extra mile, built
productive relationships with his customer base and
brought great passion to any assignment.
As a result I met with him and offered him a sales
management position that required relocation. At this
meeting I gave him a copy of our companys relocation
policy, which was quite detailed. I asked him to read this
document and get back to me.
One of my staff members came to my ofce the next
day and said, I need to make you aware of something. The
salesman who was offered the position is bad mouthing
the companys relocation policy and you personally. Of
course, I was dismayed, disappointed and somewhat hurt
and angry to hear this news. A day later, another employee
in the company told me a similar story.
Soon the young salesman was back in my ofce to
review the relocation policy. We spent over two hours going
100%
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M
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The Human Side

John Passante, a seasoned
manufacturing and distribution executive,
executive coach and speaker, has
published The Human Side: High-Touch
Leadership in a High-Tech World. The
new book from Passante challenges
readers to look at the human side of
leadership in light of an unprecedented
information age where technology can
sometimes isolate employees from
personal contact with their leaders.
The book embodies the timeless
principles of leadership I have taught in
over 1,000 seminars during my career,
explained Passante. If there is one point
I tried to drive home in my book and in
my teaching is that at the end of the day,
people are indeed the answer.
Passante is the president and CEO of
The Organizational Development Group,
Inc. The 118-page book is divided into
20, easy-to-read chapters. Each chapter
ends with Tales from the Frontlines
a practical story from Passantes career
explaining the principle outlined in the
chapter. The book not only serves as a

primer for future leaders entering the
workforce, it provides inspiration to
seasoned executives to hone their skills
and improve their leadership quotient.
Gary McCoy, managing editor of Springs
and president of Fairway Communications,
served as editor of the book.
The foreword to the book was written
by Rollie Massimino, the current
mens basketball coach at Northwood
Universitys Florida campus. He is
the former mens basketball coach at
Villanova University, where he led the
198485 Wildcats to the NCAA national
championship.
During my career Ive coached
hundreds of young men in basketball
and more importantly in the game
of life," explained Massimino in the
books foreword. One thing Ive
always emphasized is the vital role of
character. John Passante is a kindred
spirit who understands that character is
indispensable, whether you are playing
basketball or running a company.

The book, jointly published by The
Organizational Development Group
and Fairway Communications, is now
available. To order a copy, contact
Passante via email at: theorgdevgroup@
gmail.com.
through each paragraph in intense detail. At the conclusion

of this session, he was very pleased with what our company
would do for him and his wife and thanked me.
Of course, being a Sicilian, I was tempted to share with
him what I had learned about the negative comments he
shared with others regarding the company and me. But I
bit my tongue and swallowed hard.
The next morning as I drank my coffee, this young
salesman came to my ofce and said he had a confession
to make. When I rst read the relocation policy, I was
unhappy and I spoke ill, not only of the company, but
of you, and I was wrong. I did not sleep at all last night
because you have been kind to me and supported me and
I let you down.
I could see the stress in his eyes and on his face. After
a moment of silence, I responded, I was aware of your
comments and frankly was disappointed. I chalked it up
to your immaturity and your lack of business experience.
Let me emphasize that I still believe in you. I hope that
one day you will have empathy for a young salesperson
who may make a similar mistake and that you will use
this experience as a learning opportunity.
This gentleman is now a vice president of sales with a
large global manufacturer.
A key element of leadership with soul is looking for the
good in others and practicing forgiveness. Soul involves
teaching as well as caring more than others think is
practical. Q
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JSSE Semi-Annual
Lecture Meeting
and Awards
apan Society of Spring Engineers (JSSE) held its

semiannual lecture meeting, including a poster session
and a ceremony of the JSSE Awards, at Nagoya Trade
& Industry Center in Nagoya in November 2013.
Eight lectures and one special lecture were presented
to 135 attendees. The opening speech was presented by
Satoshi Suzuki, a vice-chairperson of JSSE in charge of
events and a director of Chuo Spring Co., Ltd.
Five technical posters were displayed in the lounge of
the main hall. The rst place poster was entitled Study
on Closure of Fatigue Crack by Controlling Dense Current
Field and Heat Treatment, presented by Yukiyasu Asaoka
et al. of Nagoya University.
The JSSE award ceremony was held prior to the
afternoon session of the lecture meeting. The Ronbun
prize went to Effects of Shot Peening and Artificial
Corrosion Pit on Fatigue Property of Suspension Spring
Steel, and Inuence of Hydrogen on Fatigue Property of
Suspension Spring Steel with Articial Corrosion Pit after
Shot Peening, by Manabu Kubota, Daisuke Hirakami
and Kohsaku Ushioda of Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal
Corporation. The Gijutu prize went to Evaluation on
Physical Properties of the Coating Film for Spring using the
Nano-Indentation, by Satoru Kondo, Takaaki Nishimura
and Jouji Murakami of Togo Seisakusyo Corporation; and
also to Development of High Fatigue Strength Fine Grained
Stainless Steel and Suitable Fatigue Test for Cylinder
Head Gasket, by Yuichi Fukumura, Masayuki Shibuya,
Kazuhiko Adachi and Eisuke Nakayama of Nippon Steel
& Sumitomo Metal Corporation. The Koseki prize was
awarded to Dr. Michihiko Ayada, NHK Spring Co., Ltd.;
Ken Okura, NHK Spring Co., Ltd.; Yoshiki Senda, Chuyo
Spring Co., Ltd.; and Kouji Higashimura, Marujo Co., Ltd.
Four certicates of Spring Technological Heritage
were presented to three spring manufacturers to express
JSSEs appreciation for their preservation of machines of
historical value. The four certicates (and three spring
manufacturers) include: Coiling Machine W11A made by
BHS Torin (NHK Spring Co., Ltd.); Universal Automatic
Coiling Machine UFA-1 made by Karl Hack (Matsuo
Industries, Inc.); Load Tester SF-25 made by PROBATWerke (Chuo Spring Co., Ltd.); and Forming Machine
RM-35 made by Otto-Bihler (Chuo Spring Co., Ltd.). Q
iStockphoto.com/ooyoo
Photos, from top: Satoshi Suzuki, JSSE Vice Chair giving the opening
speech; a poster Q&A session; award winners; and certicate awards.
Comforting Earthquake Victims

