Springs, Winter 2022, Vol 61 No 1

WINTER 2022

THE INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE OF SPRING MANUFACTURE

A Publication of the Spring Manufacturers Institute / Vol. 61, No. 1

SAFETY� FIRST

Safety First......28 An Interview with Dr. Laura Helmrich-Rhodes......33 Forecast 2022......40 The Role of Board Evaluations in a Family Business......44

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President’s Message From Bert Goering

Commit to a Proactive Safety Culture This edition of Springs Magazine focuses on “Safety First,” which is ironic as it is “safe” to say that I am so happy to be passing the duty of creating salient and meaningful president’s messages for our treasured magazine to our next leader!

Being an engineer by education, this is not in my wheelhouse, and I want to pay credit to the team in charge of this great magazine for helping me sound somewhat relevant and on-topic!

That being said, safety is fundamental to any successful business, regardless of industry. However, for those of us in the world of spring manufacturing, it’s even more critical. Manufacturing requires workers to engage in potentially high-risk activities, from unloading raw material on the receiving dock, to running a 15-axis former, from packing a shipping box to operating a punch press—the opportunities for injury are endless. Due to the inherent risk of working in an industrial environment and operating machinery, it is essential for employers to take action to mitigate safety hazards, educate employees on potential risks, and incorporate safety into the culture of their organization.

I have been a member of a family held business for decades, and we have always come from a perspective that we have a duty to our employees to provide them with a safe workplace, one that allows them to excel in taking care of our customers’ needs. Our employees must first see and know that we care for their well-being while at our facilities. With a focus on creating an active and engaged safety culture, this has proven to help ensure a level of trust that shows up in so many aspects of employee engagement, loyalty and tenure.

Safety has evolved over the decades that I have been hanging out in the spring industry. Back when dinosaurs roamed the earth (meaning that fax machines were the edge of technology), safety was about the “obvious” levels, such as proper machine guarding, electrical/fire prevention issues, and then to PPE opportunities. Now we focus on the “invisible” safety risks of hazardous dust and chemicals exposures, and our newest nightmare, COVID-19 (and other potential pandemic challenges yet to come). As a result, it is more important than ever to engage professional help in navigating these increasingly complex challenges (which SMI can help you with through our regulations compliance consultant Laura Helmrich-Rhodes!).

Nowadays with so many lawyers crawling around, it is not only good business to fully commit to creating a proactive safety culture, but it may be the difference in remaining in business with new and severe liability exposures.

Cheers!

Bert Goering

SMI Executive Committee President: Bert Goering, Precision Coil Spring Vice President: Gene Huber, Jr., Winamac Coil Spring Secretary/Treasurer: Don Jacobson III, Newcomb Spring At Large: David DeVoe, Plymouth Spring Past President: Steve Kempf, Lee Spring Executive Director: Lynne Carr, SMI

SMI Board of Directors Jennelle Carlier, S3 Wireform • Kelley Christy, Diamond Wire Spring • Dave Deerwester, The Yost Superior Co. • Joe Devany, Betts Company • Chris Fazio, Diamond Wire Spring • Linda Froehlich, Ace Wire Spring & Form • Brett Goldberg, International Spring • Agustin Estalayo Ibanez, RPK Mexico SA de CV • Don Lyons, JonSpring • Peter Mendel, Kern-Liebers USA • Rob Meyers, RK Trading • Alex Melnikow, Midstate Spring • Tony Pesaresi, Winamac Coil Spring • Keith Porter, Newcomb Spring • Tim Zwit, Michigan Spring and Stamping

Springs Magazine Staff Lynne Carr, Advertising Sales, lynne@smihq.org Gary McCoy, Managing Editor, gmccoy@fairwaycommunications.com Dina Sanchez, Assistant Editor, dina@smihq.org Lisa Plefka Haskin, Art Director, lisahaskin95@gmail.com

Springs Magazine Committee Chair, Keith Porter, Newcomb Spring • Reb Banas, Stanley Spring & Stamping • Lynne Carr, SMI • Hale Foote, Scandic Springs, Inc. • Patrick Gillum, Gilco Spring of Florida, Inc. • Adam Jacobson, FENN/Torin • Lucas Karabin, Acme Monaco • Michael Shapiro, Gibraltar Corporation • Europe Liaison: Wolfgang Hermann, VDFI • Technical Advisor: Dan Sebastian Advertising sales - Japan Ken Myohdai, Sakura International Inc. Head Office: 3F,4F, ENDO Sakaisuji Bldg., 1-7-3, Bingomachi, Chuo-Ku, Osaka 541-0051, Japan Phone: 81-6-6624-3601 • Fax: 81-6-6624-3602 Tokyo Global Office: 5F Kamei No. 2 Bldg., 2-17-13, Kiba, Koto-Ku, Tokyo, 135-0042, Japan Phone: 81-3-5646-1160 • Fax: 81-3-5646-1161 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; 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 designed by Lisa Plefka Haskin utilizing Shutterstock photographic imagery.

2 | SPRINGS | Winter 2022

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Contents 28

FEATURES

28 Safety First

By Gary McCoy

33 Safety First: An Interview with Dr. Laura Helmrich-Rhodes

By Gary McCoy

40

36 Pandemic Safety Strategies

44

By Annelise Mackiewicz

37 Safety in the Workplace

By Brian Durkin

40 Forecast 2022: Clearing Skies; Chance of Showers

By Phillip M. Perry

44 The Role of Board Evaluations in a Family Business

By Rob Sligh

COLUMNS

15 Be Aware Safety Tips

Have You Heard About OSHA’s Hearing Conservation Requirements?

By Laura Helmrich-Rhodes

19 Dean of Springs

It’s Time to Take a Deep Breath and Restart: Four Score and Seven Years Ago

By Dan Sebastian

21 Technically Speaking

Advances in Springmaking Materials — Part 3: Wire Drawing and Heat Treating

By C. Richard Gordon

27 Spring Design Tips and Tricks

Designing The Next Spring Design Training Courses

By Gary Van Buren

DEPARTMENTS

2 President’s Message Commit to a Proactive Safety Culture

7 Global Highlights 12 Regional Spring Association Report 38 Flashback

The Hidden Costs of Poor Quality

47 Five Questions

United Wire Co., Inc.

49 Springmaker Spotlight

Blazing His Own Trail: David Janowski and AMW Springs

By Gary McCoy

59 Book Corner 60 CTE News 63 Inside SMI 67 Committee Connection 69 New Products 71 Advertisers’ Index 72 Snapshot

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Global Highlights North America In a joint statement to their customers, Debbie Cardile, senior advisor of Interwire, and Bill Torres, president of Gibbs, announced in October 2021 the merger of the two companies. According to the statement, “Combined Metals, through its subsidiary Gibbs Wire & Steel Company LLC (Gibbs), has purchased the assets of Inter-Wire Products, Inc. (Interwire). This purchase unites two preeminent metal service centers in North America.”

The letter also said, “Our goal in this combination is to be your strategic partner for all your wire and strip purchases…. We are very excited by this combination. We will be working closely with you to answer any questions. For example, we want to assure all Interwire customers that we will fulfill all open purchase orders and will continue to service all your future wire needs.”

MW Industries, a leading provider of precision components, announced in November 2021 the acquisition of Fox Valley Spring Company, LLC, a principal supplier of springs, wireforms, and flat springs.

The acquisition of Fox Valley Spring Company closed on Oct. 29, 2021 and expands MW Industries’ existing automation and manufacturing capabilities for springs and wireforms. The combined company will offer extensive expertise in complex precision spring manufacturing for a variety of spring types, including extension springs, torsion springs, wireforms and die springs. Fox Valley Spring will join MW Components, the division of MW Industries focusing on manufacturing highly engineered precision components at speed and scale.

“Fox Valley Spring is well-known for their experience in creating the highest quality, custom-made springs. Fox Valley Spring’s technology and expertise will

allow us to better support our customers as they seek custom springs made from specialty materials, manufactured to tighter tolerances,” said Simon Newman, CEO of MW Industries. “We’re thrilled to welcome Fox Valley Spring to the family and look forward to growing together as we provide more products and services to our customers.”

Fox Valley Spring Company is a nationally recognized expert in custom spring manufacturing. With the latest CNC coiling and automation technology, Fox Valley Spring can manufacture complex precision springs in a single operation. The expert engineering and manufacturing professionals at Fox Valley Spring can design and manufacture custom springs to each customer’s unique requirements.

“Our goal has always been to provide the best products and services to our customers — joining the MW family allows us to do more for them than ever before,” said Keith Wincentsen, president of Fox Valley Spring. “As one company, our customers will now be able to purchase products from any MW location and request specialty springs that leverage our capabilities as well as those offered throughout the MW family. We’re excited to provide those resources to our customers and bring our capabilities to serve the greater MW customer base.”

Automatic Spring Products Corp.

(ASPC) of Grand Haven, Michigan announced in Nov. 2021 that CFO Scott Zylstra has been elevated to the role of president and CFO, to allow longtime president and CEO Steve Moreland to focus exclusively on the strategic future of the company.

In his new role, Zylstra will add responsibility for leading the day-to-day operations to his existing financial duties at ASPC. This will enable Moreland to

Scott Zylstra

Steve Moreland

concentrate his efforts on the company’s strategic future from the standpoint of technology, products, processes, customers and markets to enhance long-term profitability. Moreland will remain CEO and leverage his lifetime of competitive market knowledge and technical expertise on growth opportunities.

ASPC is a technology-focused, high-volume manufacturer of customdesigned springs, wireforms, flat springs, stampings and assemblies with more than 350 employees working in plants located in Grand Haven and Monterrey, Mexico.

“Scott has excellent business expertise combined with great people skills that will enable him to focus on developing our people and building great teams,” said Moreland. “Scott has a positive can-do leadership style that focuses on planning, accountability and results. I am pleased he has accepted this new challenge to help take ASPC to our next level of growth and excellence.”

Zylstra brought more than two decades of leadership in finance and

SPRINGS | Winter 2022 | 7

Global Highlights

manufacturing to ASPC when he joined in 2019 as CFO. During his time with ASPC, he has led successful efforts in the company’s finance and administrative business segments. He has also worked with manufacturing on behalf of some of ASPC’s key customers on projects that needed focused attention and improvement.

Before joining ASPC, Zylstra spent nearly 14 years at Cascade Engineering and more than a decade with Johnson Controls.

“I am truly honored to be stepping into an expanded role with ASPC — and to be joining this partnership of leadership that will enable us to position the company for continued success,” Zylstra said.

Moreland’s maternal grandfather, Foster Poe, founded ASPC in 1950 when he was 50 years old. He led the company for 25 years before transitioning leadership to his son-in-law, Darell Moreland, in 1975. Under Darell Moreland, ASPC continued to grow steadily, adding new products and employees to serve new and growing customer relationships.

His son and current president and CEO Steve Moreland left Pratt Whitney Aircraft in 1980 to join ASPC as a metallurgical engineer. Steve Moreland stepped into the role of president when his father retired in 1996.

Under Steve Moreland’s leadership, ASPC has enjoyed many successes, including growing into one of the

largest, most respected spring companies in North America; building the new Hayes Plant to meet rapidly growing customer demand for wire products; and expanding operations into Mexico to meet increasing customer expectations.

Alpharetta, Georgia-based Newcomb Spring Corp. announced that its Colorado plant has moved to a new location in Denver, Colorado, where operations at the new facility began Oct. 4, 2021.

The 41,600 square foot facility nearly doubles the plant’s size, increasing its production capabilities, providing faster turnarounds, lower costs, and a more diverse array of manufacturing and secondary operations. The company leased the Denver property and has upgraded the building with an investment of over $800,000 to fit the needs of its modern manufacturing operations. A capital investment of $275,000 in additional CNC machinery allows for a substantial increase in capabilities and improved service.

With the significant upgrade in overall square footage, Newcomb of Colorado has also doubled the size of its inventory storage room for finished and raw materials, increasing fulfilment capabilities of customer-related blanket purchase orders or vendor managed inventory.

“We are thrilled to be operating in our new state-of-the-art facility. Newcomb has made a considerable investment in outfitting our Denver facility

Newcomb Spring of Colorado’s new 41,600 square foot facility nearly doubles the plant’s size and increases its production capabilities.

8 | SPRINGS | Winter 2022

with improved design, infrastructure and equipment. The increased space in the facility allows us to create an equipment layout which improves the internal logistical function, increasing output, reducing takt time, and enhancing our ability to effectively apply 5S principles within the plant,” said general manager Nathan Watson.

The plant is now located at 1210 E. 73rd Avenue in Denver. The new facility is in closer proximity to major trucking terminals and its convenient location at the intersection of several highways and connecting arteries allows Newcomb to reach vendors more quickly and efficiently, while providing customers across the metro area faster access to the plant.

The facility’s telephone number (303-4502840) and email address remain the same.

“We look forward to being able to better serve our customers with a much larger and more modern manufacturing environment specifically designed for spring and metal forming operations,” continued Watson.

Iowa Spring Manufacturing broke ground in November 2022 on a new 55,000 sq. ft. manufacturing and office facility near the company’s current location in Adel, Iowa. The new space is a $10 million investment for the company, which includes $2.5 million in new equipment. The new facility will employ 25 employees, working three shifts, seven days a week.

Company president Tim Bianco said the additional space was added to help the company manage future growth.

When the new location is completed in the summer of 2022, the company will have three facilities with 300,000 sq. ft. of manufacturing space. In addition to the two Iowa facilities, the company also operates a manufacturing plant through its Southern Atlantic Spring division in Granite Quarry, North Carolina.

“We now have 210 dedicated employees working for us,” explained Bianco.

Global Highlights

International

Groundbreaking for new Iowa Spring Manufacturing facility.

“That includes more than 150 in Iowa, and an additional 60 who work at our division in North Carolina. Our niche continues to be in big springs.”

Since 1977, Iowa Spring has specialized in manufacturing and delivering springs out of the Midwest. The company manufactures large, heavy duty metal springs for agricultural equipment, mechanical

equipment and overhead garage door industries. Southern Atlantic Spring opened in January 2007 as a division of Iowa Spring Manufacturing, with over 40 years of experience in the spring industry.

Southern Atlantic Spring is devoted to servicing the overhead door industry by manufacturing and delivering springs out of the Southern Atlantic region.

Exhibitor registration for wire China 2022, International Wire & Cable Industry Trade Fair, is now open at www.wirechina.net/en. Jointly organized by Messe Düsseldorf (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. and Shanghai Electric Cable Research Institute Co., the event will take place from September 26 – 29, 2022 at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC). Tube China 2022, International Tube and Pipe Trade Fair will again be held concurrently.

For more information, contact Messe Düsseldorf North America at 312-7815180 or email: info@mdna.com. You can also visit www.wirechina.net/en and www.mdna.com or follow on Twitter at http://twitter.com/mdnachicago/.

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SPRINGS | Winter 2022 | 9

Global Highlights

Obituaries It is with deep regret that SMI mourns the loss of the following members.

Vivian Ann Pesaresi, 78, of Mishawaka, Indiana, who passed away with her loving husband by her side on Friday, Oct. 22, 2021. She was born on May 10, 1943, in Kewanna, Indiana to the late Henry John and Alice Lorraine (Weller) Montz. She was a 1961 graduate of Kewanna High School, and on August 26, 1961, Vivian married Daniel J. Pesaresi in Kewanna. They were blessed to celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary in 2021 at Ruth’s Chris with their daughter Anna Maria and their son Dan, Jr. and his wife, Lisa.

Pesaresi was a proud homemaker and strong supporter of her husband’s family business, Winamac Coil Spring. She hosted numerous parties and gatherings,

which nurtured a family-like atmosphere for the workers and customers of WCS. Vivian and Daniel enjoyed many winters in Phoenix, Arizona. They enjoyed attending Notre Dame football games together. Vivian would always call her son after a win and play the Notre Dame Victory March. She was a loving and dedicated mother, faithful to attend all of their events and activities over the years, from band contests to sporting events and everything in between.

Pesaresi was a longtime member of St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Winamac. As an advocate for higher education, Vivian was proud to hold the title of Fellow at St. Joseph College in Rensselaer, Indiana She enjoyed music, old movies, nature, swimming, bowling and playing golf.

Pesaresi touched many hearts over the years and leaves behind a legacy of kindness;

she will be dearly missed. She is survived by her husband, Daniel J. Pesaresi Sr., daughter, Anna Maria Pesaresi, son, Daniel J. (Lisa) Pesaresi, Jr., brother-in-law, Marv Koleszar, sister-in-law, Renate Montz, sister-in-law, Barbara (Gene) Huber, sister-in-law, Terry Pesaresi; several nieces, nephews and cousins. She was preceded in death by her parents, Henry John and Alice Lorraine [Weller] Montz; brother, Victor Montz; sister Lillian Koleszar; in-laws, Walter and Theresa Pesaresi; and brother-in-law, Joe Pesaresi.

Services were held. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Peter’s Catholic Church or Holy Cross Village at Notre Dame for the Dujarie House or Raclin Hospice House.

Online tributes may be offered at www.frainmortuary.com

Richard R Schultz, 72, of White Pigeon, Michigan, formerly of Crown Point, Indiana, who gained his wings Nov. 28, 2021.

Schultz is survived by his loving wife and best friend, Jennifer L. Schultz (nee Schlundt); two children, Rick P. (Tiffany) Schultz and Michael B. (Blayre) Schultz, and their mother, Patricia J Schultz; grandchildren, Zach, Sam, Izzy, Maddux and Rainer; his spoiled dog Kizzy Girl; foster dogs Jacque and Beau; grand dogs Chewy and Rizzo; his four brothers, Bob (Char), Larry (Barb) Jim (Jill) and Tom (Chris) Schultz; aunt Rose Schultz; many nieces, nephews, cousins and great friends; motherIn-law, Teena Farmer; brother-In-law, Mike Schlundt; sisters-In-law Angie Farmer, Sarah (Tank) Thompson, and Katie Love Bug Rudelius.

Schultz was proceeded in death by his parents, Francis and Virginia Schultz; nephew, Jeffery Schultz; father-In-law Tom Schlundt; mother- and father-in-law, Mary and Bernard Saalman; and his most special faithful companions River Dog, Sassy, Barbie, Spike and Coco.

Schultz was born and raised in the Chicagoland area. He was a 1967 graduate of Homewood-Flossmoor High School. Schultz was co-owner of Brookside Industrial Sales, which was established in 1985 with his brother Jim. He was sales manager of Anchor Abrasives for more than 40 years. Schultz was an avid golfer, card player, fisherman and addicted to Ancestry.com, military history, cowboy movies and NCIS. Schultz enjoyed lake life at Klinger Lake, Michigan and boating with family and friends in the summer. Rick was a very proud grandfather and had to have t-shirts with their pictures on them so he could take them on every trip he took. Schultz loved to travel with his wife, and together they went on many adventures. Every February and October they could be found in Las Vegas visiting, or with friends and family. Rick enjoyed watching the Blackhawks, cussing at the Bears on Sundays, and was a lifelong Cubbie fan. Every New Year’s Eve, he would rewatch the 2016 World Series Game.

