Posts Tagged ‘trade shows’

Fall Trade Shows Provide Nearsourcing and Reshoring Opportunities

Tuesday, October 1st, 2013

Since there is no IMTS show being held in the United States this fall, and FABTECH, to be held November 18-21, 2013 at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL is a long way from southern California, the best opportunities to attend a manufacturing trade show for southern Californians are:

Design-2-Part Show – October 9-10, 2013 – Pasadena Convention Center

WESTEC – October 15-17, 2013 – Los Angeles Convention Center

The Southern California Design-2-Part Show attracts thousands of design engineers, manufacturing engineers, managers, and buyers to meet local and national job shops and contract manufacturers to source custom parts, components, and services. With over 175 exhibiting companies, this year’s show will be D2P’s largest show ever in Pasadena.
The show in Pasadena is one of eleven Design-2-Part Shows owned by the Job Shop Company that either have or will take place in 2013 in major manufacturing hubs within the United States. The show policy since inception over 38 years ago has been to exclusively feature job shops and contract manufacturers with manufacturing operations in the United States. Companies that do not have facilities in the U.S. are not permitted to exhibit.
I will be presenting a seminar titled “Returning Manufacturing to America Using Total Cost Analysis,” on October 10, 2013 at 11:30 am at the show. The one-hour session is free to all show attendees of the Southern California Design-2-Part Show.

The Job Shop Company’s press release states:  “Ms. Nash-Hoff’s presentation will cover how supply chain dynamics, labor costs and fuel costs are changing the status quo. She will present a true understanding of the “Total Cost of Ownership” (TCO) concept including what most executives miss when analyzing TCO. The highlight of the presentation will be several real case success stories of companies that have returned work to the U.S. from offshore suppliers and the lessons that are learned from these real world practitioners.”

“Having Michele Nash-Hoff speak at our design and contract manufacturing show is a perfect fit,” said Jerry Schmidt, President of the Design-2-Part Shows. “Attendees can hear Michele justify bringing work back to the states and then they can walk the show floor and find the high-quality U.S. suppliers they need to solve their challenges.”

“Michele Nash-Hoff is President of ElectroFab Sales, a manufacturers rep agency, and author of Can American Manufacturing Be Saved—Why We Should and How We Can. Her blog articles appear on the Huffington Post and Industry Week magazine’s blog.” For the past two years, “Ms. Nash-Hoff has been speaking on behalf of The Reshoring Initiative, a nonprofit, industry-led organization dedicated to bringing work back to the U.S. from overseas. The Initiative is achieving its goals by helping manufacturers recognize that local production or sourcing may actually reduce their TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) of purchased parts and tooling. The Reshoring Initiative was founded by Mr. Harry Moser who was named to Industry Week magazine’s Manufacturing Hall of Fame in 2010 for this work.

Admission to the Southern California Design-2-Part Show is free to qualified industry professionals. For more information or to register for the show, visit www.D2P.com.

If you don’t live in southern California, don’t miss one of the other regional Design-2 Part shows still coming up. The rest of the fall schedule is:

Marlborough, MA            October 30-31

Covington, KY                November 20-21

WESTEC 2013 – October 15-17, 2013 – Los Angeles Convention Center

WESTEC is produced by SME (formerly the Society of Manufacturing Engineering.) Now, SME connects all those who are passionate about making things that improve our world. As a nonprofit organization, SME has served practitioners, companies, educators, government and communities across the manufacturing spectrum for more than 80 years. Through its strategic areas of events, media, membership, training and development, and the SME Education Foundation, SME shares knowledge to advance manufacturing. SME works together to make the future through exciting, interactive face-to-face events such as tradeshows and conferences, SME events serve as the manufacturing industry’s vital conduit. SME creates opportunities for people to showcase innovation, share knowledge, grow their businesses and build relationships

WESTEC has always been the West Coast’s “can’t miss” event, a technology showcase that helped generations of manufacturers grow their businesses. WESTEC is the region’s definitive manufacturing event and returns to the Los Angeles Convention Center Fall 2013 redefined and with renewed commitment to area industry.

The show is a true manufacturer’s think tank where creativity, vision, and strategy join forces to spotlight the promise of groundbreaking products for vital global markets. This is where you can meet experts who can help apply cutting-edge equipment, make sense of lean methods, and manufacture with composites, titanium, or other advanced materials.

