Register your foursome (or 2-some OR yourself) now for the 2013 Scholarship Golf Tournament scheduled for Monday, June 10.

click here for tournament details and registration

Your sponsorship support will help get the Chapter to its goal of $20k for this year’s tournament. Members are encouraged to participate in some way in the Chapter’s largest fundraiser of each year. click here for sponsorship details

Not a golfer? You can sponsor, donate and even volunteer to help monitor the Hole-in-One and assist with registration. This is also a great way to be out of the office for the afternoon, have a nice lunch, and contribute to the cause.

Proceeds support local scholarships for tomorrow’s precision manufacturing professionals.

Friday and Saturday, July 26-27 (Branson, MO)

There will be inspirational and informative speakers, conversation with your peers from across the region, networking, fun and recreation.

This has always been a great time to get away at a great destination – maybe even bring your spouse, significant other and family. NTMA members as well as Chapter associate and education members are encouraged to attend.

Thanks to a generous donation from St. Louis’ own Steelville Mfg., there will be a raffle for 2 sets of tickets to see Three Dog Night and Marshall Tucker Band (October concerts) at Wildwood Springs Lodge, Steelville, MO. Proceeds benefit NTMA’s Government Affairs Administrative Fund.

Chateau on the Lake is holding a block of rooms at a reduced conference rate – make your hotel reservation soon, as the reduced conference rate is available until sold out or mid-June. While you’re at it, get your registration in, too – then all you have to do is pack your bags and head to Branson in July!

Click here for conference and registration details

If you’re new to the Chapter or have not yet attended a “Lake Meeting,” why not make 2013 the year to join the group!

Guest speaker Ken McCreight (NTMA) was in St. Louis for the May 7 chapter meeting, telling everyone about NTMA’s new training online super-tool: NTMA-U. Those attending saw 1st hand how this innovative online program addresses the needs of NTMA members to build on employees’ skills and aptitudes to take them (and their companies) to the next level.

St. Louis area colleges and training programs also presented summaries of and updates on their programs.

Component Bar Products was welcomed as the Chapter's newest member

Darin Everett of Stratasys offered a brief overview of Additive Manufacturing and how it complements the machining world that we live in. He showed how concept models can become functional prototypes, manufacturing tools, or even end use parts. He also discussed how a similar process is being used with metals for hard-to-make production parts. Members and guests also enjoyed watching a demo machine running throughout the meeting.

New members Loudon Mfg. were welcomed by Chapter president and vice-president

A series of questions were on the table at the March meeting – ranging from Health Care Reform to OSHA and shop safety. Hank Epstein and his team from The Quality Coach led the discussion and will provide a summary report of the discussion that will be posted here with available. The also provided links to Health Care Reform resources that might be useful.

Have Your Voice Heard in Washington!

Following a monumental election and the swearing in of a new Congress, manufacturers have an opportunity to speak directly with the nation’s leading lawmakers at the 5th Annual One Voice Legislative Conference. With tax reform looming on the horizon, Washington needs to hear from manufacturers now more than ever.

Join together to speak with One Voice on April 23-24, 2013.

For more information visit www.metalworkingadvocate.org or call (202) 393-8250.

The focus of the upcoming NTMA Purchasing Fair on May 16-17 at the JW Marriott Indianapolis is to align OEM’s (Original Equipment Manufacturers) and large companies with highly competitive and skilled domestic small- to medium-sized manufacturers that specialize in machined, stamped and fabricated parts, special tooling (dies, molds, jigs, fixtures and gauges) and special machines, ultimately providing a more economical resource for sourcing needs.

“My company has attended several NTMA Purchasing Fairs over the years to diversify my customer base. We had been almost 90% automotive and went up and down as the auto-makers did. I met what is now my largest customer at a Purchasing Fair and they are not in automotive.”

“As a result of the Purchasing Fair in Novi, Mi., Choice Castings has interviewed and selected several suppliers for providing machined parts. The Purchasing Fair is designed to be a win for all participants. The format offers a perfect setting for buyers and manufacturers to meet and determine if there is a match and then allows for focused follow ups. This saves time for buyers, and additional sales costs for manufacturers.”

For additional information visit www.purchasingfair.com or contact Jeff Walmsley at 1.800.248.6862 or jwalmsley@ntma.org

Do you know of a student in the precision manufacturing or mechanical engineering field who might be interested in some financial support for the 2013-14 academic year?  Applications are now being accepted for this year’s scholarship(s).

NTMA Scholarship Application Packet 2013

2012 Scholarships (2 of them, combined value $8000) were awarded to students at Ranken Technical College and Southwestern Illinois College. The Scholarship Committee would like to see strong applications from all the St. Louis region’s schools. These scholarships are funded by the annual golf tournament (this year scheduled for June 10 – golfers: save the date!).

Applications are due April 30, 2013.

The St. Louis Chapter welcomed several new NTMA members and two new associate members at the first meeting of the new year 2013.

Guest speaker Dan Klott (Federated Insurance) offered a great presentation of a “hot” topic – fire safety. He asked “are there areas in your fire prevention program that need to be updated? What are your familiar eyes missing as you assess your exposure to this huge risk? How can you improve your fire safety program to upgrade your OSHA compliance status?” and then shared photos he’s taken recently of businesses and shops with fire risks.

Dan also reviewed last year’s top OSHA violations in the industry.

Membership plaques were presented to new NTMA members:

ALM Tech Group

Planet Tool

St. Louis Area’s Customer Service at NTMA headquarters office is Rich Basalla.

St. Louis members are encourage to contact Rich regarding anything at the national NTMA level (including assistance with web site login).

Sally Safranski is the contact for anything related to the Greater St. Louis Chapter NTMA.

More