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June 2010 | Vol. 40 No. 6
www.thefabricator.com
cover story
40 Introducing The FABRICATOR’s 2010 FAB 40 To celebrate the magazine’s
40th anniversary, we decided to highlight 40 successful shops in The FABRICATOR‘s subscriber
base. These companies are confident enough to stand apart from the masses and act as
the perfect representatives of the metal fabricating industry.
Cover photo courtesy of Rodney W. Good, Artistic Photography, Harrisonburg, Va.
43 The Wisconsin Family Robinson It seems like most of the people at
Robinson Metal Inc., De Pere, Wis., learn the business from the ground up. That approach
has served it well as the company has grown to become one of the largest fabricating job
shops in the U.S.
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45 What’s NEXt? Growth The fact that a contract fabricator—in Michigan, of all
places—can grow so dramatically through the worst economic downturn in a generation
proves that NEX Solutions, Litchfield, Mich., is doing something right.
features 48 50 52 5438
Plasma cutting to ‘Galpinize’ Senior Editor Tim Heston introduces us to the
crazy car-customizing world of Galpin Auto Sports, Van Nuys, Calif.
New press brake, new production philosophy Find out why John
Soler, vice president of manufacturing, American Security Products Co., Fontana, Calif.,
has no problem using a 175-ton press brake with a 12-foot bed and a 6-inch-long tool set
to form a small, thin bracket.
Planning 101: Hydroforming automation Tubular hydroformed
components have the potential to replace multiple parts in an assembly design. To get to
the point where it makes sense to pursue hydroforming production, however, you need
to take a look at all of the details surrounding cell automation.
Forming & Fabricating® 2010 2-D Laser Cutting Machine
Buyers’ Guide©
management strategy
what’s on thefabricator.com?
Check out the Fabricator Spotlight. Meet
Precision Pipe & Vessel, Denver, which is dedicated
to serving current energy industries and supporting
new-technology companies as they look to power
the future.
Take part in our online polls. A May poll re-
vealed that 56 percent of those that participated in
the survey work for a company that actually has
hired employees since the beginning of April.
Look for the latest metal fabricating
technologies. They can be found at the newly
published Product Showcase at www.thefabricator.
com/directory/showcase.
28 Biz Talk Fabricating by—and for—Americans The owner of General Welding
& Fabricating Inc., Elma, N. Y., watched his company shrink when a major customer shifted
its work to China. Instead of moping, however, he opened up his own retail store to
showcase made-in-America goods.
36 Around Washington EPA to consider tighter metal recycling rules
Metalworking shops and metal recyclers are fighting efforts by the Sierra Club to force
the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to revise its Definition of Solid Waste (DSW)
final rule published in October 2008.
38 Chief Concerns How to set up an internship program
For many manufacturing companies, an intern means free labor. That’s very shortsighted
thinking, because interns can mean so much more to a company. These tips will help a
business get the most out its student workers.
58 FMA: In The Know 10 ways to reduce supply chain costs| AWS Weldmex–
FABTECH–METALFORM Mexico breaks attendance record | Wondering what to do after
summer vacation?
