Upbeat in Pittsburgh

Vendors and potential customers discuss the latest products in the precision-machined parts industry during the Technical Member Exhibits. Click on the photo above for a slideshow of conference highlights.

At the end of April, I had the opportunity to attend the National Technical Conference sponsored by PMPA. We stayed at the Pittsburgh Hilton, which overlooks the golden triangle where the Allegany and Monongahela rivers flow together to form the Ohio. Being from Cincinnati, it’s cool to see the beginning of the river that plays such a major role in my city’s history.

As usual, the PMPA staff, led by Monte Guitar, put together a relevant and thought-provoking program for the attendees. I especially like the format for the tech conference because it uses a combination of presentations and hands-on workshops for the attendees. It also lets people like me listen to and learn from industry veterans.

Another neat part of this conference is the technical members' exhibits, which are on display the first night of the conference. This offers vendors an opportunity to show off their wares to prospective customers in the form of the shop attendees. It also allows the attendees to kick the tires on new tools, software and other process-enhancing products.

My takeaway from this year’s conference, in addition to listening and learning from the presentations, was that business for the attending shops is good. In fact, everyone I spoke to confirmed that the precision-machined parts industry has definitely turned the corner on this recession and is heading strongly back from the brink. Just hearing that is justification for a couple of days in the steel city.