Michio Takeda
Benevolent force:
A boundless compassion
that extends 9,000 miles
hen a 9.0-magnitude
earthquake and tsunami
devastated Northern
Japan in 2011, Michio Takeda had
planned to y to Iwate and help
repair homes. Instead, he helped
raise the spirits of the devastated
souls around him.
These survivors, they are
different than people from other
parts of Japan, said Takeda,
a Japanese native who rst
journeyed to the states as an
English linguistics major under
the guidance of his mentor
and second mother, the late

McKendree professor and
missionary Mildred Silver. These
elderly have encountered tsunamis
and earthquakes more than once
in their lifetimes. They are a very
patient people.
But even patient people have
their limits. What they needed most
was continued prayer, not material
things, explained the grandfather
of two, who now resides in Carol
Stream, Ill. They are looking for
spiritual refuge in order to live
strong, spiritually and emotionally.
"These elderly have

encountered tsunamis
and earthquakes more
than once in their
lifetime. They are a very
patient people."
The survivors said there was

a difference among the volunteers
who came to help them, Takeda
continued. Christian volunteers
always came back.
A retired regional manager of
sales for Nippon Airlines who now
works part time for the Asahi-Seiki
manufacturing company, Takeda
retu rned to Japa n last yea r as a
volunteer with Tono Magokoro Net
disaster relief network in Iwate-ken

prefectu re. The volunteer group
established by citizens of Tono,
located an hour inland from the coast,
provided lodging, transportation, sitematching for 60,000 volunteers and
psychological relief to communities
in need of assistance.
Our work was with the elderly
people, he said. We visited them
in temporary housing. We gave them
Elders smiling as they

enjoy a cup of tea in
temporary housing
heart-to-heart communication. We
sang together. We had our tea together.
Mos t of t hem do not show
their complaint and anger. They
display their willingness toward
reconstruction with gratitude. Each
of them has an unexplainable good
expression.
Takeda is grateful he was able to
bring them comfort.
They said, Meeting with you
people from Tono Center is the best
time for us. The best time for us to
enjoy. We made a difference in their
lives. We tried to help them through
this difcult time. Q
Left: Michio Takeda (in his Tono Magokoro uniform) enjoying a cup of tea with
some of the people he helped. Right: A pot of miso soup, one of the breakfast
essentials for Japanese people.
(Editors note: This article originally

appeared in the Summer 2013 issue
of The Magazine for McKendree
under the heading Everyday
Superheroes. The article is reprinted
by permission of McKendree
University. Michio Takeda is a 1967
graduate of McKendree University.)
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iStockphoto.com/Bjrn Meyer
Springmaker Spotlight
By Gary McCoy
Leading His Team to Victory

A Prole of Norm Rodriques and Springeld Spring
s the head of Springeld Spring, Norm Rodriques doesnt use the usual
titles of chairman, president or CEO. Instead he describes himself as
the CFI or chief of fun and inspiration.
With a degree in physical education from Southern Connecticut State
University in New Haven, Conn., Rodriques invokes a lot of sports analogies
to describe his role as the coach for his team of employees. Hes insatiably
competitive, whether its at his pastime of choice, golf, or in the game of
business. Rodriques is all about winning.
Previous page: Rodriques is a frequent visitor to the plant oor to

encourage Springeld Spring employees. Above: The playful sign
outside Rodriques ofce door in Bristol. Right: Tina Malley and
Norm Rodriques have been partners in Springeld Spring since
they purchased the company in 2000.
SMI-member Springfield Spring Corporation is a

