Nucor Steel Tuscaloosa Meeting Announcement

Birmingham, Chapter 143

Nucor Steel Tuscaloosa

Nucor Steel Tuscaloosa invites SME 143 Birmingham members/guests to tour

Date:               Thursday February 16^th, 2012

Time:               5:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Place:               Nucor Steel Tuscaloosa

                        1700 Holt Road N.E.

                        Tuscaloosa, AL  35404

                        (205) 562-1300

                        www.nucortusk.com

Built in 1985, Nucor Steel Tuscaloosa, Inc. has consistently demonstrated product versatility, quality, and cost advantages over traditional plate mills.  Our mill was the first U.S. steel mill to employ Steckel mill technology to produce high quality wide plate from coil.  Our company produces over 1.2 million tons of carbon and pressure vessel steel coil, discrete plate, and cut-to-length plate products annually.

PPE Requirements:  Steel toe boots, hard hat, safety glasses required.  Hearing protection and jackets will be provided (along with hard hats and safety glasses if you do not have your own).  There will be lots of stairs to climb along the tour route.

 From Birmingham: Take I-59 South to Exit 73.  At the bottom of the ramp turn right onto US Hwy 82 West. Travel just over 3 miles and take exit on the right labeled Jack Warner Parkway.  At the end of the ramp turn left onto Jack Warner.  The main gate is @ 1.5 miles on the left.  Check in at the guard house.

SCHEDULE:

·  4:30 pm                     – Early Bird arrival

·  5:00 - 5:30 pm           -  Meet and greet

·  5:30 pm                      –Tour begins

·  7:30 pm                      – After Hours to follow, off-site meet-up

Please register for this event by sending an e-mail to Blane.Vines@nucor.com.  You must register to be allowed to enter plant site.

We wish to thank our local 2010 - 2012 Sponsors:

Hager Oil Company, Inc.

Processing Custom Steel Plate & Bar

Precision Grinding, Inc.

Birmingham Fastener  Global Solutions, Local Service

Osborne Machinery Movers, Inc.

Blake & Pendleton: Compressed Air & Gas, Pump and Heat Transfer

SME Birmingham to travel Jan 26 to GA TECH to meet Atlanta Chapter members

The Atlanta, Georgia SME Chapter invites Birmingham, AL SME Members to hear "How Dalton became the Carpet Capitol of the World."

Speaker:  Dr. Douglas Flemming
Date:  Jan. 26, 2012
Location: Manufacturing Research Center, GA Tech, 813 Ferst Dr. NW, Atlanta, GA, 30318

Schedule:  Eastern Time Zone
5:30 - 6:15p   Networking/Dinner
6:15 - 7:00p   Presentation: "How Dalton Became the Carpet Capitol of the World"
7:00 - 7:15p   Q&A Session and Closing

Dinner will be provided for all Registrants.

RSVP by Jan. 23, 2012 in order to reserve your spot.

$10 Dinner Donation for SME Members who pre-register.  Register Here

Upon Registering, please, contact Blane, LaVada, Doug, or Brian to confirm traveling plans.

"From the 1880s through the 1950s, Dalton, Georgia, was a typical southern cotton mill town – similar to hundreds of other little textile cities of the Southern upcountry.  In the 1960s, Dixie’s textile industry began to falter and fail, leaving many towns to wither.  Dalton’s cotton mills closed their gates forever during the 1960s.  By then, however, Dalton had a new industry in town – a homegrown miracle: broadloom carpets.  How did Dalton become the “Carpet Capital of the World”?  Dr. Douglas Flamming, professor of history at Georgia Tech, will tell the tale, a fascinating story of southern entrepreneurship and regional transformation." Quoted Email.

Please, contact Brian Everling, Precision Grinding, Inc. for more information.
(205) 942-2491 office     BrianE@PrecisionGrinding.com  email

October Meeting Postponed

This tour has been postponed. Please check back for the rescheduled date.

August Meeting: Birmingham Fastener

Date: Thursday August 18th, 2011
Time: 4:30 p.m. (tour starts promptly at 5pm)
Place: Birmingham Fastener Manufacturing
Address: 931 Avenue W, Birmingham, AL


Birmingham Fastener is a leading manufacturer and distributor of fasteners for structural steel fabrication, metal building manufacturers, transportation, water works and utilities, original equipment manufacturers, construction, MRO and more. They manufacture custom and non-standard fasteners and operate the highest volume distribution center of nuts and bolts and standard fasteners in the U.S. Many manufacturing processes are utilized in the Birmingham location including cold heading, hot heading, thread rolling, among others.

From Birmingham: Take I-59 South to Exit 121. At the bottom of the ramp turn right onto 19th Street. Take 1st right onto Avenue V. Avenue V turns into Avenue W. Facility is on the right side of Avenue W.
From Tuscaloosa: Take I-59 North to Exit 120. At the top of the ramp turn right onto Ensley 5 Points W Ave. Take 1st left onto Pike Road. Continue Straight on Pike Road. Pike road turns into Avenue V. Avenue V turns into Avenue W. Facility is on the right side of Avenue W.

Upon arrival, tell the guard that you are with the SME tour group and you will be directed to the office area to park.

SCHEDULE:
• 4:30 pm – Meet and greet
• 5 – 6 pm –Meeting/Tour begins.

PPE: Hard hats, steel toe boots, safety glasses, and ear plugs are required. Hard hats, glasses, and ear plugs can be provided, but bring your own if you have them.

Please register for this event by sending an e-mail to Blane.Vines@nucor.com.

