Some Things To Be Thankful For

As we move inexorably toward another holiday season, my wife’s favorite time of year, it seems appropriate to take a minute to think about some of the good stuff we have going for us. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the season because it’s about reflecting on what we have versus what we don’t. It’s a more personally introspective holiday, and yet it has a wonderful social component of sharing a meal with family and friends. How good is that?

By now our presidential election is over—assuming we don’t repeat 4 years ago. Regardless of who wins the election, it must be appreciated that we all win because of the process.

It never ceases to amaze me that our electoral process—competitive as any and sometimes nastier—is decided by us. Moreover, when results are final, the candidates not chosen concede and fall in line behind our decision.

I love history and have read quite a bit of it. Let me assure you, peaceful transition of power—especially the ultimate power position on the planet—is a rare thing.

Politics is always with us, but without violence or revolution, we get to choose who gets the power every 4 years. To most of the planet, even after 200 plus years, that’s still amazing and unfortunately, to some, frightening.

As the gift-giving season approaches, and with it my family’s zealous need to participate, I’m thankful that the business of manufacturing precision machined parts is getting better. The bills, the bills!

Thankfully, in this upcoming year, my optimism for the upturn in business is more than hopeful. Gardener Publications, the parent company of Production Machining, conducts an annual survey that asks a cross section of readers what their company’s capital spending plans are for 2005.

The survey results are in, and it looks much better for the precision machined products industry. The bottom line number for plant spending on machinery/equipment related to manufacturing screw machine parts in the next year shows a 60.7 percent increase over 2004. The details of this survey germane to our industry are posted at www.gardnerweb.com/capspend/PM/index.html for you to review. And for a second opinion, check out what Tom Dierks has to say about business.

In spite of the many issues facing our industry, ours is a business I still find personal and professional joy participating in. I’m grateful for the opportunity to get out into the world to see and hear what’s going on first hand. I’ve been blessed with forging many strong relationships in my travels, and I never get tired of reconnecting with industry professionals.

One thing I’ve learned in my travels is that our business is about relationships, and the common thread that binds most of us is that we’re all in this manufacturing boat together trying to do the best job possible. Ironically, we’re competitors and colleagues at the same time. We can choose to row in sync or pull in different directions, but at the end of the day, we’re still in the same boat.

Industry trade groups, like the PMPA, act as coxswain to help us pull together. So do industry trade magazines. It’s our business to promote the business and communicate best practices, processes and products, thereby helping contribute to elevating the competency and competitiveness of the overall industry, which in turn, raises the tide that carries the boat.

Lastly, the staff of Production Machining thanks you for supporting the magazine. This is our final issue in 2004. Starting in January, we will be sent to you ten times in 2005 instead of six. Stick with us because there’s more good stuff on the way. Happy holidays!