The AGMA Strategic Plan that brought us a National Training Center with operator-level courses and deep-dives into emerging technology in 2019 serves as the backdrop for transformation to the 2020 AGMA Strategic Resources Network (SRN) in Charleston, South Carolina, May 27-29, 2020.
Ross Wegryn-Jones, SRN Chairman, was part of the two-year AGMA Strategic Plan. He and the rest of the committee spent 2019 asking targeted questions to their peers and AGMA members, analyzing data, and crafting an event that Ross claims is very much worth your time out of the office! We are keeping all the great components typically seen in an SRN event including networking, quality presentation, and a hands-on tour — we are just amplifying them to align with the needs of today’s emerging leaders. We invite you to join.
Tailored for Emerging Leaders
Networking events, to include a proper South Carolina low country boil, will give attendees opportunities in relaxed environments to interact with their peers and forge bonds. Presentations will be relevant and targeted to what you need to know to be a successful leader in today’s gear industry, and the tour will allow you into a facility that builds next-generation technology right now.
An important addition to the 2020 SRN is an in-depth business course to the agenda — and we did not change the cost. The committee found many remember attending business school, but also felt they were not fully applying what they had learned into their current job. Several individuals mentioned they would like to have opportunities to refresh the clarity of their courses or even find a way to get the information in a more targeted way for their current job. We heard you — and this year we’ll have an optional four-hour training course titled Effective Contract Negotiations: The Path to Commercial Success with Large OE Customers with instructor Tom Rouse, founder and managing partner of Rouse Consultants.
Why trust Tom? Well, he brings 38 years of experience in the automotive and industrial OEM markets, including five years as CEO of a precision gear manufacturing company. With this gear industry experience, he has tailored a course with knowledge of the complexities of gears. Anyone who works with contracts will find value in this course and will gain knowledge to better identify priority points for negotiation and assess risk issues.
Attendees will also get the latest emerging technology updates, time spent discussing topics keeping them up at night, and two key presentations on Leadership and Cybersecurity.
Leadership
Leaders in manufacturing and throughout all industries need to be agile and comfortable making high-level, high-pressure decisions on short timelines. Outside influences such as tariffs, government policy, and an ever-changing workforce can make leadership one of the top challenges for success. Who better than to talk about performing under pressure than a military leader? Capt. Mark Gordon, U.S. Coast Guard, (Chief of Operations, Atlantic Area and former Commanding Officer of the 418 ft. U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton) will share some tangible insights on running a “tight ship” to lead effectively for personnel while maintaining the resources and goals of the organization at large.
Cybersecurity
James McQuiggan, CISSP, KnowB4, will provide the presentation Cybersecurity: Lessons, Opportunities, and the Future. James is a cybersecurity expert with past experience at Siemens Gamesa. Within the Industrial Control System environment, companies are constantly dealing with cybersecurity issues ranging from ransomware to insider threats to misconfigured IOT devices. Having a robust cybersecurity program is one step of the puzzle to securing your organization, accompanied with securing your employees by making them human firewalls. It is important for all employees of an organization, from the C-Suite to shop floor employees, to be aware of the cybersecurity risks and how to keep their physical and cyber work environments secure.
The Tour
We will take a short ride north to the Clemson University SCE&G Energy Innovation Center — Offshore Wind Turbine Test Facility. Attendees will spend the morning taking three different tours of the facility to see the Graduate Center, the GRID project, and the test bay. SCE&G Energy Innovation Center houses the world’s most-advanced wind-turbine drivetrain testing facility capable of full-scale highly accelerated mechanical and electrical testing of advanced drivetrain systems for wind turbines.
The Strategic Resources Event is $595 for AGMA members and $795 for non-members. Registration is now available on the AGMA website at www.agma.org. We look forward to your attendance.
Upcoming Education
Gear Manufacturing and Inspection
Steels for Gear Application
March 24-26 | Alexandria, Virginia
Gain a basic understanding of steel and its properties. Learn to make use of steel properties in an application and understand the potential that different steel and heat-treatment options can offer. Explore how performance of the material depends on how the steel is produced.
Basic Training for Gear Manufacturing
April 13-17 | Chicago, Illinois
Learn the fundamentals of gear manufacturing in this hands-on course. Gain an understanding of gearing and nomenclature, principles of inspection, gear manufacturing methods, hobbing, and shaping. Using manual machines, develop a deeper breadth of perspective and understanding of the process and physics of making a gear as well as the ability to apply this knowledge in working with CNC equipment commonly in use.
Basic Gear Inspection for Operators
April 21-22 | Chicago, Illinois
Learn the common, current, and basics of the tools and techniques used to measure and inspect gears. There are four main categories by which a gear is evaluated and classified. Gear design, manufacture, and inspection are based on a numerical scale that defines gear quality. The methodology to measure and techniques required to quantify quality of a gear tooth form will be thoroughly investigated and explained. It is often stated that quality cannot be inspected into the part; however, inspection can tell us what to do to correct many issues.
Education Right From Your Desk!
Supply Chain Management Certificate Program Classes Coming Up
Ranken’s Supply Chain Management Certificate Program is offered completely online. Topics covered in this six-course program include:
- Integrated Supply Chain Management.
- Inventory Management.
- Manufacturing and Service Operations.
- Order Fulfillment and Customer Service.
- Transportation.
- Warehousing.
The program curriculum also will prepare students for the Council of Supply Chain Management (CSCM) SCPro Certification.
Visit: www.agma.org/education/online/supply-chain-managment-certification-program to sign up.
AGMA/ABMA Annual Meeting is Just Around the Corner
March 19-21 | Lake Buena Vista, Florida
Inspiring Growth … In your business. In your workforce. In your connections. Join more than 300 of your industry peers at the Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa at Lake Buena Vista, Florida, March 19-21. Come to the one meeting where you can gather resources to grow every aspect of your company while staying up-to-date on the latest happening in the gear and bearing industries. Oh, and we tend to have some fun along the way!
Become an FTM Peer Reviewer
2020 Fall Technical Meeting
October 19-21, 2020 | Rosemont, Illinois
The abstracts are in for the 2020 Fall Technical Meeting, and now it is time to review them for the meeting. Visit: www.agma.org/2020-fall-technical-meeting. The unique qualifier for the FTM is the fact that all technical papers go through a double-blind review. Sign up to be a part of this unparalleled event and share your expertise to help the researchers showcase their greatest work.
Help Get the AGMA National Training Center Up and Running
Machine/Material Donations Needed
The AGMA National Training Center at Richard C. Daley College in Chicago will host multiple industry training courses, including four new Operator Level Classes in 2020. Donations are eligible for a charitable tax deduction. For full details on what is needed and how to donate, visit the “Spin It Forward” website at: agmafoundation.org/spinitforward or email us at: donations@AGMAFoundation.org.
For Members
Send AGMA Your News!
AGMA is proud of the work that our members do and we want to share all your accomplishments. Make sure to send brinkley@agma.org your press releases so that we can post them on our website. Take a look today and see where people can find out more about what your business is doing.
Do You Have Open Jobs to Fill?
Let AGMA help market your open jobs with its online job board. We know finding the right people to work at your company can be time consuming, and AGMA is here to help. All AGMA members can post unlimited jobs to the AGMA website to help you in your reach efforts. To post a job, contact Rebecca Brinkley at brinkley@agma.org for full details.
