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Forging Industry Association 

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December 9, 2009 

H1A New Year

 A1Happy 2010 ?

Wow - what was that ? Oh, just one of the worst economic downturns this industry -- and arguably the North American economy-- has seen in decades. One year ago, we were just beginning to experience what our automotive counterparts were already living. Then the rest of the forging industry fell off a cliff too. Where were the economic experts  to warn us of this collapse ? The cable TV pundits ? The Wall Street gurus ? No one saw this coming, and boy has it hurt. It has not been uncommon to hear from many of our members that sales are still off by  50%, 60% or more.
 
And, yes, the industry saw some major acquisitions and mergers as a result. But what did not occur was the predicted decimation of the North American forging base. Most forgers were proactive and adjusted accordingly, and therefore will survive this downturn. 
 
In the middle of all this, FIA's fundamental structure was experiencing major change. Industry leaders and our Board of Directors put together a new strategic plan for the association, making it more outwardly and internationally focused to provide new or updated  benchmarking, training and networking services that will help members during times like these. We also saw some old friends on staff retire, and we'll miss them. But we welcome the fresh faces that are now on board and look forward to their contributions.
 
Change is inevitable. So are economic cycles . Let's continue to work together on ideas and solutions to help us manage these so we can have a Happy 2010 ! 
 
Best wishes to all. - The FIA Staff
 
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H2Welcome New Member 

A2Welcome Advanced Machine Design
FIA is pleased to welcome Advanced Machine Design (www.amd-co.com) as the newest supplier member of the Association.  Located in Buffalo, NY, Advanced Machine Design designs and manufactures hydraulic sheers, presses and material handling equipment for the forging industry.  Tom Zimmermann, VP Sales will act as Official Representative to FIA for the company (716-826-2000).

H3Member Opportunities 

A3Nominations Open for 2010 FIA and FIERF Board Positions
The best organizations are only as good as their leadership, and the Forging Industry Association and the Forging Industry Educational and Research Foundation are no exceptions to this rule.  FIA and FIERF have been very fortunate through the years that industry leaders have consistently stepped up and volunteered their time and talents to serve on these two Boards.  This altruism provides the guidance and direction that has allowed FIA and FIERF to consistently provide the services our members need in both good times and bad. 

FIA's Nominating Committee will meet in February to select and nominate a slate of nominees to the FIA Board of Directors and the FIERF Board of Trustees for election at the Annual Meeting in May, 2010.

Elected Directors and Trustees will serve for three year terms through the Annual Meeting in 2013.  Candidates from both FIA forging producer or supplier member companies are eligible and will be considered for either Board subject to the following guidelines, qualification and preferences:
 
The FIA Board of Directors
provides operating policy and direction to the association and its activities which support FIA's purpose and Mission - "To improve member's global competiveness".  FIA activities are accomplished by committee, staff and member groups through defined, measurable objectives relating to industry marketing, information, public policy, and technology matters relevant to the forging industry and of interest to FIA members.  Director candidates are CEO or senior managers who are versed in business operations and strategic planning, motivated to participate and lead in an industry-representative peer-group effort, and able/willing to commit to 3 meeting days per year.
 
The FIERF Board of Trustees
sets direction for, and participates in small working groups to plan and implement highly focused activities relating to Technology, Education and Fundraising matters toward furthering the competitiveness of the forging industry.  Trustee candidates should be well versed in either business or technical planning skills, interested in developing long term programs and solutions to these enduring industry challenges, and able/willing to commit to 4 meeting days per year.
 
FIA members who are interested in serving on either Board, or who would like to recommend a candidate for consideration by the nominating committee, may inquire for more information by either contacting FIA Executive Vice President Roy W Hardy, or any member of the nominating committee listed below.
Members of the FIA nominating committee are:
 
Jim Link
, Meadville Forge, MFC Group                    
 
Don Larson, C.E. Larson & Sons, Inc.