May Meeting: Alabama Power Technology Application Center

Date: Thursday May 12th, 2011
Time: 5:30 pm
Location: GSC Building 7B
Place: Alabama Power General Services
Address: County Road 87 North, Calera



SME Chapter 330 has invited us to join them for a joint meeting and tour of Alabama Power Company's Technology Application Center. Please come out to learn about the wide range of projects and activities that take place within the TAC facility and to network with your peers.

Directions: (http://www.alabamapower.com/commercial/directions.asp)

From Birmingham: Take I-65 South to Exit 234. At Exit 234 turn right (toward Airport). Continue right (go over I-65) onto Hwy 87 North. Turn right into the APC General Services Complex. After the guard booth, turn right at stop sign. Follow the road around to the TAC in Building 7B.

From Montgomery: Take I-65 North to Exit 234. At Exit 234 turn right onto Hwy 87 North. Turn right into the APC General Services Complex. After the guard booth, turn right at stop sign. Follow the road around to the TAC in Building 7B.

Schedule:
5:30 pm - Meet and greet
6:00 pm - Meeting and tour

Bottled water, soft drinks, and coffee will be provided.

Please register for this event by sending an e-mail to
Blane.Vines@Nucor.com

March Meeting: Tennessee Spring & Metal

Date: Thursday March 24, 2011
Time: 5:00 pm
Location: Upstairs Conference Room
Place: Bass Pro Shop, Exit 140, I-20
Address: 5000 Bass Pro Blvd. Leeds.
http://www.basspro.com/


Tennessee Spring and Metal, LLC will share information with us on a burgeoning, new technology through their presentation entitled, "An Introduction to Fluid Forming." SME Birmingham members are invited to network with peers as we discuss various metal forming processes.

Tennessee Spring and Metal, LLC, located in Hartsville, TN, manufactures Mechanical Steel Springs for tension, torsion, compression, and extension applications.

During our meeting we also plan to cast a VOTE for 2011 Executive team members for our SME Birmingham Chapter 143, we shall review the upcoming SAE BAJA UAB 2011 event to be held in April, and we shall discuss plans and alternatives for future 2011 tours and meetings. Please, view the recent SME Blog article (below) to view introductory information about the UAB Baja event, April 14 - 17, 2011.

Schedule:

5:00 pm - Networking & Soda Social
6:00 pm - Meeting Begins

Please, register for this event by sending an email to Blane.Vines@nucor.com .

$10.00 Donation for members accepted. Please, bring along a friend who may also find interest to learn more about Fluid Forming.

SME Members to volunteer for UAB Baja 2011

UAB Materials & Mechanical Engineering: 2011 Baja Birmingham

An invitation from the local SAE Chapter to meet the UAB Baja team brought several of our membership groups together to meet the students and staff from the UAB Materials and Mechanical Engineering Departments that participate with the UAB Baja Team. Please, visit their 2011 UAB Baja Birmingham informational site for information about their upcoming event.

Several of our SME members plan to attend and to Volunteer to serve various positions at this Innaugural UAB Baja event, scheduled for April 14 - 18, 2011 at Stony Lonesome OHV Park, near Cullman, AL.

While on our February tour at UAB, Tina Oliver, PhD presented us with information about the UAB Baja team, their Engineering leadership, and the students who devote so much of their time to building one of the premier University Baja teams in the world. Tina informed us that there may be 50 - 100 University Teams from all over the world entering a Baja mobile in this event. She also explained the many events, such as Acceleration, Water Maneuverability, Land Maneuverability, Suspension & Traction, Design, and the rugged, Endurance Event. Following the open discussion, Dr. Tina, Dr. Bharat Soni, Dr. Brian Pillay, and Dr. Uday Vaidya offered group tours of their labs:

Dr. Pillay strolled across campus with approximately 15 or so guests to see the new Materials Engineering Design Lab. Already worldwide recognized as one of the most unique and advanced, new and upcoming Composite Material Education Labs in the world, Dr. Pillay showed us how companies such as Honda and Mercedes (company members present) are able to test new composites, gaining valuable research and testing experiences. Please, take a few moments to review a little information about the UAB Materials Engineering Composite Design Lab.

Dr. Soni and his Staff walked with 15 or so other guests to view the nearby Advanced 3D Visual Labs, located within the same Mechanical Engineering Building, the Business Engineering Building. Recent innovations and projects viewed include Real-time Distance Surgical Procedure Education and Modeling support for Emergency situations.

Dr. Vaidya, Dr. Tina Oliver and most of the Baja students took the remainder of the guests to view the INDYCar and the Baja Team Machine Shop. Shown below, some of the SAE and SME sponsors that help to support the team.

Later, on a recent Monday during the middle of February, the SME Birmingham Board members met to discuss SME participation with the UAB Baja Team. Our Board panel, including Blane Vines of Nucor Tuscaloosa, Mark Partyka our retiring Chair Member, LaVada Varner of ATN, Brian Everling of Precision Grinding, Inc., and now, Doug Cole from Aerotek agreed that it's a good idea for SME Birmingham members to pursue volunteering a 1/2 day or more each to serve as Registration/Check-In, Parking/Traffic Attendants, Field Sum Scorers, Food Services/ Hospitality hosts, and possibly as Field Evaluators. Please, again, visit the UAB BAJA internet site to submit your name to volunteer to serve a position, sometime during the Th - Sun weekend event.

For more information about SME Birmingham or for more information about UAB Baja, please, email Brian Everling at BrianEverling@phd1.com.

We look forward to hearing from you.

If your company would like to offer sponsorship to support the UAB Baja Team, please, send us an email or submit a request to the UAB Baja Team. Sponsorship positions include Banner Opportunities, Lunch / Dinner / Snack Hospitality Tents, and Career Fair Tents.

