Getting What You Wish For

It is with mixed emotions that I tell you this will be my last column for Modern Machine Shop. Starting in January 2005, I will be the chief editor of Production Machining magazine—also published by Gardner Publications.

When I came to MMS 12 years ago, one of the "industry beats" that I was assigned to cover was the screw machine market. At that time, the annual focus of our July issue was screw machine technology and its application for the production of screw machine products.

As time went by, I began to notice some interesting changes occurring within this market. Ironically, the changes were not unlike some we had observed a decade before in the general metalworking industry that MMS covers.

What we identified in this market was a shift from very high production, relatively simple, lower tolerance workpieces to lower lot sizes, more frequent change-over and increasingly complex, tighter tolerance parts. There was also a shift to an increasing application of CNC machine tools. We believed this change was permanent, creating the need for a more technologically sophisticated approach to precision turned parts manufacturing.

We put together a targeted circulation list of companies and individuals involved in the precision turned parts industry and launched Production Machining magazine in January of 2001. Talk about bad timing: the recession was beginning, and the migration of work, especially classic screw machine work, increased significantly during PM's first few years. However, in spite of these seemingly negative indicators, the recession's impact on this market segment actually proved the concept of the new magazine by accelerating the changes within the screw machine products industry and creating demand for information about more accurate and productive technology—just the kinds of things PM talks about.

Like the loyal readers of MMS, readers of PM look to it as a place to find solutions to problems. Our editorial focus is to present precision turned parts technology and its application from a shop floor, "how its done" perspective.

In almost 4 years, this magazine has found an audience that supports it through strong subscription renewal and an advertising base with products, services and processes that readers need to learn about. If Production Machining sounds like a magazine you should get or if you anticipate withdrawal from this column, please visit www.production-machining.comto subscribe and to keep track of your old friend.