Pittsburgh area teams will compete against 50 teams from seven different states at the National Robotics League (NRL) Competition sponsored by The National Tooling & Machining Association.  Last year, Plum High School’s team, Still N’ Shock 2 took the title of 2012 National Grand Champion.  Good luck to our local teams this year:

Clairton HS

Plum HS

Propel Braddock Hills HS

East Westmoreland CTC

Somerset County TC

For more information about the NRL Competition, visit their website: http://gonrl.org .

To watch a special about the 2013 Southwestern Pennsylvania BotsIQ competition produced by KDKA, visit the Pittsburgh Chapter’s homepage: www.PGHNTMA.org.

There is no charge for this workshop, however, Prism does request that you register in advance.  The event will be held at the Monroeville Marriot Courtyard.  The  training surrounds the new updates and features of Mastercam X7, which was released earlier this month. In addition, Prism will host an information session for those interested in participating in a Mastercam User Group. You’ll find a detailed schedule below and links to registration.

Agenda:

9 AM – Coffee & Networking

9 15 AM – Introductions (featuring special guests)

9 30 AM – What’s New in Mastercam X7

Live demonstrations, troubleshooting guidance, tips, and instructional guides featuring:

• System & design changes
• Toolpaths
• New add-ons (Mill Turn, Productivity +, Tool Management)

11 15 AM – Question & Answer session

11 30 AM – Mastercam Users Group informational session

Interested in networking, sharing ideas, and learning more about Mastercam? Join a users group.

12 PM – Prizes

REGISTER

Questions? Comments?

Mr. Moser will be in town to attend the grand opening of the Morris Great Lakes Headquarters and Tech Center in Cranberry (9151 Marshall RoadCranberry Township, Pennsylvania 16066) at which time he’ll be presenting the initiative at three different times:

May 8, 2013 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM

May 8, 2013     3:30 PM – 4:30 PM

May 9, 2013   10:00 AM – 11:00 AM

 He will also make himself available throughout the day to speak to visitors about their unique reshoring opportunities.

 The Reshoring Initiative takes direct action by helping U.S. manufacturers realize that local production and sourcing often reduce their total cost of ownership of purchased parts and tooling. The Initiative also trains suppliers to demonstrate to these manufacturers the economic advantages of local sourcing. Through reshoring, manufacturing in the United States is starting to gain momentum. Companies such as NCR and General Electric are already repatriating some of their manufacturing. And the Reshoring Initiative will continue its “return-manufacturing-home” message until all U.S. manufacturers are making objective sourcing decisions and thus realize America is increasingly the place to produce and source goods to supply the U.S. market.

Largely due to the success of the Reshoring Initiative, Moser was inducted into the 2010 Industry Week Manufacturing Hall of Fame and named Quality Magazine’s 2012 Quality Professional of the Year. He participated in President Obama’s 2012 Insourcing Forum, testified at a Congressional hearing on reshoring and manufacturing, and has been featured in numerous publications including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Bloomberg Businessweek.

To register or to find out more visit the event registration site by clicking here.

The competition tests hands-on performance in setting up and operating machine tools, including a manual milled part and a manual turned part produced to specifications. A third component is a written exam to assess content knowledge. A point system based on knowledge, skill and efficiency determines the winner. The event always produces a strong response, and this year we are very pleased to have 8 competitors vying for top honors. The winner, who will be announced at the Apprentice Graduation Banquet, will walk away with a Gerstner tool box.

The competition is just one more way to build interest in manufacturing careers in western Pennsylvania, and we’re glad to say participation indicates manufacturing is strong and growing in the Pittsburgh region.

A special Thank You to MSC Direct for providing all of the contest supplies.

GOOD LUCK TO ALL OF OUR CONTESTANTS!

Brock Babb Memorial Scholarship is an annual tuition scholarship created by the National Tooling and Machining Association in support of students advancing their education, and pursuing careers in manufacturing.  Successful scholarship applicants will receive a minimum award of $1,000. It’s the committee’s intent to award two scholarships each year.

Eligibility Requirements:

1. 18 years of age at the time of class start

2. Be a member of a high school class, and plan to attend an accredited educational facility as a full time student; or be a high school graduate enrolled to continue his / her education in a manufacturing industry related discipline.  For purposes of this scholarship, a full time student is defined as a minimum of twelve (12) credit hours per semester.

3. Be the son or daughter of an employee of an NTMA Member Company in Good Standing (Owner’s family not eligible to apply.)

4. Reside within the United States, and attend an accredited college, or University in the United States.

5. Hold a minimum High School GPA of 2.5

6. Submit a scholarship application and supporting documentation by April 1^st of applicable year.

7. Must be nominated by an NTMA Member Company that is in good standing.

8. Provide a written essay stating career goals and why they should receive the scholarship.

9. Provide a resume describing interests, classes, and any work related activities voluntary or paid.

10. Provide two letters of recommendation from business professionals who are aware of their desire to pursue a career in manufacturing.

If you know someone who is eligible for this scholarship, encourage them to submit the application no later than APRIL 1, 2013 to:

Mr. Ken McCreight, Vice President

NTMA Education Team Staff Liaison

National Tooling and Machining Association

6363 Oak Tree Boulevard

Independence, Ohio 44131

kmccreight@ntma.org

We’ve attached the application here to make it easier to apply.  babb scholarship application

 Plan for the future! You can start with this month’s membership meeting. 