WESTEC is where collaboration starts – a place to network, form relationships, and build partnerships. It is where technology takes center-stage, putting new developments, integration, and solutions right into your hands.

WESTEC is a showcase for the latest innovations from the leaders in manufacturing and where you can experience the people, technology and innovation that are redefining the future of manufacturing. Many technology breakthroughs of recent decades were unveiled at WESTEC.

The very latest technologies – from software, cutting tools to multi-tasking machines will be on display from top international equipment manufacturers. Plan to participate in WESTEC by registering at westeconline.com.

Another opportunity for manufacturers in the San Diego region to find local vendors is provided by CONNECT’s Nearsourcing Initiative, which focuses on assisting San Diego companies in need of outsourcing to take a closer look at our region’s local outsourcing cluster. The program includes workshops that educate our region’s innovation entrepreneurs on the benefits of contracting with local manufacturers, including reduced time to market, increased innovation and reduced risk and costs; and to assist San Diego innovation companies in need of outsourcing to Innovate Locally, Grow Globally – to connect and contract with qualified San Diego production resources.

The program ensures that business is not offshored unless necessary and keeps economic growth and job creation in our local region—which can be found in these case studies. The program also includes initiatives to market San Diego’s production capabilities and help local supply chains network, innovate and compete internationally. You can find more details on the program as well as access to the San Diego outsourcing community through The Connectory and the CONNECT Resource Guide.

The CONNECT Nearsourcing Initiative is led by a Steering Committee of Production Cluster leaders including Sharp HealthCare, D&K Engineering, Althea Technologies, Pharmatek Laboratories, Invetech, DD Studio, Leardon Solutions, BioLaurus, Solekai Systems, Clarity Design, the East County Economic Development Council, which owns and operates the Connectory – a database of 5,600 local production companies, the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation and intellectual property experts from Sheppard Mullin and Sughrue Mion.

There will be a Nearsourcing trade show in conjunction with the Connect with CONNECT networking event on October 30, 2013 from 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm at the offices of Knobbe Martens Olsen & Bear, 12790 El Camino Real, San Diego, CA 92130. You may register at http://connect.org/events/

I urge you to take the time to attend one of these events this fall if you are in the San Diego/southern California region. Now is the time to get on the bandwagon early to find local sources to “nearsource” or “reshore” by bringing back manufacturing to America. Hope to see many of you at one of these events!

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Posted in Innovation, Manufacturing, Reshoring | 1 Comment »

Regional Trade Shows Provide Value for Exhibitors and Attendees

Tuesday, May 8th, 2012

At a time when trade shows and exhibitions have been shrinking in size, combining with other shows, and even disappearing like NEPCON and WESCON, a successful 18th Del Mar Electronics and Design Show was held May 2nd and 3rd in the San Diego region.

According to the report, “Manufacturing & Industrial Exhibition & Event Marketing Trends & Outlook,” published by TradeShow Week and Skyline Exhibits, a survey of manufacturers revealed that manufacturing trade shows and exhibitions in the United States have been affected by the shift of production offshore since the year 2000.  Manufacturers are exhibiting at fewer events in North America and are heading to China to participate in trade shows. Many companies are scaling down the size of their booths and placing fewer, but more informed people in their booths. “Two out of three exhibitors believe that demographics are impacting their industry and shows and about half of this group indicates that attendance levels are lower as waves of executives and managers retire in the industry.”

While the demise of trade shows has been predicted because of the Internet and outsourcing offshore, DMEDS and other regional shows such as the Design-2-Part shows been able to buck the trend and provide value for exhibitors and attendees.

DMEDS is the only show in the San Diego region for the broad base of the manufacturing, electronics, and design industry to exhibit and attend.   It is large for a regional show with nearly 400 booths filling the two largest buildings and a tent between them at the Del Mar Fairgrounds.  It originated as a show where the majority of exhibitors were manufacturers’ representatives and distributors exhibited their product lines, primarily related to the electronics industry.  However, the number of manufacturers’ representatives and distributors exhibiting dwindled every year and the number of manufacturers displaying a wider range of products and services increased every year until reps and distributor exhibits comprised less than ten percent of the booths.