privately-held company with two locations, one in East
Longmeadow, Mass. and the other in Bristol, Conn.
Much of Rodriques competitive spirit comes from his
father, Raul, a former industrial arts teacher, track and
eld coach, World War II hero and father of seven children.
Rodriques tells the story of his father arriving back
from the war after being shot in the ankle in Germany and
almost losing a foot. He said his father had to walk with
the aid of crutches, and wore a leg brace as the result of
his injuries. Rodriques said his father got on a bus in the
Deep South and, due to his dark complexion, was told to
sit in the back of the bus with other African-Americans
(he was actually of Portuguese descent).
He told the bus driver that he killed more Germans
than the bus driver ever had on his bus, explained
Rodriques. The bus driver quickly said he could sit
wherever he wanted to. Rodriques points out that this
event happened well before Rosa Parks refused to give up
her seat to a white person while on a bus in Montgomery,
Alabama in the mid 50s.
At nearly 90 years of age, Rodriques dad still continues
to compete in track and eld. Hes participated in the
Connecticut Masters Games for nearly 20 years and been
to the National Senior Games four times, amassing several
trophies along the way.
Change in Direction
Rodriques says when he left high school he was
determined to be a school teacher and coach like his
dad. But on his way to fullling his dream, he changed
direction and went into sales instead. He rst worked
for Prudential, and Rodriques says his mentor, Gary
Kleinerman, taught him how to be a salesman.
He related that, In commission sales, if you dont sell,
you dont eat.
Rodriques eventually worked for a company that sold
screw machine parts and then to Vulcan Radiator. His
boss at Vulcan bought Springeld Spring, a company that
originally started in 1942. He asked Rodriques to come
work with him. As a result, Rodriques bought a 10 percent
ownership stake in the company.
That was in 1986 when Springeld Spring had sales
of $600,000, 14 employees, and everything was located in
East Longmeadow.
Rodriques admits he knew nothing about the world of
springs and wireforms, but he was willing to learn.
He says one of the best things he did was hire Tina
Malley in 1990 as ofce manager. She later became vice
president of the company. Rodriques credits Malley with
transforming the ofce into a computerized operation.
Because Rodriques and his boss had a difficult
time recruiting spring and fourslide talent in the East
Longmeadow area, in 1995 the company opened a branch
in Bristol and Rodriques was put in charge of it. He
The employees knew things were not going well, that we were
going backwards, explained Rodriques. But they didnt really
know because, like traditional companies, the owners are the only
ones staying up all night worrying about bills and note payments.
actually named the company Southington Spring and
Fourslide, a nod to his nearby hometown.
When an opportunity came in 2000 for Rodriques
and Malley to buy out the senior partner of Springeld
Spring, they took the plunge and became owners of the
business. They ended up merging the Bristol facility with
East Longmeadow to form the company in its current
state. Malley runs the operations in East Longmeadow,
while Rodriques spends more of his time in Bristol.
With a 51 percent stake in the company, Rodriques is
the designated president and CEO. The 51 percent stock
ownership also designates the company as a Certied
Minority Owned Business (MBE) and a U.S. Government
Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB).
Financial troubles came in 2001 when 9/11 hit and the
company was not meeting the income projections they had
provided their lenders.
The employees knew things were not going well,
that we were going backwards, explained Rodriques.
But they didnt really know because, like traditional
companies, the owners are the only ones staying up all
night worrying about bills and note payments.
But everyone else thought he was crazy, including his

partner, Malley, his accountant, and his bank, especially
when he declared, Im opening my books. Im going to
teach our employees how this place is run nancially. We
will win together or we will die together.
Rodriques said there was nothing magical about
teaching employees the nancials. The magic came with
all of us feeling more secure, that collectively we have a job
to do. And if we can take that job every day and see how it
affects us nancially, then we collectively will participate
in the resurgence of Springeld Spring. Bonuses were tied
solely to the companys annual nancial performance. The
company decided to use pre-tax income as the key bonus
driver. A new employee mantra emerged: Save the praise;
show me the raise!
The Turnaround Begins

Within a year of implementing a new business plan
based on open-book management principles, Rodriques
Magic Happens
Rodriques remembers the moment when he says
magic happened. He was at the airport and decided
to buy a book called Less is More by Jason Jennings.
The book proled high performing companies that were
operating at peak productivity.
One of the companies was Springeld Remanufacturing
in Missouri run by Jack Stack, who authored The Great
Game of Business about following an open-book
management philosophy in running his company.
Another company proled was Nucor Steel, a company
that Rodriques could quickly identify witha company
with its balance sheet upside down, lots of bank debts and
people out in the shop not knowing anything about the
companys nancial performance.
Rodriques said he was determined to turnaround
Springeld Spring by adopting the open-book management
philosophy.
So I went out and bought every book on open-book
management I could nd. He said he realized he was
nancially illiterate, so I read all these books and went
back to school myself. After six months of reading and
quizzing himself, Rodriques said he was ready to take the
plunge in this new direction.
forecasted a sales increase of $500,000 over the previous

year. Nobody thought they could reach that. But the
company did even better, growing from $4.5 million to
$5.6 million, and the growth has not stopped since then.
This was place was on fire that first year, said
Rodriques looking back on the turnaround. It looked
like champagne popping when a baseball team wins a
division series.
When I visited the Bristol plant this past fall, the
company had just set a new monthly shipping record and
would soon recognize the feat with a party.
We celebrate everything here, explained Rodriques.
Thats the essence of the open-book management culture.
He says thats the beauty of this game. Its not really
a business, it is a game. So as the coach, Im the chief of
fun and inspiration. Were not afraid to learn new things
because theres always someone there to help you.
Employees at Springeld Spring know how to read
income statements, balance sheets and other nancial
measurement tools. The underlying principle of openbook management is that every employee has a stake
in the companys success or failure. As a result, each
team member is empowered to do their job in ways that
contribute to the companys nancial performance.
I manage the spirit of the company, moving toward
meeting its nancial business goals, said Rodriques of his
role. Rodriques condently forecasts that 2013 revenues