Services were held in Crown Point, as well as a party at the Winfield Aurelio’s to toast a life well lived. In lieu of flowers, donations may be given in Schultz’s name to one of his favorite charities: St. Jude Children’s Hospital, Wounded Warriors Project, or your local animal rescue or shelter.

Roger A. Desmarais, 74, of Andover, Massachusetts, who died Nov. 15, 2021 at Lowell General Hospital. He was born in Holyoke, Massachusetts Feb. 12, 1947, to the late Alcide and Viola (St. Marie) Desmarais.

Desmarais was a United States veteran, having served in the United States Air Force Reserve. He founded Spring Manufacturing Corp in 1979 and operated his business with passion until he passed. He was a horticulturist at heart and enjoyed working in his flower and vegetable gardens. He perfected growing the best backyard tomato.

Desmarais was the widower of the late Mary (Woiszwillo) Moran, with whom he experienced traveling the world.

Desmarais is survived by his daughter, Julie-Anne Tanner and her husband Richard; sons Jeffery Desmarais; Gregory Desmarais and his wife Maura; and Matthew Desmarais and his companion Emily Harris. Also among his survivors are his sister Jean Strom and her husband Dennis, and seven grandchildren who were the pride and joy of his life.

Services were held in Andover. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Lahey Hospital and Medical Center.

10 | SPRINGS | Winter 2022

Global Highlights

Michael E. Suth, 78, died Nov. 15, 2021 in South Bend, Indiana. Suth was born June 7, 1943, in South Bend to the late Emery and Irene Kil Suth. Left to cherish the memory of Mike is his loving wife, Donna (Claire) Suth; their children, Tamara (Tom) Crowe, Gregory (Julie) Suth, Kelly Willhoite, Robert (Ranae) Suth, Patrick Suth and Jimmy (Brittany) Suth; 17 grandchildren; and sisters, Maureen Suth, Janeen Conboy and Phyllis Lentych.

Following graduation from Saint Joseph High School in 1961, Suth enlisted in the United States Air Force and served four years, culminating with his duty in Okinawa, Japan in the K-9 unit.

On Dec. 26, 1966, he married the love of his life, Donna Claire of Chetek, Wisconsin, and managed working part-time at his father’s business, Hoosier Spring Company, while attending classes at Indiana University – South Bend. He completed his bachelor’s degree in the summer of 1972 and began working full time under the tutelage of his father.

He eventually became CEO of Hoosier Spring Company Inc. and grew the business to support 120 employees and their families. Suth won a 2014 Indiana Small Businessman of the Year award.

Suth was a parishioner of St. Jude parish. He coached for St. Jude and Marian High School baseball and basketball for many years and was a member of the Notre Dame Quarterback Club and South Bend Country Club. He enjoyed Notre Dame football, golf and sports in general. Most of all, he loved his family and grandchildren. Suth had a very generous heart; he had an easier time giving than receiving. Services were held.

Memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Catholic Church, 19704 Johnson Road, South Bend, IN 46614. Condolences for the family may be made at www.sjfh.net

Andrew Geering; caring grandfather of Katie, Damon, Teddy and Annabelle.

Limb was an honorary member of SMI, having been a board member during his career as vice president of engineering at Peterson USA. He served as an integral part of SMI’s technical committee as well as that committee’s chair,

and a member of the team that developed SMI’s Handbook of Spring Design. Upon his retirement from Peterson, he was a consultant for SMI. In lieu of flowers, please make memorial donations to the Alzheimer’s Association. n

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SPRINGS | Winter 2022 | 11

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Regional Spring Association Report

NESMA Report

by Lucas Karabin, Acme Monaco, NESMA, Vice President The NESMA group has remained busy throughout the fall of 2021 despite some weather-related setbacks. We rescheduled our golf event three times and appreciated the overwhelming support from our industry partners.

Bob Swanson of United Wire Company leads our events committee, and was not discouraged by the weather in making sure that our nearly 100 players enjoyed a dry day with the best possible conditions. Needless to say, we were all surprised to wait until early November.

A special thanks goes out to everyone on our events committee who were laser focused on every detail in their attempt to ensure our guests enjoyed themselves.

We would like to congratulate putting

contest winner Dave Yurczak, and overall group champions FENN/Torin.

This year’s key sponsors included Thomaston Savings Bank, Gibbs Wire & Steel Company LLC, Ulbrich Stainless Steels & Special Metals, Inc., WAFIOS Machinery Corporation, North American Spring Tool, Industrial Steel and Wire, Spring Manufacturers Supply Company, Riverside Investments, A&D Trading, Stamptech, Interwire Products, The Ultimate Companies, Rowley Spring and Stamping and FENN/Torin.

Companies who participated included Acme Monaco Corporation, Acme Wire Products Company Inc., Amstek Metal, Atlantic Precision Spring Inc., Connecticut Spring & Stamping, Excel Spring and

NESMA’s annual golf outing was held in early Nov. 2021 at Chippanee Country Club in Bristol, Connecticut.

12 | SPRINGS | Winter 2022

Stamping, Fenn LLC, Gibbs Wire & Steel Company LLC, Industrial Steel & Wire, Marcum LLP, Jonspring, Lee Spring, MW Industries/Economy Spring, Newcomb Spring, Plastonics Inc., Plymouth Spring, Radcliff Wire Inc., Riverside Investment Services, Rowley Spring & Stamping, Solar Atmospheres Inc., Southington Tool & Mfg. Corporation, StampTech, Thomaston Savings Bank, Traver IDC, United Wire, WAFIOS and Zapp Precision Strip.

Our holiday party was scheduled to take place on Dec. 2, 2021, followed the next day with an awards breakfast.

On March 17, 2022 we welcome the return of our Casino Night and Table Top Show, which is a great way for vendors to

Regional Spring Association Report

the spring industry to market themselves in a low pressure atmosphere with drinks and dinner. We appreciate the support of Bristol’s Central Connecticut Chamber in marketing this event.

The NESMA technical committee steadily continues meeting with educators at both the high school and college level. Tunxis Community College in Farmington, Connecticut is in the midst of expanding its manufacturing program with a new facility slated to open in 2022 on Spring Lane. We anticipate a manufacturing center that will host spring and fourslide classes for years to come. We have found a wide level of support throughout the Connecticut Community College system, but due to its central location to the spring manufacturing industry of Connecticut we are especially excited for this major step up effort to recognize career choices in our industry. Key advocates within the community college system include Matthew

Spinelli, Mary Bidwell, Keith Madore, Richard DuPont and Sharon Lutkus.

Our industry members received various state accolades during 2021. Ulbrich Stainless Steel was recognized by Record Journal Readers’ Choice Awards as one of the best places to work within the category of 250 plus employees for the third year in row. Bristol Chamber of Commerce recognized outstanding “Community Business Awards” winners Connecticut Spring and Stamping and DACRUZ Manufacturing.

Marion Manufacturing celebrated their 75th anniversary with an event and tour attended by Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont. Century Spring of Bristol celebrated 45 years in 2021 and recently added NADCAP certification. The Community Foundation of Greater New Britain honored Acme Monaco with the Champion Award, recognizing activities that aid in the foundation’s mission in serving the community.

Finally, NESMA would like to honor outgoing board members including Jim

Bob Swanson of United Wire (right) congratulates Ryan Cutter of FENN/Torin as the overall team champions.

Mintun of Gibbs Wire and Steel, Brian Fries of Atlantic Precision Spring and Bob Swanson of United Wire Company. Their contributions have been many and too often unnoticed in their effort to pilot the industry to our optimal level and pass the spring coil baton to the next generation.

For more information about NESMA, visit www.nesma-usa.com.

SPRINGS | Winter 2022 | 13

Regional Spring Association Report

CASMI Report

By Michael Bandy, CASMI, Co-Executive Director

SpringWorld 2022 Takes Place in October SpringWorld 2022 will take place Oct. 12-14 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois. With more than 80 percent of available space sold on the trade show floor, companies

that are interested in exhibiting at SpringWorld 2022 should contact CASMI to secure their participation. Call 630-3594273, or email info@casmi-springworld. org. Exhibiting information is also available on the organization’s website at https://www.casmi-springworld.org/page/ SWExhibiting.

Guest speaker Avish Parashar presented “Ding Happens!” at CASMI’s SpringWorld 2022 Kick-off Dinner on Oct. 21, 2021, at Maggiano’s Little Italy in Schaumburg.

SpringWorld, which is presented by the Chicago Association of Spring Manufacturers, Inc. (CASMI) every-otheryear, provides a unique opportunity for spring manufacturers, wireformers, OEMs and their suppliers to network, including one-on-one discussions with colleagues to share challenges, discuss solutions, and provide new insights for business. n

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Upcoming CASMI Events CASMI has the following events scheduled for 2022. Details will be available on the organization’s website prior to each event.

• Membership Dinner Meeting, Jan. 20, 2022, Maggiano’s Little Italy, Oak Brook, Illinois • Membership Dinner Meeting, Feb. 17, 2022, Maggiano’s Little Italy, Schaumburg, Illinois • Dinner Meeting, March 17, 2022, Pinstripes, Oak Brook, Illinois

Be Aware Safety Tips Have You Heard About OSHA’s Hearing Conservation Requirements?

By Laura Helmrich-Rhodes, CSP, Ed.D.

here are many written programs required by the OccupaT tional Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and a formal, written, hearing conservation program (HCP) is one of

them. During my on-site safety audits, I have found the HCP is often missing. This is not surprising, considering in 2019 OSHA issued 168 citations for just the written program portion of the HCP standard to manufacturing companies. More citations were issued for other parts of that same standard (see graph on page 16). Protecting employee hearing is built on engineering controls and the implementation of a well written program.

Many spring manufacturing companies, or portions of the manufacturing buildings, are operating at a time weighted average (TWA) of 85 decibels (dB) over an eight hour day. This is called the “action level,” according to OSHA. This is when employers must make hearing protection available at no cost to its employees. Usage does not have to be enforced at this level.

It is up to the employee to decide; however, everyone exposed to 85 dB must be included in the formal HCP as described in detail below. When noise levels hit 90 dB TWA, over an eight hour day, hearing protection must be worn and fully enforced.

Noise Monitoring

In order to determine if exposures are at or above this level, it may be necessary to measure or monitor the actual noise levels in the workplace and to estimate the noise exposure or "dose" received by employees during the workday. Noise monitoring or measuring must be conducted only when exposures are at or above 85 dB. Factors which suggest that noise exposures in the workplace may be at this level include employee complaints about the loudness of noise, indications that employees are losing their hearing, or noisy conditions which make normal conversation difficult (see Informational Appendix in Helpful Links on page 17).

There are two types of monitoring necessary. One is an area survey that measures the noise around equipment and is usually reported as a map, similar to a topographical map, with sound level readings noted in the various areas of the plant.

This only tells us what noise is present. It does not tell us the

Laura Helmrich-Rhodes, CSP, Ed.D., is an independent regulations compliance consultant to the Spring Manufacturers Institute (SMI). A former member of PA/OSHA Consultation, she is an associate professor in the Safety Sciences Department at Indiana University of Pennsylvania where she teaches graduate and undergraduate classes on topics such as OSHA standards, safety communications, workers’ compensation and human relations. Rhodes is available for safety advice and information. Contact SMI at 630-495-8588 or laurahrhodes@gmail.com.

dose of noise each employee is experiencing in a workday.

This measurement method is generally referred to as "area" noise monitoring. These are helpful in determining where signs should be posted and which departments should have more extensive testing to determine what the employees are experiencing. To determine employee exposures, personal dosimeters must be used. A dosimeter is a device attached to the employee’s clothing, usually near the shoulder, with a sturdy clip. The device measures the noise levels while they carry out their daily tasks. It then averages the noise exposure over the workday. The results are analyzed and a dose is determined.

These tests should be done by a trained professional. Preferably, a certified industrial hygienist (CIH) should take the readings or overseeing those who do the tests. The CIH is specially educated and trained in employee health concerns and the operation of monitoring equipment. Their expertise in these devices is paramount, since they must be calibrated prior to use. Also, strict adherence to the manufacturer’s recommendations needs to be followed to assure accuracy. Both CIH and certified safety professionals (CSPs) would be able to make valuable recommendations for the elimination of noise through engineering and administrative controls too. Your workers’ compensation carrier may conduct these tests for little or no cost and have CIHs and CSPs on staff.

If testing was done in the past and no hazard found, it is likely those readings have changed. Production has significantly increased in some spring and wireforming companies, and therefore it is highly recommended that new results be obtained to assure employees are being properly protected. If machinery has been added or reconfigured, then re-monitor. Many companies choose to re-monitor periodically (once every year or two) to ensure that all exposed employees are included in their hearing conservation programs (see Informational Appendix).

Written Program: The Nuts and Bolts

It is not enough to download a sample written program and stick it in a binder. The written program is meant to be a living document that actually assures that important events happen.

For example, who will be purchasing the correct hearing protection, with the correct noise reduction rating (NRR)? Who will conduct training and where will employees go to have annual audiometric testing? These are just a few key elements. All written safety and health programs should outline the responsibilities, authorities and accountabilities of everyone dedicated to help prevent employee noise-induced hearing loss.

Most written programs are to be reviewed annually to assure they are working. OSHA’s “Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs” suggest three steps in assuring programs work as expected. First, monitor the performance and progress; verify the program is implemented and operating; and last, correct the program shortcomings and identify opportunities to

SPRINGS | Winter 2022 | 15

Occupational Health and Environmental Control [1910.94 – .98] OCCUPATIONAL NOISE – HEARING CONSERVATION PROGRAM 95(c)(1)

29 CFR 1910.

improve it. An entire eTool has been created to assist businesses in the best practices for all safety programs and a page dedicated to Hearing Conservation (see Helpful Links on page 17).

One important question Springs readers may have is: “Who is responsible for temporary employees?” OSHA has an initiative to protect temporary workers and issued a statement on this question. “ The host employer will usually have the primary responsibility for determining noise exposure levels, implementing and maintaining engineering, administrative and work practice controls, providing appropriate hearing protection, and maintaining a hearing conservation program in accordance with all requirements of the standard for the workplace.”

168

OCCUPATIONAL NOISE – ESTABLISH & MAINTAIN AUDIOMETRIC TESTING PROGRAM 95(g)(1)

76

OCCUPATIONAL NOISE – DEVELOP & IMPLEMENT MONITORING PROGRAM 95(d)(1)

71

OCCUPATIONAL NOISE – EMPLOYER SHALL TRAIN EACH EMPLOYEE 95(k)(1)

65

OCCUPATIONAL NOISE – ANNUAL AUDIOGRAM FOR EACH EMPLOYEE 95(g)(6)

45

Number of Serious Violations – FY2019

Audiometric Testing

Exposure to high levels of noise can cause permanent hearing loss. OSHA considers a hearing loss to have occurred when a worker experiences a standard threshold shift (STS). An STS is a change in the worker’s hearing threshold when compared to the worker’s baseline audiogram. Short-term exposure to loud noise can also cause a temporary change in hearing. Exposed workers may develop a short-term partial hearing loss, referred to as a temporary threshold shift (TTS) or may develop a ringing in the ears, called tinnitus. These short-term health effects may go away within a few minutes or hours after leaving the noisy area.

However, repeated short-term exposures to loud noise can lead to permanent tinnitus and/or hearing loss (OSHA, Bulletin #9).

If employees are exposed to noise greater than 85dB TWA (this is determined by personal dosimetry), then audiometric testing must occur within six months of their first exposure then annually to determine if STS are occurring.

The Right PPE

Not all hearing protection (plugs or muffs, for example) are made the same. This is definitely a case of “buyer beware.” First, be certain purchases are made from reputable suppliers. The CIH should recommend a particular NRR to be purchased. It is best to provide a variety of hearing protection to assure employees are comfortable and will wear them for the entire workday.

The NRR was developed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). According to an EPA regulation, the NRR must be shown on the hearing protector package, so make certain this is on the package when purchasing. The concept is that the NRR attenuates the noise to a TWA of 85dB. There are calculations that are necessary to confirm you have the right PPE and those can be found in the Helpful Links on page 17.

This underscores the importance of using a qualified CIH and audiologist.

Recordkeeping

According to OSHA, employers must record a work-related Standard Threshold Shift on the OSHA log. 1904.10(a) Basic requirement. If an employee’s hearing test (audiogram) reveals that the employee has experienced a work-related Standard Threshold Shift (STS) in hearing in one or both ears, and the employee’s total hearing level is 25 decibels (dB) or more above audiometric zero (averaged at 2000, 3000, and 4000 Hz) in the same ear(s) as the STS, you must record the case on the OSHA 300 Log. We can all agree that it is important to eliminate all injuries and illnesses in the workplace as they impact the OSHA incident

Hearing Conservation Checklist ✔ Monitoring noise levels (personal ❑ and area samples) using a Certified Industrial Hygienist or qualified person ✔ Notify employees of hazardous ❑ noise levels, including access to the OSHA regulation ✔ Allow employees the ability to ❑ observe noise monitoring ✔ Maintain a written audiometric ❑ testing program, conduct baseline and annual audiograms of those in the high noise areas

16 | SPRINGS | Winter 2022

✔ Post signs near areas of high noise ❑ ✔ Provide and consistently ❑ enforce the use of hearing protectors when engineering and administrative controls do not control the noise

✔ Assure audiograms are reviewed ❑ by a qualified audiologist and results are shared with employees ✔ Maintain accurate records, including ❑ recording any work-related STS

✔ Develop and implement a ❑ training program

✔ Continue to reduce work area noise ❑ through planning processes and the purchase of future equipment

✔ Provide access to information ❑ and training materials

✔ Annually review the program ❑ and document continuous improvement efforts

rate and even the workers’ compensation experience modification rates (EMR), since some states provide compensation for noise-induced hearing loss. By including the STS on the OSHA log, employers are sometimes surprised how significantly their incident rate can jump, especially if they don’t normally have an OSHA recordable incident. High incident rates can trigger OSHA inspections under the current OSHA administration.

The key is to prevent any injury or illness, like hearing loss, from occurring to keep those numbers approaching zero.

Another important question readers may have is: “How long does an employer have to maintain medical records?”

This question is addressed specifically in the OSHA standards.

The basic answer is 30 years past the last date of employment, in other words, a very long time! For more information on all medical records, see the link in the Helpful Links below.