UAB Tour, Chili Dinner, and Basketball

Been awhile since you have visited UAB’s campus? Want to find a way to support future engineering students? Or just want to come out and see what’s new?

UAB Baja and SAE Alabama invites us to a Chili Dinner and the UAB vs Marshall men’s basketball game on January 26th beginning at 5:30 pm. See below for full schedule for the evening.

During dinner, they will be presenting information about the upcoming Baja SAE Birmingham competition and it’s need for volunteers and sponsorship.UAB Engineering is an organizer for the Baja competition this year along with the SAE Alabama Section. They are very excited about this opportunity to host and see it as part of the program’s growth. The UAB Baja program moved into the top 25 nationally last year and it was the first time they competed with 2 cars. They will need volunteers onsite for the events as well as design judges before and during the event.

After dinner, tours of selected new/improved labs will be available. The School of Engineering has added several new labs in the past few years including the MPAD (MSE composites and casting group), the VISCUBE (ME visualization lab) and the School of Engineering Design lab.

To finish out the night, they have invited us to join them for the UAB vs Marshall men’s basketball game. Tickets will be sponsored by the UAB School of Engineering so let us know early if you would like to attend.

5:30-6:20pm Dinner in BEC Lobby
6:20- 6:45pm Visit labs/ projects
7pm~ UAB Blazer Basketball

More details will be provided after registration.

They are looking for representation from all of the professional societies in the Birmingham area.

This is a free event, however, I would suggest that the SME membership come together and collect donations that can be made on behalf of SME.

Please register before Sunday, January 23rd so we can give them a head count to prepare.

Register by sending an e-mail to Blane.Vines@nucor.com or markpartyka@yahoo.com.

Smiths Machine – Thursday Dec. 02, 2010

Smiths Machine invites SME Birmingham Chapter 143 to tour their Cottondale, AL Plant #1.

Date:
December 02, 2010

Time:
4:45 p.m. - Social Time (Refreshments provided)
5:30 p.m. - Tour

Location:
Smiths Machine - Plant #1
14120 Highway 11 North
Cottondale, AL 35453


Smiths Machine provides State of the Art Manufacturing through applied integrated engineering, planning, and manufacturing processes. They use Multi-Axis Twin Spindle Turning that can complete all six sides of complex parts in one setting, resulting in higher accuracy in the shortest time. They handle parts up to 600mm diameter and 1.18 meters in length. Their high-tech 5 axis milling machines give the ability to produce the most demanding complex geometry of part sizes up to 1 cubic meter, utilizing multiple pallets and high capacity tool magazines. The Value Added Services include mechanical assembly, surface and heat treatments as well as kitting and customized packaging. A world class inspection department is synchronized with production to ensure the highest accuracy. Inspecting with the latest scanning technology by ZEISS, they can measure all parts they manufacture. Smiths Machine LLC is ISO 9001:2000 CERTIFIED for Quality Management Systems and is a majority female owned business.

PPE requirements not yet determined.


Please register for this event by sending an e-mail to MarkPartyka@yahoo.com or Blane.Vines@nucor.com.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Honda Tour - Lincoln, AL - Thursday, May 13, 2010

Honda Manufacturing of Alabama, LLC invites the local SAE and the SME Birmingham Chapter 143 to tour their Lincoln, Alabama plant.

Date: May 13, 2010
Time: 3:00pm - 7:00pm, Social Hour begins at 3:00pm.

Honda Manufacturing of Alabama, LLC produces over 300,000 vehicles and engines annually, including the Honda Odyssey, the Honda Pilot, the Honda Ridgeline, the Honda V-6 Accord and Honda V-6 engines. The plant sits on 1350 acres with over 3.5 million square feet of buildings and plant. Over 4,000 associates work on-site. Operations include: Stamping, welding, painting, plastic injection molding, casting, machining, assembly and sub-assembly, engine assembly, testing, and quality assurance.

Please bring your PPE equipment: Safety Glasses & Steel-toe boots.

Please, Register via ONLINE REGISTRATION at http://www.inline.com/sme. A $5.00 donation will be accepted at the door for this event.

CONGRATULATIONS! HONDA on a successful, innaugural Barber Motorsports IRL Grand Prix of Alabama.

Questions: contact Mark.Partyka@Siemens.com or Blane.Vines@BhamFast.com

We look forward to seeing you there. Please, mark your calenders, accordingly.

Indy Grand Prix of Alabama - Barber MotorSports

April 9 - 11 Barber MotorSports Grand Prix of AL, IRL

Mark, Blane, Al & Brian showing the new SME Birmingham Banner .

SME Birmingham and Precision Grinding invited SME members and their guests to visit us in the LOT D Camping section throughout the Scheduled events on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. We secured (4) tent sites, complete with 10' x 10' canopy tents, a new SME Chapter 143 Banner, and plenty of Southern hospitality.

Enjoying the view from the hilltop above Turns 15 & 16 during the Sunday IRL. Helio Castroneves and the No. 3 Team won the inaugural Barber Motorsports Grand Prix of Alabama.

Event tickets were $70.00 (3) day pass. (Past Commentary) We have these full event passes available for the first (10) members to sign up. (3) day passes allow you to enter the Lot D camping area to join us. Repeat, in order to join us within the Lot D Camping area, you must have a 3-day ticket for the Indy event in order to gain access. Additionally, if you would like to purchase a $50.00 on-site parking pass, we have two available - note, Barber's has SOLD OUT the allotment of on-site parking passes. Please, email or call one of us directly for onsite parking passes. Otherwise, General Admission Public Parking, off-site parking is available at the I-459, Derby Parkway and John Rogers Blvd., Birmingham Race Course. Shuttles should run all day, all three days. Please, click the above link for directions from the north, south, east, and west.

