Productivity gains are important

How do you judge the economic situation and the future of your industry?

From a statistical standpoint, the global economic engine is running on all cylinders. Capital investment is again active, which is necessary for any industry to have a good foundation for the future. But, geo-politics with the current cast of characters leading various important nations, large and small, have provided much fire-cracker noise and drama on the world stage.

The latest, of course, is the threat of trade wars, which could cause much disruption for many fastener manufacturers and machines maker alike. Fortunately, America’s celebrity in the WH can be a dog with more bark than bite.

Are digital technologies planned for your company, or have they been introduced already? If so, which?

National is very active in Industry 4.0.  It was one of the themes of our exhibition at WIRE 2018. Thank you again for visiting us!

Where do you see the future trends for your line of business?

A critical issue in the industry for our customers is the growing shortage of machine operators.  Young people do not want to operate old machines and  ones that are without higher tech electronic controls and automation.  Fortunately, this is another way that new equipment can help, in addition to the obvious benefits of greater productivity through improvements in machine speed, accuracy, and tooling change-over time. Our line of FORMAX machine has particular advantages in this regard.

What is your personal perspective on machinery and plant engineering?

Productivity gains are important, and can be achieved with our FORMAX equipment.  I visited one of our customers last week who had created a separate factory with its group of FORMAX machines.  Each shift runs with only 2.5 machine operators... Total, for 12 FORMAX machines.  Change-over time was reported to average 30 minutes.

Mr Kalnow, thank you for your time!