Conclusion

It is not enough to have a written program in a 3-ring binder on a shelf. There is science and engineering, as well as human behavior, which impact a fully functioning program that prevents employees from permanent hearing loss and OSHA recordable events. When all the time, money and effort go into these protections, certainly we are convinced of the importance of consistent enforcement and continuous improvements. n

Helpful Links Federal OSHA Noise Regulation: https://www.osha.gov/ laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.95

Questions About Hearing Conservation: https://www. osha.gov/laws-regs/standardinterpretations/1994-05-09-0

Safety Program Best Practices: https://www.osha.gov/ safety-management/program-evaluation

NIOSH Preventing Noise Exposures: https://www.cdc. gov/niosh/topics/noise/

Hearing Conservation Booklet: https://www.osha.gov/ sites/default/files/publications/osha3074.pdf

Temporary Worker Initiative: Noise Exposure and Hearing Conservation Bulletin #9: https://www.osha. gov/sites/default/files/publications/OSHA3953.pdf

Informational Appendix to the Federal OSHA Noise Standard: https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/ standardnumber/1910/1910.95AppG Choosing the Right Hearing Protection Appendix B of the OSHA Standard: https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/ regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.95AppB

Federal OSHA Medical Recordkeeping Regulation: https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/ standardnumber/1910/1910.1020

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Dean of Springs It’s Time to Take a Deep Breath and Restart: Four Score and Seven Years Ago

By Dan Sebastian

lease forgive me for borrowing from Abraham Lincoln P but the time period seems appropriate, as we appear to be through the worst of our recent pandemic. In that period of

One day, an employee inadvertently fell into one of those tanks. His fellow employees rushed to his aid. They knew the danger, so they followed the mandatory established safety profour score and seven (87) years we have been through the Great cedures to get him to safety. Nothing worked. It was then that Depression, numerous recessions, near economic meltdowns an employee, who knew he was clearly violating the zero tolernot to mention World War II to defeat fascism, a Cold War to ance policy, jumped into the tank, rendered aid and rescued reduce the threat of communism (and a not-so-Cold War in the injured employee before getting out of the tank himself.

Korea), and wars in other parts of The best of all outcomes resulted Asia and the Middle East, and of in both the hapless victim and his …rules are important course the pandemic of 2020-2021. rescuer making a full recovery from In all that turmoil, we have had to in the ordinary course of business, the incident. Eventually they were adjust our management practices both able to return to their jobs. but managers are confronted with and policies.

The rescuer had clearly violated In most areas where there is the rules and under the zero tolmany situations every day misconduct or poor judgment, it erance policy should have been where they must use wisdom, normally results in the establishterminated. ment of a rule, policy or procedure.

GM realized that the actions of common sense and In the world of safety, our rules are the rescuer went above and beyond science in their decisions meant to protect everyone, and in the call of duty and they awarded most cases are only common sense. him for his courageous action. Zero In my many years on the factory tolerance was not the way to save floor, most accidents resulted from well-intentioned people lives in this particular situation. (As a matter of full disclosure, thinking they are doing the right thing to produce a quality that hero was my cousin Fred.) part that too often would be destined for the scrap bin.

The lesson here is that rules are important in the ordinary As we establish our rules, policies and procedures, we can course of business, but managers are confronted with many get advice from consultants, experts or even bureaucrats or situations every day where they must use wisdom, common political leaders as to the corrective action for rules violations. sense and science in their decisions. n In today’s world, the advice we receive for serious violation is the establishment of “zero tolerance,” with mandatory termination. In many cases, termination is the appropriate action, but Dan Sebastian is a former SMI president and currently serves as a technical consultant to it should never be an absolute. As managers, we must always the association. He holds a degree in metalpractice the wisdom of Solomon and not be a slave to the never. lurgical engineering from Lehigh University A few years ago, GM had a plant in Bristol, Connecticut. They and his industry career spans more than four had some of the strictest safety rules in GM, with an excellent decades in various technical and management safety record. There were a number of areas that had chemical roles. He may be reached by contacting SMI at 630-495-8588. tanks that had a “zero tolerance” rule for anyone entering the area because of the extreme dangers posed.

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Advances in Springmaking Materials — Part 3: Wire Drawing and Heat Treating

Technically Speaking

By C. Richard Gordon (Editor’s note: Rick Gordon’s article was developed as part of the overall theme of “Advances in Springmaking.”

This is the third in the series of articles on advances in springmaking materials.)

dvances in the production of springmaking materials over A time have resulted in improvements in spring performance.

Since the majority of springs are produced from carbon and

alloy steels, production methods of these materials will be described here.

Production improvements have occurred in the areas of steelmaking, continuous casting, rod rolling, wire drawing and wire processing (heat treatment). Improvements in springmaking machine technology were discussed previously1.

Improvements in the areas of steelmaking and continuous casting2 and rod rolling3 were also discussed previously.

This article will focus on improvements in wire drawing and the patenting and oil tempering heat-treating processes.

Materials Design Philosophy

In the Fall 2019 issue of Springs4, I discussed the engineering concept known as the materials design philosophy, which can be used as a tool to better understand composition-property relationships. Briefly, the materials design philosophy shows the relationship between the composition of the material and the final product properties (Figure 1).

A material with a specific composition is processed in a given operation. The combination of the material and the processing results in a particular structure (metallurgical microstructure).

The microstructure in turn results in the specific material properties. In reality, the process of design occurs from right to left.

Engineers are interested in specific material properties, which in turn are dependent on the structure, which is a function of designed processing of a material with a specific composition.

Material properties such as tensile strength and ductility are determined through mechanical testing, which have been discussed in past Springs articles5,6,7,8,9,10.

Composition

Processing Wire Drawing Change Wire Size/Diameter &/or Shape D1

Composition

Processing

Structure

Properties

Figure 1. Materials Design Philosophy

For the purpose of this article, the following figures are expanded to include our current processes of interest: Figure 2 — wire drawing and Figure 3 — patenting and oil tempering heat treatments. From a materials perspective, a goal of any process improvement is to improve the uniformity of the product as well as enhance product properties. From an operations perspective, a goal is to improve productivity with the attendant reduction in cost. Thus, the challenge is to obtain both the materials goal and the productivity goal; how to achieve the balance is a subject beyond the scope of this article.

For students who are interested in more detailed information on wire drawing and heat treating of wire in general, there are three excellent references: “Ferrous Wire Handbook11,” “Steel Wire Technology12” and “Wire Technology13” that I recommend for your bookshelf.

C. Richard (Rick) Gordon is the technical director for SMI. He is available to help SMI members and non-members with metallurgical challenges such as fatigue life, corrosion, material and process-related problems He is also available to help manage and oversee processes related to failure analysis. This includes sourcing reputable testing labs throughout North America, forwarding member requests to the appropriate lab and reporting results and recommendations. He can be reached at c.richard.gordon@gmail.com or 574-514-9367.

Structure Cold drawn structure

Properties Change Wire Properties: Tensile Strength, Ductility, etc.

D2

D1 Figure 2. Materials Design Philosophy – Expanded for Wire Drawing

SPRINGS | Winter 2022 | 21

Composition

Processing

Structure

Patenting

Ferrite & Pearlite

Oil Tempering/Induction Tempering

Quenched & Tempered Martensite

Properties Change Wire Properties: Tensile Strength, Ductility, etc.

Figure 3. Materials Design Philosophy — Expanded for the Patenting and Oil Tempering Processes

The Wire Drawing Process: First Step — Scale Removal

Figure 4. Coils of hot rolled wire rod.

Batch Cleaning and Coating

Hot Rolled Wire Rod

Heat Treating/Coating (If Necessary)

Rod Drawing (If Necessary)

Finish Wire Drawing

Coils on Stands or Reels

Figure 5. Producing steel wire from wire rod. (Courtesy of D.B. Coulston)

Figure 6. Modern wire drawing machine. (Courtesy of Morgan-Koch).

22 | SPRINGS | Winter 2022

The starting material for carbon and alloy steel wire is hot rolled wire rod produced as coils, as shown in Figure 4. The weight of the coils is different depending on the producing mill but generally falls in the range of 4,000 to 6,000 lbs.

During the cooling process of wire rod, scale develops on the wire rod surface. The composition of the scale can be controlled by the cooling practice used, which in turn will depend on the customer’s planned scale removal method.

Wire rod can be descaled mechanically or chemically.

Mechanical methods include reverse bend descaling, sanding and shot blasting. Reverse bend descaling is done in line with the wire drawing machine and can be combined with sanding, rinsing, coating with a lubricant carrier and drying prior to wire drawing. In most cases, shot blasting is done as a batch process but can also be done inline.

Chemical methods use either hydrochloric or sulfuric acid mostly in batch cleaning processes, which may include rinsing, zinc phosphate coating, coating with a lubricant carrier and drying.

Many high carbon spring wire products are processed this way.

Figure 5 shows a general schematic of wire processing that can be adapted to several processes. In this schematic, batch cleaning with acid is used. Following batch cleaning, wire rod is transported to short term storage or directly to the wire drawing machine. Once the wire rod is prepared, the material is drawn through a wire drawing die in a single step (pass) or multiple steps (passes), depending on the product being produced. Over time, there has been a dramatic improvement in wire drawing speeds and product quality due to wire drawing machine equipment improvements (cooling and sensor technology), lubrication improvements (lubricant composition and pressure dies) and wire drawing die improvements (material and internal geometry). Control of temperature in wire drawing is critical for maximizing wire ductility.

Wire rod can be drawn to the finished product size or to an intermediate size for patent heat treating. Patent heat treated wire is then drawn to the final size with the package being coils on stems or reels. Wire rod can also be patent heat treated as a first step.

Figure 6 shows a modern multi-pass wire drawing machine that might be used to produce music spring wire. The machine has tuner rolls for tension control between passes and narrow gap cooling for exceptional heat removal from the wire on each draw block.

Carbide Die or Nib

Steel Casing Stainless Steel Cap and Case

Bell Radius Entrance Angle Approach Angle

Bearing or Land

Carbide Drawing Insert

Soaking

1000

ing

For those interested in history, in 1854 James Horsfall of Birmingham, England patented a heat-treating process that produced wire with high tensile strength and good ductility from high carbon eutectoid steel. This high-quality steel wire was called patented wire and heat treatment for making it was called patenting, as it is to this day.

Patenting is a heat treatment applied to medium carbon and high carbon steel before wire drawing or between drafts during drawing. In the early 1960s, it was a common practice to patent all steel rods containing between 0.40 percent and 0.90

1200 800

at in g

400

Transformation

He

600

l Coo

Figure 7 shows a schematic of a wire drawing die box included on each pass of the wire drawing machine shown in Figure 6. The chamber on the left is a box for holding the dry powder lubricant. The yellow insert holds the wire drawing die.

Figure 8 shows a cross section of a tungsten carbide wire drawing die. This is the tool that comes closest to the wire surface, only separated by a lubricant boundary layer. The impact of wire drawing die approach angle on high carbon wire torsional ductility was discussed during the SMI Metal Engineering eXpo 201914. Changes in wire drawing die bearing angle designed to change the stress distribution at the wire surface from tensile to compressive was also discussed at the SMI MEE 2019 event15.

Pressure dies have been adopted almost universally for high volume wire drawing in the U.S. and around the world. The Paramount Die Company introduced the ParaLoc pressure die system in the 1990s (Figure 9). The patented die system maximizes the life of the drawing insert (die life) through improved lubrication. Users also found improved lubrication (less friction) produced a more uniform surface and reduced the drawing force required, thus lowering electricity consumption (cost). Originally conceived as a two-die system, the first die was intended to simply guide the wire into the draw die. Through experimentation, it was found that the residual lubricant film thickness on the wire could be increased dramatically when the guide die was sized to a diameter within 10 percent of the wire diameter. Improvements in the tungsten carbide inserts resulted from the reduction of tungsten carbide particle size balanced the with right amount of cobalt binder.

Patenting Heat Treatment

Carbide Pressure Insert

Figure 8. (left) Cross-section of a tungsten carbide wire drawing die. (Reprinted with permission of the Wire Association International. All rights reserved. www.wirenet.org).

Figure 9. (right) ParaLoc Pressure Die System (US Patent No. 5,402,664)

Temperature (˚C)

Figure 7. Schematic of a simple wire drawing die box.

Back Relief

200 0

0 5 10 15 20 25 27.5 32 37 42 47 52 57 62 67 69.5 73 78 83 88 Time(s)

Figure 10. Typical Patenting Process11. (Reprinted with permission of the Wire Association International. All rights reserved. www.wirenet.org).

percent carbon before wire drawing. With the introduction of the Stelmor controlled cooling process, a rolled rod could be drawn without a post rolling patenting heat treatment. This led to the introduction of Type 1 music spring wire16. Patenting (with a cooling method other than air) is required for Type 2 music spring wire processing. Air patenting, which produces a microstructure similar to the Stelmor process, is not allowed for Type 2 product.

Why is that? Patenting is performed on individual strands of wire in a linear manner rather than as a coil or loop form on the wire rod mill. Loops can overlap on the Stelmor conveyor and affect the cooling in those local areas of contact.

As a result, the uniformity of microstructure and resultant mechanical properties along the patented wire or patented wire rod are superior.

Patenting involves four stages as shown in Figure 10: Heating, soaking, cooling or quenching, and transformation. Heating rod or wire can be done in several ways: in an open fired furnace containing a lean combustion mixture or in tubes containing an inert gas, in molten lead, in molten salt, in a fluidized bed, using direct electric resistance heating or induction heating.

Heating is required to transform the steel structure to austenite.

The rod or wire is held (soaked) at a constant high temperature for an appropriate time to homogenize the material. This is an important step in patenting as well as in the oil tempering process. Cooling from the soaking temperature can be done in air, molten lead, fluidized bed, or molten salt for transformation of the microstructure. The optimum transformation

SPRINGS | Winter 2022 | 23

Isothermal Transformation Diagram Isothermal Annealing Ae3

Temperature

Cooling Curves

Ms

Product

Mf

Ferrite and Pearlite Time — Log Scale

Figure 11. Isothermal annealing or patenting process superimposed on a time —– temperature — transformation (TTT) diagram.

temperature depends on the chemical composition of the material and the mechanical properties needed for wire drawing or in the final product.

The time-temperature curve shown in Figure 10 shows plateaus both on heating and cooling. The short time at constant temperature on heating corresponds to the endothermic reaction due to the crystal structure change from pearlite (ferrite and Fe3C) to austenite. The plateau that occurs at the end of cooling corresponds to the exothermic reaction where the austenite transforms to pearlite.

The metallurgical goal of patenting is to produce a steel wire or wire rod with a uniform microstructure of pearlite (primarily) and ferrite with sufficient ductility for wire drawing. The amount of each constituent will be dependent upon the steel composition, cooling method and transformation temperature. Patenting is sometimes described as isothermal annealing because the greatest uniformity of pearlite is produced in this way. Figure 11 shows a schematic of patenting cooling and transformation process superimposed on a TTT diagram. Process developments have resulted in patent wire products with improved ductility17.

As shown in Figure 12, the microstructure of pearlite has a lamellar appearance. The lighter appearing lamellae are carbide (Fe3C — cementite) and the darker microstructure is ferrite. As the transformation temperature is lowered, the interlamellar spacing gets smaller in the pearlite transformation portion of the TTT diagram. This results in higher tensile strength and reduction of area ductility in the wire or wire rod.

Oil Tempering Heat Treatment

Oil tempering is a term commonly used in the wire industry to designate a type of wire that has received a hardening and tempering heat treatment after it has been drawn to the desired size11. It is somewhat of a misnomer because in the heat-treating

Let-off

Austenitize

Figure 13. Schematic of an oil tempering process line.

24 | SPRINGS | Winter 2022

Quench

Figure 12. Electron micrograph showing microstructure of pearlite formed at 575°C (1067°F) in a eutectoid steel. Magnification: 15,000X. (Reprinted with permission, Association for Iron & Steel Technology).

process, oil is not used as a tempering medium. “Quenched and tempered” or “oil hardened” may be more technically correct. Because the term “oil tempered” has been used extensively throughout history and is commonly used, it is doubtful that it will be replaced.

Processing elements included in an oil tempering line are shown schematically in Figure 13. In the past, lines were designed with multiple elements for two or more wires processed in parallel. Austenitizing was done in direct fired or muffle tube type furnaces with atmosphere control. Wires were quenched in a temperature-controlled oil bath and tempered in a molten lead furnace. In addition to oil, quenching has evolved to include hot water and water treated with synthetic polymers as substitutes.

Lead was the heat-treating media of choice because of its high thermal conductivity. As environmental issues were identified and subsequent legislative actions taken, suitable substitutes were pursued which include induction, fluidized bed and molten salt. Some companies were able to have their lead furnaces grandfathered in and continue to use lead for heat treating today.

Induction heating technology has found a home in single strand oil tempering lines for larger diameter products (0.162 in. to 0.625 in. diameters)18. Figure 14 shows a schematic of the single strand process, where induction heating is used for both the austenitizing and tempering elements of the process.

The different options for quenching media are shown.

Figure 15 shows the heating and quenching options for a multifilament process used for smaller diameter wire products.

Figure 16 is a schematic of the quenching and tempering elements of the oil tempering process superimposed on a TTT diagram. It should be noted that the surface of the wire cools faster than the center, which results in a thermal stress gradient which can cause cracking problems with some alloys. The

Temper

Conditioning/Shearing

Take-up

type of quench media and temperature of the quench can be critical to success.

Once martensite is formed during quenching, the general effect of tempering is to precipitate and agglomerate carbide particles. The tempered martensite microstructure consists of carbide particles (light) dispersed in a ferrite matrix (dark), as shown in Figure 17.

Summary

Improvements in wire drawing and the patenting and oil tempering heat-treating processes described in this article can result in improvements in the uniformity of mechanical properties and wire quality for springs. n

Configuration

Austentize

Quench

Temper

Single Wire

Induction

Oil Hot Water Synthetic Polymer

Induction

Figure 14. Single wire oil tempering using induction heating for austenitizing and tempering.

Configuration

Austentize

Quench

Temper

Multi-wire

Direct Fire or Muffle Tube with ATM Control

Oil Hot Water Synthetic Polymer

Fluidized Bed

References

1. McCoy, G., Advances in Springmaking, Springs, Spring 2021, p. 23.

2. Gordon, C.R., Advances in Springmaking Materials, Springs, Spring 2021, p. 30.

3. Gordon, C.R., Advances in Springmaking Materials, Springs, Fall 2021, p. 21.

4. Gordon, C.R., Springmaking Materials/Materials Design Philosophy, Springs, Fall 2019, p.23

Figure 15. Oil tempering line options for multifilament smaller diameter wire processing.

5. Gordon, C.R., Types of Tests Used to Characterize Springmaking Materials — Part 1: The Tensile Test, Springs, Winter 2020, p.27 6. Gordon, C.R., Types of Tests Used to Characterize Springmaking Materials — Part 2: The Coiling and Wrapping Tests, Springs, Spring 2020, p. 27.

