Volume IV, Issue XX

Land Of Linkin’ 

Perusing the online metalworking universe, we’ve found these potentially potent repositories of manufacturing info.

IRS’ Manufacturing Page (www.irs.gov/businesses/small)—OK, before you start freaking out about this, pay the IRS a visit and look into what it has presented to help (did I just write that?) manufacturing businesses with tax info. Included in this site are tax tips, audit technique guides, a section with tax laws and regulations for manufacturing and more. Not too shabby a site, particularly when you consider the source.

PARTserver (www.partserver.com)—PARTserver is a bit of a mixed bag. Part free, part for-pay, and part “try before you buy,” this site offers catalogues and examples of standard parts CAD files from a variety of sources, including many major parts supply businesses. If you’re looking for parts, this site is worthy of your attention.

Pacific Northwest Pollution Prevention Resource Center (www. pprc.org)—The Web site of the non-profit organization offers several information sources for machining professionals, including a wealth of data regarding metalcutting fluid management, preservation and utilization. It also aggregates information topically into “hubs”—including those for Metal Fabrication & Machining and Metal Finishing. Though the PPRC is environmentally focused, you will find this site well-rounded, with business tools, compliance standards, and access to more manufacturing-related content.

Job Shop Site Of The Month

Criterion Tool & Die, Inc. (criteriontool.com) has one of those Web sites that won’t win the Design of the Year award but delivers where it matters most. Regular readers of OTW will find one of Criterion’s online strengths familiar: Its online parts catalogs (available under Machining Services) go beyond graphics to include details of the part or job, thereby delivering more relevant info to visiting prospects. And the company also shares information rare to manufacturing and machining business sites: Look under Quality/On Time and you’ll see its delivery and quality performance, by quarter, dating back to 1997. This gutsy, bold move offers a glimpse of what machining-related sites should be offering the surfing, purchasing public during the discovery mode.

To have your site considered for Job Shop Site Of The Month, send your URL to otw@mmsonline.com.

OTW Infoletter

Want to get the online metalworking scoop via e-mail from metalworking’s preferred information source? Subscribe to MMS’ OTW (On The Web) Infoletter at www.mmsonline.com/newsletter/.