Anderson Global
Global View newsletter – Winter 2006
Draft copy – December 8, 2005

FRONT COVER
PHOTO: The new building
PHOTO CAPTION: Anderson Global has purchased a 19,000-square-foot building adjacent to the current facility that will house the company’s new state-of-the-art robotics operation.

FRONT COVER – LEAD ARTICLE
HEAD: The Way of the Future
In his 1921 play, “Rossum’s Universal Robots,” Czechoslovakian writer Karel Capek told a futuristic story about electronic servants who were immensely useful—except when they were given emotions, which caused them to kill their masters. Capek was the first person ever to use the word “robot,” yet his satirical play was just one example of creative minds conjuring up fantasies about the mechanical men of the future. For example, the great scientist and author Isaac Asimov wrote prolifically about robots, beginning in 1941 with his short story entitled “Runaround.” Asimov spoke of a powerful robot industry that would someday rise to prominence and power, and in the process he coined a new term: “robotics.” Many years later, Asimov acknowledged his brainchild in an essay entitled, “The Word I Invented,” in which he wrote: “Robotics has become a sufficiently well developed technology to warrant articles and books on its history and I have watched this in amazement, and in some disbelief, because I invented it. No, not the technology; the word.” Never known for his modesty, Asimov did a bit of bragging in the essay: “To be candid, I must admit that it pleases me to have invented a word that has entered the scientific vocabulary.”

Robotics in the 21st Century
Asimov died in 1992, but if he were alive today, he would likely be surprised at how “sufficiently well developed” robotics technology has become. In fact, it is becoming more sophisticated, as well as more vital to manufacturing, every single day—and for most every type of industry it is the way of the future. At Anderson Global, we have embraced robotics as the technology that will propel us into the next generation of manufacturing, as President John R. McIntyre explains: “The manufacturing base for foundry tooling in North America has eroded to a dangerous level, mainly because low-wage nation tool builders offer low prices—without expertise. To combat global competition, and go head to head with these low-wage nations, North American foundries need tooling at global prices and world-class quality. Our company is prepared to address this demand by combining the superior excellence, process-driven design, and workforce of a long-term U.S. foundry tooling builder with fully robotic automated manufacturing. That is the way of the future, and we’re excited about it.”

At a (MONTH) 2005 presentation to the American Foundry Society, McIntyre discussed robotics technology, including the challenges involved with implementation and how it must work in order to be successful. “The roles of people and machines are rapidly changing,” he said, “which means that technology providers need to work together to form an automated cell that will have all parts work in efficient harmony. In other words, all controls, machines, robots, and software need to be able to talk to each other without any translation problems.”

The People Behind the Machines
Because robotics automates non-value-added steps that were previously done by human labor, the technology cuts costs, creates greater efficiency, and reduces lead times by allowing a higher utilization of expensive machines. However, as valuable and important as robots are, the reason they work is because trained and skilled people make them work, as McIntyre explains: “One of the main challenges of adopting robotics is that it can seem threatening to employees—but if they truly understand how the technology works, they will realize that it isn’t a threat at all. People mastermind the engineering support to make sure the cell is never starved for data or materials, and skilled workers are needed for programming, processing, rough contouring, dimensional machining, and assembly. The truth is, robotics technology can lead to more employment, not less.”

Anderson Global’s investment in robotics technology is the latest in a series of investments that the company has made over the past five years. In that time, we have has spent more than $5 million on new technology and automation, and an additional (NUMBER) will be spent to create our new robotics cells. To accommodate the new state-of-the-art equipment, we have purchased a 19,000-square-foot building, located adjacent to the current facility on West Sherman Boulevard in Muskegon Heights. Our target date for having the new operation up and running is (DATE).

At Anderson Global, we understand the challenges and stiff competition that North American manufacturers must face on a day-to-day basis. We are committed to helping our customers be competitive in a global market by providing tooling of world-class quality and superior value—and we’re confident that the answer lies in robotics technology.

FRONT COVER – SHORT ARTICLE AT BOTTOM
HEAD: Knowledge Workers
In order to be competitive in a global market, manufacturing in North America is scrambling to change by becoming smarter, leaner, and more efficient. Along with that change comes an increasing need for “knowledge workers,” or workers who are highly skilled, computer literate, and motivated to continue learning new technology. According to Roger Herman, a business futurist and president of a Greensboro, North Carolina consulting firm, “The manufacturing jobs that are going to be available are going to be more sophisticated than ‘traditional’ manufacturing sector jobs.” At Anderson Global, we are committed to helping our employees become skilled knowledge workers through continued education and training in new technology. After all, we are fully aware that our continued success depends on their efforts.

INSIDE LEFT ARTICLE
HEAD: Global Connections

THIS ARTICLE WILL FOCUS ON THE STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP WITH FIRMS OUTSIDE THE U.S.

INSIDE RIGHT (EMPLOYEE FOCUS)
HEAD: Meet (NEED NAME OF EMPLOYEE TO INTERVIEW)

BLURBS FOR BACK COVER (OPPOSITE MAILING FLAP)

PHOTO: Picture of last year’s Anderson Global Booth (if available)
From April 18 to 21, 2006, the American Foundry Society and North American Die Casting Association will co- host the largest annual meeting of metalcasters in the United States, the 110th Metalcasting Congress. Anderson Global will be participating in the event, which will be held at the Hyatt Regency in Columbus, Ohio. Our booth number is 417 – stop by and visit us!

PHOTO: John McIntyre
Anderson Global President John McIntyre will be the keynote speaker at a meeting of the West Michigan chapter of the American Foundry Society on January 10, 2005. The event will be held at Porto Bello in downtown Grand Haven. For more information, call (CONTACT INFO).