will exceed $8,000,000 and 2014 sales are forecasted to
exceed $9,000,000. The company spends 10 percent of
sales revenue on new equipment each year.
With 26 employees in East Longmeadow and 23 in
Bristol, Springeld Spring makes compression, extension
and torsion springs, along with wireforms, stampings, light
assemblies and air lter holding frame clips. Rodriques
says their portfolio of customers is spread between
rearms, medical devices, lighting, lter frame hardware,
electrical distribution controls, window screen hardware
and military. Customers include Atrium Windows and
Doors, Bose, Coviden, Cook Medical, Cooper Lighting,
Eaton, Flanders, Otis, Schneider Electric, Smith & Wesson,
Sig Sauer and Toyota.
Each Springeld Spring location is measured with its
own nancial income statement and is accountable for its
own divisional protability. Each division has its own
nancial scorecard, which is a fundamental practice of
open-book management. Scorecards measure nancial
metrics such as: booked sales, invoiced shipments, returns,
cost of goods sold, administrative expenses, pre-tax income,
monthly incoming cash, inventory turns and sales backlog.
The second building expansion is planned in Bristol
sometime in the next 24 months. Last November, 2012, the
company moved into its rst 4,000 square foot expansion.
Its not really a business, it is a game. So as the coach, Im the chief of fun
and inspiration. Were not afraid to learn new things because theres always
someone there to help you.
Diversity
According to Rodriques, Springeld Spring has the
distinction of being one of ve certied MBEs in the
U.S., offering customers the opportunity to work with a
company that can help them meet supplier diversity goals.
Rodriques recognizes that having the certication
has helped open the door for the company to land
new business. But he says once the door is opened, his
employees help open eyes. With our nancially-educated
troops and commitment to world-class performance, weve
added additional weapons to our arsenal when facing off
against our competitors. Remember, those on an aircraft
carrier are disciplined and train for war every day. Theyre
ready when the threat arrives!
In addition to preaching open-book management,
he believes in a Lean-Six-Sigma Culture. Ultimately,
Rodriques wants his customers to become part of what
he calls The Springeld Spring Experience.
He says the experience is a commitment to the creation
of a long-term and strategic relationship with our valued
customers. Rodriques says its all about meeting and
exceeding customer expectations and being recognized
by customers as an extension
of their business.
As the company says in its brochure, We must help our
customers bring their products to the global marketplace,
increase their bottom lines, reduce their inventories,
minimize mistakes, expedite the ow of information and
create efcient systems to support these objectives.
Rod r iques su m ma r izes a ll t h is by say i ng,
Differentiating ourselves is part of the Springeld Spring
experience.
A passion for Springeld Spring oozes out of Rodriques
pores.
I really don't have a passion for springs. They're just
they're metal, he relates. They all look the same. I get
real excited about the people that make them, how cool it
is, how smart they are, how mechanical they are. And then
the customers we do business with see and experience the
same indefatigable passion.
Rodriques says as he talks with his employees, or
huddles with them, he wants them to understand
that they are not just making springs. I want them to
take pride in what they do, and take pride in the fact
that you participated in putting this (part) out into the
economy. You stimulated the economy. You're not just
springmakers. As he states to his employees, We're all
participants in this thing called commerce.
Light Hearted
Spending any time with Rodriques, its not hard to
laugh a lot. He denitely keeps things light hearted, even
making jokes about the prosthetic eyeball he wears as the
result of a golf club he took to the eye when he was nine
years old.
He often will crack jokes about himself and his Puerto
Rican/Portuguese heritage. He says he can do standup
comedy on himself and bring the house down. If you
cant laugh at yourself, youre way too serious about this
thing we call life!
On the golf course, people will ask him what his golf
handicap is. I tell them, Four, says Rodriques with a
chuckle. Short, bald, Puerto Rican and one eye.
Just like learning the game of business, Rodriques
dedicated himself to learning the game of golf and is now
able to consistently shoot in the mid 80s. As a former
Mr. Connecticut (1981) body builder, Rodriques likes to
exercise and read. Hes also busy keeping up with his
three children. He often spends time in Florida visiting
his daughter and his sister. During the college football
season hes busy watching his son play at Fordham, and
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Ever the coach, Rodriques tells his employees that instead of acting like a hotshot
football player who scores a touchdown and celebrates with an end zone dance,
he advises them to be like the player who hands the ball to the referee.
also keeping up with his other son, who is traveling the

world with the U.S. Army.
Around the Bristol area, Rodriques is known as the
driver of the Batmobile. Thats because when he bought
his Chrysler 300 several years ago, he had a Bentley grill
kit installed on it, and his kids said, Dad, that looks like
the Batmobile.
He replied, Yeah, it kind of does.
Rodriques later added a $15 bat plate to the car and
now people will say, I saw the Batmobile the other day
at Wal-Mart. Were you there? And Rodriques will say,
Yeah that was me.
Competition
When I asked Rodriques what his competitors would
say about him, he said he hoped they would say, "How is
that company continuing to put on additions in the heart
of the last recession? Why were they building a parking
lot when the banks blew up? Why were they putting on
an addition and hiring people when many people in his
industry were on furloughs? They never furloughed. Why
is there a sign out front for help wanted?
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Rodriques believes there is enough business for

everybody.
Every competitor has their own statement. They have
their own reason for being.
Rodriques quickly ips back to a football analogy that
every company (team) has its own playbook and way of
practicing for the game.
My team is practicing every day to compete with them
(competitors) on a level playing eld.
He adds, I don't know what my competitors say about
us. I really don't care.
Rodriques says he regularly tells his employees,
Don't share what we do outside of here. Don't brag about
what you got for a bonus. Don't brag that we didn't have
furloughs. Don't brag that we're putting on additions.
Thats bragging, that's cocky. When youre cocky, youre
going to eventually get smashed in the face.
Ever the coach, Rodriques tells his employees that instead
of acting like a hotshot football player who scores a touchdown
and celebrates with an end zone dance, he advises them to be
like the player who hands the ball to the referee.
If you dance in the end zone, you're red.
As Rodriques looks back on the turnaround at
Springeld Spring, he rmly believes it is due to openbook management and collaborative goal setting with his
partner, Malley.
As he told Design2Part magazine in a recent article,
When you open up your company, the possibilities of
how you measure and reward employees for making these
nancial gains are immeasurable.
Were always trying to catch people doing things right.
Were giving them the tools to measure doing things right.
KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) are great contemporary
tools for measuring productivity and quality gains but
theyre useless if you dont have employee buy-in or
engagement, explained Rodrigues.
He goes on to say, And what we have is a very
successful open managed company, a very transparent
business. I think just opening the books is too accounting
related. Our open-book management program evolved into
every other part of this company, and at the end of the
day, its the customer who benets by doing business with
Springeld Spring. We understand their own mission to
gain market share, reduce costs and improve prots. Q
Book Corner
iStockphoto.com/kertlis
Make It in America: The Case