Special Note: One child, 12-under is allowed into this Barber INDY event with a paid ticket. However, those entering the campground must be 13-over. Please, note these rules for children.

Precision Grinding members and staff are bringing grills to Bar-B-Q your favorite foods. Please, bring along your cooler full of your favorite beverages. GLASS CONTAINERS ARE NOT ALLOWED in the park. Please, bring along your favorite outdoor chairs. If you would like to bring additional ICE, SOFT DRINKS, WATERS, SNACKS, MEATS, BREADS or FOODS to share with your associates, we accept all of your support.

Special Reminders: Bring a chair or field blanket. Bring Earplugs or Race Headphones. The Sunday Main Indy race will be broadcast live on radios, bring personal radios. Bring Sun-Block.

Additionally, we should have a locked utility trailer on-site in order to secure belongings for the weekend. If you happen to want to sleep in the Campground at the track on Fri or Sat night, please, know that you are welcome. Please, bring your sleeping bag, blankets, and pillow. We will do all we can to accomodate your needs during the three days.

We plan to hold a "Putting 'n Pitching" contest. We'll also have "Horse Shoes" available. Most Barber events hold a quiet time during Church services in the area from 11a - 12p on Sunday. Lunches and contests will begin at 11am.

Please, visit Barber MotorSports website for a full slate of information about rules and regulations. SME $70.00 tickets will allow you to view all events from the grass hillsides. These tickets will not allow you into the additionally priced paddock area: paddock area tickets cost an additional $60.00. These 3-day tickets will allow you to experience most of the festivities at the track. Please, consider visiting the Barber Museum while there. The museum is unique and extremely interesting.

For all members who purchase tickets directly from Barber Motorsports, please, know that we are accepting $10 donations to attend the campground festivities. Please, register at our SME Birmingham online registration site, and we will be back in touch with you. Please, check the appropriate boxes on the registration site. We will call or email you, ASAP.

Email BrianEverling@phd1.com or Blane.Vines@bhamfast.com with any Additional Questions.

30-40 guests enjoyed a great weekend at Barber Motorsports!

MBUSI Invites SME & SAE to Tour Plant, March 25

Mercedes Benz U.S. International (MBUSI) has invited members from SME and SAE to tour the Vance/Tuscaloosa plant. Please see notes below for further registration information.

About MBUSI:
Seventeen years have passed since MBUSI came to Alabama and North America as the first Mercedes-Benz passenger vehicle plant located outside of Germany. MBUSI is now well into the second chapter of its life, creating new products and expanding its impact on the Tuscaloosa community and Alabama.

Today, Plant Tuscaloosa represents in excess of a $1.29-billion investment. MBUSI currently has just under 3,000 Team Members and a capacity to build 160,000 vehicles. Plant Tuscaloosa builds the second generation M-Class, the R-Class Sports Tourer and the GL-Class full-size SUV. Plant Tuscaloosa also now builds the innovative new clean BlueTEC diesel technology into the R-Class, GL- and M-Class SUVs assembled here.

In 2009, the ML 450 Hybrid was launched in the U.S., and it was announced that MBUSI will build the next generation C-Class, set for launch in 2014. Vehicles built at MBUSI are solely built in Alabama for more than 135 markets around the world.

Tour date: Thursday, March 25, 2010
Tour start place: Plant 1 Lobby (beside Plant 1, east side parking lot)

Refreshments: 4:45pm to 5:30pm
MBUSI Presentation - Phil Johnston: 5:30pm - 5:50pm
Tours Start: 5:50pm (3 groups - sign up 1st come 1st serve)
Tour 1 - 5:50pm start
Tour 2 - 6:00pm start
Tour 3 - 6:10pm start
Tour length approx 1 1/4 hours.

Tour registration: Registrants will be forwarded schedule of events & map to MBUSI Plant 1, East Parking lot.
Tour requirements: Please bring your own PPE safety wear which should include: Long sleeve shirts, safety glasses, hearing protection; Steel toes not required as the tour groups will stay within the tour route. Please, bring along a photo identification so that attendees can be identified according to registration; a driver license should be acceptable.

Additional note=> for any people able to arrive VERY EARLY, they may take a walk thru the MBUSI Visitor Center which is open from 8:30am until 4:30pm, Monday thru Friday.

Please, Register via the open ONLINE REGISTRATION site at http://www.inline.com/sme. Please, check the PAYMENT Box, Not Applicable. There is no fee for this event. We are in the process of modifying the online registration to meet the Mercedes tour requirements.

Questions: Please contact Blane Vines, email blane.vines@bhamfast.com .

Our April Meeting is scheduled for "the innaugural GRAND PRIX of ALABAMA", sometime April 9 - 11, 2010. Please, view http://www.barbermotorsports.com for more information about this Indy car circuit event. Tickets cost $70.00 each (advance payment) for a 3-day pass, Fri - Sun. SME and Precision Grinding will host 4 tents in the Lot D camping area for those wishing to gather together. All individuals must have a 3-day pass in order to enter the campsite area. We will post more information about the Barber Motor Sports event following the Mercedes tour.

Your SME webmaster, Brian.

UAB to host SolidWorks Seminar at Inline 2/22/10

Inline will host our upcoming February 22, 2010 meeting from 5:00 - 7:30 p. Tina Oliver, Assistant Professor, UAB School of Engineering and some of her students will demonstrate the MS Excel Spreadsheet design portion of SolidWorks. Designing a "parts lists" or a "list of materials" from within a CAD program is becoming a standard requirement, inside the sales & estimation departments of many of our companies. Tina has graciously accepted the task to introduce our membership, along with any invited guests to learn more about engaging some of these "higer functions" within CAD programs. Hope to see all of you at our Monday evening meeting.

