On The Web, April 2004

More Metalworking Business Sites

ManufacturingEngineering Laboratory (MEL) (www.mel.nist.gov/melhome.html)—The MEL is a subset of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and it is sort of a conduit to technology for manufacturers. Its stated purpose is to “provide the best in the world calibration services, accurate machining processes, characterizations and technical access to the rich opportunities of information technology.” The MEL is organized into six “sectors”—five divisions (precision engineering, manufacturing metrology, intelligent systems, manufacturing systems integration and fabrication technology) and the Advanced Manufacturing Laboratory. This site is a portal into the MEL that you may use to engage it in research, and it is also as rich a repository for manufacturing info as any you’ll find from the U.S. government.

Reliabilityweb.com (www.reliabilityweb.com)—This site is dedicated to reliability and maintenance issues within manufacturing environments. Included are areas dedicated to demand and scheduled maintenance, fluid management (lubricants, metalworking fluids and so on) and overall shop administration and management. Reliabilityweb.com presents data within a reading room (large collection of articles), tutorials (online e-conferences on a variety of topics) and e-mail based forums (a sort of listserv/private discussion forum). A comprehensive directory, calendar and buyer’s guide round out this complete, easy-to-navigate site.

Superfactory (www.superfactory.com)—Superfactory is a growing collection of links to resources related to many management topics, mainly involving lean manufacturing. Those topics include 5S, cellular manufacturing, benchmarking, six sigma, just in time and others. The links are submitted by registered members of Superfactory (yes, you can become a contributor just by filling out a form), so the destinations are varied, to say the least. But this new site offers promise, in that it may include access to topics useful to growing your machining enterprise.

For more sites, tips and takes on the metalworking Web, look for the MMS Metalworking on the Internet (MOTI) special supplement in May.

Job Shop Site Of The Month

ATEK Manufacturing (www.atekmanufacturing.com) is a multidiscipline manufacturer serving the aerospace, medical and general manufacturing industries. The ATEK site presents its strengths well, but it’s the capabilities section that deserves a visit. Because ATEK serves industries that covet certain characteristics (full product development, minority ownership, specific certifications and so on), those strengths are portrayed to full advantage for buyers researching them online.

OTW Infoletter

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