for Re-Inventing the Economy
n his book Make It in America: The Case for ReInventing the Economy, Andrew Liveris, chairman
and CEO of The Dow Chemical Company (Dow),
presents a powerful case for how critically important
domestic manufacturing is to the long-term health of the
entire U.S. economy. Combining the best thinking from
Dow on how to drive economic growth and supported
through examples from around the industrial world,
the book represents a candid wake-up call to America to
re-invent its manufacturing base before it is too late.
If anyone, or indeed any company has the expertise
on this subject, it's Liveris and Dow. As one of the world's
largest manufacturers and global corporations, Dow has
been on the world manufacturing stage since it rst began
chemicals production in 1897.
Liveris, who has more than 30 years of experience in the
manufacturing industry, challenges conventional wisdom
and, using vivid examples from around the globe, he:
Explains how a manufacturing sector creates
economic value at a scale unmatched by any other,
and how central the sector is to creating jobs both
inside and outside the factory.
Explores how other nations are building their
manufacturing sectors to stay competitive in the
global economy, and describes how America has
failed to keep up.
Provides an aggressive, practical and comprehensive
agenda that will put the U.S. back on track to lead
the world.
Liveris sees where America is losing groundfrom

innovation to job creationand explains how we can
take back our future. Make It in America is a must-read
for anyone who believes that America's greatest, most
productive, most prosperous days are not behind us but
ahead of us.
The updated edition, published in January 2012 by
Wiley, sells at a suggested M.S.R.P. (U.S.) of $18.95. Q
Have a favorite business

book you would like to
tell us about? Send your
suggestions to Springs editor
Gary McCoy at gmccoy@
fairwaycommunications.com.
bFZd^
Women in Manufacturing (WiM) encourages the

engagement of women who have chosen a career in the
manufacturing industry. JOIN today and share with us what
you make, engage in the conversation and listen to what
members are saying!
fh]^kgPHF>G
fh]^kgPHKD
womeninmanufacturing.org
Powered by PMA
Inside SMI
iStockphoto.com/seracus
Lynne Carr Named Executive Director

Originally joining SMI in 1995 in
a part-time capacity, Lynne Carr has
risen to the top of the organization.
This was affirmed this past fall,
when Carr was promoted by the SMI
executive committee to the role of
executive director.
In making the announcement
to members, SMI president Steve
Moreland said the promotion is an
affirmation of the outstanding job
Carr has done since stepping into the
role of SMIs general manager almost
six years ago.
"Working with Lynne very closely
these past two years as SMI president
has really made me aware, even more
than before, just how amazing Lynne
is, explained Moreland. She has
wonderful organizational skills, a
great ability to multi-task, and a broadbased knowledge of all facets of the
SMI operation along with an extensive

understanding of SMI history.
Mor ela nd sa id Ca r r work s
tirelessly on behalf of SMI's entire
membership.
In addition to her outstanding
sk i l l s, i s Ly n nes u nb el ievable
passion, commitment and dedication
to the SMI and its entire membership."
Carr started at SMI after being
at home with her children, Alyson,
Mark, and Tracy for 12 years. Prior
to that she worked at Liberty Mutual
for 12 years. She is married to Rick.
Im honored to serve the members
of SMI, said Carr. The spring industry
has been a part of my extended family
for the past 19 years and I look forward
to many more great years helping lead
this organization forward.
Carr has come a long way since an
SMI Staff Focus that was published
SMI Board Adopts

Strategic Plan
The SMI Board of Directors met in

regular session during the 2013 Fall
Business Meeting at the Green Valley
Ranch in Henderson, Nev. Af ter
reviewing the results of a strategic
planning process, two main initiatives
emerged: expanding SMIs focus and
knowledge as an organization on
technology, and beginning a national
trade show combined with a technical
symposium.
The board voted to proceed with
the trade show to be held in the fall of
2015. A date and location for the show
will be determined later by a special
in the Winter 1998 issue of Springs

where she stated that she would like
to be remembered as being the best
envelope stuffer.
trade show committee, headed by Dan

Sceli of Peterson Spring.
Sceli, chairman of the regulatory
compliance committee, announced
that Jim Wood will be retiring from his
role as SMIs regulatory compliance
consultant. A search for a replacement
for Wood will begin immediately.
Wood was acknowledged for his long
service to SMI with a standing ovation
from the board.
A motion was approved to start a
job board for SMI members. Details
on the job board will be put together
by Lynne Carr and announced to
members at a later date.
Inside SMI
SMI Mourns Loss of Members