Tina and the UAB Mechanical Engineering Department also sponsor and compete in the university BAJA competitions. Several of the BAJA engineering students may be in attendance, serving as our guides. UAB also fields a competitive FSAE team, a university Formula1 sponsored team. SME Birmingham Chapter 143 is doing our best to help support, rather to offset some of their financial requirements. As noted, in our January, 2010 blog, several of us attended the FSAE testing & trials at Barbers Motorsports where Auburn, Georgia Tech, and Louisville fielded competitive teams.

Please, register your interest by visiting the Online Registration Form for this seminar event. We're seeking a $25.00 donation to help support some of the endeavors of the UAB BAJA Team.

Directions to Inline:

From I-65 at the Lakeshore Exit, drive west, passing Wildwood and John Carroll High School, until you meet West Oxmoor Road. Turn right onto W. Oxmoor Road, then take an immediate left into the Inline parking lot. Please, find parking available, then enter the main glass doors at the front of the building. We'll meet in the front lobby before moving into the conference room. Note, light dinner refreshments will be served. If you wish to bring along a notebook computer, please, do so. Inline's phone number is (205) 278-8100. Martin Costa, CPA, CEO and his team will serve as our hosts.

No Safety gear required. Please, Email Mark.Partyka@siemens.com with any questions, as he is taking command of the online registration requirements. You may discuss further details with Mark Partyka by telephone at (205) 907-3681.

Review ASM / SME at Tubular Products 01/28/2010

Birmingham SME members invite members from ASM Birmingham to join us for a plant tour at Tubular Products Co. Social time arrival is scheduled for 5:00pm, Thursday, January 28, 2010.

ASM International is a society dedicated to serving the Materials Science and Engineering professions. This is our first opportunity to meet together with this group of professionals from ASM. Let's give them our full support. We are certain to have many interests in common.

Tubular Products specializes in the design, fabrication, and assembly of round and rectangular tubular steel products. Open since 1973, based in Birmingham, AL, Tubular Products Company is a division of Samuel Man-Tech, Inc. Examples of welded assemblies and fabricated components manufactured by Tubular Products include bent tubing, furniture frames, roll bars, canopy supports, frame rails, seat frame components, Engine mount components, and many other precision cut tubing specialty items for industries across the spectrum.

Craig Armstrong, Operations Manager at Tubular, our host is opening the conference room for us to socialize from 5:00 - 5:30p. We'll enjoy light snacks and open conversation. The plant tour should then last for about another hour. Afterwards, we plan to drive together to meet at the Fultondale, Outback Steakhouse for dinner. Please, plan for a $15.00 dinner.

Tubular Products Co.

1400 Red Hollow Road

Birmingham, Alabama 35215

205-856-1300

http://www.tubularproducts.com/

Driving Directions: from I-20/59, take Hwy 79 toward Pinson to Red Hollow Road. Turn left on Red Hollow Road. Take first driveway to the right into the parking lot. Park in the front parking lot, first driveway on the right after turning in. Meet in the front Lobby.

As always, please, remember to bring your PPE - safety glasses. Neither hardhat nor industrial safety shoes are required for this tour. Please, email Blane Vines, blane.vines@bhamfast.com with an RSVP. Brian, Mark, and LaVada are also available to receive your requests.

Sometime during our meeting, we will review our needs for additional Volunteers to step up to assume new leadership roles for 2010. We have considered several opportunities for community participation, including working with the Barber MotorSports IRL event scheduled for April 9 - 11, 2010. Please, consider all suggestions of mutual interest open to group participation. This is your organization, too!

Upon arrival, Rod Dempsey, Reid and several other members from Tubular Products Company walked us through the plant to meet in an upstairs, refinished conference room. Along the way, we passed by most of the production cells and workstations, and we got our first glimpse of the 2nd shift hard at work, manufacturing various jobs for their customers. First glimpse: an incredible amount of production going on inside a clean, modern facilities with many machines and production gear. It's apparant that Tubular competes worldwide to meet the heavy demands for structural tube products.

5:00 - 5:45p we met there in the conference room, introducing ourselves and having light snacks. Members each took a moment to give a brief "30 second standup intro." Then, Blane Vines, our treasurer reviewed several important points, before accepting affirmative votes to accept our SME Chapter 143 2010 Officer volunteers.

Chair - Mark Partyka, Siemens Automation

Co-Chair, LaVada Varner, Alabama Technology Network - ATN

Secretary, Brian Everling, planning to visit Chile for a month

Treasurer, Blane Vines, Birmingham Fastener

Several others SME members, such as Al Hanhauser, Wesley Wolfe, Dewey Duncan, and Guy Carter witnessed the vote, along with our associate friends from ASM.

Blane also reviewed additional, new SME sponsors for the year 2010. Our next blog should show links to our new sponsors. Thank you new sponsors for your support! Then, we talked about several "missions" for 2010.

Rod Dempsey, Project Manager took the floor, reviewing a brief history about Tubular Products, which was opened in 1973 by Charlie Brown & Steve Brown. Today, Tubular Products is a division of Samuel ManTech, a Canadian company. With over 150,000 sq ft inside the plant and over 100 employees, Rod suggested that they're best known for manufacturing "Carrier Coils," aka "large, wire spools for heavy industrial manufacturing."

