ADVANCED MANUFACTURING NOW Albert B. Albrecht
In Praise of Manufacturing and Machine Tools a T
he American machine tool industry is vital to the well-being of our economy and national defense. It is an industry that affects all of us and has a long historical background. Its beginning dates back to the early arsenals of the 19th century, when machine tools were developed for the production of muskets and rifl es. Yet it is an industry that rarely gets the attention it deserves.
he American machine tool industry is vital to the
The machine tool industry is small—$5.0 billion in good economic times, less than many large corpora- tions. It is capital intensive, faces strong foreign com-
The machine tool industry is small—$5.0 billion in
petition and involves a high level of engineering and technology. It employs a highly skilled workforce of design, mechanical, sales and service engineers, as well as technicians and assembly work- ers. These skilled individuals are undoubtedly the industry’s most important asset and retaining them during low periods when new machine tool orders are scarce is a great challenge.
The machine tool industry has changed dramatically since its
“Golden Years” during the 20th century (1948–1998). That’s when companies such as Warner Swasey, Cincinnati Milling Machine, Brown & Sharpe, Pratt & Whitney, Jones & Lamson, Monarch Ma- chine Tool Co., to name a few, were giants with respected product lines. Many of these companies were family owned with pride of ownership that disappeared when they were taken over by large holding companies. But through it all, the industry has shown resilience and
recovered after each downturn. Today, although smaller, the industry is healthy and growing.
Its structure, however, has changed with new names and startup companies. A few of the of the old line companies are still in busi- ness, but many of the names have been changed as a result of mergers, plant closings, foreign ownership, consolidation, and the restructuring of the industry that took place at the end of the 20th century, a period when US manufacturing was in a decline. The industry continues to face challenges in a global market
that is extremely competitive and often turns out to be not as free as people think. Machine tool imports in 2014 were 66% of total US machine tool consumption accounting for a negative
14
AdvancedManufacturing.org | April 2016
trade defi cit of $3.0 billion—the largest of any industrial na- tion outside of China. Simply stated, as the world leading industrial nation, this needs to be reversed. On the positive side, US exports of machine tools have been slowly on the rise as US builders look outside the US to fi ll their order books. The US industry has fewer large international builders with sales of over $1.0 billion, as is the case in Japan and Germany. However, since 2010 the US has steadily moved from eighth place to sixth in world production as a result of increase in exports, and the output of foreign owned machine tool transplants in the United States.owned machine tool transplants in the United States. The industry is highly diversifi ed in terms of the number of metalworking industries it serves and types and models of machine tools and production systems it builds. US machine tool consumption in 2014 was $10.4 billion, second only to China, representing an attractive 14.9% of the world’s machine tool consumption—which accounts for the large number of domestic and foreign machine tool builders actively seeking a share of the US market.
trade defi cit of $3.0 billion—the largest of any industrial na- tion outside of China. Simply stated, as the world leading industrial nation, this needs to be reversed.
have been slowly on the rise as US builders look outside the US to fi ll their order books. The US industry has fewer large international builders with sales of over
Machine tool imports in 2014 were 66% of total US machine tool consumption, accounting for a negative trade defi cit of $3.0 billion.
Looking ahead, the industry will continue to change. We can expect to see additional investments in US manufacturing sites by foreign manufacturers, new startup companies, and greater advancements in intelligent machine tool controls. Would anyone have believed during the 20th century that Mazak would be building machines at less cost in the US and exporting them to Japan?
Albert B. Albrecht is author of the book The American Machine Tool Industry, an area in which he has been active in for the past 65 years. Copies of the book can be obtained by writing to him at 3190 Toddsbury Lane; Richmond, IN 47374. The cover price is $32.00 plus $7.50 shipping priority mail.
Albrecht Associates
Author, The American Machine Tool Industry
albertalbrecht@frontier.com
MODERN MANUFACTURING PROCESSES, SOLUTIONS & STRATEGIES
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180 |
Page 181 |
Page 182 |
Page 183 |
Page 184 |
Page 185 |
Page 186