It is with regret that Springs reports the death of John Wallis
Mink, husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, friend and
community leader. He died peacefully on Saturday, November 9,
2013 with his wife and daughters by his side, after battling cancer with dignity and personal strength for several months.
Mink was born on April 9, 1940 in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He
married his high school sweetheart, Roberta Robbie Kemp, in
1962. Together they raised two daughters, Pamela and Barbara.
Mink graduated from the University of Wisconsin as a mechanical engineer. He moved to Rockford to start his career at
Barber-Colman in 1963. He received a masters degree in business from Northern Illinois University. In 1988, Mink became
owner and CEO of Rockford Spring Co. After its sale in 2007,
Mink was CEO of Zenith Cutter until its sale in 2012.
Mink made an imprint on his beloved Rockford through the
community boards he had the honor of serving. In addition to
the many boards, Mink was an active member of Christ United
Methodist Church, Rock Valley Kiwanis Club, Northern Illinois
Corvette Club and University of Wisconsin Alumni Club of
Rockford.
Mink loved God, his family, his friends and his community.
He enjoyed his Corvette, the Green Bay Packers, sailing, golfing, jazz music, and any building project he could get his hands
on. Spending time at his Wisconsin lake home and attending
his grandchildrens sporting events and activities were two of
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e-mail: sales@admiralsteel.com
Admiral is a registered trademark of Admiral Steel LLC. Alsip, Illinois.
Reg. No. 2430959. All rights reserved.
his favorite past times. Mink was a strong advocate for donor
awareness and held a special place in his heart for his kidney
donor, Scott.
Survivors include his wife of 51 years, Robbie; daughters,
Pam (Gregg) Herrmann and Barb Mink; grandchildren, Peter and Matthew Herrmann and Molly Mink; brother, David
(Marge) Mink; sisters, Linda (Kenneth) Slater, Ruth (Robert)
Callan and Virginia Roders; sisters-in-law, Nancy Kemp (Wilson)
and Susan (Mink) Spitzer; and many nieces and nephews. He is
predeceased by parents, brother, Kenneth and brothers-in-law
Richard Roders and Gerald Wilson and mother- and father-inlaw Eleanor and James Kemp.
Services were held Saturday, November 16; in lieu of
owers, memorials may be given in care of the family to be
distributed to Minks chosen organizations.
Ben Hittleman, 93, of Delray Beach, Fla. passed away on
December 15, 2013. Hittleman owned the Bristol Spring Manufacturing company, located in Plainville, Conn. He is survived
by his wife of 66 years, Hannah [Rosenblatt] Hittleman, two
daughters and their husbands, Sandra Myerson and Michael
Gailus of Kirkland, Wash., Bonnie Hittleman-Lewis and Paul
Lewis of West Hartford, Conn. and son, Randie Hittleman of
Lake Worth, Fla. He was predeceased by his son, Edward
Hittleman of Cheshire, Conn. He leaves seven grandchildren
and ve great-randchildren. Services were held on December
18, 2013.
Donald F. Radcliff, 92, died on December 22, 2013 at
home. He was born in Plainville, Conn. on May 5, 1921 and
was the son of the late Frank and Jessie (MacDonald) Radcliff.
He was the founder of Radcliff Wire Co., Bristol, Conn. in 1959.
He was a U.S. Army Veteran of World War II serving in the
78th Division. He was active in reunions with members of the
78th Division for many years.
Radcliff graduated from Morse College with an associate
degree in accounting. He was a member of Village Lodge #29,
A.F. & A.M., Collinsville, Conn. He was also a member of SMI,
NESMA, and the American Legion, Plainville. He was a hunter
and an outdoorsman. He enjoyed his trips to Maine in the fall
to go hunting with friends.
Besides his wife Betty, he is survived by three sons and
daughters-in-law, Frank and Elizabeth Radcliff of Mooresville,
N.C., James and Priscilla Radcliff of Cary, N.C., Charles and
Barbara Radcliff of Bristol, two daughters, Jeanne Radcliff of
Bristol and Alice Radcliff of Rocky Hill, Conn. He also leaves
seven grandchildren and three great grandchildren. Services
were held on December 27, 2013. Q
New Products
iStockphoto.com/hseyin harmandagl, morkeman, PeskyMonkey
New Duplex Stainless

Steel Wire from Sandvik
Sandvik has introduced a new duplex
stainless steel spring wire, Sandvik
Springex SF (super fatigue resistant), that the company says will meet
the extreme fatigue performance demands of springs in common rail fuel
injection systems in motor vehicles.
These plunger springs need the
necessary strength to carry high repetitive loads and to last the lifetime of the
motor, without risk of failure. Space is
limited and so the spring also needs to
be small about 40 grams of wire.
The company says testing as a
compression spring has conrmed that
Sandvik Springex SF wire can resist
more than 300 million highly-stressed
cycles, which has led to line qualication
for the new material by a major manufacturer of common rail systems.
As well as the fatigue resistance
challenge of plunger springs, Sandvik
believes that the new material may nd
applications in other markets. Typically,
applications where conventional stainless
steels are used but greater fatigue resistance is required, where other material
grades are used but better corrosion
resistance is required or as an alternative
to coated surface springs made from
carbon, Cr-Si or Cr-Si-V steels.
A full technical article on the new

material is available from Phil Etheridge,
an application specialist with Wire Sandviken, Sweden. You can reach Etheridge
at phil.etheridge@sandvik.com or phone
+46 26 26 31 20.
Dialight Reveals New LED Products

with Integrated Long Life Power Supply
Dialight, a global leader in LED
lighting technology, has received UL
certication and CE compliance for its
DuroSite LED High Bay and Low Bay
product portfolios for industrial applications with a new long life power supply.
With efciencies up to 107 lumens per
watt, the new power supply will be available in 17,000-3,800 lumen output xture
versions.
This latest achievement in our LED
power supply development gives our customers up to a seven percent increase in
efciency across the high bay and low bay
portfolio, said Roy Burton, Dialights

group chief executive. Backed by our
comprehensive 10 year full performance warranty, our industrial lighting
xtures continue to be some of the
most widely installed LED xtures available today.