Several open floor questions led to a better understanding of the various sizes, gages, and types of manufactured products offered at this Birmingham based, tubular manufacturing plant. Then, our hosts walked us about the plant, mingling with production personnel for the next hour. We passed by various cutting machines. We were each amazed to see the number of various dies used amongst manufacturing "just about any type of tube parts requiring additional machining." Another interesting note included watching a specific "rivot hole technique" applied during production.

Thanks, Tubular Products for a great tour! Then, 10-11 of us met for a dinner at the Outback in Fultondale. An excellent evening tour. Hope to see more of you at one of several upcoming tours.

Flagman Request: Auburn Barber Formula1 FSAE

Auburn University Engineering Department is hosting a Formula 1 / FSAE War Eagle Motorsports event at Barber's Motorsports complex on Saturday, January 23, 2010. "Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds and Auburn University's War Eagle Motorsports are putting together a competition practice for University Eligible cars that have passed FSAE tech. Cars will be teched, noised, and braked. Teams will have the opportunity to run through all four dynamic events in one day to practice the demands of keeping up with a competition schedule. AutoX and Endurance will run on Barber's road course. Beginning in 2010, university teams are "sharing" the costs of the event (insurance, ambulance, set-up)," according to Peter Jones, Chief Engineer for the Auburn FSAE team. This is a request for SME members to volunteer to help on Saturday.


At least four (4) of our SME members have volunteered to host our first SME road-course tent event. While there we'll share FLAGMAN and CORNER MAN duties. Sounds like a great time. If you'd like to volunteer to show up at 7:00 - 7:30a Saturday morning, when our training session begins, please, contact Blane Vines - blane.vines@bhamfast.com to make your reservations. As always, we'll have some light refreshments. You may also contact Blane by phone at 205-595-3511 to register.


Auburn War Eagle Motorsports, GTMS Ga Tech, University of Louisville FSAE, and Southern Poly are among the schools invited to compete. FSAE is a Formula 1 understudy division.


Good weather is likely (the probability for snow is low). Bring rain gear if you have the gear. Bring an outdoor chair if you have a comfortable favorite. Blane will be able to send you all pertinent information.


Four SME Birmingham members attended a brisk, windy winter University Formula1 testing & trials competition between War Eagle Motorsports (1 car), GT Motorsports (1 car), and Louisville FSAE (1 car). Our duties, outline approximately 1500 cones around 1.8 mile track with BLUE CHALK. Seven or Eight of us, including 2 Eagle Scouts circled the track, outlining as many cones as practical.


With Approximately 25 volunteers stationed at 17 turns, our job was to serve as "Corner men" and "Flagmen" , to reposition cones, and to radio activity to the control tower. The drivers job included dancing these super-cars around a track, mazed by cones, without tumbling any cones from the BLUE CHALKED BOXES.

Louisville's team drivers seemed to score the better times. Auburn's team drivers improved with every pit-stop, until they seemed to match Louisville's best combination of time less penalties. GT kept engineering the diagnostics on the motor until finding that a high-rpm-idle served them best. All three teams showed well.

All of us met new acquaintances, we all made new friends. We should be able to continue building our relationships with these FSAE Motorsports groups, while helping to support, in some small way, the Major sponsors, such as Honda, Mercedes, and a host of others who have brought FSAE forward.

Food ... yes the food and festivities were excellent. So many people worked many hours to make this trials event a grand showing for active, participating volunteers. We commend everyone involved, especially the student engineers who average working 15 - 40 hours per week, all year for their teams in preparation, engineering, building, breaking down, testing, and trialing their cars.

Any high school student in America with aspirations to become an engineer, especially those considering MotorSports will find a great set of people, all with organizational team spirit and know-how to produce, to compete against over 250 worldwide universities participating in the FSAE program.

SME Birmingham looks forward to future eventful trials with the FSAE and with Barber Motorsports.

Thanks to all of you for a terrific day at the races.

Pictures taken by a GT member, Warren Vannus may be viewed at http://www.flickr.com/photos/wvannus/sets/72157623169862085/

October 29 Tour: TS Tech Alabama, Boaz

TS Tech Alabama LLC invites SME Birmingham members to tour their Boaz, Alabama facilities on Thursday, October 29, 2009, 5pm - 7pm.

TS Tech Co, LTD is a global supplier of automobile seats, automotive interiors, motorcycle seats, and motorcycle parts. The TS Tech Alabama plant manufactures automobile seats for Honda. Our host, Brian Cochran will show us what it takes for a Tier 1 Automotive Supplier to deliver large quantities of high-quality, custom interior seating components "just-in-time" to one of Japan's, Alabama's, and the world's leading auto manufacturer assembly plants.





TS Tech Alabama LLC
1685 North Main Street
Boaz, Alabama 35957
256-593-9399




Members should receive an email invitation confirming this tour. Please, RSVP to Blane Vines or to Mark Partyka. Please, remember to bring along your safety glasses and safety shoes.




If you are not a member of the Birmingham Chapter of the SME and you would like to meet with us to attend scheduled tours at some of the most advanced manufacturing plants in Alabama or to meet regularly to discuss topics of interest for manufacturers, please, take a moment to contact one of our sponsoring companies listed on this page.





Follow Up - Tour Synopsis



Mr. Brian Cochran, Plant Engineer for TS Tech Alabama welcomed our small group, including 4 regular members and 4 guests with a brief introduction to the Kaizen Manufacturing Principles. A word similar to improvement, "kaizen" is the japanese philosophy harmonizing the focus of continuous improvements in manufacturing processes, in business, and in life. During post World War II reconstruction, the Japanese immediatedly promoted LEAN manufacturing adaptations into their newly founded and revitalized manufacturing businesses. The kaizen adaptive model promotes from every individual participating in the business, from assembly line workers to team-leaders to management to the CEO to make suggestions to help refine every process until 100% efficiencies along with 100% non-defective products are achieved plantwide. Striving to refine and improve every process in the business, from office procedures to purchasing to production to delivery, each to the highest efficiency, the kaizen manufacturing principle seeks to eliminate the wasteful procedures and the non-productive business practices.

