#TOPSHOPS

Finding Skilled Labor Through Partnerships and Benefits

To combat the skilled labor shortage, this Top Shops honoree turned to partnerships and unique benefits to attract talented workers.

Nathaniel Fields
Associate Editor, Modern Machine Shop

CAD/CAM

Automated CAM Programming – Is Your Software Really Delivering?

A look at the latest automation tools in Autodesk Fusion 360 software and how forward-thinking machine shops and manufacturing departments are using them to slash delivery times and win more business.

Benchmarking: An Invaluable Business Tool

Modern Machine Shop’s Top Shops program shows shops their strengths and opportunities for improvement, and provides recognition for high-performing businesses.

Horizontal Machining Centers

Positioned to Prevail: Designing Processes Around People

Stecker Machine Company shows that getting the most value from employees means valuing your employees.

Industries

Conferences at a Glance - Tuesday

A streamlined itinerary of Tuesday's conferences, including Modern Machine Shop's Top Shop Awards ceremony, at your fingertips. Find out more about today's conferences below.

Productive Insights Abound at Top Shops Panels

Top Shops at IMTS 2022 is more than an awards show. Find panels, a deep-dive into Top Shop trends and a glimpse at AI’s promise to machine shops.

IMTS Conferences - Monday

From innovation, quality and inspection to workforce development and company culture, Monday’s conference schedule has a lot to offer. Hannover Messe USA, the IMTS Conference, IMTS Job Shops and Women Make Manufacturing move all kick off today!

Automation

Same Headcount, Double the Sales: Successful Job Shop Automation

Doubling sales requires more than just robots. Pro Products’ staff works in tandem with robots, performing inspection and other value-added activities.

Evan Doran
Associate Editor, Modern Machine Shop

Automation

Niche Work If You Can Get It: A CNC Machine Shop Crafts Its Own Destiny

The latest innovations in metalworking aren’t always related to CNC automation or robotics. For Rosenberger North America, a 2022 Top Shops Honoree, it is the company’s niche processes that create the biggest successes.

Business Award Winner Gains Traction on Strategic Vision

KLH Industries joins the 2022 Top Shops Honors Program with a renewed sense of identity, a new leadership team and new tools for driving growth.

Building a Better Business: Lessons for Machine Shops From an Unexpected Source

Learning how to be a great manufacturer by listening to the insights of a different industry, homebuilding (which perhaps is not so different after all).

Top Shop Builds Upon Employee Ownership for Future Success

In its quest to become the Fox Valley’s best-in-class employer, A to Z Machine has adopted an ESOP, expanded benefits and invested in apprenticeships.

2022 Top Shops Honorees Announced

Modern Machine Shop recognizes excellence in manufacturing with annual Tops Shops awards.

Top Shops on Display at IMTS

Join the Modern Machine Shop team and Top Shops Honorees to hear the latest benchmarking data and learn how they have innovated within their organizations and worked through the same struggles you may be experiencing.

Five-Axis

CNC Machine Shop Honored for Automation, Machine Monitoring

From cobots to machine monitoring, this Top Shop honoree shows that machining technology is about more than the machine tool.

Eli Plaskett
Senior Associate Editor, Modern Machine Shop

2022 Top Shops Survey Now Open

This free survey helps shops compare their KPIs to competitors. Early participants may qualify to be profiled as Top Shops honorees in Modern Machine Shop.

Turn/Mill

Look Again — Multiprocess Machine Tools Hint at Machine Shop Changes

The acceptance of complex machine tools has measurably increased. Recent articles offer a multifaceted look at multitasking machines.

Medical

Putting People First: a Profitable Strategy

Treating people fairly and valuing their contributions isn't only the right thing to do. It’s also a direct path toward greater profitability, as shown by this Top Shop.

Photo Gallery: Top Shops Expo

Top Shops Expo took place this week in Cincinnati. The event featured exhibitors, speakers, a Made in the USA podcast panel and an award presentation for Top Shops honorees.

Data-Driven Manufacturing

Top Shops Are Data-Driven by Definition

CNC machine shops at various stages of digitalizing their operations share a commitment to evidence-backed decision-making.

How a Mom-and-Pop Becomes a Top Shop

Process and culture shift as leaders adopt new business strategies and a singular focus on expanding and filling capacity.

Job Shops Can’t Do Everything, And That’s OK

Deciding to narrow down its jobs and customers was a turning point for 2023 Top Shops Business Strategies honoree Manda Machine that has led to improvements in the front office and on the shop floor.

Julia Hider
Senior Editor, Modern Machine Shop

EDM

Automation Adds Capacity to Capability for Low-Volume Work

Investment in machining technology has facilitated growth and diversification at Reich Tool & Design. Now, flexible automation allows the shop to get more out of its machines despite a shortage of skilled workers.

MMS Announces Technical Program at Top Shops Expo

The agenda features a breakdown of the Top Shops survey data, panel discussions with shop owners and breakout presentations that provide an in-depth look at tools, technologies and strategies for running and growing a manufacturing business.

The Art of Maintaining Continuous Improvement

Production efficiencies, setup efficiencies, plant utilization record, safety records, on-time delivery performance — all of these metrics and more place Forest City Gear among the elite when it comes the use of ongoing improvement methodologies.

Inaugural Top Shops Expo Highlights Benchmarking Survey Data

The two-day event will feature education sessions from industry experts backed by the data accumulated from Gardner Business Intelligence’s annual national benchmarking survey.

Data Demystify CNC Machine Shop Sales, Marketing

Benchmarking surveys show how perception departs from reality when Top Shops evaluate the growth potential of advertising, social media and other tools.

Modern Machine Shop Shares Plans for Top Shops Expo

The Top Shops Expo + Conference, which takes place October 12-14, will include contributions from MMS, including technical conferences, sourcing, awards and more.

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