DMEDS is now a very different show than what it used to be and provides value for attendees by giving them the opportunity to meet and talk with a wide variety of potential sources.  Products displayed are as diverse as adhesives to wireless and portable products in the A to Z show directory index.  Some of the services available include 3D scanning, assembly, design engineering, contract manufacturing, research prototyping, test measurement and calibration, and training.  Custom fabrication services exhibited include: dip brazing, die and investment casting, forging, machining, plastic and rubber molding, sheet metal fabrication, vacuum and pressure forming, and welding.  You can still find electronic components, as well as fasteners, hardware, and tools.  My company, ElectroFab Sales, has participated in the show for 15 years, displaying the custom fabrication services of the companies we represent.

Most of the manufacturing exhibitors had parts, assemblies, and products on display at their booths so engineers could have examples of how their designs could be fabricated.  Browsing websites to find pictures of parts just isn’t the same as seeing actual parts in person.  Besides, engineers could ask questions about materials, design details, and tolerances that are not easily answered through contact on the Internet.

Free seminars on a broad range of topics were provided for attendees both days of the show.  I gave one of the presentations on “Returning Manufacturing to America, highlighting the Total Cost of Ownership worksheet that was developed by Harry Moser of the Reshoring Initiative.

An informal poll of attendees, visitors to our booth, and exhibitors in our building revealed that in the past year, all but one American company had one or more customers give them a chance to quote on making parts that were currently being made in China.  One purchasing agent told me that if pricing from an American company comes within 20% or less than the pricing from China, he is allowed to select a domestic source.  If more companies would use the TCO worksheet to do a true total cost analysis, American companies would have even greater opportunities to recapture business now being done in China.

The show location is centrally located in San Diego County, with easy access to a major interstate highway, and parking is also free.  What makes it even more popular is a free reception immediately after the show ends at 5 PM on the first day of the show, providing excellent networking opportunities with industry peers for exhibitors and attendees.   If you haven’t been to a DMEDS show for a few years, be sure to make it a priority to attend the next show in May 2013.

The dozen different Design-2-Part shows, produced by the Job Shop Company, are held regionally around the county and feature design, custom fabrication, and contract manufacturers located in the United States.  While some of these companies may also have a plant offshore, no offshore-only companies are allowed to exhibit in the show.  No sales representatives or distributors are allowed to have their own booths in the show.  The mission of Design-2-Part shows is to support and feature American manufacturers.

At the Design-2-Part shows, engineers get to see and touch actual parts built by the exhibitors. This gives them ideas to use for new products they are designing and shows them how other people have solved problems they may be encountering in their design phase.

I have been attending the Design-2-Part shows since 1982 when I started in sales, and the Long Beach show in October 2010 and Pasadena show in 2011 were exciting. The show attendance for both shows was up to the pre-recession levels of fall 2007.  Show management said the Long Beach show was one of the best Southern California shows in the history of the company, with attendance up 21 percent over the 2009 show in Pasadena and up ten percent over the 2008 show in Pomona.   The shows were so well attended that many exhibitors had trouble talking to all of the attendees that were visiting their booths.  The attendees weren’t just browsing, and many exhibitors had far more leads from these shows than the 2008 and 2009 shows.

What made it even more exciting was the number of attendees who came to the shows looking for domestic sources for parts for new products or looking for a domestic source to replace an offshore vendor for parts for existing products, with some even bringing prints to quote.  We heard several stories about quality problems with offshore vendors that are making it no longer advantageous to source the parts offshore.  One company mentioned that because parts coming from China didn’t meet dimensional specifications, they had to rework the parts and modify assembly steps at their own cost. When they contacted the Chinese vendor to return the parts, the Chinese vendors said, “We’ll be happy to accept a new order for the parts,” but wouldn’t give credit for the defective parts from the previous order.   Refusing to take back and give credit for rejected parts is typical for Chinese vendors.

Harry Moser of the Reshoring Initiative has been a featured speaker at some of the Design-2-Part shows around the country, and I have given presentations at three of the West Coast shows on returning manufacturing to America by doing a thorough TCO analysis.  As more and more companies learn how to utilize this worksheet, the “reshoring” trend will continue to grow.

As long as show exhibitors and attendees receive value from regional trade shows such as DMEDS and the Design-2-Part shows, they will continue to thrive and grow.  In our new age of digital communication, many realize that there is no substitute for the face-to-face interaction provided by this type of trade show. Be sure to put one of these shows on your calendar to attend in the future.

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Posted in Manufacturing, Outsourcing, Reshoring | No Comments »