Opportunity for More Efficient Productivity

While tragic events can bring much sadness and can negatively affect many aspects of people’s lives, if we pay enough attention to these situations, we can find a light – something good – resulting from them. If nothing else, these experiences make us stronger.

The coronavirus pandemic has had disastrous effects on countless lives in the U.S., including an economic slowdown. However, from a different viewpoint, it has given individuals opportunities that would not have presented themselves if it were not for the virus outbreak. For businesses and industries, the crisis has brought about ingenuity, creativity and collaboration, as professionals navigate new ways to work together toward a common goal.

And the parts cleaning industry is no exception. In this issue’s article, “Parts Cleaning Questions Resulting from COVID-19,” several parts cleaning professionals share their stories of how the crisis has affected their organizations and the industry. Although they have been forced to think creatively and communicate differently, they have learned more efficient ways to be productive.

Much like how these industry professionals discovered ways around their difficulties, writers in the manufacturing industry like me have found the need to implement new processes or workarounds during this time. For instance, after the 2020 Parts Cleaning Conference was canceled due to the coronavirus (because the International Manufacturing Technology Show [IMTS] that it was umbrellaed with was canceled), a plan has been put into place that includes the conference’s sponsor companies covering cleaning topics in a webinar series instead.

The first webinar is scheduled for Oct.7 followed by a webinar each Wednesday during the month of October. This webinar series is part of IMTS Spark, a digital approach to covering IMTS which is in collaboration with AMT – The Association for Manufacturing Technology (IMTS management) and Gardner Business Media Inc., parent company of Production Machining. Register for IMTS Spark events here. 

The Parts Cleaning Conference will be live once again at next year’s Precision Machining Technology Show, April 13-15, in Cleveland, Ohio. If you have not already seen promotions for the webinar series, keep your eyes open for them. It’s an exciting new way to turn a disappointing event, such as the cancelation of the Parts Cleaning Conference and IMTS, into something that brings opportunity to the industry, perhaps making your show experience even more productive and our coverage of it even more informative.