Is Your Metalcasting Facility in a Hole?

Synchro32 is a friendly company to work for and to do business with.  I must say, I get along smashingly well with the entire global team.  It's the first place that I've ever worked at where there is "peace and harmony".  We "sing" (just like Provo's Privy - It Sings) - can you name that legendary movie from long ago?  This of course makes it very easy to do business with Synchro32 and become a customer - using the global platinum standard for metalcasting specific software.  Customer support is everything to the company - before the sale and long long after the sale.  That's why every license of the Synchro32 comes with unlimited support for trained users.  What more can be said...

Here is a story, borrowed from the WestWing, that really enforces friendship for me and also what Synchro32 can do for your metalcasting facility - anywhere in the world!

"This guy's walking down the street when he falls in a hole. The walls are so steep he can't get out.

"A doctor passes by and the guy shouts up, 'Hey you. Can you help me out?' The doctor writes a prescription, throws it down in the hole and moves on.

"Then a priest comes along and the guy shouts up, 'Father, I'm down in this hole can you help me out?' The priest writes out a prayer, throws it down in the hole and moves on

"Then a friend walks by, 'Hey, Joe, it's me can you help me out?' And the friend jumps in the hole. Our guy says, 'Are you stupid? Now we're both down here.' The friend says, 'Yeah, but I've been down here before and I know the way out.'" 

So, if your metalcasting facility is in a hole, call on Synchro32 and we will all jump in the hole with you - we know the way out!

Till next time, see you on down the road...

Oh No, Say It Isn't So - INVEST90

Oops, I was just joking about a tropical storm or a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico - the official season hasn't even started yet!  The Atlantic Hurricane season starts on June 1st - and already there is a "disturbance" in the Gulf of Mexico showing signs of growt and is moving WNW.

It's probably time for some extraordinary measures to cap the well in the Gulf.  It's been readily apparent that all of these solutions are "shots in the deep" and the thing is still spewing.

First named storm of the year will be Alex.

This might not be good news for the Gulf of Mexico and the Texas Coast.

If this forms into a tropical storm or hurricane, it is coming from the East and would blow all the oil to the West towards Texas.  Plus, as the storm picks up water with oil from the surface, oily ran will fall back down on the cities and your house and streets, rivers and streams.

I say NUKE it.  The Ruskies did the same thing on a run away gas well back in the 50's-60's.

Probably 1kt or less is all that would be needed - min. radiation hazard and no fall out.

Soviet Union Nuking a Gas Well 

Nuke Depth Charge  

I mean, we did all kinds of nuke experiments under the PlowShare program - peaceful use of nukes for oil exploration, canal building, lake building, etc. That's why we had nukes explode in Alaska, Mississippi, and Colorado. I've stood on the edge of Sedan Crater, quite amazing...

Project Plowshare: Operation Storax: Shot Sedan: NTS-Nevada Test Site July 6 1962

All is well at Synchro32.  Richy is back from an extended road trip to the trans Oceanic region and is more than happy to be home.  I don't think he still knows what day/time it is - the jet lag on this is beyond brutal.  But, he's a trooper extraordinare and will be  back at full steam soon.

Simon is touring around North America as I type this - a person who never unpacks.


I myself am  gearing up with Chris Collins for the AFS Wisconsin region in mid June.  Really looking forward to seeing Wisconsin during the spring/summer as opposed to the winter.  We Texans are not built to endure the harsh winters up that way.

Till next time, see you on down the road...

June 1st is Almost Here...

June 1st marks the start of the Atlantic hurricane season.  All eyes are already on the Gulf of Mexico with the massive oil spill messing things up along the gulf coast, killing wildlife, destroying economies, and generally making an oily black mess of things.


I was pondering on the front porch yesterday about what would happen if a hurricane should spring up in the Gulf of Mexico and over run the oil slick.  Not only would the oil really get washed ashore with the tidal surges, but  the hurricane would pickup the oily water from the Gulf of Mexico and drop it down all over the place in the form of rain - making beyond a huge environmental disaster!

Well, I'm doing my preemptive strike on hurricanes.  I've got a 70+ year old water oak in my backyard that is starting to show it's age.  It's got large knot holes in it and although it has survived hurricanes Rita and Ike, it's time for it to come down.  Should a storm spring up and the ground become water logged or very high sustained winds, the tree would literally split the house and who ever was in the house at the time in half.

So, sometime in the next  couple of weeks I'm doing my part in supporting the local economy by having it reduced to wood chips.

Need some good mulch?

Till next time, see you on down the road...

For Immediate Release: Chris Collins & Tom Renk to Speak at AFS Wisconsin Regional

Chris Collins, CEO and Managing Director, will be making a presentation titled “Why ERP for Small and Medium Sized Foundries”. A short abstract of this presentation is:

A short talk on the importance of specific ERP/MRP software systems for the modern day foundry. Including historical context, main areas of concern, and roles of past and current technologies, the impact of global communications, tips of systems acquisition, and a glimpse into the future...