8. Gordon, C.R., Types of Tests Used to Characterize Springmaking Materials — Part 4: Hardness Testing, Springs, Fall 2020, p.19.

9. Gordon, C.R., Types of Tests Used to Characterize Springmaking Materials — Part 5: The Reverse Bend Testing, Springs, Winter 2021, p.19.

10. Gordon, C.R., Types of Tests Used to Characterize Springmaking Materials — Part 6: Fatigue Testing of Wire, Springs, Summer 2021, p.21.

11. Shemenski, R.M., editor, Ferrous Wire Handbook, WAI International Inc., (2008) 12. Per Enghag, Steel Wire Technology, 3rd Ed. (2003) Wiley-VCH 13. Wright, R.N., Wire Technology, Process Engineering and Metallurgy, 2nd Ed., Elsevier, 2016

Customary Quenching and Tempering Surface

Temperature

7. Gordon, C.R., Types of Tests Used to Characterize Springmaking Materials — Part 3: The Torsional Ductility Test, Springs, Summer 2020, p.17.

Ae3

Center

Tempered to Desired Hardness Tempered Martensite

Start of Transformation

Ms

Finish of Transformation

Mf Log Time

Figure 16. Schematic of the quenching and tempering cycle of the oil tempering process superimposed on a Time — Temperature — Transformation (TTT) diagram.

14. Gordon, C.R., Torsional Ductility as an Important Quality Parameter for Spring Making Materials, SMI Metal Engineering eXpo 2019, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15. Gordon, C.R., The Impact of Wire Drawing Die Geometry on Development of Residual Stresses and Potential for Improved Spring Fatigue Life, SMI Metal Engineering eXpo 2019, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 16. ASTM A228 / A228M-18, Standard Specification for Steel Wire, Music Spring Quality, ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA, 2018, www.astm.org 17. Bekaert US Patent No. 4,759,806 18. Becker, T. Induction Tempered Wire, Wire Forming Technology International, October 2001

Figure 17. Electron micrograph showing microstructure of tempered martensite for a eutectoid steel. Tempering temperature 595°C (1100°F) Magnification: 15,000X. (Reprinted with permission, Association for Iron & Steel Technology).

SPRINGS | Winter 2022 | 25

Designing The Next Spring Design Training Courses

Spring Design Tips and Tricks

By Gary Van Buren

MI has held spring design classes over the past couple of S years, starting with classes on basic spring information and material information. These two fundamental classes (101 and

“It was an honor to work with the SMI committee on the 304 module,” said Sanchit. “As a newcomer to the spring industry I was principally learning on the job, and then I had the privilege 103) are available for free at SMI’s website, www.smihq.org, and to work on the presentation for the compression spring porare great for new hires, sales reps or even existing employees tion. We decided on the agenda for the presentation at the first who do not work on the shop floor. meeting and used existing documents to populate the content.”

The next three offerings, Compression Design 201, Extension Sanchit further stated, “The most helpful documents that Design 202 and Torsion Design 203, were all developed for the we referenced were DIN EN 15800, SAE HS795, and the SMI new engineer. These classes run through a seven-step design booklet for tolerancing and testing. We met weekly to review process: “Define the Problem,” “Select Spring Configuration,” and critique the presentation content. We would go through the “Select Material,” “Select a Stress Level,” “Design to Optimize,” content and allow each person to say whether the statements “Check the Design,” and “Specify.” on the screen align with what they have observed during the We held our first class in person at the 2019 SMI Metal actual manufacturing process. Some interesting points came Engineering eXpo in Pittsburgh out of this, and documents were with 20 students. The next offerupdated accordingly.

The technical committee is ing was held in California, and “I found this to be a fulfilling pleased with the way these classes experience from both a knowledge then the pandemic hit. All the in-person classes were postponed and career perspective. Because have come together and we thank or canceled. We had to shift gears of the opportunity to be a part of everyone who has participated. and take the physical classroom to these discussions, I was able to gain a virtual classroom. For me this was a much deeper understanding of We extend an invitation to both good and bad. Bad because I springs. What stood out most to me anyone who would like to join could no longer see the faces of the was that, even though I was workstudents to know if I should repeat ing with titans of the SMI industhe committee. We can use your myself or if they are understanding try such as Gene Huber Jr., Gary opinions. In return, you will have the current lesson. The good is the Van Buren, Rick Gordon, George fact that more people can attend Fournier (and more) who live and the opportunity to network with without having to travel a long breathe springs, my thoughts were a team full of people who possess distance, which saves on expenses given equal importance. It was for SMI and its students. I personnothing short of a blessing,” cona great deal of information. ally benefited by becoming more cluded Sanchit. comfortable online, and the same The technical committee is can be said for the whole technical committee. pleased with the way these classes have come together and we Work on the next two classes (301 Springs — Fatigue and thank everyone who has participated. We extend an invita304 Springs — Dimensioning, Tolerancing and Testing) has tion to anyone who would like to join the committee. We can been in progress since early 2021. In addition to me, the 301 use your opinions. In return, you will have the opportunity to design team includes Al Mangels, Jason Sicotte, Bert Goering, network with a team full of people who possess a great deal Rick Gordon and Todd Piefer. of information.

The 304 team is comprised of Tim Zwit, Gene Huber, Jr., Rick Gordon, Bert Goering, George Fournier, Tom Featherstone, Gary Van Buren is the technical advisor for Sanchit Salunkhe and me.

SMI. He is available to assist members with These two teams are made up of engineers who take time out design and problem-solving issues, including spring design and technical consultation. of their busy schedule to put together an informative program In addition, he teaches SMI’s spring design to help better our industry. I also commend the companies they training courses. Van Buren is an engineering work for, because they allow their employees to devote work manager with more than 25 years of experihours to support these courses. Most of these engineers have ence in the spring industry. He has extensive years of experience in the spring industry, while some are new. experience in compression, extension and torsion spring design, as well as customer One of the newest engineers, Sanchit Salunkhe of Michigan service. Van Buren can be reached at Spring and Stamping, provided his thoughts on being part of gvanburen2@gmail.com or 440-206-6129. the 304 Dimensioning, Tolerancing and Testing team.

SPRINGS | Winter 2022 | 27

orkplace safety refers to the working environment at a company and encompasses all factors that impact the safety, health and well-being of employees. This can include environmental hazards, unsafe working conditions or processes, drug and alcohol addiction and workplace violence.

28 | SPRINGS | Winter 2022

By Gary McCoy

As this issue focuses on safety first, we have several articles for you to enjoy. First up is an interview with Dr. Laura Helmrich-Rhodes about the state of safety in manufacturing. Dr. Rhodes is well-known to Springs readers as an independent regulations compliance consultant for SMI and as a regular columnist. You can read “Safety First: An Interview with Dr. Laura Helmrich-Rhodes” on page 33.

“Whether your safety program is a bit more than an afterthought, well organized and regimented, or anywhere in between, it sends a message to the production floor,” explains Brian Durkin of Ace Wire & Spring Co. in his article “Safety in the Workplace.”

Durkin goes on to say, “It does not take a lot of resources to make that message say, ‘safety first.’” Read Durkin’s article on page 37.

In her article “Pandemic Safety Strategies,” Annelise Mackiewicz at FENN/Torin discusses how the company has adapted measures to keep customers safe both now and in the future. You can read her article on page 36.

Finally, in Book Corner I review the book “Safely Working from the Ground Up” by David Shafer on page 57. Shafer takes a practical approach to workplace safety with a goal of “turning safety upside down.” His approach is to reject a top down approach to safety, and advocate for a program that endeavors to succeed from the ground up.

SPRINGS | Winter 2022 | 29

Workplace Safety: A Profile of Three Spring Companies SMI members with safety programs at their manufacturing facilities try to juggle a delicate balance between production and profitability while keeping workers safe from dangers. I spoke with leaders at Iowa Spring and Stamping, Vulcan Spring and Manufacturing Co. and Plymouth Spring about the state of their safety program and how they are putting safety first.

Everyone at these three companies believe a safety program is a tremendous asset. They agree that a company’s most valuable asset is their employees, so putting safety first is a priority and a coveted company value.

Iowa Spring and Stamping, Adel, Iowa Iowa Spring and Stamping is located in the heart of central Iowa, just 30 minutes west of the capitol city of Des Moines. Lorissa Moffitt is director of human resources at the company, a position she has held since 2012. Among her responsibilities is company safety.

Iowa Spring has a safety committee of 10 people that meets monthly. “What I love is that we all get together, our supervisors and our vice president of manufacturing, to address any issues or concerns,” explained Moffitt. “We address it right there and try to get it resolved. We have a list to make sure everything is completed.”

Moffitt explained that the size of the committee was reduced due to the pandemic. “I’m glad we continue to do this, only now on a smaller level.”

She said Iowa Spring is always trying to improve safety. “I don’t think anyone is perfect. The plant floor always has the best ideas when it comes to making safety improvements.”

Moffitt says they are always trying to improve things. In August 2021, Iowa Spring brought in SMI’s regulatory compliance consultant, Dr. Laura Helmrich-Rhodes, to complete a safety audit. “We did a walk through of the plant with her,” said Moffitt. “She was really impressed with the way we handle things.”

Moffitt said the next day Rhodes provided training that would be beneficial for supervisors. “The training helped the supervisors gain a different perspective on things,” explained Moffitt.

“We are always improving things out in the plant,” said Moffitt. “It’s manufacturing, so things are always changing.

We have improved a lot since I’ve been here.”

The company now has gates around its wire reels and, among many things, they’ve also provided training on proper lifting.

30 | SPRINGS | Winter 2022

Moffitt says every employee has annual safety training.

“If we have any recordables or near misses, we will go over those.”

One of the things that Rhodes initiated at Iowa Spring is a program to help new employees with safety. “Most of the time, the people who come in here have never worked in spring manufacturing,” said Moffitt. “We made a list together of what we think is important when new employees come in here.”

Moffitt says they have a lot of temporary workers who come to work at Iowa Spring. “We have them wear a bright colored shirt so we can identify them. It helps us show them the different areas they need to know, such as walkway areas.

When temps come in, we do a walk through with them and have them work with their supervisors on safety, as well.”

In addition, Moffitt said every temporary worker is assigned a mentor for advice and assistance.

She said up until COVID-19, Iowa Spring had its insurance carrier visit the plant to do a walk through to see how they can make improvements to its current system. “We’re here every day, so we sometimes don’t see it. We ask them to do it and it has always been very helpful,” said Moffitt.

The company has adjusted due to the pandemic, which has included investing in additional cleaning people. As a result, safety cleaning protocols have been implemented between shift changes and at the end of the day.

“One obvious thing with the pandemic is we have told our employees: ‘Don’t come to work if you are sick,’” explained Moffitt. “Sometimes you have to state the obvious.”

She said that Iowa Spring has made changes to its break room. Only 10 people are now allowed in at any time, and lunch breaks are taken at two different times. Plus, Moffitt said employees are now allowed to go to their vehicles for lunch.

Moffitt said meetings are now limited to 10 people. “Being a manufacturing company, our employees are already spread apart, so no one works side by side. So that helps quite a bit.”

In conclusion, Moffitt said, “We let our employees know all the time that safety is our No. 1 thing. If there is anything they question, they need to come to us. We will look at something so it is taken care of.”

Vulcan Spring and Manufacturing Co., Telford, Pennsylvania Located 45 minutes north of the center of Philadelphia, Vulcan Spring and Manufacturing Co. was founded in 1967

by Alex Rankin.

“My father created an amazing base company with its foundation focused on constant force springs,” said second

generation owner Scott Rankin, who now runs the company like that we’ve gotten through the years with the OSHA and is a former SMI president. program. When someone comes in the first day, there’s “I got involved full time in 1983 and worked to help grow about 20 minutes of their onboarding devoted to safety.” the company through sales and new versions of manufacturAnd how important it is: “It’s what we do here,” said ing. As I got more involved, I found a large gap between what Rankin. “We have a quarterly meeting and sometimes we thought the Occupational Safety and Health Administramonthly meetings; every meeting starts out with, ‘I’m proud tion (OSHA) was asking for and what OSHA was actually of you guys for staying safe.’ And it always ends with: ‘I asking for.” need you here and I can’t have you here if you’re injured.

Rankin said he made a call to OSHA to find out exactly Just think and push forward on that.’” what it was they had in mind for Vulcan Spring. “This turned Rankin says he’s empowered employees to do something into a long-term relationship with OSHA consultation and should they encounter an unsafe situation. “Anybody who OSHA through their Safety and Health Achievement Recis out in the factory is in charge of what happens there. If ognition Program (SHARP) program,” explained Rankin. someone gets hurt we all take it personally, and we all work “In 1990, I made my first call to OSHA and was put in really hard to figure out ‘what, why and how,’ to make sure it doesn’t happen again.” touch with OSHA consultation. They visited Vulcan and As a benefit to the compastarted the process to work Your company’s safety culture is impor- ny’s safety program, Rankin toward a SHARP certificate, says he’s constantly upgradtant to your customers, employees and ing machines and safety showing that we were in compliance with OSHA stanthe entire business as a whole. An amaz- equipment and things such dards for our business,” said as light curtains to something ing safety culture can positively impact new. “If there’s a better way Rankin.

Rankin says it took five your business … Safety leaders in the to do it, I’ll do it,” explained years of hard work to get Rankin. organization must define what the culture the company’s team ready Rankin has also utilized the for the SHARP certificate. is now and how they wish to transform it. services of Laura Helmrich“After that, we have Rhodes. “The biggest ben— Lisa M. Buck, Workplace Safety had yearly visits and many efit of Laura is that she’s a changes that kept us busy to different voice. She lays out keep current,” said Rankin. “This has gone on for more than everything for employees in a way they can understand 25 years, and we all work hard with our safety committee and they can ask her questions.” and OSHA consultation to meet the challenges each year.

Rankin says that’s important. “There are questions that As time went on we had more time between visits but still they might not want to ask us because, ‘If Scott knows I worked to stay current with the ever-changing rules.” don’t get this, it might be a problem.’ But they can ask her and if she doesn’t know the answer, she will get it.”

Rankin is quick to point out that even with the SHARP certification, they have still experienced injuries.

Rankin says Rhodes is good at providing feedback, so “Our tally rate of no lost-time injuries has been reset “we know what might be missing and we can tie it into many times, bringing us back to zero and letting us get more our next safety training session.” diligent with each issue,” explained Rankin. “We have gotten On the subject of the pandemic, Rankin says because far better at finding why an accident happened and then they have a big factory, it was easy to practice social distancmaking changes to try to guarantee that the same injury ing and move tables away from each other in break room will not happen again. We work hard to keep our focus on areas. He said they also retired some coiling machines that safety at the forefront of all meetings and interactions with they were no longer using to create more distance in their coiling department. new and seasoned employees.”

Rankin went on to say, “I wish you could say having One of the important things that Vulcan upgraded was a safety committee and a safety program and an OSHA their ventilation system. Rankin says they changed all the SHARP program would guarantee that no one gets hurt air filters which made an immediate improvement to the again, but unfortunately that’s not the real world we live in. air circulation system. “We have worked hard to get our air There are people and people make mistakes. Things break.” system to the highest point possible, in both the factory Rankin says the message of “safety first” is pretty blatant and in the office. From everything I had heard, if you can at Vulcan. “We have signs everywhere, and flags and stuff just move the air it’s got to be better.”

“

”

SPRINGS | Winter 2022 | 31

In regard to health protocols, Rankin said Vulcan changed its sick policy. “If someone feels sick we don’t want them coming to work. We don’t do testing here. We have a rapid testing facility right down the street. The main thing is I am asking employees to go see their doctor; I’m not going to play doctor at any point.”

On the subject of masks, Rankin says that once they were no longer mandatory, he made it strictly up to employees as to whether they want to wear a mask. “I’ve got a few people here who have worn a mask from day one and they still do. The majority of people don’t. If the person next to them is not feeling good or coughing, then they’ll put on a mask.”

As this issue of the magazine goes to press, the status of an OSHA mandate that any company with over 100 employees must have a fully vaccinated workforce or face fines was in limbo. Companies across the country sued to stop the mandate. Businesses would have had until Jan. 4, 2022, to require their indoor workers to be vaccinated against the coronavirus or get tested weekly. Violators could face fines of up to $14,000 per offense.

“As a fully vaccinated person, I do not understand how this can happen,” said Rankin, “and I am completely against this policy.” Rankin has more thoughts on the subject of vaccinations and the OSHA mandate that he’s happy to share with anyone who contacts him.

Plymouth Spring Co., Inc., Bristol, Connecticut Plymouth Spring is located in the hotbed of New England spring manufacturing in Bristol, Connecticut, just 30 minutes southeast of Connecticut’s capitol city of Hartford.

Company president David DeVoe says Plymouth Spring has a safety committee that consists of one person from the seven departments that make up the company. “The committee also has a management representative, but it’s not me,” explained DeVoe. “I want employees to feel free to share things openly and to help make changes going forward.”

DeVoe says when there is a safety issue to address, it is presented to him for a response.

“Safety is a big deal here,” said DeVoe. It has been more than 3½ years since Plymouth Spring had a lost-time injury.

“We see the value in having large aisles so that people can move around safely here,” explained DeVoe. “We have many safety items within the plant, such as eye wash stations, heart monitors, etc. and we work with an occupational safety consultant to make sure we have everything employees need.”

DeVoe says having Laura Helmrich-Rhodes visit Plymouth Spring on a regular basis is a way for the company to add value.

32 | SPRINGS | Winter 2022

“She will go to the shop to inspect and make recommendations,” explained DeVoe. “We do try to change it up each year and utilize Laura in different ways with training for our workers.”

DeVoe recognizes the expense of bringing Laura to Bristol, “but having her into our plant each year has helped lower our workers’ compensation insurance rates, in addition to helping provide a safe environment for our employees to work.”

According to DeVoe, the lower rates came because the work Rhodes completed helped lower the modification factor, or MOD rate, for Plymouth Spring. A MOD rate contributes to how much companies pay each month in workers’ compensation premiums. It is partly determined by the industry classification in which a company operates and how many OSHA recordables it accumulates.

DeVoe says the savings are nice, “But the most important thing is we are doing the right thing to make employees safe.”

We believe safety is important. “Employees make us money and help us produce our products. They are our future, so we need to keep them safe.”

With 55 employees to take care of, DeVoe believes it’s a big value for employees to come work at a safe company.

With the pandemic, Plymouth changed its shifts so there is a ½ hour in between and the company has time to clean.

In addition to investing in disinfectants and cleaning, DeVoe says Plymouth Spring provided hazard pay for eight weeks during the early part of the pandemic to thank its employees for working.

More recently DeVoe says the company provides $200 to employees to get vaccinated. “We do not mandate vaccination, and 80 percent of our workforce has done so voluntarily. We believe safety goes both ways.”

