Manufacturers

Five Ways to Revive U.S. Manufacturing

Tech ManufactureXPO Virtual Trade Show Returns
Last spring, ASI co-hosted its first virtual trade show, Tech ManufactureXPO. The event was a success for both attendees and exhibitors—some 1,372 manufacturing professionals registered for the show, and half attended the event live. On average, viewers spent 123 minutes at the show, and a total of 1,671 files, such as catalogs, podcasts and other material, were downloaded from the show site. The 33 companies exhibiting at Tech ManufactureXPO averaged 166 leads, and a total of 726 one-to-one chats took place between exhibitors and attendees.

“I never thought there could be a virtual equivalent to a physical trade show,” says D. Paul Zito, a sales representative with WEST Forwarding Services, a Cleveland-based shipping company. “The content, quality of exhibitors, and the mechanics of navigating the show were excellent. It was well worth my time.”

Based on the success of the first event, ASI will co-host Tech ManufactureXPO again this year from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on May 2. Tech ManufactureXPO is designed for information-hungry engineers who are faced with time and budget constraints. The virtual show will allow manufacturing professionals to attend educational sessions and interact with suppliers via their computer screens. It’s the online equivalent of a traditional trade show, featuring webinars, podcasts and “virtual booths.” Participants can browse exhibitor booths; view product demonstrations; engage in discussions with booth representatives; and collect information such as brochures, data sheets, and white papers.

ASI is co-hosting the event with four other manufacturing magazines published by BNP Media: ASSEMBLY, Appliance Design, Quality and World Trade 100. The virtual event will kick off with a keynote speech by Jack McDougle, senior vice president for manufacturing at the nonprofit Council on Competitiveness. The speech will air from 9 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. A live 15-minute question-and-answer session will be held immediately after the presentation.

For more information, visit www.techmanufacturexpo.com.

Tech ManufactureXPO Exhibitors to Date

Automated Precision Inc.—Advanced metrology equipment.
ATI Industrial Automation—Robotic accessories and tooling, including automatic tool changers, deburring tools, collision sensors, and compliance devices.
Baltec Corp.—Radial and orbital riveting equipment and assembly presses.
Bosch Rexroth Corp.—Hydraulics, pneumatics, electric drives, motors and control systems, conveyors, linear motion systems, and modular components for building machines, workstations and other equipment.
Control Gaging Inc.—In-process and post-process gauges that provide closed-loop feedback to machine controls based on real-time part measurement.
Delta Regis Tools Inc.—Electric screwdrivers, screwfeeders, torque testers and torque-reaction arms.
DENSO Robotics—SCARA robots and five- and six-axis articulated robots.
Design Tool Inc.—Handheld automatic screwdrivers; multispindle screwdriving systems; screw presenters; automatic pocket-cutting and screw insertion machines; and automatic nail-driving systems.
Elite Engineering Inc.—Assembly process management software.
FARO—Computer-aided coordinate measurement machines and software.
Gagemaker—Tubing and casing gauges, rotary shouldered gauges, connection gauges, thread gauges, and groove gauges.
HyperCyl—Hydropneumatic and servo-electric cylinders for assembly and forming applications.
InterTech Development Co.—Leak testing equipment, functional testing equipment, and automated assembly and test systems.
Item International America—Modular building kits, including aluminum framing, fasteners, linear guides, tubing and workbench systems.
Pilgrim Software—Enterprise risk, compliance and quality management software for automotive, aerospace, medical, and other highly regulated industries.
Promess Inc.—Highly adaptive monitoring and motion control systems to assemble and test products.
QC Group Inc.—Precision dimensional inspection services; engineering and re-engineering services; 3D scanning services; and training and staffing services.
QT9 Software—Quality management software for large and small businesses.
Schunk Inc.—Grippers, rotary actuators, linear slides, robotic accessories and pick-and-place equipment.
TE-CO Workholding—Tooling, jigs and fixtures for gauging, measurement and inspection.
Weiss North America Inc.—Rotary indexing tables, palletized conveyors, motor-driven pick-and-place units, cam- and servo-driven assembly chassis, indexing rings, machine bases, and tool plates.