As we walked through the plant, we all noticed how well their teams worked together. The manufacturing lines appeared to achieve a balanced harmony between work and production. Approximately 300 workers per shift work together within extremely efficient and modern assembley areas, robotic welding centers, conveyor systems, workcell stations, inspection cells, and automated loading equipment. We were able to view how the kaizen manufacturing philosophy has helped the TS Tech Alabama team to produce and deliver from 400 - 800 sets of seats to the Honda, Lincoln plant, daily. Recent analysis indicates that their internal failure rate is less than 0.5%. Additionally, TS Tech Alabama maintains 100% quality product delivery to the Honda assembly plant with 0% failure. Most of us have probably not achieved such quality results in manufacturing at our own plants. SME Birmingham congratulates TS Tech on reaching the highest in delivering quality.


SME visitors included members from Ajax Tocco of Boaz, Bluewater Thermal Services from Athens, and Pneumatic Automation from Birmingham



We wish to extend our highest regards and thanks to our hosts, Brian Cochran and the whole TS Tech Alabama plant.

Thompson Tractor Tour Highlights

We wish to thank Ashley Self, Bob Bacon, and Mike Reuter for hosting our small touring group last Thursday evening. As soon as we arrived, we stopped by the Thompson Power Systems Truck Department to learn about tweaks and power adjustments from their Caterpillar Engine Dyno experts. Thompson Tractor is highly regarded for servicing and repairing the Caterpillar Diesel engines found in over-the-road tractor rigs. Dyno testing is used to test and to adjust fuel, maximum horsepower output, and optimum efficiencies along with finding out-of-tune parts, diagnosing fixes, and settling on a combination that's ideal for the owner and the engine.

After talking awhile over refreshments, we were introduced to the Thompson Tractor family of businesses: Heavy Equipment, Lift Truck Division, CAT Rental Store, Power Systems, and Parts & Service. We found out that Thompson maintains a $25M inventory, retaining 95 - 97% of the parts necessary for service and repair on their shelves, available for on-site service and for immediate repairs. Two interesting forward-in-time-framed videos showed complete rebuilds of tractors. Our hosts further reviewed ongoing training policies and continuing education for service personnel. Thompson Tractor fully supports Heavy Equipment and Manufacturing Training and Educational facilities across the state of Alabama, including the development and participation in a joint-effort Caterpillar University. After a brief introduction to company history and education, our hosts touched on recent growth and expansion before stressing how important all three, employee satisfaction, strong customer partnerships and just as strong supplier partnerships have helped them build a rock-solid service business that should stand for another 50 years.

After a brief discussion answering open questions, our hosts walked us through the main inside service and repair facilities. From presses and exotic machinery used to rebuild canisters of all types and sizes to complete tear-downs, replacements and rebuilds of whole vehicles, we stopped by each station in turn to see from disassembly to reassembly of individual parts, such as transmissions and complete engine assemblies. Along the way, we stopped inside another Dyno Testing room where even the engine oil is analyzed in addition to confirming expected horsepower ratings, fuel efficiencies, and optimum performance. In order to maintain such an impressively clean indoor service depot, parts are complete washed and cleaned upon disassembly at the entrance. Including an environmentally sound, fully enclosed paint booth which serves as the last station and the assembled exit, the whole building was a clean-room. Every employee must be proud of their workspace. We stopped by to take a picture alongside one of the engine rebuilding stations:

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Just before closing for the evening, Bob, Ashley, and Mike took time to show us the fluid testing and diagostics laboratory that must rival the one from the home Caterpillar office in Peoria, Illinois. As we stood discussing farewells and until laters, our SME team invited Thompson to find an employee to begin actively participating with our humble group. We let them know that we are planning future events, such as a tour of the Tuscaloosa Mercedes plant, which should be a joint tour with the Mississippi SME membership, as well as other tours throughout the central Alabama region.

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If your company would consider hosting a tour for the Birmingham SME Chapter, or if you wish to join us on our adventures, please, email Blane.Vines@BhamFast.com for more information. For more information about the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, please, log on to http://www.sme.org/.

Thompson Tractor tour 08/27/2009 5 - 7 pm

Thompson Tractor looks forward to hosting the Birmingham SME group on Thursday afternoon, 08/27/2009 from 5:00 to 7:00pm. The event will take place in the Building 1 Auditorium, located on the east side of the Highway 79, Tarrant facilities at 2401 Pinson Hwy, Tarrant, AL 35217. The tour will target the Component Rebuild Center of Thompson Tractor along with the Caterpillar Certified Rebuild process, including a look at contamination control, the flow of materials, and internal processes developed from years of experience.

Planned Schedule:

5:00 - 5:30 Welcome

5:30 - 5:45 Thompson Tractor Company overview

5:45 - 6:00 Society of Manufacturing Engineers overview

6:00 - 7:00 Thompson Tractor Company facility tour

Thompson CAT is the full-line Caterpillar equipment dealer serving Alabama and panhandle Florida and represents Mitsubishi Caterpillar forklifts across most of Georgia. This Tarrant campus is the corporate headquarters for Thompson Tractor.

