big show and our new look, The

Manufacturing Engineering, Aug 2002 by Hogan, Brian J

UP FRONT

Welcome to our preview of IMTS 2002. We've put together an extensive sample of the products you'll see at IMTS, organized in much the same manner you'll encounter in the show's pavilions. IMTS is the largest and most important manufacturing technology show held in North America. Throughout the lean times manufacturing has been enduring, makers of manufacturing equipment of every sort have continued to innovate. Such firms always save their best, most interesting new products for exhibition at IMTS, and you know prices for those products will probably never be lower than they are now. If it's at all possible for you to go there, Chicago's McCormick Place is the place to be when the show opens.

Of course attendees will see the finest in productivity-enhancing new equipment, but there's another reason to make it to the show. Quite simply, it's fun! In every aisle something exciting will catch your eye. Anyone interested in manufacturing will have a great time at IMTS. And after a visit to the floor, may I point out that Chicago is a darn good eatin' and drinkin' town?

I also welcome you to Manufacturing Engineering's new look. This issue is the first produced using our new design-we hope you'll find it a bit easier on the eyes than its predecessor.

These are hard times for companies and individuals involved with manufacturing, and also for the magazines that serve this important field. At the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, we're convinced that now is the time to invest in manufacturing, not pull back, and by deciding to invest in the redesign of this magazine, we've backed up our convictions with cash. We've also made technical changes in our production system to speed and simplify the task of putting our magazine together, and we are planning a range of editorial projects that we hope will capture your attention.

Our editors will continue to write articles on equipment that can make your operation more productive. Manufacturing creates wealth all over the world, and is a vital element of prosperity in every industrialized nation. And it's people like you who are the beating heart of the manufacturing enterprise. We exist to help you get the information on new manufacturing technology that you need.

Recession or no, we will continue to make whatever investments in Manufacturing Engineering are needed to bring that information to you.

Brian J. Hogan, Editor