FACE TO FACE
Wilson Tool ’ s QuickTap tool . Wilson Tool press brake tooling .
innovation , providing value to our customers . Innovation is still a big part of what we do . It ’ s a competitive market and you must change with the times ,” he added .
Wilson Tool ’ s growth has allowed it to develop further services for customers such as lean manufacturing seminars , webinars , application training and industry fora . These all allow it to connect with customers in meaningful ways . Collaboration with customers is a key pillar of its growth .
“ We make a lot of customised special tooling for the market in different tooling styles . There isn ’ t a day that goes by that we don ’ t build something different to meet a customer ’ s needs . Wilson Tool has been around for a long time and has a very wide customer base . We always find ways to grow through different opportunities , innovation , technology etc .,” explained Ron Palick .
Global market trends
Palick also pointed out several trends in today ’ s global sheet metal and tooling markets that feed into the development work undertaken by Wilson Tool .
We are trying to find ways to incorporate artificial intelligence into our tooling to benefit our customers , as well as to use it internally to help provide better services to our customers
“ Automation is really pushing this industry . It is hard finding labour so you see more load / unloading systems and automation on and around machine tools . The labour problem is not going away . We have embraced automation with products like the E clamp and we continue to observe developments at machine-tool manufacturers ,” he said .
“ The skills and labour shortages also mean that you must design and build useability and simplicity into products today . When you develop a new product , you must make it easy to use and to maintain . For example , our tapping tool can be maintained by customers ( and be more efficient ). Our punching tools feature simple click adjustments so that there is no need for a ruler or caliper . We will see more of that ,” he continued .
He also emphasized the lack of young people coming into the global sheet metal industry .
“ We contact technical schools to hire people and the graduating classes are a fraction of what they used to be . That is a concern . We run apprenticeships and training programmes but all of us need to make this industry more attractive to younger people ,” he underlined .
Paul Johnson emphasised the challenges of a global ageing manufacturing workforce , with skilled engineers retiring and new , younger hires needing internal training and focused , specialised programmes . He also offered a ‘ big picture ’ view of how market movements and trends factor in Wilson Tool ’ s philosophy and future planning .
“ Customers need to do more with less these days . It ’ s about how you can process parts faster , quicker and more efficiently . Artificial intelligence , automation and other technologies feed into this . I think the world will change much more quickly in the next ten years than it has in the last thirty years . I lived through the CNC revolution but just looking at the huge amount of technological change just in the last 25 years has been amazing . We are gearing up for what we believe may happen in the next 25 years ,” he told ISMR .
Looking ahead
Wilson Tool shimless die adaptor . Wilson Tool ’ s Swing Ear tool ( open ).
Global market factors , such as increasing inflation and interest rates along with regional conflicts , present challenges to manufacturers across the world .
“ The supply shortage , which ties into inflation , is also a challenge for us . We carry a lot of products and a lot of inventory to service
48 | ismr . net | ISMR November 2023