Dialights says its in-house power
supply development is already proven to
deliver extremely reliable and effective
LED xtures with signicant benets,
including superior lumen per watt efciency, high power factor, low THD,
various input supply options and high
transient surge protection.
For more information about Dialights
complete line of LED lighting solutions,
visit www.dialight.com.
New Products
Rite-Hite Introduces New LED Dock Light

Rite-Hite, a manufacturer of loading dock equipment, industrial doors,
safety barriers and high-volume, lowspeed industrial fans, is introducing a
new LED dock light design called the
Rite-Lite Flex Neck LED Dock Light.
The new light incorporates Flex Neck
Technology, which offers enhanced
exibility and adjustability when lighting a trailer or container at the loading
dock.
There has been very little innovation in LED dock lights since they
were initially introduced a few years
ago, said Andy Olson, marketing
manager for Rite-Hite. We wanted
to bring something new to the
market that addresses the unique demands found at the loading dock.
The new Rite-Lite Flex Neck
LED Dock Light features a multi-
articulating arm made from molded

nylon links. The links offer multiple
bend points for increased exibility
at the loading dock. The bend points
can be easily modied in the eld to
address unique needs, or obstructions that may be encountered at a
dock opening. In addition, the links
can be tightened, if necessary, to
eliminate the sagging that often occurs with traditional metal snake arms.
There are four different settings with
visual indicators to clearly identify
the current level of lighting, allowing
users to select the desired level of
light output. In addition, an optional,
auto-dimming feature senses when
a forklift or person exits a trailer and
automatically dims the light to reduce
glare. Finally, the light incorporates
a dimming feature that recognizes
when the light has been on for more

than 30 minutes, with no activity in
the trailer, and automatically resets
the light to its lowest setting. All of
these features help to reduce power
consumption, while offering more
lighting options for loading dock
operators.
To learn more about the new
Rite-Lite Flex Neck LED Dock Light,
visit RiteHite.com or call Rite-Hite at
1-800-456-0600.
HTC Introduces
60CL Spring Coiler
HTC Spring Machinery and Forming
Systems, Inc. has announced the addition of
the new HTC 60CL, a ve axes CNC spring
coiler with a wire range of 2.2mm 6.0mm
(.086.236).
This new design replaces the previous 4 axes
60CF machine. Features include ve programmable axes including feed, O.D., vertical pitch,
horizontal pitch, and cutter. The touch screen
interface simplies programming, while the
advanced coiling point system simplies conversion from RH to LH coiling. HTC is known for
their straight forward and easy to use software.
The camless operation provides fast and
efcient setup and operation. Both rotating and
straight cutoff are standard on the HTC coilers.
Additionally, the mandrel in/out movement is
also programmable. This machine is also available in 8.0mm size. HTC currently produces
CNC spring coilers for wire sizes ranging from
0.15mm to 18mm (.006 .708)
For additional information, contact Forming
Systems, Inc. at info@formingsystemsinc.com
or 269-679-3557. Q
The Spring Manufacturers Institute thanks the following

sponsors for their support of our Annual Meeting
Platinum sponsors
Gold Sponsor
Bronze Sponsors
Advertiser's Index
A & D Trading
(440) 563-5227 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Admiral Steel
(800) 323-7055 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Alex Industries
(847) 298-1860 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
Alloy Wire International
(866) 482-5569 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
CASMI
(630) 369-3466 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Century Spring,
Division of MW Industries
(800) 237-5225 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Diamond Wire Spring Co.
(800) 424-0500 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Elgiloy Specialty Metals
(847) 695-1900 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 5
Forming Systems Inc.
(877) 594-4300 . . inside front cover,
back cover
Gibbs Wire & Steel Co. Inc.
(800) 800-4422 . . inside back cover
Gibraltar Corporation
(847) 769-2099 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Industrial Steel & Wire

(800) 767-0408 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
InterWire Products Inc.
(914) 273-6633 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
JN Machinery
(224) 699-9161 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
Kiswire
(201) 461-8895 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Link Engineering
(734) 453-0800 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Mapes Piano String Co.
(423) 543-3195 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Messe Dsseldorf
(312) 781-5180 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
NIMSCO
(563) 391-0400 . . . . . . . . . 37, 49
North American Spring Tool
(860) 583-1693 . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Proto Manufacturing
(800) 965-8378 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
Radcliff Wire
(860) 583-1305 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
RK Trading
(847) 640-9371 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Rolled Metal Products

800) 638-3544 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Simplex Rapid
(563) 391-0400 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Spectral Systems
(800) 393-4747 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Spring Manufacturers Institute
(630) 495-8588 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Suzuki Garphyttan
(574) 232-8800 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
Tool King
(800) 338-1318 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Ulbrich Stainless Steels
(203) 239-4481 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
United Wire Co.
(800) 840-9481 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Vulcan Spring & Manufacturing Co.
(215) 721-1721 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
WAFIOS
(203) 481-5555 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Women in Manufacturing/PMA
(216) 901-8800 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Zapp Precision Strip
(203) 386-0038 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Snapshot
iStockphoto.com/Tryfonov Ievgenii, nicholas belton
Jim Callaghan
MW Industries
Name: Jim Callaghan
Nickname: Dex
Job title: Former CFO of MW Industries,
SMI Honorary Member, SMI Finance

and Trade Show Committee member.
Birthplace: Springeld, Mass.
Current home: Logansport, Ind.
Family: Sons, Kevin, 29, and Sean, 26.
What I like most about being in the
industry: The great friendships.
Favorite food: Ethnic food, especially
Italian and Mexican.