The deadline is approaching quickly, so please register today.

At some point in time, every business owner will leave their business (voluntary or involuntary).  However, through proper planning, an owner should expect to achieve their desired goals.

• Understand the value of your business
• Determine what builds business value
• Recognize the risks of your business
• Properly plan for the future

At the February meeting of the Pittsburgh Chapter NTMA, we will identify the critical factors that have a direct impact on value, such as business risk and cash flow.  Our keynote speaker will be Mr. Charles Laverty, a partner from Carbis Walker LLP’s Business Valuation Team and a  Wealth Advisor for Opis Asset Management LLC.  Mr. Laverty is an accredited senior appraiser, a certified business appraiser and certified forensic financial analyst with over thirteen years of experience.

 Please RSVP TODAY so that we may plan accordingly.

Make it easy! Use our online registration at PGHNTMA.ORG.

You can also pay there with a major credit card.

The Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence (IEE)  is looking for small businesses willing to participate in the PBT’s Small Business Q&A Column this week.  Each week, the PBT chooses three businesses to answer a business question and this week they’ve asked for the Institute’s assistance.  This is a great opportunity to increase your business’s visibility and share your expertise with other professionals.

The deadline is TOMORROW (Friday, February 22) at noon.  If you are interested, submit a 50-60 word answer to one of the questions below and a color headshot.

The questions are (choose one to answer): ·

• What is the most important position at your company (and why)?
• What do you look for in a business partner?
• Do you find it difficult to raise capital?
• How do you sell a client on your services?
• What’s your best networking strategy?
• How do you entertain out-of-town job applicants?

If you are interested in submitting for this column please contact Melissa Bennett at the Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence at mbennett@katz.pitt.edu or 412-624-5436 as soon as possible. The IEE can work with you on developing an answer if you need assistance.

**********************************************************************************

Do you want to meet qualified Job Seekers in MANUFACTURING?  Then join New Century Careers at the “Westmoreland Assists Native Talent (WANT) Job and Career Expo” on Friday, February 22 from 9:00 am -1:00 pm at the Ramada Greensburg Hotel and Conference Center. It will be a great place to collect resumes, conduct screening interviews and distribute company information.

At the “WANT Job and Career Expo” there will be a special section dedicated to the MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY. 

New Century Careers has invited Job Seekers from:

• Manufacturing Industry Partnership of Southwestern Pennsylvania
• Participants in the Re-engineering Manufacturing Careers Program who are looking for positions in manufacturing and will qualify for On-the-Job Training Subsidies 
• Manufacturing 2000 (M2K) current trainees and graduates
• Current students enrolled in manufacturing classes at local trade schools and colleges 

Employers should register by Monday, February 11, 2013 in order to ensure a listing in the employer directory.   Registration is $125 per company. You can register with WANT by clicking this link http://wantexpo.org/.

If you have any questions contact New Century Careers at info@ncsquared.com.  Hope to see you there!

 February 12, 2013  the Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence is hosting a seminar on managing risk and combatting fraud.   Members of the Pittsburgh Chapter NTMA,  are eligible to take advantage of these informative sessions.  Below is the description.  Remember, you MUST be a member of the Pittsburgh Chapter NTMA and registration is required.

The news is full of stories about crimes committed against businesses, sometimes by trusted employees. To learn how to manage risk and combat fraud, join Bill Nugent, senior managing director of Kroll Advisory Solutions in Philadelphia and publisher of the Kroll Global Fraud Report; Timothy P. Ryan, managing director of Kroll’s cyber investigations practice and a former special agent with the FBI, where he supervised the largest cyber squad in the US; and Lee Baierl, president/CEO of Baierl Automotive and a member of the Institute’s Advisory Board, for an eye‐opening member educational program on Tuesday, February 12, 2013 7:30 AM – 10:30 AM at the Duquesne Club. Lee will share, for the first time publicly, the lessons he learned from his own experiences as a victim of fraud.

To register for “The Truth about Dishonesty: Managing Risk and Combatting Fraud,” send an email to ieeregistration@katz.pitt.edu  or call Tara Gerek at 412.648.1389.

For the complete 2013 calendar of member educational programs, click here.

Annually, One Voice sponsors a legislative conference in Washington, D.C..  This year, the event is set for April 23-24 and you are invited and encouraged to attend.

The event will begin on Tuesday, April 23 with registration and a lunch meeting focusing on tax reform and an issue briefing from the One Voice team.  Participants will spend the second half of the day on Capitol Hill in Congressional and Administration meetings.  There is an optional evening networking reception.  Wednesday, April 24 will open with a breakfast and a briefing from a member of Congress, then attendees will spend the day meeting with more lawmakers.

Anyone who hasn’t attended a conference in the past can participate in a pre-conference webinar on April 16 to prepare for your D.C. visit.  One Voice’s Washington team will prepare you for what to expect when you attend the conference.

More than 100 participants attended last year’s conference.  Join them this year and let your voice be heard, too.

For more information or to register online visit the One Voice site: http://www.metalworkingadvocate.org/