The talk with focus on the specific needs of small and medium sized metalcasters, making them aware of the need in the 21st century to revolutionize their operations through modern ERP/MRP systems. Chris will provide information on what composes an ERP-Enterprise Resource Planning and MRP-Material Requirements Planning system and why it is so essentially necessary to implement a system.

Affordable solutions are available to all sizes metalcasters and this presentation will focus on the specific needs and concerns of small to medium sized metalcasters. The goal of the presentation will be to enlighten metalcasters that industry specific ERP/MRP solutions are available for the specific metalcasting industry segment and will highlight that metalcasting is vastly different from all other forms of manufacturing and production.

Joining Chris for the presentation will be Tom Renk, President of UMF-United Machine aand Foundry of  Winona Minnesota. Tom will specifically address the needs of metalcasters in today’s fast paced global “Wild-West-Web”,“speed to market”, “customer sensitive” environment that is replete with quality and cost conscious issues. Tom will lend personal credence to his experiences in implementing, managing, and using on a daily basis a modern ERP/MRP system and how such system has improved his all important bottom line.

Please join the AFS Wisconsin Chapter, Synchro32 and United Machine and Foundry on Wednesday June 16th 2010 at 9am CDT for this enlightening, upbeat, and informative presentation on how all sizes of metalcasters can compete with the titans of the industry on a global basis.

WISCONSIN CHAPTER
AMERICAN FOUNDRY SOCIETY
JUNE 15-17, 2010 / OLYMPIA RESORT
http://www.wisconsinafs.org/1006/2010Conference.pdf
http://www.wisconsinafs.org/

Chris Collins is founder and CEO of Synchro32, creators of the production control ERP/MRP software system Synchro32. With more than twenty-five years of experience in the design of production control systems specifically for the cast metal industry, Collins has personally contributed towards three complete ERP/MRP software suites, including the complete design and creation of Synchro32. With a background in both engineering and software design since 1984 Chris Collins has played a pivotal role in the form and functionality of modern day foundry specific ERP systems.

Tom Renk is President of United Machine and Foundry and has been with them for fourteen years. Tom has a degree in manufacturing engineering from Iowa State University. Tom cut his teeth in the metalcasting industry working for the American Foundry Society, AFS, in the early 1990’s writing computer code and was introduced to the Synchro32 legacy System DEWTEC at that time. Tom has over twenty-one years of experience in the metalcasting industry.

Synchro32 is the global leading provider of metalcasting specific software for managing the ERP/MRP needs today’s metalcaster. Synchro32 is literally a metalcasting operation in a software box. Synchro32 maintains offices in North America (Austin Texas), the United Kingdom, South America (Brasil), Europe, and Spain. On the web at www.synchro32.com and by email at sales@synchro32.com

Enterprise Planning

Hello from bright and sunny Texas USA. Spring is well past sprung and before long we will be in the midst of the blazing Texas summer.  It was already in the 90's this past weekend - that's 32c. 

I'm pleased to announce something that has been in the works for sometime,

AFS Wisconsin Chapter

Enterprise Planning for Small & Medium Sized Foundries

Wednesday, June 16, 2010
9:00 am – 11:00 am

Olympia Resort and Conference Center located in Oconomowoc,
Wisconsin

http://www.wisconsinafs.org/1006/2010Conference.pdf

Chris Collins -CEO and Managing Director - Synchro32

Tom Renk President - United Machine and Foundry

Chris and Tom will discuss the concepts and importance of Enterprise Planning (ERP) and Material Requirements Planning (MRP) systems in a modern foundry, focusing particularly on the needs of small and medium sized foundries.  Practical experiences with the use of these systems to improve the bottom line in a foundry will also be presented.

I'm already hard at work getting everything organized for this Expo in the new location.  Check out where Synchro32 will be at http://www.olympiaresort.com/

Things are going exceedingly well at Synchro32 and April 2010 was a most outstanding month with many new installations.  May has already taken off and Simon will be making a mid month swing through Canada, the USA, and Mexico with new installations.  I'm already working on booking his June and July trips.  Richy remains in the "land down under" with new installations and will be returning home to the UK before long.  I am also working on a trip to North America for him in the early July timeframe and a return to the trans-Oceanic region for late July.

Other news, Richy will be attending the AFI, Australian Foundry Institute Conference/Exposition 
which will be held in Adelaide, 17-20th October 2010 at the Stamford Grand Hotel, Glenelg Australia.  See
http://www.afiaustralia.org/html/conference_2010.html for more details.

Finally, although GIFA it is not until next year, the Synchro32 Sales and Marketing Department has already reserved a spot and we are gearing up for the premier global event.  I am definately planning on being there.
http://www.gifa.com/

Obviously lots of good stuff going on at Synchro32.

Till next time, see you on down the road...

Shane Allen