Building a Safety Culture All the companies featured in the issue have worked hard to build a safety culture.

In her book “Workplace Safety,” Lisa M. Buck explains the benefits of this value.

“Your company’s safety culture is important to your customers, employees and the entire business as a whole. An amazing safety culture can positively impact your business by driving engagement, reducing workers’ compensation claims/costs, and attracting the very best talent. Safety leaders in the organization must define what the culture is now and how they wish to transform it.”

The time to build this type of “safety first” culture at your company is now, and if built right the foundation will last for many years, even in the midst of a pandemic. n

SAFETY FIRST An Interview with Dr. Laura Helmrich-Rhodes

By Gary McCoy

A

s this issue focuses on workplace safety, in this interview I review the landscape of today’s manufacturing environment with Dr. Laura Helmrich-Rhodes. Dr. Rhodes is well known to Springs readers due to her role as an independent regulations compliance consultant for SMI and as a regular columnist.

Dr. Rhodes has worked with SMI since Oct. 1, 2014, conducting safety audits, training classes and webinars. Safety audits are offered to SMI members as a means to prepare for Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspections. Participating members have lowered incidents of lost-time injuries, lowered workers’ compensation costs and avoided large fines from government regulatory agencies.

In addition to her work with SMI, she is a board-certified safety professional in Comprehensive Practice (CSP) and is an associate professor in the Safety Sciences department at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She continues to be active in private consulting through Safety Geeks, LLC. In her free time, Dr. Rhodes enjoys travel, fly fishing, backpacking, tent camping and any outdoor fun.

Dr. Rhodes earned her doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh, where her dissertation focused on the intersection of human resources and safety professions and the need for human resource professionals to gain graduate safety education. She holds a bachelor’s in safety sciences and a master’s degree in industrial and labor relations.

On the following page is an edited version of my recent Q&A with Dr. Rhodes conducted via Zoom.

SPRINGS | Winter 2022 | 33

How has the practice of safety science changed in the last 30 years?

During my career, one of the important developments in the profession has been the addition of ‘environmental’ to the work of what the safety professional does. So now you’ll see the acronyms like EHS, environmental health and safety, or SHE, which is safety, health and environmental.

The work of the safety pro has really expanded. When I first started in this business, most of the time the safety director was somebody who had gotten hurt, or it was a maintenance person. Typically, it wasn’t a degreed safety professional. We are now seeing people who are academically prepared to be in this role.

We’re starting to see them more at the C-suite level. At my university we have graduates that are vice presidents of safety for large organizations. We have safety professionals that have become plant managers, along with people that have board of directors’ positions in major corporations.

The safety profession has been viewed differently over the past 10 to 20 years and it’s professionalized to a greater extent.

When we have this conversation, we have to include the influence of major disasters.

Within the last 20 to 30 years, we have witnessed major tragedies like Imperial Sugar, which has brought about greater attention to dust explosions which impact the spring industry.

The Bhopal and Texas City explosions brought more awareness for process safety and the importance of redundancy. Plus, workplace violence incidents have risen to the point where we now have to lock our doors and have a policy for visitors.

All these tragedies have impacted the whole safety process.

If we look ahead, data is the future. Perception surveys, leading indicator data and inspection data help identify system inefficiencies and identify risk. I think that’s probably where the greatest change is going to happen in the future.

What benefits can a company see that places a high priority on workplace safety?

At the academic level, we are trying to develop good research in this area. For years, we have said, ‘We’re increasing productivity.

We’re decreasing inefficiency.’ Which is true.

I don’t think we have come far enough on real, science-based research into the benefits. Anecdotally we do see increased efficiency and profitability and we have better employee engagement. I see a lot of benefits to it that need to be measured, so that we have more research beyond anecdotal evidence.

A lot of people only think of OSHA compliance as workplace safety. Why is that a shortsighted view?

The reality is that you could comply with every OSHA standard and someone still could be seriously hurt, or even killed. Even in this industry, we’ve had several near misses and catastrophic events. Creating a decision-making culture within individual

34 | SPRINGS | Winter 2022

spring manufacturing plants is better than using avoidance of OSHA as the goal.

If we look at OSHA compliance, sadly there is a segment of people who feel that fines are just a cost of doing business.

The reality is that we can’t put a price on a person’s life or on their vigor. I’ve worked with a lot of companies who have had tragic events and it wouldn’t matter how much we fined that company. The heart hurt is far greater than any fine that they would experience.

It sounds like a mindset change, is what you’re talking about?

Yes, absolutely.

What permanent changes in workplace safety do you foresee as a result of the current pandemic?

There is definitely going to be a change in infectious disease prevention. We’re already hearing that from OSHA and the most respected epidemiologists. We have practices and OSHA regulations in place that are preventing infectious disease, and I think we’re going to see that carried out no matter what happens with COVID-19.

One of the things that I think is cool about this is, if you talk to a fourth grader, they know what the hierarchy of controls is (a globally recognized system for controlling hazards through five tiers of strategies, from elimination to prevention). They know that personal protective equipment is not the best strategy, but they have to use it. We can distance ourselves from people or we can put up a guard. My thought is that there might be employees that eventually come into your workplace that are going to have a much better understanding of the hierarchy of controls just because they’ve lived it. I see a greater hazard awareness for the next generation.

The other thing that I think will change, that is probably here to stay, is insurance loss control surveys. Employers used to have somebody come from the insurance company, sometimes every year or once every two years, to do a walkthrough of their facility. That has changed a lot during the pandemic to phone surveys or even FaceTime, where you carry a phone through your facility to show the loss control representative different areas of your business. I’m guessing that this type of approach is a lot less costly for the insurance company.

The downside of this trend for spring companies is the loss of the opportunity to talk to a safety professional. Many of our graduates ended up going to work for insurance companies in loss control. If your company does not have a full-time safety professional, traditionally the insurance company has provided you with an opportunity to have a face-to-face helper in your facility.

I’m a little concerned that spring companies might have to ask for more help from their insurance companies, and they deserve it. They’re paying a premium and they might have to be more vocal in asking for help.

What are successful companies doing to promote workplace safety?

From my perspective the recipe is really simple: you have to assign responsibility, accountability and authority. In other words, who’s going to do what, how are you going to measure what gets done and how will you allow individuals to make decisions?

There’s a safety maturity curve where you want your organization to move from a compliance framework to a proactive risk management standpoint. It starts with a written plan to assess risk, and then to the adoption of effective controls. Finally, you have to go back to make sure that they’re still working.

I don’t think that a lot of people understand that OSHA wants you to have these written programs. It’s not because they just want you to have something on paper. From a safety professional standpoint, you want that piece of paper to come alive.

For instance, here are some questions to consider. When you look at lockout/tagout, who’s going to be in charge? Who’s going to handle the training? How often is that training going to happen? How are we going to document that training? Who gets the last word on this? What’s the enforcement policy? Will we accept people working on live equipment? What is tolerable?

How much authority do people have?

You put all this on paper, and then you go back annually to make sure it’s working.

Many SMI companies already hold regulatory compliance certifications.

Why should they consider achieving the ISO 45001 international standard for occupational health and safety?

This is something that I’m actually very excited to try to push with SMI members who are already ISO 14001 or 9000 certified.

That’s because they are already familiar with the ISO structure and understand the importance of that framework. They have procedures in place and are used to the concept of continuous improvement and have seen the benefit of it.

What this standard does is put safety into that same mindset of the ISO ‘plan–do–check–act’ cycle. It involves taking the safety ideas and making procedures for those and putting them in a similar format that has already worked before.

It’s a good way to put it all together, and it engages people.

What should a company do that is faced with an OSHA investigation?

It starts with having a written plan to follow for any type of inspector that might come on site to your facility. People need to know their responsibilities, accountabilities and authorities.

Who’s going to greet them? Does that person know that they need to ask for the credentials of the OSHA inspector?

Inspectors are not offended when you ask for their credentials. We are in an era of workplace violence. I have stories to tell about imposters that have come to the door. You also want to make sure the inspectors are observing COVID-19 protocols.

Other considerations come from a planning standpoint.

Where are you going to allow them to work? Do you have a

Dr. Laura Helmrich-Rhodes

conference room where there’s no other materials in that area that they would have access to?

Employers need to understand their rights and how inspections can vary. There’s a process for a formal complaint. There’s a process for them coming for a national emphasis program visit. There are different things that happen in an opening conference with OSHA, so you need to understand your rights.

There are many things I can do to help SMI members before, during and after the inspection. If anybody’s involved in an inspection or wants to get themselves ready, I’m more than happy to help them.

I’ve discussed OSHA inspections in webinars and previous issues of Springs.

I think the key advice on preventing inspections from happening is to have some way for your employees to share their concerns with management. You definitely need to follow up with employees so that they know that you’re reacting to their concerns. If you can keep the potential for employee complaints down, you’re going to reduce the possibility that OSHA shows up to inspect your manufacturing facility.

What are some of the services you provide to SMI members?

I’ve been working with SMI for seven years and I primarily conduct safety audits and employee training. I also have been doing four free webinars per year for SMI members and at a nominal cost for non-members.

If you were to hire someone who has 30 years of experience, a doctorate and is a board-certified safety professional, it would be much more than the $1,000 that SMI charges for a safety audit. Employee training for SMI members is another $800 if you also book an audit.

Training is my greatest strength because it is part of what I teach at the university in how to make meaningful safety training sessions, how to keep adults engaged and, most importantly, how they can retain that information.

I believe SMI members get the best deal for safety audits and training that you could find anywhere.n

SPRINGS | Winter 2022 | 35

PANDEMIC SAFETY STRATEGIES T

rying to navigate the new world as we know it has been no easy task. No one could have predicted what was going to happen two years ago. COVID-19 has thrown a wrench in our lives and given everyone the task of adapting. 2021 became the year companies evolved and implemented ‘here to stay’ safety procedures in their day-to-day business. While safety in manufacturing looks different for everyone, one thing remains constant: all companies want their employees as well as customers to feel comfortable and safe.

FENN has created a safe work environment for our customers with a number of approaches. Continuing to keep up with new mandates if they arise is critical to maintaining safety protocols, as is being able to offer non-contact support if a customer prefers or requires it. Some of these approaches consist of virtual run offs, remote diagnosis, virtual training and phone and email support.

FENN can complete customer run offs, often called FATs (Factory Acceptance Tests), virtually, to our customers’ satisfaction. This gives customers who are purchasing a machine from us the ability to witness their machine in operation and meet acceptance requirements. This has allowed us to minimize the need for additional travel and limits the number of people required on site. It also allows for people who typically would not be able to travel for the run off to be able to watch their machine run.

All FZ and R series Torin spring coilers consist of updated programming that allow the buyer to engage in remote diagnosis. This also allows us to connect to the machine over the internet, to identify and evaluate issues and propose solutions.

The software can provide an immediate diagnostic report. In some instances, FENN’s service technicians can remotely fix the issue so no in-person interaction is needed. If a customer decides to invest in a control upgrade or retrofit to their existing machine, they will acquire the ability for FENN to log in virtually and get remote diagnostic support. New machines

36 | SPRINGS | Winter 2022

By Annelise Mackiewicz

that have updated electrics and equipment not only improve efficiency, quality and safety, but require less maintenance than an older machine.

Whether your company purchased a new machine, upgraded an existing machine, is starting to hire new employees, or is managing staff turnover, we have the tools to train you. Virtual training provides opportunities for a company to train when needed, if they are unable to travel or allow a service technician into their facility. While in-person training is recommended and necessary when dealing with new machines or controls for full understanding, virtual training can be done on a caseby-case basis. Dedicated email addresses and phone numbers for support are available 24/7 and can be promptly directed to the right person.

Some businesses halted due to the pandemic, but we have witnessed an uptick in business in several key industries directly related to manufacturing and specifically the springs industry.

FENN has adapted with the times and has the resources available to our existing and new customers. This is key to maximizing a customer’s production time and lowering their down time. While continuing to offer these services from a distance, companies can seamlessly integrate new safety strategies while they keep up with the ever-changing world. At FENN, we are proud to do our part to stay ahead and keep everyone safe and healthy. Our aim is to put measures in place so our customers can continue to utilize these resources and safe practices now and in the future. n

Annelise Mackiewicz is the marketing and sales coordinator for FENN/Torin in East Berlin, Connecticut. She can be reached at Annelise.Mackiewicz@fenn-torin.com.

SAFETY IN THE WORKPLACE “S

afety is no accident” is a cliché that often rings true.

While focus is often centered on production, efficiency and quality, some opportunities on the periphery should not be brushed aside. Most of us have seen some version of the pyramid below. The parameter missing from the pyramid is time. Whether the pyramid is completed in a month, year, decade or a lifetime, it is influenced by everyone involved.

1 29 300

By Brian Durkin

and create a sort of mentor program? It doesn’t need to be formal to be effective and can lead to benefits well beyond a safer workplace.

By the numbers, the data sampled from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) shows that after 15 years of improvement, the incident rate for spring manufacturers (NAICS group 3326) is on the rise. This is not good news.

Incident Rate History NAICS 3326 Major Injury

Minor Injury

Near Misses

10

7.5

5

2.5

Whether your safety program is a bit more than an afterthought, well organized and regimented, or anywhere in between, it sends a message to the production floor. It does not take a lot of resources to make that message say, “safety first.”

Do You Have a Safety Committee?

Various state departments of labor offer free resources and incentives. Pennsylvania offers a pathway to obtaining state certification of your safety committee, which leads to discounts on workers’ compensation insurance premiums.

Have old personal computers (PCs) that haven’t gone to the recycling center yet? Put one standalone in an accessible area.

Instead of managing numerous safety data sheets (SDSs) on paper, load them on to the PC. Toolbox talks? Put them on the same PC with a sign-in sheet.

You can download them from your safety supply provider free of charge.

Now, meet once a month and keep notes, and you are well on your way to establishing a culture of safety.

For reasons that experts more qualified than I could explain, both more experienced and new workers have increased odds of sustaining an injury on the job. Why not put them together

0 2000

2005

2010

2015

2019

n Lost Time n No Lost Time

The manufacturing industry faces the challenges of recruiting new workers. Whether new workers are needed to replace our experienced but retiring craftsmen or to support growth, the perception of a grimy, dirty, and dangerous workplace must be overcome. There is no time to start like the present. n

Brian Durkin is the quality manager for Ace Wire Spring & Form. He joined the company in May 2018 and his multifaceted career has included electromechanical field engineering and technical sales, followed by organizational roles as quality manager, supply chain manager and safety director. He can be reached at: BDurkin@acewirespring.com.

SPRINGS | Winter 2022 | 37

Flashback

By A. Blanton Godfrey

The Hidden Costs of Poor Quality (Editor’s note: The following article originally appeared in the Fall, 1998 issue of Springs. Coincidentally, that issue of the magazine was printed under the same theme as this edition, “Safety First.” Many will enjoy this look back because the article advocates that “If we could estimate every product’s total life cycle cost, then we would truly know the importance of process and product improvement.” That same value continues to hold true today.)

38 | SPRINGS | Winter 2022

Earlier this year, I served on the committee for a doctoral candidate, Lars Sörqvist, at the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden. His thesis concerned poor quality costing. It examined how companies currently estimate poor quality costs and explored some new ideas about estimating actual costs. It also expanded upon the concept of total losses due to a company’s imperfect products and processes.

This theory, not completely new, relates to Genichi Taguchi’s earlier definition of “loss to society” caused by poor quality.

When I first encountered this concept in the early 1980s, I found it hard to accept. At the same time, one of the early papers went so far as to suggest that if a television picture was too good, children watch too much TV, thereby resulting in a loss to society. But, as usual, Taguchi was ahead of his time, and now we’re beginning to realize the far-reaching implications of this line of thought.

Sörqvist carefully defines five levels of poor quality costs.

The first level comprises the traditional poor quality costs of rework, warranties, scrap, inspection costs and other visible internal and external failure costs. Normally hidden expenses he classifies as level two costs. These include invoice errors, unnecessary paperwork and wasted meeting times incurred by management. But level two costs also include chronic, routine problems that are easy to ignore and frequent, unthinking corrections that aren’t captured by accounting systems.

In the third level, Sörqvist includes costs related to lost income. When marketplace goods and services fail to meet customers’ needs or wants, substantial losses may occur. Although it’s usually difficult to quantify them, these costs are real and often quite high. They may result in immediate loss of market share or goodwill as well as long-term market effects. Poor service in a hotel, for example, might not impact revenues from the customer’s current stay, but the customer’s refusal to return to that particular hotel could certainly impact future revenues.

Sörqvist’s fourth level of poor quality costs include losses incurred by customers. Such costs may or may not result in lost sales or market share and may not even result in warranty costs. Competitors may incur the same losses and customers may believe the costs are unavoidable.

These costs include early replacements (for example, light bulbs that last only a few thousand hours), incompatibilities with other equipment or software, items that are unnecessarily difficult to repair and other defects in design or workmanship for which customers end up paying.

But it’s the fifth level that stretches the usual definition of poor quality costs the farthest. These are the socio-economic costs, losses that affect a community due to inadequate processes or products of companies, organizations or governments. These

costs have become increasingly more obvious. They include products that can’t be easily recycled and are harmful to the environment; manufacturing wastes that poison the air, land and water; and products with harmful side effects.

Many of these costs are only visible years later. The worldwide costs of DDT, lead-based paints, asbestos, pesticides, certain pharmaceuticals and industrial products are hard to estimate. Short-term benefits from these products invariably obscure long-term hazards. A drug with a serious side effect can create costs to society far beyond its obvious damage to the individuals using it.

For instance, society often overreacts to the drug and creates new laws requiring lengthy testing procedures that affect manufacturers of similar products for years to come. In the process, many useful new medicines are delayed or prevented from reaching the market, thus causing unnecessary deaths and suffering.

Governments create many of society’s greatest losses. At local, state and federal levels, layers of needless work accumulate. Anyone who has responded to proposal requests from government agencies has glimpsed at the enormous waste potential built into their processes. Anyone who has waited

in long tollbooth lines has experienced the elaborate systems designed to collect thousands of dollars while squandering millions in valuable time.

It would be instructive to extend total life cycle costs to include the fifth level. What if government agencies had to prove that the value of information they collected was greater than the costs of collecting it? What if tollbooths stopped operating every time the combined value of commuters’ waiting times exceeded the money being collected? If we could see an estimate of every appliance’s total life cycle costs (energy use, maintenance and recycling cost) we’d likely make quite different buying decisions.

Perhaps we’d greatly intensify our quality efforts if we had accurate estimates of all five levels of poor quality costs and understood the true effect of improving our processes and products. n A. Blanton Godfrey is dean and Joseph D. Moore Distinguished University Professor at North Carolina State University’s College of Textiles. Prior to his current assignment, he was chairman and CEO of Juran Institute Inc. Email him at agodfrey@qualitydigest.com. This article was originally reprinted with permission of Juran Institute Inc. and Quality Digest.

