Metalworking Business Sites

American Productivity and Quality Center (www.apqc.org)—The APQC “solves business problems in the areas of metrics, measurement, best practices, process improvement, benchmarking and knowledge management.” Within this site that offers promotional info about its consulting and members services, you’ll find an extensive online library of studies and reports. The library is open to members and the general public, but registration is required to get to the data.

Supplier Excellence Alliance (www.seaonline.org)—The Supplier Excellence Alliance (SEA) is a collective of aerospace, defense and space primes/OEMs, major subcontractors and suppliers working together to improve capabilities and ensure American competitiveness. Think of this organization as a commune for the supply chain. If you’re reading this, you’re part of a supply chain. There are numerous resources to help your business on this site, whether you’re outsourcing work or doing it for someone else. SEA’s focus on lean alone is worth a visit.

The American Society For Engineering Education (www.asee.org)—The ASEE is focused on “promoting and improving engineering and engineering technology education.” Its site offers a surprisingly robust collection of career and education info for current or aspiring engineers, including links, events and resident content in the ASEE site.

Tooling University (www.toolingu.com)—Tooling U continues as the benchmark for online training delivery and administration for the machining and metalworking business environments. For the shop owner or manager, Tooling U offers training management tools that many larger organizations don’t have, but wish they did. For the shopfloor or machining professional, this site offers training options to improve your career choices by making you more qualified.