Volume IV, Issue XVIII

When it comes to the Internet and the Web as viable tools and business channels for your manufacturing business, you may see them as blessings, fads, blights or some combination of the three.

But one fact is irrefutable for today’s manufacturers—the Internet has altered forever the ways you find business and businesses find you.

The proof of this change is all around us, in the behaviors of our customers, our suppliers and ourselves. Look and you’ll see three characteristics within the manufacturing sales channels that distinguish this change:

First, some businesses like yours are embracing and defining change to allow them to compete in today’s shifting manufacturing environment. Second, some businesses like yours are resisting change to remain in a niche and “ride this thing out.” And, third, more and more machining and manufacturing professionals are gravitating to the Internet to complement their sourcing and information needs, regardless of what the previous two are—or are not—doing.

With this issue of Modern Machine Shop comes the 2003 iteration of our special Metalworking On The Internet (MOTI) supplement. In it, we have included observations and—we hope—inspiration for using the Internet as a tool to embrace and define change for your own enterprise.

Odds are a copy is in your shop right now, or you can access the MOTI on MMS Online at your convenience (www.mmsonline.com/issues/moi03.html).

Job Shop Site Of The Month

The May 2003 winning Web site represents an interesting shop with a unique business model. As a matter of fact, Tool Gauge & Machine Works of Tacoma, Washington, is downright schizophrenic. On the one hand, TGMPMP (as the company calls itself) is a custom machining and manufacturing facility, offering concurrent engineering and precision machining services. On the other, the “PMP” portion of its business serves the plastic molded products sector through injection mold technology and services. Its Web site (www.tgmpmp.com) displays these two sides elegantly, and its “Contact Us” section covers all the bases—phone, e-mail, snail mail, map/driving directions and a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) site for exchanging documentation.

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/.