SME North Bay - Chapter 431

BIG News! SME North Bay Attains Full Senior Chapter Status

Glenn — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:50:26 +0000

There’s great news for SME North Bay!

When a new SME chapter is formed, it’s normally in forming status for the first 2 years before being eligible to be granted full senior chapter status. This is why the chapter had the “F” in its chapter number, not for flunking out, but for Forming.

However, due to the vitality of the chapter, participation of members in events, and the impact the chapter has had in the North Bay manufacturing community, the chapter has been fast tracked to full senior chapter status. We, the chapter leadership team, are proud to announce that SME North Bay was just granted full senior chapter status, almost 6 months ahead of schedule! For those that are into the details, you’ll see that our chapter number is now 431 instead of F429.

I’d like to congratulate and thank all of you for being involved and taking the chapter from being an idea to where we’re setting a great example for other chapters in our region and across the U.S. Look for more big news to come in 2012. We’re also in the process of planning events for the rest of 2012, so if you haven’t been to an event lately, come on out and meet other SME North Bay members and find out how we’re putting the MEET into MEET, KNOW, GROW!

It’s our vision to be recognized as the premier “go-to” resource in the region for manufacturing knowledge, education, and networking, so we welcome your participation and ideas on how we can be more effective in making this happen. Please feel free to contact myself or any of our 2012 chapter officers with any questions, comments, or ideas you might have.

Thanks again for helping to make the chapter a reality!

Best regards,
Glenn Mattsson
Founder & Past Chair, SME North Bay #431

Building a Case for Manufacturing Relevance

Glenn — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 15:47:18 +0000

Making stuff still matters.

Manufacturing in the U.S. is rebounding and this article by Justin Lahart makes the argument that manufacturing matters. This appeared in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal. The full article can be found HERE.

A Case of Caring

Glenn — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 15:17:36 +0000

I received the following email yesterday from Bob Skodzinsky, who’s Haas Automation’s Manager of Americas HTEC (Haas Technical Education Center) Program. Bob recently wrote an article in Production Machining magazine on SME North Bay Member Dan Sunia and his many educational accomplishments. See Bob’s email below along with a link to the Production Machining article. Enjoy!

“Chris Koepfer, Editor-in-Chief of Production Machining magazine gave me the opportunity to address their readership in the Last Word column about CNC education & training, student recruitment & how industry can help. My thoughts appear on the last page of the November print issue and also at http://www.productionmachining.com/columns/a-case-of-caring.

Dan Sunia, at Petaluma HS along with many others like him inspired my thoughts about what can be done to interest and recruit more students into CNC programs and careers. And how also to work more closely with local industry to develop job opportunities for those students. Dan, as many of you know, has been active on all the fronts discussed.”

SME Annual Conference 2012 – Extra Early Bird Registration Rate!

admin — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 18:06:48 +0000

If you missed the 2011 SME Annual Conference and were thinking of attending in 2012, the regular SME Member registration rate is $695. However, from now until October 31st, there’s an Extra Early Bird Registration Rate of $295 available to members. More information is available in October’s Manufacturing Engineering magazine online SME Member Only Supplement.

The 2012 SME Annual Conference will be held in Cleveland, OH, on June 3-5. The SME Annual Conference pulls together the best that SME has to offer into just a few days. Discover the year’s biggest trends and developments that span the scope of manufacturing. In addition to interactive conference sessions from leaders in the industry, this incredible event features state-of-the-art tours, invaluable networking opportunities, Innovations that Could Change the Way You Manufacture, SME International Awards Gala, and so much more!

See the videos below to see what you missed if you weren’t there in 2011. See more event information HERE.

Northern California Manufacturing Education

Glenn — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 20:22:05 +0000

For anyone that missed the dinner meeting we had on Tuesday, here’s the video that Dick Herman, President of 101MFG, previewed. In it, Dick provides an overview of Northern California manufacturing, with a focus on “the next generation” jobs and skills, emphasizing a Q&A held with students and the value of manufacturing education. Companies featured include Raydiance, Labcon North America, Triformix, Agilent Technologies, and Berkeley National Labs.

Dan Sunia, SME North Bay member, President of CTMAA, and the Manufacturing Technology teacher at Petaluma HS, was instrumental in getting this video made.

The video is 12 minutes long. Enjoy!