Inacio Moriguchi, American Axle & Mfg. Inc.
 
Hudson Smith, Sifco Industries, Inc.                        

Joe Cipriani, Keystone Forging company
Email: [email protected] 

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H4Forge Fair 

A4Forge Fair Exhibit Booth Sales Ahead of Projections
Comparing Forge Fair Exhibit Sales from Forge Fair 2006 with 2010, (as of December 2nd, 2005/2009), Forge Fair 2010 Exhibit Booth Sales are up 12%, with an increase of 13% in booth square footage. We are also pleased to welcome 15 new exhibitors that will be presenting at Forge Fair for the first time.
 
(Click here) to link to the Forge Fair Home Page.
 
A5Forge Fair Sponsors
FIA thanks the sponsors of Forge Fair:
 
Girard Engineering, Inc: www.girardengineering.com
Electralloy: www.electralloy.com
� Forge Products: www.forgeproducts.com
 
For the first time ever, FIA is offering Sponsorship Opportunities for Forge Fair. A variety of Sponsorship Opportunities are available, suitable for small, as well as large companies. 
 
Sponsors of Forge Fair 2010 will gain added visibility for their companies, demonstrating their support for the forging industry, as well as making it possible for FIA to lower Attendee Registration Fees for the second Forge Fair in a row.
 
(Click here) to see what opportunities are still available.

A6Forge Fair 2010 Attendee Brochure and Registration Form Posted on Website
The Forge Fair Attendee Brochure has been posted on the FIA Forge Fair Website at: http://forging.org/ffair/fia.cfm.
 
The brochure will provide you with complete details on: dates, who should attend, all of the added goodies that attendees receive with their general admission fee, directions, attendee fee, list of exhibitors, as of 11/19/09, and much more. 
 

H5Safety 

A7Employee Safety Perception Survey - Now Is The Time To Register - Don't Miss It!!!
Companies that participated in the 2007 Employee Safety Perception Survey reported that in many cases, the survey opened their eyes to potential safety issues they were not aware of, as well as highlighting safety programs that were working.
 
The FIA Safety and Health Committee has developed this short, 50-question, Agree / Disagree Survey. The survey is designed to be administered by your company's safety and health coordinator, and should take no longer than 15 - 20 minutes for an employee to fill out. Employees will not be asked to identify themselves, their individual responses will be anonymous, to promote candor.
The Survey is designed to help you evaluate your workers' perception of your company's safety programs. The following are just a few of the areas that the survey focuses on:

. General view of your company's safety culture 
. Management buy-in to a culture of safety 
. Effectiveness of current safety programs 
. Level of employees' willingness to open up to, and  
  work with, management regarding safety issues 
. How much do your workers care about safety, and
  much more 
 
Your company's individual responses will not be identified, and only known by you, and an FIA staff person. Your data will be tabulated on-site by your safety coordinator, and e-mailed directly to FIA. FIA will then download your data into a comprehensive data base, made up of all participating companies. A personalized report will then be developed for you, showing you what the overall, aggregate Agree/Disagree percentage was, and what your company's responses were for each question.
 
Why Participate?
�  Identify and prioritize problem areas
�  Increase employee involvement, awareness, and 
   responsibility in safety programs
�  Raise employee morale
�  Establish an early warning system
�  Expedite problem solving and program improvement
�  Validate management decisions
�  Establish baseline measures for future re-survey
   comparison
 
Survey Cost:
There is no fee for FIA Member Companies to participate in this Survey. To participate, or for additional information, please contact George Layne, FIA Safety & Health Committee Liaison, @ 216-781-6260 - [email protected]
 
Each company will receive their own personalized report. The person completing the Survey will be mailed their report, marked: "Personal and Confidential".
 
