Great Manufacturing Get Together

Add comment December 17th, 2009

http://www.greatmanufacturinggettogether.com/home.php

Winnovation Events

Add comment November 13th, 2009

Winnovation Robotics Team invites you to attend our Annual Pancake Breakfast and Flap-Jack Challenge/Tubular Tension Mini-bot Competition on Sat., Dec 5, at Winnebago Middle School.  Breakfast is from 8am-noon.  Mini-bot challenge is 10am-1pm.  Students are busy building 25 lb. robots to play Tubular Tension, a game designed by a couple of our students.  Teams from Oswego and IMSA/Aurora will join us in competition.  Along with breakfast, we will have a Basket Raffle of wonderful items, along with a Bake Sale.  We hope you can join us for a FUN morning!

For any or all of you attending FabTech next week at McCormick Place, Winnovation will be demonstrating their 2009 robot on Monday, Nov. 16 in the FMA booth courtesy of FMA.  Two team members will also be featured on Chicago’s Channel 7, WLS-TV, at 11:15am that morning.

We hope to see you at one or both of these events in the coming weeks! And mark your calendars now for 2010 competition.  We will compete in Kansas City, MO on Mar 5-6, and Chicago, Mar 19-20. Team members will travel to Milwaukee to cheer on Rockford Robotics Mar 12-13.  We would love for you to join us at a competition!

Karen Hill
Coordinator of Team 1625 Winnovation
815-742-0873

ILLINOIS COMPANIES PARTICIPATE IN FABTECH

Add comment November 6th, 2009

Stop in to see their booth or listen to their educational presentation:

Speakers:

Al Julian Vice President MegaFab (Whitney/Piranha/Bertsch)
 
Thom Shelow  President  Superior Joining Technologies, Inc.

Exhibitors:

Advanced Engineered Systems Inc
 
ALM Corporation
 
AMBI Clutches & Joints Corp
 
Black Bros Co
 
BUWW Coverings Inc
 
Davi Inc / Promau
 
Electron Beam Technologies Inc
 
Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, International
 
HG Farley Laser Lab USA Inc
 
LSP Industries Inc
 
Omron STI Machine Services
 
MegaFab: Whitney / Piranha /Bertsch
 
Peddinghaus Corp
 
Rock Valley Oil & Chemical Co Inc
 
Roll Machining Technologies & Solutions
 
Saws International Inc
 
The Fabricator
 
www.fmafabtech.com

Toot your horn Rockford….

2 comments November 3rd, 2009

Last night SJTI hosted the SAE for a tour and dinner meeting.  Needless to say we wowed them with the new technology…we’ve become quite the “geek” location. All of the attendees were from large companies with sister companies all over the
USA, the world. As they left each person said they were surprised this type of “thing” was going on in a “Small Company” in
Rockford! It has been our experience that some people in manufacturing think they have to leave town for anything “Specialized” or “Precision”…Rock River Valley Manufacturers we have not done a good enough job selling to our neighbors! There are exciting “new” things going on here! I have been selling my company, and the Regional capabilities, in (7) states over the last five weeks…who would have thought my own back yard needed the sales call! Do we need to have a “Rock River Valley Technology Fair?” Educating about our micro-machining and multi-axis laser technology or new innovative projects going on right here? More than the Angels group need to know!

Think All Shoes are made in China?

Add comment October 30th, 2009

 Check this out and shop local… Shoes

Holiday Gift Ideas-Made in USA

Add comment October 30th, 2009

 Let’s buy stuff made in the good ‘ole USA..  USA

Manufacturing Your Future Student Program

1 comment October 27th, 2009

The future of manufacturing depends upon a strong educated workforce.  The Rockford Chamber of Commerce Manufacturers Educational Outreach Committee continues to work with the local School Districts to encourage students to work towards a future in manufacturing.  As part of this partnership, we are sending students to the FabTech International & AWS Welding Show in Chicago.  The MEGA event anticipates hosting over 1,000 exhibitors, drawing an expected 35,000 attendees and featuring thousands of live equipment demonstrations throughout pavilions dedicated to metal forming, fabricating, tube and pipe, stamping, lasers, thermal spray and welding.   There will be a structured environment for the students this year with an orientation, mentors, a scavenger hunt wrap-up session.  This is a great opportunity to give students a first-hand look at the exciting world of manufacturing.

To ensure a successful trip we are asking for your help to cover costs of busses and sack lunches for students, teachers, parents and manufacturing mentors traveling on the bus.

Please consider sponsoring five students for $150, ten students for $300, or an entire bus for $1,100 so that as many students as possible can attend FabTech on November 18 at  McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois.  All donations are tax deductible.

For more information regarding FabTech sponsorship or mentoring, please contact Mindy Shockley at (815) 316-4337 or mshockley@rockfordchamber.com.  

So What’s a PTAC?

Add comment October 26th, 2009

Your local PTAC provides small, minority, women-owned, veteran-owned and large businesses with free assistance with:

• bid applications
• targeted contracting opportunities
• bar code and packaging information
• government standards and specifications
• quality assistance
• contract administration
• RFID assistance
• Wide Area Workflow (WAWF)

Your PTAC has provided assistance for over 22 years resulting in over $160,000,000 awarded to local area businesses this year alone, and a lifetime total of over $750,000,000. This has affected over 3,000 of local area jobs.

Warning: Do you receive calls regarding free grant money?  Before you spend any of your hard earned money on these, please call our offices and receive the whole story.

To register with the PTAC, go to www.wingov.com and click on Registration forms, then click on E Center. Choose Rock Valley College PTAC as your local resource and fill out the simple form.

Manufacturing Coffee and Talk with the Mayor

Add comment October 23rd, 2009

SPX hosted this morning’s Coffee (and great breakfast) Talk with the Mayor, over 50 attended the event.  After an overview of SPX worldwide business, Mayor Morrissey gave the attendees a rundown on his travels to China and the need to develop education systems that will expose youth to the many career opportunities in the Rockford area.

The group certainly understood the reason and need to make such visits, this being his 3rd.  Doing business with a government run industry makes it a necessity that our elected officials develop the political relationships that can foster industrial relationships.

Developing our youth remains a priority and much work needs to be done.  Involvement by the community will aid in making progress.

Marketing the region to the world is just as important as marketing ourselves to our local constituents/manufacturers.

Networking took place among the attendees and this will help strengthen our collective capability.

Learn to Export with Government Solutions

Add comment October 23rd, 2009

Learn how local businesses successfully grew their sales with government solutions. This unique trade event is specially designed for small and medium-sized businesses wanting to start or grow their international sales.

Topics Include:

· Finding new buyers

· Entering newforeignmarkets

· Extendingcredittobuyers/distributors

· Coveringcommercialandpoliticalrisks

· Ensuringpayment

· Obtaining working capital

· Financing for buyers

· UsingE-commerce tools

 

This unique trade event is specially designed for small and medium-sized businesses wanting to start or grow their international sales. You will learn about the variety of government solutions that are available to successfully compete worldwide. The half-day seminar will include a series of interactive panel discussions comprised of lenders, insurance brokers, and local government partners, highlighted with “success stories” by area exporters.

 

After lunch, you will have an opportunity for one-on-one counseling by various government agency staff and you can network with trade finance lenders, exportcreditinsurancebrokers, governmentandindustryexperts, and other successful U.S.exporters.

 

A world of new ideas for expanding your global trade business is waiting fory ou, so register now for the export solutions

seminar closest to you:

 

Chicago   November10th

 

For details and to register go to  www.export.gov/exports_live/