Please, bring Safety Glasses. Membership, please, RSVP. If you would like to join us for this tour or if you would like to join us on future tours, email BrianE@PrecisionGrinding.com or Blane.Vines@BhamFast.com for more information. Please, consult http://www.sme.org/ for more information about the SME and the benefits of being associated with our group.

Nucor Steel Tuscaloosa Plant Tour

Nucor Steel Tuscaloosa shut down the plant for our Thursday evening, end of the month tour. As a result, fifteen SME members and guests were allowed to "get close to the equipment" during our tour of the mill.

Our three hosts, Jon, Dave and Johnny welcomed us into their conference room for a brief history of this Tuscaloosa coil and discreet plate mill, along with some light refreshments.

We first climbed the stairs to the top of the mill to see where scrap steel is loaded into the Electric Arc Furnace. We saw the ladle metallurgy furnace that handles 150 tons of newly melted steel. Next in line, we stepped up to the mixing and testing portion of the mill where we were surprised to find that when adding Vanadium, steelworkers throw the whole can full of these precious rocks into the mix. Our tour guide, Jon Walton, let us know that temperatures get extremely hot along the way, beginning at 2300 degrees Farenheit before cooling toward 1000 degrees upon exiting as a finished product, prior to shearing. During production, most of the workers wear heavy, heat protection gear.

We followed the stairs down the path where the steel is poured into the slabcaster. As a rule, Nucor Tuscaloosa generates a standard-sized 5 1/4" slab in order to produce a uniform beginning size for all of their finished coil and discreet plate products. Again, SME members and guests were able to take a closer look at the cooling mechanics of the slabcaster while the mill was shut down. On the other side of the mezzanine, our guides showed us a "from-the-top view" of how the Steckel Mill works these slabs until the desired 5.26" thickness and flatness is achieved. As we made our way into the plate rolling, control room, we viewed monitors showing close-ups of various coil-rolling inspection points. Here, the slab is rolled to the desired coil thickness, then sheared, coiled to a rolled size. At this point, the desired thickness coil has been produced.

Additionally, we viewed the shear lines, the discreet plate lines, and we saw both, finished coils and finished 1/2" to 1 1/2" x 96" x 480" plates. At that time, all of these plates had metric measurements and specific heat and plate numbers written on their edges.

Both, during our introduction and the closing remarks, Dave Reinhold stressed the efforts made for adhering to the highest Safety Standards in the industry. Nucor prides itself on promoting Safety and Environmental Stewardship, while producing some of the highest quality steel products in the world. Dave took the time to answer several of our questions.

We finished our evening with a seafood dinner at Wintzell's. Al Hanhauser a member from the Mercedes Tuscaloosa plant shared one of the more interesting conversations when he introduced us to the new Mercedes SLS Series production vehicles that should rival the Ford Mustang AV-X10. Further, Nathan Cox, from COX MHP, an invited guest from the Mississippi SME chapter suggested that Alabama and Mississippi continue joint tours. Nathan suggested several upcoming Mississippi plant tours that would be of interest to our members.

SME Birmingham members and guests thank NUCOR STEEL for giving us this opportunity to see their Tuscaloosa coil and plate production facilities. We are also thankful for the invitation to come back when the mill is under heavy operation in order to see the steel produced live.

July & August SME Plant Tours set

Nucor Steel Tuscaloosa has invited SME Birmingham members to tour their Steel Production facilities on Thursday, July 30, 2009 from 4:30pm - 6:30pm. Early arrival for Social time begins at 4:00pm. Please, report to the Guard Shack. There you will be given a brief safety introduction along with directions to the meeting building. For those who choose to socialize afterwards, Dinner will follow at Wintzell's Oyster House from 7:00pm to 9:00pm. Dinner costs are $20.00 for members and for guests. Please, RSVP email to Blane.Vines@BhamFast.com in order to confirm your reservation to dine with us. As always, we would like an accurate count of attendees for our hosting restaurant.

With a business philosophy committed to safety, productivity and profitability, Nucor maintains strong business ethics while promoting excellence in environmental stewardship. Nucor has always been committed to producing superior quality. Demonstrating their committment to leading the industry, Nucor Steel Tuscaloosa was the first mill in the US to install Steckel Mill machinery, leading the whole steel industry toward improving production efficiencies while reducing costs. This new innovation provided a better technological implementation for incorporating "scrap steel" into the production process, while also maintaining higher flatness standards and greater consistencies for their plate products. Jon Walton, a Process Metallurgist will be conducting the facilities tour.

Directions: Go to http://www.bing.com/maps
Nucor: 1700 Holt Rd. NE, Tuscaloosa, AL 35404
Wintzell's Oyster House: 1 Bridge Ave., Northport, AL, 5 miles SW (on the Banks of the Black Warrior River)

Please, remember to bring your PPE Safety Gear: safety glasses, hard-hat, steel-toed boots.


Thompson Tractor Company has invited us to tour their Tarrant facilities on Thursday, August 27, 2009. Thompson CAT is the full-line Caterpillar equipment dealer across Alabama and panhandle Florida and represents Mitsubishi Caterpillar forklifts across most of Georgia. While Thompson has always stood tall promoting Safety, Training, and Construction Partnerships, today, additional attention is being devoted to Promoting Environmental and Energy efficiencies. This Birmingham / Tarrant, Pinson Valley Parkway (Hwy 79) location is the corporate headquarters for Thompson Tractor. Details about this event, along with a time to meet is forthcoming.

Please, remember to bring your Safety Glasses for this tour.


Please, consult http://www.sme.org/ or email BrianE@PrecisionGrinding.com if you would like to know more about SME Chapter 143, Anniston, Birmingham, Gadsden, Tuscaloosa, AL.