FIVES, A LEADER IN SPRING GRINDING ABRASIVE TECHNOLOGY

— Cutting Tools | Abrasives E: cuttingtools.abrasives@fivesgroup.com - Concord Twp., Ohio - South Beloit, Illinois - USA

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SPRINGS | Winter 2022 | 39

Forecast 2022

By Phillip M. Perry

Clearing Skies; B

usinesses should benefit from a favorable operating environment in 2022 as the economy continues to grow at a healthy clip. Although sales of goods and services are expected to decelerate from the previous year’s torrid pace, bottom line earnings should remain high. Aggressive housing activity, robust capital investment and high employment levels should more than make up for the costs of crippled supply chains and pandemic-related labor shortages.

Clearing skies with a chance of showers. The economic forecast for 2022 promises a largely favorable operating environment for businesses of all sizes as the nation benefits from steady growth in goods and services. Tail winds include a decline in unemployment numbers, rising wages, a booming housing sector, fat corporate profits, aggressive capital investment and generally easy capital sourcing.

“We are in the midst of an early economic recovery after the body blow of COVID-19,” says Bernard Yaros Jr., assistant director and economist at Moody’s Analytics.

“Though growth will decelerate in 2022 due to fading effects from businesses reopening and past fiscal stimulus, the economy will remain robust.”

The numbers tell the tale. Moody’s Analytics expects real gross domestic product (GDP) to grow at a healthy 4.3 percent in 2022. While that is a bit less aggressive than the 5.8 percent of the past 12 months, it remains decidedly sunnier than the 3.4 percent pandemic-fueled decline of 2020. (GDP, the total of the nation’s goods and services, is the most commonly accepted measure of economic growth. “Real” GDP adjusts for inflation.)

Profits Grow

The economic forecast for 2022 promises a largely favorable operating environment for businesses of all sizes as the nation benefits from steady growth in goods and services.

40 | SPRINGS | Winter 2022

Businesses tend to benefit from a healthy economy, and Moody’s Analytics expects corporate profits to increase by some 4 percent in 2022. While that figure might seem unremarkable in isolation, it represents a hefty advance over the difficult comparisons of 2021, when profits spiked 36 percent. Clearly, business owners are glad to bid adieu to the pandemic-battered 2020, when their profits declined 3 percent.

Headwinds, of course, are inevitable. And 2022 will have its own troubling mix: The peekaboo pandemic. Labor shortages.

Crippled supply chains. China tariffs. Nascent inflation. An unsettled consumer. Yet economists do not expect negatives to prevail.

“While the Delta variant is continuing to do some damage, we expect this wave of the pandemic to soon subside and for any future waves to be successively less disruptive,” says Yaros. “Labor and goods shortages will ease as the domestic and global economies increasingly learn how to live in a new pandemic normal.”

Furthermore, heftier earnings should help companies weather the coming year’s array of challenges. “Corporate profit margins have been running somewhat above their five-year average of 11.1 percent,” notes Yaros. “That should provide

Chance of Showers “ Though growth will decelerate in 2022 due to fading effects from businesses reopening and past fiscal stimulus, the economy will remain robust.” some ability to absorb price pressures that have developed from rising commodity prices and global supply chain issues.”

Sales Recover

Business owners tend to confirm the economists’ sunny reports.

“Most of our members have seen a healthy return of revenues and are doing about 90 percent of their pre-COVID business,” says Tom Palisin, executive director of The Manufacturers’ Association, a York, Pennsylvania-based regional employers’ group with more than 370 member companies. “Many have actually gone into hiring mode.”

With its diverse membership in food processing, defense, fabrication and machinery building, Palisin’s association is something of a proxy for American industry.

“Our members are optimistic and expect current levels of demand to continue well into 2022,” says Palisin. “They’re expecting to continue to hire, as well. Our annual wage and salary survey usually projects between 400 and 500 job openings for the coming 12 months. Now, though, the number is more than a thousand. So, we’re looking at a doubling of the usual hiring activity.”

Aggressive hiring is improving the nation’s employment level, a key driver of the consumer sentiment so vital to the nation’s overall business health.

“Unemployment has been declining pretty steadily,” says Scott Hoyt, senior director of consumer economics for Moody’s Analytics. “Jobs are being added at a rate that, prior to the pandemic, would be viewed as astoundingly good.”

Unemployment is expected to be as low as 4.5 percent when 2021 figures are finally tallied and should decline to 3.4 percent by the end of 2022, a level close to the “full employment” conditions of the pre-pandemic economy.

Wage Hikes

Any tight labor market is likely to spark wage hikes—yet another driver of positive consumer sentiment. Today’s economy is no exception.

“We have seen a significant increase in wages over the past year—as high as 20 to 25 percent for lower hourly entry-level employees or machine operators,” says Palisin.

Nationwide, increases are running lower, due to normalization of wages in some industries. “In 2022 we’re looking at 2.6 percent growth in the employment cost index, compared with 2.9 percent for 2021 and 2.6 percent in 2020,” says Hoyt.

(Economists consider the “employment cost index” as the best measure of actual wage rates). Hoyt adds that “any risks to the accuracy of those numbers is probably on the upside.”

Wage rates aren’t the only component of an employer’s labor cost. Toss into the mix a greater number of people employed, a greater number of job positions filled, an increased number of hours worked, and the total comes to what economists dub “wage and salary income,” And it’s clear that employers nationwide will be shelling out more of that in the coming 12 months.

“In 2022 we’re looking at about 4.6 percent growth in wage and salary income, coming off a 7 percent increase in 2021, which was up from the 1.3 percent of 2020,” says Hoyt.

All that additional income should encourage greater consumer spending, a key driver of a healthy economy. And signs are that people have saved up considerable sums of cash that are ready to be spent.

Throughout 2020 and early 2021, after-tax income rose much faster than had been anticipated prior to the pandemic. The reason was massive fiscal stimulus in terms of federal economic impact checks and expanded unemployment insurance payments. At the same time, consumer spending ran lower than anticipated.

“People now have a huge amount of savings,” says Hoyt.

“Furthermore, consumer credit card borrowing has been weak, leaving consumers more flexibility to borrow money going forward if they choose to.”

Construction Activity

Given healthy corporate growth, its little wonder business investment remains robust. “Our members in general are expanding, building new warehouses and manufacturing facilities and buying new equipment,” says Palisin. “We are seeing a special uptick in the automation category because of the labor supply issue.”

Nationwide, the picture is the same. Moody’s Analytics expects capital investment to increase 8.2 percent for both

SPRINGS | Winter 2022 | 41

2021 and 2022, another welcome rebound from the 5.4 percent decline of 2020. Companies are giving a lot of attention to bolstering their intellectual property infrastructure.

“Investments in information processing equipment and software is well above its pre-pandemic level as businesses have boosted their IT budgets,” says Yaros. Higher energy prices have also fueled aggressive investments in mining exploration, shafts and well structures.

The economy should also benefit from more spending on commercial structures.

“We’re going to see more non-residential construction next year,” says Bill Conerly, principal of his own consulting firm in Lake Oswego, Oregon. “It will be strongest probably in warehouses and light industrial, but also suburban offices. Early indicators, like the Architectural Billings Index, are looking positive.”

This will be a welcome change over recent flat activity, which Conerly attributes to the long lead times characteristic of such projects, and a scarcity of new initiatives in the early days of the pandemic. “Early in 2020 nobody was signing papers to acquire land or do new projects,” he says. “So, what we see going on now are projects that were planned pre-pandemic or with short lead times.”

Fueling the trend: Ready money. “For the most part, our companies are able to access funds for hard capital investments and lines of credit,” says Palisin. “Financing has loosened up since a year ago when everybody was in a high state of uncertainty.”

On the residential side, housing starts have been running about 15 percent higher than pre-pandemic levels, according to Moody’s Analytics. The prediction is for full steam ahead.

“Annual growth in housing starts will remain strong because of favorable demand-side factors, namely demographics and excess savings,” says Yaros. Increases for 2022 are expected to top 11.9 percent—very aggressive by historical standards and slightly higher than the previous year’s 10.6 percent.

Eager consumers are bidding up the prices of single-family homes, and a general easing of mortgage lending standards is helping grease the skids. Housing prices for 2021 are expected to jump 17.5 percent—a considerable improvement over the previous year’s 10.4 percent. As for 2022, Moody’s Analytics expects increases to decelerate to 4.6 percent, thanks to difficult year-to-year comparisons.

Scarce Workers

The generally favorable economic forecast is not without its clouds. As most employers will attest, today’s ambitious hiring initiatives are colliding with a scarcity of candidates.

42 | SPRINGS | Winter 2022

“Our members are having difficulty finding enough workers, especially for entry-level jobs,” says Palisin. “The average timeto-hire has doubled from what it was prior to the pandemic.

This will certainly impact our members’ ability to take on new work or provide on-time delivery.”

Nationwide job openings recently topped a record-shattering 11 million—a huge increase over the 7 million pre-pandemic level.

“The No. 1 concern of businesses going forward will be finding qualified labor,” says Yaros. “There have never been so many open positions across every industry and government, but the need for more workers is especially acute in manufacturing, transportation, educational services, health care, and leisure and hospitality.”

The reasons for the scarcity are diverse.

“There has been a significant drop off in labor force participation as folks were forced into retirement, or are staying home to deal with child care or other dependent care issues that are more difficult to handle in the current environment,” says Hoyt. Some fear the risk of workplace infections. Others are not finding exactly the job they want. And many pandemicshocked people are reassessing their life missions and pursuing new ventures.

A number of factors may help relieve the labor crisis in 2022. These include the end of bonus unemployment insurance, a declining effect from stimulus payments, an abatement of infections, and a return to in-person schooling.

Supply Chains

The tight labor market is helping fuel another business headache: a global breakdown in the efficient distribution of goods.

“Most of the time, the root cause of supply chain disruption is a lack of sufficient workers,” says Conerly. When people aren’t available to do the work, efficient production and transportation fall by the wayside. Cargo ships are piling up at ports, causing delivery delays and leading to widespread price increases for supplies.

The supply chain imbroglio has engaged a broad spectrum of industries.

“Close to 95 percent of our members are experiencing supply chain issues,” says Megan Tanel, senior vice president of the construction sector for the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM). “More than half say the issues are getting worse. There are transportation bottlenecks, materials and component shortages. For the vast majority of our members, these issues are both domestic and global. And they are causing huge constraints on production.”

The increased costs resulting from order backlogs and delivery delays are only exacerbated by the China tariffs. While businesses were expecting some relief from the Biden administration, so far there has been no move to change the status quo.

“Tariffs on Chinese goods will likely continue,” says Conerly.

“In fact, given the friction between the U.S. and China, it’s possible we could even get additional ones.”

The double whammy of supply chain disruption and China tariffs are causing some businesses to look at alternative regional or local sources.

“Many businesses are no longer relying on any single supplier or global region for goods and services,” says John Manzella, a consultant on global business and economic trends, East Amherst, New York. “They are building more diversified and reliable supply chains. Instead of buying in scale from two very large Chinese suppliers, they might buy in smaller increments from a half dozen suppliers located in different regions of the world. They may also utilize more long-term warehousing facilities. This strategy, which adds costs but reduces risk, will be extremely beneficial in protecting against the next pandemic, black swan or trade war.”

Finding alternative sources, though, can be easier said than done.

“Many businesses that would like to source domestically can’t find any vendor in the United States that can match Chinese prices,” says Conerly. “And Chinese companies have improved the quality of their goods significantly.”

Adding to this litany of woes is the Chinese government’s increasingly heavy-handed control of industry, says Palisin.

“Some of our members are asking, ‘If we have a critical supplier in China, how likely is it that the government will step in and intervene in that company, which could impact us getting access to our components?’”

The Year Ahead

As businesses enter the early months of 2022, economists suggest watching a number of leading indicators for an idea

of how the year will go. The first is the state of consumer confidence—a vital driver of the nation’s economy.

Given favorable wages and income trends, one might expect that consumers are feeling fairly good. In the closing months of 2021, though, the attitude of the American public was surprisingly unsettled.

“It really is difficult to get a good sense of consumer confidence in the current environment,” says Hoyt. One reason, of course, is the unclear path of the pandemic. But another is the recent spike in fuel and other prices, sparking fears of inflation.

How the public reacts to the shape-shifting virus should be more apparent in the opening months of 2022. So should changes in the currency’s purchasing power.

“Inflation will be the key financial statistic to follow early in the year,” says Yaros. Moody’s Analytics calls for the Core PCE Price Index to moderate to 2.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2022 as the effects of past fiscal stimulus fade away. (The Core PCE Price Index excludes energy and food prices and is the Federal Reserve’s preferred measure of inflation). Businesses should watch for any higher levels of persistent inflation that might cause the Federal Reserve to increase interest rates—a move Moody’s Analytics does not anticipate before 2023.

Yet another leading indicator will be the return-to-work trend.

“More people getting back on the job would confirm a strong 2022,” says Conerly. “Are employers getting the workers they need? Are people earning more money to spend?”

Finally, a nonfinancial force may be more important than anything else.

“The damage done by the Delta variant has taught us that the pandemic is still alive and has the potential to disrupt economic activity,” says Hoyt. “Early in 2022, the leading data will be about COVID-19. What are the trends in vaccination rates?

Infections? Hospitalizations? Deaths?”

Favorable answers bode well for a robust year. n

“ Labor and goods shortages will ease as the domestic and global economies increasingly learn how to live in a new pandemic normal.”

SPRINGS | Winter 2022 | 43

By Rob Sligh

The Role of Board Evaluations in a Family Business

Y

ears after creating a board with independent directors, family business owners often say that it was one of the best decisions they ever made.

It stands to reason that it’s important to keep the board vibrant and well-equipped to help the family enterprise prosper in the future. Regular board evaluations are an important means toward that end.

Some family business boards have director terms of, say, three years with staggered expirations, and others simply hold annual elections. Some create age and/or term limits. Others think more qualitatively about active engagement, mental acuity and a soft target of up to 10 years of service on the board.

Irrespective of any of these approaches to board tenure, an essential step in a regular board evaluation process is the creation of a board matrix.

Defining the Cumulative Competence of a Board

The board matrix identifies director skills, experiences and attributes that will be valuable in supporting the envisioned future for the family enterprise. Consider a second and third generation family business planning to grow from $200 million to $500 million in the next 10 years, powered in part by significant expansion of their fledgling direct-to-consumer e-commerce business. They anticipate promoting or recruiting a non-family CEO to fill a seven to 10 year gap between when G2 wants to retire and someone from G3 will be ready to take over. Looking ahead, they see these (abbreviated) composite criteria for board members: • Experience in a multi-generational family business with annual revenue over $200 million and preferably over $500 million • C-Suite experience currently or very recently, preferably CEO or CFO • Experience with a transition from a family to a non-family CEO • Business board experience • At least one of the independent directors with experience overseeing the growth of a B2C e-commerce business With criteria shown horizontally along the top, directors can be arrayed vertically based on their age, tenure on the board and term expirations, if applicable. The intersecting areas show how director skills and experiences match the future criteria.

Gaps help guide director succession planning.

44 | SPRINGS | Winter 2022

Board Matrix Board of Directors

Experience in Multi-Gen Family Bus $200M+

C-Suite Experience

Transition Experience from Family to Non-family CEO

Experience with Growth of a B2C e-commerce Business

Business Board Experience

Current Director 1 Current Director 2 Current Director 3 Director Candidate Composite Board Color Code Match to Criteria: n Strong Skills & Experience n Emerging or Moderate n Not a strength

Gain Personal Insight

There is a lot more to creating a high-performing board than simply assembling people who match future criteria. One approach is for a third party to interview owners and board members individually. To help encourage candor, the interviews are confidential in the sense that individual feedback is not shared. Instead, the third party shares consolidated results with the goal of identifying driving themes, important issues and solution options to help improve board effectiveness. Interview questions can cover things like: • To what extent are the family and owners’ vision, values and business expectations articulated, aligned and understood by the board?

• What are examples in pre-read materials and in board meetings of effective use of the board’s time and talents? What are examples that are relatively ineffective?

• How do you feel about the company’s economic performance?

• What do you think are the biggest opportunities facing family owners and the business over the next few years? The biggest challenges?

• Among directors on the board, to what extent is there a general understanding of the marketplace and how company leaders intend to win in the face of competition?

• What are the major areas of experience and skills you bring to the board and where do you feel you add the most value?

• What do you learn from serving on the board and roughly how long do you anticipate being available to serve?

Collect Data

Another approach is to have the board fill out a written survey, which can be done internally while protecting the confidentiality of who said what on individual surveys.

Surveys may be carried out by third parties. What nuance may be missed through a written survey can be offset by the advantage of quantitative scoring and ranked results. Surveys can be administered annually or biennially to reveal trends.

Surveys often ask a series of questions in areas like the following: • Board role and general • Company strategy and direction • Risk management

• Board meetings and culture • Board composition and structure • Board organization • CEO and senior leadership relations • Shareholder relations • Chair of the board leadership • Director contributions A fast growing, profitable, multi-generational family business started with an inside board that included their trusted nonfamily CFO. After retirement, the CFO remained on the board.

Over time the company added four independent directors.

Some years later it was time to bring onto the board an additional independent director with current CFO experience in a larger family business. Through the process of creating a matrix showing future needs, the former CFO was able to see the appropriate time for his departure was at the end of the year. That kind of organic evolution is common with nonfamily directors.

Summary

The purpose of board evaluations is to help in recruiting and maintaining directors, who can help the company prosper in the future and build a high-performing team that sees that the business is well led in line with the owner’s vision, values and expectations for business performance. Those purposes can be advanced through a regularly updated board matrix, interviews and board surveys.

Reprinted with permission from The Family Business Advisor®, A Family Business Consulting Group, Inc.® Publication.

Rob Sligh is a consultant with The Family Business Consulting Group, Inc., a leading management consulting firm serving the unique needs of multi-generational family businesses worldwide. To learn more about The FBCG and how it serves families, phone 773-604-5005 or email info@thefbcg.com.

SPRINGS | Winter 2022 | 45

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Five Questions

United Wire Co., Inc. Five Questions provides an opportunity for SMI associate members to tell the spring industry about their company and the products and services they offer. In this edition, we talk with Bob Swanson Jr., president of United Wire Company.

1|

Can you tell us about the history of United Wire and the products it offers to spring manufacturers?

My grandfather started United Wire in April 1994. My grandfather, uncle and father all had experience in the shaped and flat wire business from working at previous companies in the ’70s and ’80s.

I started working for the company in the summer of 1994. When we first started, our main business was supplying zipper wire to the zipper manufacturers. United Wire offers flat, square, and shaped wire in stainless steels, carbon steels, copper bases, nickel bases, aluminum and cobalt alloys in all tempers.