A8Three New Forging Safety Courses Added to the Forging University
FIA has just added three new forging specific safety courses to the Forging University, Forge Shop Safety Orientation, Hammer Safety and Press Safety, which brings the University's Catalog up to 108 online interactive courses, with a Safety Library of 13 safety courses:
 
� Forge Shop Safety Orientation
� Hammer Safety
� Press Safety
� Creating a Safe and Sound Environment
� OSHA and Medical Emergencies
� OSHA Employee Safety - Special Work Issues
� OSHA Employee Safety Personal Protective
  Equipment and Hazardous Confined Spaces
� OSHA Employee Safety-Electrical Systems and
  Equipment
� OSHA Employee Safety - The Work Environment
� OSHA: Hazard Communication
� OSHA: The Employers' Role in Safety & Health
� OSHA: Walking-Working Surfaces and Housekeeping
� Watching Out for Others Prevents Accidents
 
The FIA Forging University is an Interactive - Online - Web-Based Training Center, available to learners 24 Hours a Day, 7 Days a Week, from any Internet connected computer, anywhere in the world. The Forging University is offered FREE to Forging Industry Association Member Companies. For additional information on the Forging University, either contact your company's training manager, or George Layne at: [email protected]

H6Communication 

A9FIA Website Now BlackBerry Friendly
Want to check the FIA Calendar of Events, What's New, or the latest committee activities, but you're in a meeting, or at an airport waiting on a flight? You can now access the FIA Website from your BlackBerry, or similar hand-held device.
 
Just enter the normal FIA URL: www.forging.org and somehow, through Internet magic, the FIA Website will recognize that you're connecting from a hand-held device, and will convert our Site into a hand-held friendly version.
 
A10FIA Website Hits New Visitor High For a November
November 2009 reported a 16%, (9,276), visit increase for this year compared to 2008. Sixty-four off-shore countries were identified, representing 16% of the visits.
 
Click here, to view/print the complete report, with Top Pages viewed, 13-Month Trend, and much more.
 

H7Surveys 

A11Look For Your Statistical Surveys - Coming in January 2010
2009 - Where Did the Forging Industry Land?
 
The economic downturn and the auto industry slow down made 2009 a pivotal year.  It is vital to have as much economic information as possible at your fingertips.  To prepare for the future it is also important to look at the past.  The 2009 edition of the annual FIA Custom Forging Orders/Shipments and End-Use Markets Survey is a great place to start.  FIA invites all of the North American custom-forging community to participate in the coming survey for 2009.
 
The survey uses Weight and $-Volume shipped and is broken out by: 
  • Segments:  Impression (closed) Die, Open Die and Rolled Ring
  • Each segment shows ferrous and non ferrous metals with weights
  • Measure shipments to customer markets-and benchmark your market share
  • Three year historical comparison data
Participation is free and completely confidential, requiring just a few minutes of your time. The 2009 Orders and Shipments questionnaire will be e-mailed to all custom forgers in January 2010 and will be posted on our website www.forging.org .
 
Participating FIA members are also encouraged to fill out the 2009 Profit questionnaire to be mailed first part of February 2010.  The resulting report will give you the exclusive opportunity to see where you stand in the industry and against your peers.
 
For further information, please contact us by calling the FIA Office at 216-781-6260 and ask for Diane or Mary Ann.
 
KartManagement Compensation and Hourly Wage & Benefit Reports Published
Both final reports were e-mailed in November to all participants.  In these economic times, timely benchmarking information is vital, as evidenced by participation in this year's reports increasing significantly.  FIA has published these reports earlier this year, and has sent final reports via e-mail ONLY. 
 
All participants were e-mailed the report(s) at no cost.  Non-participating FIA Members may purchase the reports at $500 each.  If you have not received your copy, or would like to purchase reports, please call Mary Ann Foote at 216.781.6260.
 

H8Training 

A12Mark Your Calendar! - March 24th, 2010 - Energy Workshop
Where? Timken Corporation, Canton OH
Who? All forging companies located in OH, PA and MI
What? Information on "Cap and Trade", funding opportunities, technology trends and more.
Brochures and registration forms will be available soon.