Favorite books/author: Interesting
biographies and history.

Favorite song/musician: I love all kinds
of music, favorites would include Van
Morrison, the Rolling Stones, Stevie
Ray Vaughan and John McGrath.
Hobbies: Tennis, Boston sports teams
and coaching Special Olympics track and
basketball. I will be coaching the Indiana
track team at the2014 National Special
Olympics games in Princeton, N.J.
Favorite places: Indianapolis,
Pictured (l-to-r):
Kevin, Jim and Sean Callaghan
My most outstanding quality is:
Determination.
People who knew me in school thought
I was: Too hyper for the nuns at
Cathedral High.
I knew I was an adult when:
My oldest son Kevin was born.
Milwaukee, Daytona Beach, Fla., and

Portstewart, Northern Ireland.
If I wasnt working in the spring industry I

would like to: Be a history professor.
Best times of my life: My four years at
The most difcult business decision

I ever had to make was: Leaving
Faireld University.
A really great evening to me is:
Good times with family and friends.

The one thing I cant stand is: People
who are all talk and no action.

Associated Spring/Barnes Group after

13 great years to join Dan Sebastian
and the turnaround team at Matthew
Warren Inc. It was one of the best
decisions of my life.
Role models: I was blessed with special

parents who taught me to enjoy life and
to have a strong work ethic. My sons
Kevin and Sean continue to inspire and
amaze me.
I would like to be remembered in the
spring industry for: Helping build one
of the best companies in the spring

industry.
But people will probably remember me
for: The numbers guy on the nance
committee who always enjoyed the

SMI conventions.
:K\3DUWQHU:LWK*LEEV"+HUHV:K\
Just a small sampling of the actual
emails and calls we receive from our
customers every single day
You are awesome! There is not another
supplier that even comes close to beating
your response time!
Thank you so much for such quick response

on all 3 orders. This is world class service.
You guys are total rock stars!!! Couldnt be

better! MUCHO MUCHO thanks!
You guys are AWESOME! Tell everyone

THANK YOU!
You take such good care of me. Thank you

so much!
You have so made my weekend! TGIF!
We recognize that a key component of your buying decision

is based on customer service. Our goal is to be the best at
customer service and support in our industry. Based on our
customer comments it is clear we are providing the service
levels you need. We will not rest until every customer feels
the above statements could be written by them!
and knowledgeable employees you can count on. From our

newest hire in the warehouse to our most senior employee in
management. Men and women who truly care about the work
they do and the customers they serve. Thats why so many
leading comanies have chosen to partner with us.
Since 1956 Gibbs Wire and Steel has represented a

combination of responsiveness, innovation and leading edge
technology, the lowest total cost and a team of dedicated
The People You Can Rely On For Wire And Strip

ZZZJLEEVZLUHFRP
Connecticut
Indiana
Texas
California
North Carolina
Ontario
Mexico

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WINTER 2014

A Publication of the Spring Manufacturers Institute / Vol. 53, No. 1

THE INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE OF SPRING

Robots and the

SMI Executive Committee

SMI Board of Directors

Passing the Gavel

2 / SPRINGS / Winter 2014

Springs Magazine Staff

Springs Magazine Committee

SPRINGS / Winter 2014 / 3

32 SMI Fall Business Meeting

36 Peterson Spring Celebrates

45 JSSE Semi-Annual Lecture

13 Be Aware Safety Tips

15 IST Spring Technology

SPRINGS / Winter 2014 / 5

For over 25 years, Zapp has been providing

East Coast Service Center, 100 Benton St., Stratford, CT 06615

Kern-Liebers Pieron (KLP) has manufactured precision

Chicago-based Rolled Metal Products has appointed

SPRINGS / Winter 2014 / 7

Jon adds an exciting amount of drive and experience

CSS services includes consultation on stranded versus

For over 25 years, Rolled

Your Edge Is Our Roll

working with the facilitys

Top: Brian Russell

continuous service and been welcomed into the companys

Brian Russell has retired after a 44-year career with

SPRINGS / Winter 2014 / 9

WCSMA Closes Out 2013

10 / SPRINGS / Winter 2014

NESMA Christmas Celebration and Recognition Dinner

and jocular comments and welcomed

Chamber of Commerce who ably

222 East 16th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90015

SPRINGS / Winter 2014 / 11

Regional Association Report

only two general gatherings per year,

Bobby Cox from North American Spring

still available to help springmakers

Be Aware Safety Tips

t is a misconception that OSHA picks companies

When an OSHA inspector appears at your front door,

ofcer will consult privately with a reasonable number of

Jim Wood is an independent regulations

SPRINGS / Winter 2014 / 13

join the best

Meeting point: wire 2014 in Dsseldorf!

For show information: Messe Dsseldorf North America

14 / SPRINGS / Winter 2014

immediately. While the law requires that these hazards

Jims Regulatory Tip:

IST Spring Technology

id you know stainless steel was invented 100 years

The 18/8 stainless steel is usually called 302 or 304

SPRINGS / Winter 2014 / 15

(Mo) is an alloying element, and it may

The leading brand

...tailor made to fit your order perfectly.

Inconel Phynox MP35N Hastelloy Monel

Call Toll Free: 1-866-482-5569

16 / SPRINGS / Winter 2014