2|

What are the latest trends impacting wire distributors and what effect is it having on spring manufacturers?

Due to market conditions, wire distributors are doing everything they can to have wire available to spring manufacturers.

The demand is very high, but the supply is very low. The effect on the spring manufacturers has resulted in longer lead times due to no material and increased costs once the material finally arrives. On a good note, if you have material then you are making money.

3|

What type of services do you offer to springmakers?

One of the main services United Wire offers is the very wide range of alloys that we manufacture. Not many companies work with carbon steels and stainless steels, as well as copper bases, grades of aluminum, nickel bases and cobalt alloys.

We do it all. Another service feature is our flexibility of order quantity we can accommodate, from 25 lb. to 25,000 lb. orders.

If a springmaker is looking for 50 lbs. of Inconel, 500 lbs. of stainless steel, or 5,000 lbs. of music wire, United Wire can service all orders. Our large size range capability is also a great service we offer. We can supply a .005” x .015” or can produce a .056” x .750”, so a springmaker can get many different sizes from us, as opposed to having to call different suppliers for different products.

5|

Can you tell us about a recent challenge that you were able to solve for a customer?

A spring manufacturer was stamping a part and the packaging they were receiving from their supplier was causing many problems. Since we are capable of rolling wire .750” wide, we can offer a very similar product to slit or coil. The advantage United Wire offers is much larger packaging. The customer went from getting 30 lb. coils from their previous supplier to getting 1,000 lb. reels from us, which resulted in cost savings. They were extremely happy. n United Wire Co., Inc. 50 McDermott Road North Haven, CT 06473 Phone: 800-840-9481 bob@unitedwirecompany.com www.unitedwirecompany.com

4|

What role does logistics play in serving spring manufacturers?

Right now, logistics has played a very negative role in servicing spring manufacturers. Trucking companies are taking longer to deliver product and costs are going up.

Bob Swanson Jr.

SPRINGS | Winter 2022 | 47

©iStockphoto.com/Björn Meyer

Springmaker Spotlight

David Janowski

Blazing His Own Trail: David Janowski and AMW Springs

By Gary McCoy, Managing Editor

AMWrelatively new when compared to the stalwarts of the spring

(Austinburg Mechanical Wire) Springs started in 2002 and is

industry, who trace their origins back to the mid-1800s. However, the values of hard work, determination and a unique identity that built those companies are evident in David Janowski, the founder and president of AMW Springs.

Each spring company has a one-of-a-kind story, and AMW Springs is no different. As Gary Van Buren, SMI’s technical advisor and a longtime friend and consultant to Janowski, says, “The company was not handed down to him. David built it from scratch. It’s a modern success story.”

Janowski’s introduction to the spring industry came after he graduated from high school in 1992. He set out to pursue an engineering degree at Youngstown (Ohio) State University. After a year, Janowski quickly realized college wasn’t for him.

SPRINGS | Winter 2022 | 49

Springmaker Spotlight

David Janowski (left) inspects parts produced by AMW Springs with plant manager Phil Oeffner.

Kevin Rose (left) the company’s senior setup technician with Janowski.

50 | SPRINGS | Winter 2022

He was working at the local McDonald’s as a shift manager, making $5 an hour. “A friend of mine got a job at a spring factory making $7.50 an hour grinding springs,” explained Janowski.

“I begged my friend to get me a job there.”

Janowski took a mechanical aptitude and math test and was hired by Sanborn Wire Company in Rock Creek, Ohio.

But instead of grinding springs, the company thought he was overqualified for that task and instead had him doing machine setups.

He started out setting up a Torin W125 machine. “It was a total disaster,” said Janowski with a laugh. “I broke more tooling in six months than the previous individual had.”

Janowski admits he was young and extremely cocky at the time, and there was conflict with the person who was training him.

“I would break an arbor here and a cutter there,” said Janowski. “The straw literally broke when I destroyed the power assist on the Torin 125.”

How it happened is a story that Janowski is happy to tell anyone who asks. Suffice it to say that when he told his boss that the machine was broken, “there was a lot of screaming and hollering” and Janowski offered to quit.

Samples of springs and wireforms manufactured by AMW Springs.

Springmaker Spotlight

“ We have a reputation for taking on very difficult jobs with long lead times.

The majority of work we do is very complicated.

Fortunately, I’ve surrounded myself with a great staff of employees.”

Senior secondary technician Stephanie Potter.

“I told my boss, ‘I will work for a month to pay for this thing, and you can keep my paycheck. You don’t have to swear and yell at me. I’ll go back to flipping hamburgers.’”

Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed and Janowski switched machines, and was trained by Wilburn Summers, a veteran springmaker who was originally from Tennessee.

With his southern drawl, Summers pulled Janowski aside and said, “Come over here, David. You can break all the tools you want.”

Janowski said Summers was a genius on Torin mechanical machines. “He took me under his wings and started training me on the Torin W11’s and the code was cracked.”

Janowski admits that had always been mechanically inclined and “this gentleman put a little faith in me.” That’s all that Janowski needed.

When a co-worker who ran the Torin 10a’s had a heart attack, Janowski was assigned to take over his duties. “I ran the 10a’s for almost a year and I loved it.

I liked running those smaller wires from .008” to .028.”

Moving to the World of CNCs Janowski attended his first CASMI SpringWorld in 1994. He asked his bosses at Sanborn Wire if could go back in 1996 and attend for two days. “Most of the guys were running around grabbing golf balls and coffee cups,” related Janowski.

“I came with a pair of calipers, because I wanted to understand how the machines worked at this show.”

At the time there were not many computer numerical control (CNC) machines available for making springs. Janowski saw a CNC machine at the show that was made by a Taiwanese company. He asked the owners of Sanborn Wire if they would buy the machine, and they did.

Janowski started running the CNC machine and became friends with the guys at Moyer Process & Control, who had expertise in this area.

“I remember being alone in the plant at Sanborn Wire on a Friday, and a customer needed a quarter million parts

by Monday,” said Janowski. “I called Jeff Duguid at Moyer and asked him how to setup the job. I was on the phone with him for an hour and he helped me wire it in. By the end of the weekend, the job was completed.”

After working at Sanborn Wire, Janowski worked for a Chicago-based company called Horizon Machinery that was selling Taiwanese CNC machines.

It was the same company that Sanborn Wire had bought its first 2-axis CNC machine from in 1996.

At Sanborn Wire Janowski felt like he was “a big fish in a small pond.” After a short duration at Horizon, he quickly realized that he had a lot to learn!

During his time at Horizon, Janowski built the relationships that he holds today with his current clientele. As you will discover later in this article, most of AMW’s clients are other spring companies. Along the way Janowski met several people that influenced and helped steer him forward.

After working at Horizon for a couple of years, Janowski ended up leaving to start AMW. eBay to the Rescue With his background making springs, Janowski decided to venture out and start his own company. “I started AMW Springs with the initial purchase of equipment from eBay and production in my garage,” explained Janowski.

SPRINGS | Winter 2022 | 51

Springmaker Spotlight

Amanda and David Janowski are wife and husband, parents to Veronica and Caroline, and business partners.

“ I started AMW Springs with the initial purchase of equipment from eBay and production in my garage.”

Top: Janowski is a self-described gear head and his current favorite vehicle is a 1980 Pinto race car.

Center: An assortment of smaller parts manufactured by AMW Springs.

Bottom: Senior setup technician Tim Beck.

52 | SPRINGS | Winter 2022

With a rapid period of sales growth in its initial years, Janowski was able to purchase a larger space. That larger space was the old Sanborn Wire Products building in Rock Creek, where Janowski had started his career in the spring industry.

The company now employs 12 people and utilizes 27 production machines. As the company states on its website, “AMW Springs is a young, aggressive spring and wireform manufacturer…the company was formed as a venture to implement creative ideas and techniques for spring and wireform manufacturing.”

“We have a reputation for taking on very difficult jobs with long lead times,” said Janowski. “The majority of work we do is very complicated. Fortunately, I’ve surrounded myself with a great staff of employees.”

Janowski jokes that his employees are not always happy that he’s taken on certain jobs and admits, “I can’t do it without them.”

AMW Springs has developed custom equipment and tooling to manufacture extension springs (produced up to 30” lengths), compression springs, extension springs, constant force springs, twisted wire springs, shaped wire springs, magazine springs and various wireforms.

AMW does not do any stamping yet, but it is an area that Janowski has considered for the future. Currently, 90 percent of the AMW’s work is for other spring companies.

“We do unique coiling with shaped wire, stranded wire, bizarre alloys, and some of the harder stuff, like wire coated with Teflon,” said Janowski. “We’re not afraid to try. We have failed before, but we will always keep trying.”

A self-described problem solver, Janowski does not have any engineering staff per se. “It’s just the hands-on knowledge of the products and the materials that we have developed over the years.”

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Springmaker Spotlight

Wired For Challenges Janowski admits that he does not have a whiteboard in his office and does not want to follow a prescribed business philosophy.

“I’m more of a guy who likes to fly by the seat of my pants; I like every challenge that comes across my desk. As a spring company, we try to address every situation we encounter.”

Not trying to come off as cocky or overconfident, Janowski believes that “if we can’t do it, then I know the majority of the spring companies can’t do it either.”

Like most springmakers, Janowski has faced a lack of materials during the past six months, along with the challenge of finding people to work.

Janowski is known for being a straight shooter and not shy about his opinions.

Janowski enjoys the challenges that come along with being a springmaker, he just wishes there was a better way to educate customers about spring products.

“A lot of people don’t understand that we’re not just machining a product,” said Janowski. “We are bending and forming wire, and the tolerances have gotten ridiculous.”

He further states, “What we are seeing is that JIT (just in time) inventory doesn’t work during a materials shortage.”

In addition to AMW Springs, Janowski is also the founder of A&D Trading LCC. A&D, which stands for Amanda (Janowski’s wife and business partner) and David, was started in 2004 as a machinery sales company to supply and service equipment, representing many of the same Taiwanese product lines he was familiar with along with several new lines.

A&D is operated completely separately from AMW Springs. Janowski says he has

Janowski would like to be remembered in the spring industry as someone who helps his fellow springmakers make springs and purchase equipment. “A guy that can get it done!”

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SPRINGS | Winter 2022 | 55

Springmaker Spotlight

earned the trust of other springmakers when he comes into their facilities. He represents the Taiwanese manufacturer Primera Precision and is a sales agent for Shinko Machinery out of Japan.

When it comes to technology, Janowski believes he could teach almost anyone how to run a spring machine. “But I can’t teach you how to be a springmaker.

I can explain it, but not everyone will

56 | SPRINGS | Winter 2022

understand the ‘how’ behind making springs. You have to understand how it works to be a successful springmaker.”

Away from the Office David and Amanda Janowski have two daughters, Veronica and Caroline. They live north of the office in the middle of 34 acres in Geneva, Ohio. Janowski travels quite a bit for work and enjoys the time

at home, when he can relax and work around the family property.

He enjoys gardening and sometimes just “sitting in the middle of the woods drinking beer and burning sticks.” In addition to fishing for walleye on Lake Erie, Janowski is an avowed “gear head” who likes tinkering with cars.

When I asked Janowski what his favorite car is currently, he said, “you are going to laugh hysterically, but my favorite right now is my “1980 Pinto race car.” Janowski says, “I’m like a dog with a bone, my favorite is what I’m playing with at the time.”

For those who are old enough to remember, the safety reputation of the Pinto generated controversy in the 1970s because of the cars fuel-tank design, especially after several deadly fires related to the tanks rupturing in rearend collisions.

All that aside, Janowski has modified his Pinto with things such as an aftermarket block with a 2.6 liter displacement and a 16-valve Volvo head with a turbocharger. He competes with the Pinto in drag races at a local track in northeast Ohio.

Other cars in Janowski’s collection include a 1966 Ford Galaxie 500 convertible, a 1931 Ford 5 Window Coupe and his “dream car,” a replica of a 1936 Auburn Speedster.

Janowski is a lifetime springmaker and says, “It’s all I have ever done and I love what I do.”

He looks up to many in the spring industry who have helped shape his career, including Dave Morrow of Sanborn Wire Products, who hired Janowski out of high school and gave him his first taste of the business. Others include: Walter, Kevin, Jim, Dennis, Mark, Reb, Ed and Gary, “all of which know who they are.” Janowski says, “I don’t want to get too personal!”

As to the question of how he would like to be remembered in the spring industry, Janowski responded in his Snapshot profile in the Winter 2020 issue of Springs: “Helping my fellow springmakers with making springs and purchasing equipment. A guy that can get it done!” n

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Book Corner ©iStockphoto.com/kertlis

Safely Working from the Ground Up Reviewed by Gary McCoy

“S

10.88”

afely Working from the Ground Up”

by David Shafer is a useful book for someone who wants to start from scratch to implement a safety program at their company or is looking for help in improving what is already in place.

The book is easy to read and aimed at those with safety responsibility at their company, but do not necessarily have any formal education or training on the subject. In the book Shafer introduces The Safely Working Project, which “is focused wholly on employees and their health and well-being in the workplace. The Project promotes useful guidance that does not depend on a safety professional or staff to facilitate in the workplace.”

Shafer writes, “The Safely Working Project envisions a path to workplace safety that is driven by employees and supervisors. This is fundamentally different from the traditional safety program, where an EHS professional manages workplace safety. So, instead of top down safety, Safely Working endeavors to succeed from the ground up. We’re turning safety upside down.”

Shafer’s goal is to turn the concept of “safety” into “safely working.” He describes it as a mindset change from reactive safety, based solely or corrective action or the mishap of the day, to a positive workplace culture and organizational value.

He introduces “Safe 6,” a method for helping employees get the job done safely utilizing the words, “recognize, prepare, inspect, control, operate and guard.”

1. Recognize all the dangers — know the task 2. Prepare the workspace — get ready 3. Inspect and check the equipment — eliminate the unexpected

4. Control conditions and remove dangers — make it safe 5. Operate and complete the task skillfully — use sensible care 6. Guard against mishaps — keep your eye on the ball As I dug deeper into Shafer’s website, http://safelyworking.net, I noticed that earlier this year, Shafer unveiled his new and improved Safe 6. He explains that he changed No. 5 from “operate and compete the task skillfully” to “engage and execute skillfully.” He said the word “engage” says so much and better

reflects the approach and philosophy of The Safely Working Project.

There are many good concepts in this book that would help any spring company toward developing a positive safety culture. n Have a favorite business book you would like to tell us about or review?

Send your suggestions to Springs managing editor Gary McCoy at gmccoy@fairwaycommunications.com.

SPRINGS | Winter 2022 | 59

wongwean/Shutterstock.com

CTE News

Manufacturing Day Events Held Amid Ongoing Pandemic

H

eld annually on the first Friday in October with events that continue throughout the month, Manufacturing Day (MFG Day) helps show the reality of modern manufacturing careers by encouraging thousands of companies and educational institutions around the nation to open their doors to students, parents, teachers and community leaders. As manufacturers seek to fill 4 million high-skill, high-tech and Right: 8th grader John Todd working with teammate 6th grader Eric Higgins at a Robotics League event to corral and score as many yellow balls in the center goal as possible, six points for in the basket and two for around it.

Below: 8th graders Sebastian Quintero and Joshua Jacobson are working with 7th grade teammate Tryce Aviles on their robot, Charlie.

Their robot is unique and they have 2 flyways that they power up to launch the ball into the goal in order to go for the 6-point shot.

60 | SPRINGS | Winter 2022

high-paying jobs over the next decade, MFG Day empowers manufacturers to come together to address their collective challenges so they can help their communities and future generations thrive.

The 2021 MFG Day also included a strong emphasis on engaging digital and virtual events throughout the country.

Here are some of the events held by spring manufacturers in 2021.

Newcomb Spring

Manufacturing Day (MFG Day) is an important event for Newcomb Spring Corp at many of its manufacturing facilities. Newcomb has done many different activities over the years to engage its community and local schools.

“Newcomb has had open door events for our community to learn about manufacturing. We have had middle and high school students in our facility for tours, and we have participated in going to schools to talk about the types of jobs that are available in a manufacturing environment,” said Don Jacobson III of Newcomb Spring, who also serves as SMI’s secretary/treasurer. “Our favorite activity every summer is being part of the STEP-UP program in Chattanooga and bringing in high school students to learn about manufacturing though paid internships.”

In 2021, Newcomb took it a step further at its Tennessee location by volunteering to support an entire robotics program at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Chattanooga. This is the school’s first year in the program and Jacobson reports that the students are very excited and eager to be part of something hands on and fun.

“The Vex IQ program allows students to solve complex engineering tasks with teamwork, creativity, and problems solving,” explained Jacobson. “Best of all, the students get to build and rebuild robots throughout the year. These robots are both driven by team members and are programmed to run autonomously during skills competitions. This is a great program that Newcomb is excited to partner

CTE News

with by providing leadership, teaching examples, and coaching from production team members that work on advanced CNC equipment and industrial robots.”

Introducing and energizing students is one of the main goals of MFG Day. This partnership works because there is interest in engineering and a support network of knowledge to share with these students. Jacobson, a 4th generation member of Newcomb Spring, is the coach for the team and believes that opportunities like VEX are one of the best ways to excite future generations in STEM. Jacobson believes that by starting at the middle school level, it opens future opportunities at the high school, college, or technical school level.

With so many openings in the manufacturing sector, programs like VEX are a great way to get the next generation excited about STEM activities, according to Jacobson.

Here are some quotes from students who are part of the VEX team: • “It’s inventive!” (Robby M.) • “It’s very fun and time consuming.”

(Nathan T.) • “I like robotics because it keeps me away from my siblings.” (Mathew W.)

• “I like robotics because robots are the future and an early lead (working on them) can go a long way.” (Jude R.) • “It allows for creativity.” (Oscar S.) • “It teaches me engineering and lets me be creative.” (Noah J.)

Jacobson says, “While this partnership goes well beyond the month of October, the opportunity to work with students as they grow while utilizing problem solving and robotics is a win/win for the school, and our future manufacturing workforce.”

7th graders Jude Rodgers, Mathew Woodall, Robby Monahan and Nathan Tartar are working on the frame and catapult mechanism for their robots The box frame has intakes with orange rubber bands in order to scoop up and store the balls as they drive along the field.

OLPH Team 19370 is a combination of 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. They are pictured with two of their robots and their practice field they use for the 2021/2022 game called Pitching In.

SPRINGS | Winter 2022 | 61

CTE News

Mike Valoski, secondary foreman, demonstrates to students how springs are made on the machines.

Ace Wire Spring & Form

Over the past seven years Ace Wire Spring & Form in McKees Rock, Pennsylvania (just outside Pittsburgh) has participated in MFG DAY by inviting local high school and college students down to its shop to learn more about career opportunities in manufacturing. This year the company signed up to be a part of the Manufacturing Innovation Challenge, a program that brings together the brightest minds of tomorrow’s workforce with southwestern Pennsylvania companies to engage in hands-on improvement projects.

Ace Wire Spring & Form is working with a local high school and their engineering students to develop a marketing plan for one of the company’s products called the SuperClip.

In the fall of 2021, nine students and one teacher took a tour of Ace Wire and to have the opportunity to see springs and wireforms being manufactured.

Afterward, the students met with the company’s sales engineer and secondary foreman to answer questions and to learn more about career opportunities in the manufacturing industry.

“As we work with these students over the next few months, we hope to provide

Bob Powner, sales engineer (right), and Mike Valoski, secondary foreman, talk with the students about the manufacturing industry and the career opportunities available.

a fulfilling learning experience offering fresh perspectives and ideas on the attractive career opportunities the manufacturing industry offers,” explained John Higgins, marketing manager at Ace Wire Spring & Form.

For more information on MFG Day, visit creatorswanted.org/mfgday.

High school engineering students and their technology education/engineering teacher outside the Ace Wire headquarters in McKees Rock, Pennsylvania.

62 | SPRINGS | Winter 2022

Inside SMI

I

t’s time to make plans for SMI’s 2022 annual meeting, scheduled for April 22-26 at the Hyatt Regency Gainey Ranch in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The 2022 meeting will include the installation of new SMI officers and the opportunity to network with fellow springmakers and suppliers. There will be numerous educational sessions, along with optional events and activities.

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

On Monday, April 25, Lisa Ryan, chief appreciation officer at Grategy, will join SMI for the second time after her wellreceived presentation at the 2018 SMI annual meeting in Napa Valley. Ryan’s presentation will address “Sweat the Small Stuff: Simple Strategies to Keep Your Top Talent from Becoming Someone Else’s.”

“The impact of COVID-19 has profoundly changed business for good,” explains Ryan. “Not only did companies have to change many of their work practices, but employees have found they have lots more options when it comes to how, when, and where they can get their work done: remote working, keeping teams motivated, flexibility to retain workers.”

Ryan says even the term “workplace” has potentially become obsolete. “Companies that never thought they could (or

should) offer remote working opportunities have been forced to do so.”

Ryan believes flexible scheduling is no longer a “nice to have,” it’s expected.

“Organizations that come out of this pandemic successfully are the ones that integrate and master digital work, community, and collaboration. And yes, this does go for manufacturing plants,” said Lisa Ryan explained the principle of grategy at the 2018 SMI annual meeting in Napa Valley.

Ryan. “Workers may still have to show up to run production, but their • Why communication is more critical mindset has probably expanded to adjust than ever before — and how to make and adapt to new ways of using technolsure you’re doing it the right way. ogy and communicating with each other • Why ignoring employees’ personal and with leadership. It’s essential for you challenges will come back to haunt you. to have strategies to help employees deal Ryan argues that manufacturers need to with the fear, frustration, and uncertainty realize that there is no more “business of the new work environment.” as usual.”

Ryan’s presentation will look at: “In the case of the after-effects of • How the pandemic has changed busi- COVID-19, the only thing we know ness for good — and how to take for certain is that things are going to advantage of those changes. continue to evolve and change. In my • Why creating a culture of appreciapresentation, springmakers will learn tion through “gratitude strategies” what it takes to connect with and keep can set your business apart from the your employees from becoming somecompetition. one else’s.”

• How to relate to employees from both a personal and professional stand- To learn more about Ryan, point during trying times. visit www.lisaryanspeaks.com.

Send Us Your News

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SMI Plans Toward Annual Meeting in Scottsdale

SMI members receive priority placement for their product, company, personnel and events announcements in the magazine. Your news releases should be roughly 50 to 100 words and may be accompanied by color photos (high-resolution .JPEG photos at 300 dpi preferred). Send to dina@smihq.org.

SMI Welcomes New Member Please join us in a warm welcome for SMI’s newest member.

Rowley Spring & Stamping Corp.

Bristol, Connecticut

SPRINGS | Winter 2022 | 63

Inside SMI

Annual Meeting in Scottsdale…continued Unleashing True Potential With Afterburner

A second educational session will take place Tuesday, April 26, with leaders from an organization called Afterburner and described as a “high-energy experience that ignites momentum and moves teams forward.” The session will be led

by Charles “Chaz” Campbell, a retired brigadier general with the U.S. Air Force.

The Afterburner team has a unique perspective on helping unleash true potential within business teams. The organization argues that one of the biggest roadblocks to this effort can be developing a clear vision of success.

“Taking that one step further, aligning your team with that vision and a plan to execute comes with its own set of challenges,” explained Campbell. “It all comes down to clarifying the true meaning of business success, aligning behind a common strategy, and being able to execute flawlessly. We’ve done this successfully with 25 allied countries across the globe and thousands of companies.”

The background of Afterburner started in 1989, when Jim “Murph” Murphy sat at the controls of an F-15 fighter jet and realized that the cultural discipline and strategic alignment needed to execute flawlessly in the unforgiving, rapidly changing world of military aviation was more than unique — it was aweinspiring. The U.S. military’s ability to

cultivate a singleness-of-mind around strategic action was so compelling to Murph that he strove to translate these time-tested, combat-proven processes into a simple, scalable, agile methodology. The result was Flawless Execution, a proprietary framework that enables organizations to effectively leverage team experience, lessons learned, and a structured planning process to achieve new levels of success.

In 1996, Murph started Afterburner, Inc. to share the message of Flawless Execution with organizations around the world. Today, nearly 20 years later, more than 1.7 million professionals have experienced the power of Flawless Execution.

As leaders of elite military teams, the Afterburner crew has thrived in the harshest, most chaotic environments on earth. Through inspirational stories, they share those same principles to help companies align on vision and strategy.

They will introduce SMI attendees to its Flawless Execution model through a unique shared experience that helps teams to build trust and rally around common goals.

Campbell is the most senior member of the Afterburner Team. He recently retired from active service, having achieved the rank of brigadier general and accumulating over 30 years of service in the U.S. Air Force and the Florida Air National Guard. During his career,

Chaz Campbell

Campbell commanded at all levels within the Air Force, none more demanding than his last assignment as the Vice Commander of Air Forces North, First Air Force. In this assignment, where he led in the “can’t fail” environment of Air Defense of the entire United States airspace, helping ensure Sept. 11 would not ever happen again. He now shares his experiences and leadership lessons with Afterburner clients.

To learn more about Afterburner, visit www.afterburner.com.

More information on the 2022 SMI annual meeting will be mailed to members in early 2022.

Known for their high-energy presentations, the Afterburner crew has thrived in the harshest, most chaotic environments on earth. Through inspirational stories, they share those same principles to help companies align on vision and strategy.

64 | SPRINGS | Winter 2022

Inside SMI

2021 ISO/TC 227 Springs Meetings Held Virtually The U.S. was well represented at the ISO/ TC 227 Springs online meetings, held Sept. 27 to Oct. 1, 2021.

The U.S. delegation was led by Tom Armstrong, retired chairman of Duer/ Carolina Coil. Participants included Al Mangels, chief technical advisor, Lee Spring; Don Jacobson III, product development and acquisitions manager, Newcomb Spring; Keith Porter, general manager, Newcomb Spring of Carolina; Dick Carter, director of product engineering, Michigan Spring & Stamping; Gene Huber Jr., vice president, Winamac Coil Spring Inc.; and Rick Gordon, SMI’s technical director.

More than 25 participants from nine participating-member countries (China, Germany, Italy, France, United Kingdom, United States, Japan, Malaysia, and Finland) were present via Zoom and WebEx for working group 3, working group 4, and the plenary sessions. SMI technical experts bring more than 160 years of

A screenshot of the representatives attending the plenary session.

manufacturing experience to the ISO/ TC227 working groups 3 and 4, which are currently developing two standards.

SMI serves as the technical advisory group to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) for ISO/TC227.

The role of the U.S. delegation is essential to ensure that the interests of American spring manufacturers, designers, and consumers are represented in international standards development.

Working group 3 (WG3) is responsible for the development of the new ISO standard “Springs — Measurement and Test Parameters — Part 2: Cold Formed Cylindrical Helical Extension Springs.”

Draft comments were reviewed and the next draft of the standard will be prepared for the next review step (Draft International Standard) stage. Fabio Visentin from Italy is the convenor (project leader) for this standard.

Calendar of Key Events for the Global Spring Industry 2022 Jan. 20 SMI Spring Design Training 301 Springs — Fatigue Online www.smihq.org Feb. 9 – 11 wire Southeast Asia Bangkok, Thailand www.wire-southeastasia.com March 17 SMI Spring Design Training 304 Springs — Dimensioning, Tolerancing, and Testing Online www.smihq.org March 17 NESMA Casino Night DoubleTree by Hilton, Bristol Connecticut www.nesma-usa.com

April 14 SMI Spring Design Training 201 Compression Spring Design Online www.smihq.org April 22 – 26 SMI Annual Meeting Hyatt Regency Gainey Ranch, Scottsdale, Arizona www.smihq.org May 9 – 13 wire & Tube 2022 Düsseldorf, Germany www.wire-tradefair.com May 19 SMI Spring Design Training 202 Extension Spring Design Online www.smihq.org

June 7 – 9 WAI WireExpo Dallas, Texas wirenet.org/events/wire-expo June 16 SMI Spring Design Training 203 Torsion Spring Design Online www.smihq.org July 21 SMI Spring Design Training 301 Springs — Fatigue Online www.smihq.org Oct 5 – 7 wire and Tube Southeast Asia Bangkok, Thailand www.wire-southeastasia.com

Oct. 12 – 14 SpringWorld 2022 Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont, Illinois www.casmi-springworld.org Oct 25 – 27 wire South America São Paulo, Brazil www.wire-south-america.com Nov. 9 – 11 ISO/TC227 Meetings Hangzhou, China Nov. 23 – 25 wire India Mumbai www.wire-india.com

2023 Sept. 12 – 14 SMI Metal Engineering eXpo South Point Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas

www.metalengineeringexpo.org

SPRINGS | Winter 2022 | 65

Inside SMI

Working group 4 (WG4) is responsible for the development of a new ISO standard “Springs – Measurement and Test Parameters – Part 3: Torsion Springs.” Draft comments were reviewed and the next draft of the standard will be prepared for the next review step. Wang Decheng from China is the convenor for this standard.

Technical comments for the working groups were provided by Mangels (WG3, WG4), Carter (WG3, WG4), Huber (WG4) and Gordon (WG3, WG4).

The majority of the U.S. comments were

accepted by the working groups. According to Armstrong, “the contributions to this standardization effort by these individuals is very much appreciated.”

The status of these projects will be reviewed at the next ISO/TC227 meetings, scheduled for November 9-11, 2022, in Hangzhou, China.

In summary, Armstrong said, “I look forward to November 2022, when we will hopefully be able to again share social interaction and in-person meetings.

The past two ISO/TC227 virtual meetings have been a challenge because of the

pandemic. It is because of the personal relationships developed during prior inperson meetings that enabled great progress to be made in the working groups.

The virtual ‘business only’ meetings have gotten the necessary jobs done, but I look back fondly to when the meetings were much more!”

Anyone interested in participating in the ISO standards process should contact either Rick Gordon at c.richard.gordon@ gmail.com or Tom Armstrong at tgasss@ yahoo.com. n

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66 | SPRINGS | Winter 2022

JN-1060

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TRC Coatings, a division of JN Machinery is now the leading coatings supplier to the spring industry, delivering systems and paint material ideal for corrosion protection and color-coding springs.

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Committee Connection

SMI Vanguard Committee Revitalized for Young Industry Leaders

R

ecognizing the need to get more young people under 40 involved in the spring industry, SMI has revitalized its Vanguard committee that was active many years ago. The current version of the group will meet for the first time at a reception during SMI’s annual meeting April 22-26, 2022, in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The time and date will be announced later.

Heading up the committee is Adam Jacobson, technical sales manager for FENN/Torin. Jacobson said he’s pleased that SMI’s executive committee has greenlighted the effort to reach the next generation of spring industry leaders.

“The spring industry has given me a great career,” explained Jacobson. “The least I can do is get involved and give back

when I can. I’m excited for the opportunity to get this going.”

After the initial kickoff meeting in Scottsdale, Jacobson anticipates the group will meet on a regular basis virtually, and in person at industry events like the SMI Metal Engineering eXpo. He said a meeting at the eXpo would involve a networking reception and possibly a special event, such as a bike ride or volunteering with a local charity. Jacobson said down the road the group may consider opportunities to give back through events to raise money for charitable causes.

In addition to networking opportunities, Jacobson envisions the committee advising SMI on things like the association’s website, social media outreach,

By Gary McCoy

workforce development and industry education.

“There are a number of our SMI leaders who are in the latter stages of their career, so it is imperative that the spring industry recognizes its young Adam Jacobson leaders and gets them involved early in their career,” said Jacobson. “We hope Vanguard serves as a way to identify a nucleus of next generation board and executive committee candidates for SMI to consider.”

For more information or to get involved with the Vanguard committee, contact Jacobson at 860-308-6732 or adam.jacobson@fenn-torin.com. n

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SPRINGS | Winter 2022 | 67

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New Products ©iStockphoto.com/hüseyin harmandaglı, morkeman, PeskyMonkey

HSI Introduces HMI-Ep Temperature Control Panel HSI Machinery and Forming Systems Inc. have introduced the new HMI-Ep, an HMI control panel and PLC controlled system with two-stage programmable temperature control, available for all HSI box type furnaces.

The panel features a touch screen for user-friendly operation, error monitoring and recording (functions equal to HSI’s DEM) and temperature recording and chart displays for all control channels (built-in 485H-mini).

The panel has a CQI9-oriented configuration for the automotive industry (CQI-9), along with a one week on/off timer to provide production management convenience and safety. Remote access is available via VNC software for

monitoring on a PC, tablet device or smartphone.

Other features include estimated power consumption monitoring and recording (kWh) capabilities and a two-stage programmable temperature control function (HMI-Ep). With the two-stage programmable temperature control function, the oven can be set for two soak temperatures with five programmable segments (Ramp 1, Timer 1, Ramp 2, Timer 2 and Temp. 3). The program can be saved as a recipe and recalled for repeat production. An intuitive setting panel is included for each segment.

Heating rate control is available, and a cooling segment is also available for natural cooling or optional forced cooling system.

For additional information, contact Forming Systems, Inc. at info@formingsystemsinc.com or 269-679-3557. n

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SPRINGS | Winter 2022 | 69

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Send Us Your News SMI members get priority placement of their product news. News releases should be roughly 50 to 100 words and may be accompanied by color photos (HiRes .JPEG at 300 dpi preferred).

Send to dina@smihq.org.

©iStockphoto.com/RichVintage

Advertisers Index A & D Trading (440) 563-5227. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 Admiral Steel (800) 323-7055 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Alloy Wire International (866) 482-5569. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 Anchor Abrasives (708) 444-4300 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 BB Spring Technology +39 031 536584 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 CASMI www.casmi-springworld.com. . . . . 54 Coiling Equipment (847) 910-7348. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Combined Metals (800) 800-4422 . . 1, inside back cover Diamond Wire Spring Co (800) 424-0500 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Dispense Works (815) 363-3524. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 FENN/Torin (860) 259-6600 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Fives Group www.fivesgroup.com . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Forming Systems Inc (877) 594-4300 . . . . . . . . . . back cover Gibbs Wire & Steel Co. Inc. (Combined Metals) (800) 800-4422 . . . . inside back cover Gibraltar (847) 383-5442. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5, 57 Industrial Steel & Wire (800) 767-0408. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Interwire Products (Combined Metals) (914) 273-6633. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 JN Machinery (224) 699-9161. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Larson Systems (763) 780-2131. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Maguire Machinery (609) 266-0200 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Mapes Piano String Co (423) 543-3195. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 NIMSCO (563) 391-0400. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 North American Spring Tool (860) 583-1693. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Proto Manufacturing (800) 965-8378 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Radcliff Wire (860) 583-1305. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 RK Trading (847) 640-9371. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58 Simplex Rapid (563) 391-0400. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Spring Manufacturers Institute (630) 495-8588. . . . . inside front cover Tool King (847) 537-2881. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 United Wire (800) 840-9481 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Vinston (847) 972-1098. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Vulcan Spring & Manufacturing Co. (215) 721-1721. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 WAFIOS (203) 481-5555. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Zapp Precision Strip (203) 386-0038 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

SPRINGS | Winter 2022 | 71

Snapshot

Name: Sander Schoof Company name and city: Scherdel Sales & Technology, Inc. and Scherdel Medtec North America LLC in Muskegon, Michigan.

Brief history of your company: Scherdel Sales & Technology, Inc. was established in 1999 and is a highly technical global spring supplier to the automotive industry. We are a strong and culturally diverse organization, with deep roots in innovation and progressive technology.

In 2020, we established a subsidiary, Scherdel Medtec North America LLC, to advance our springmaking expertise into the medical community.

Job title: CEO North America.

Spring industry affiliations: SMI. Birthplace: Uetersen, Germany.

Current home: Grand Haven, Michigan.

Family (spouse, children, pets, etc.): One son.

What I like most about being a springmaker: Developing new technologies and turning challenges into opportunities.

Favorite food: T-bone steak.

Favorite books/authors: Educational reading and science fiction.

Favorite song/musician: “The Sound of Silence,” Simon & Garfunkel.

Hobbies: Restoring vintage vehicles, wood working and landscaping my yard.

72 | SPRINGS | Winter 2022

Favorite places: Guanajuato City, Mexico.

Best times of my life: Spending part of my work life living in different countries including Asia, Africa and North America, as well as Europe.

A really great evening to me is: Barbequing in my backyard, entertaining colleagues and friends.

The one thing I can’t stand is: Unreliability.

My most outstanding qualities are: Dependable, creating a cooperative environment, empowering employees, and my strong belief in people.

People who knew me in school thought I was: Shy. I knew I was an “adult” when: My son was born.

If I weren’t working at Scherdel, I would like to: Be a Formula One race car driver.

The most difficult business decision I ever had to make was: A multimillion dollar investment for the future.

Role models: My mentor Christian Schiener, and visionary industrial leaders such as Henry Ford, Bill Gates and Robert Bosch.

I would like to be remembered in the spring industry for: My passion and commitment.

But people will probably remember me for: My bad jokes at company events.

©iStockphoto.com/Tryfonov Ievgenii, nicholas belton

Sander Schoof Scherdel Sales & Technology, Inc.

COMBINED FORCES

The year is 2022.

The world is recovering from a pandemic.

Shutdowns and shortages disrupt many companies.

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Relationships with the highest quality mills and our expansive distribution network enable this new alliance to be your strategic partner for all wire and strip needs.

Scan to learn more or visit the inside back cover